e Fleming didn't. And since he held fifty-two per cent of the common
stock himself, try and do anything about it."

"Anything short of retiring Fleming to the graveyard, that is," Rand
amended. "That would do for a murder-motive, very nicely.... What were
Fleming's objections to the merger?"

"Mainly sentimental. Premix was his baby, or, at least, his kid brother.
His father started mixing pancake flour back before the First World War,
and Lane Fleming peddled it off a spring wagon. They worked up a nice
little local trade, and finally a state-wide wholesale business. They
incorporated in the early twenties, and then, after the old man died,
Lane Fleming hired an advertising agency to promote his products, and
built up a national distribution, and took on some sidelines. Then,
during the late Mr. Chamberlain's 'Peace in our time,' he picked up a
refugee Czech chemist and foods-expert named Anton Varcek, who whipped
up a lot of new products. So business got better and better, and they
made more money to spend on advertising to get more money to buy more
advertising to make more money, like Bill Nye's Puritans digging clams
in the winter to get strength to hoe corn in the summer to get strength
to dig clams in the winter.

"So Premix became a sort of symbol of achievement to Fleming. Then, he
was one of these old-model paternalistic employers, and he was afraid
that if he relinquished control, a lot of his old retainers would be
turned out to grass. And finally, he was opposed in principle to
concentration of business ownership. He claimed it made business more
vulnerable to government control and eventual socialization."

"I'm not sure he didn't have something there," Rand considered. "We get
all our corporate eggs in a few baskets, and they're that much easier for
the planned-economy boys to grab.... Just who, on the Premix side, was in
favor of this merger?"

"Just about everybody but Fleming," Tipton replied. "His two sons-in-law,
Fred Dunmore and Varcek, who are first and second vice presidents.
Humphrey Goode, the company attorney, who doubles as board chairman.
All the directors. All the New York banking crowd who are interested
in Premix. And all the two-share tinymites. I don't know who inherits
Fleming's voting interest, but I can find out for you by this time
tomorrow."

"Do that, Tip, and bill me for what you think finding out is worth," Rand
said. "It'll be a novel reversal of order for you to be billin