The Stars Shine Down

It was a mild stroke, and the doctor assured Howard that in time his mother would be fine. "She's had a terrible shock, but she's going to recover."

Howard still got calls from scouts from the major leagues, but he knew that he could not leave his mother. I'll go when she's better, he told himself.

The medical bills kept piling up.

In the beginning he talked to Betty Quinlan once a week, but after a few months the calls became less and less frequent.

Howard's mother did not seem to be improving. Howard talked to the doctor. "When is she going to be all right?"

"In a case like this, it's hard to tell, son. She could go on for months like this, or even years. Sorry I can't be more specific."

The year ended and another began, and Howard was still living with his mother and working at the bank. One day he received a letter from Betty Quinlan, telling him that she had fallen in love with someone else and that she hoped his mother was feeling better. The calls from scouts became less frequent and finally stopped altogether. Howard's life centered on taking care of his mother. He did the shopping and the cooking and carried on with his job. He no longer thought about baseball. It was difficult enough just getting through each day.

When his mother died four years later, Howard Keller was no longer interested in baseball. He was now a banker.

His chance of fame had vanished.

Chapter Nine

Howard Keller and Lara were having dinner.

"How do we get started?" Lara asked.

"First of all, we're going to get you the best team money can buy. We'll start out with a real estate lawyer to work out the contract with the Diamond brothers. Then we want to get you a top architect. I have someone in mind. After that, we want to hire a top construction company. I've done a little arithmetic of my own. The soft costs for the project will come to about three hundred thousand dollars a room. The cost of the hotel will be about seven million dollars. If we plan it right, it can work."

The architect's name was Ted Tuttle, and when he heard Lara's plans, he grinned and said, "Bless you. I've been waiting for someone to come along with an idea like this."

Ten working days later he had rendered his drawings. They were everything Lara had dreamed of.

"Originally the hotel had a hundred and twenty-five rooms," the architect said. "As you can see, I've cut it down to seventy-five keys, as you've asked."

In the drawing there were fifty suites and twenty-five deluxe rooms.

"It's perfect," Lara said.

Lara showed the plans to Howard Keller. He was equally enthusiastic.

"Let's go to work. I've set up a meeting with a contractor. His name is Steve Rice."

Steve Rice was one of the top contractors in Chicago. Lara liked him immediately. He was a rugged, no-nonsense, down-to-earth type.

Lara said, "Howard Keller tells me that you're the best."

"He's right," Rice said. "Our motto is 'We build for posterity.' "

"That's a good motto."

Rice grinned. "I just made it up."

The first step was to break down each element into a series of drawings. The drawings were sent to potential subcontractors: steel manufacturers, bricklayers, window companies, electrical contractors. All in all, more than sixty subcontractors were involved.

The day escrow closed, Howard Keller took the afternoon off to celebrate with Lara.

"Does the bank mind your taking this time off?" Lara asked.

"No," Keller lied. "It's part of my job." The truth was that he was enjoying this more than he had enjoyed anything in years. He loved being with Lara: he loved talking to her, looking at her. He wondered how she felt about marriage.

Lara said, "I read this morning that they've almost completed the Sears Tower. It's a hundred and ten stories - the tallest building in the world."

"That's right," Keller said.

Lara said gravely, "Someday I'm going to build a higher one, Howard."

He believed her.

They were having lunch with Steve Rice at the Whitehall. "Tell me what happens next," Lara asked.

"Well," Rice said, "first we're going to clean up the interior of the building. We'll keep the marble. We'll remove all the windows and gut the bathrooms. We'll take out the electrical risers for the installation of the new electrical wiring and update the plumbing. When the demolition company is through, we'll be ready to begin building your hotel."

"How many people will be working on it?"

Rice laughed. "A mob, Miss Cameron. There'll be a window team, a bathroom team, a corridor team. These teams work floor by floor, usually from the top floor down. The hotel is scheduled to have two restaurants, and you'll have room service."

"How long is all this going to take?"

"I would say - equipped and furnished - eighteen months."

"I'll give you a bonus if you finish it in a year," Lara told him.

"Great. The Congressional should..."

"I'm changing the name. It's going to be called the Cameron Palace." Lara felt a thrill just saying the words. It was almost a sexual feeling. Her name was going to be on a building for all the world to see.

At six o'clock on a rainy September morning, the reconstruction of the hotel began. Lara was at the site eagerly watching as the workmen trooped into the lobby and began to tear it apart.

To Lara's surprise, Howard Keller appeared.

"You're up early," Lara said.

"I couldn't sleep." Keller grinned. "I have a feeling this is the beginning of something big."

Twelve months later the Cameron Palace opened to rave reviews and land office business.