by Dave Daren
A shot rang out then, and a strange look came over Tattoo man’s face. He looked down at his chest and then at me. A dark red flower had suddenly sprouted on his shirt. Another shot rang out, and I ducked down. Tattoo man uttered what had to be a curse word. The truck hit a pothole and tattoo man staggered for a moment and then fell over the back of the truck.
Gun man ran towards him, his weapon still drawn. He checked on Tattoo man before he pointed the gun towards the back of the truck. He fired one more time, but the truck was out of range.
I spread myself flat in the truck bed and pulled a few bags of plastic bottles over me. When we reached the gate, the driver finally turned down the volume. He and the guard exchanged a few words, and then we were through the gate and back on the main street. At the first red light, I slipped from the back of the truck and walked casually back towards the parking lot and my ride home.
An LAPD cruiser zoomed past as I pulled out of the lot, and I watched it turn towards the gate. One of the security guards was waving the police on through while his partner examined every vehicle that left.
I thought about returning to the office, but neither my brain nor my body was up for the task. Instead, I pointed the car towards home and dreamed of a hot shower and cool sheets.
Chapter 6
I made it back to my apartment and took a long, hot soak in the shower. When I felt almost alive, I toweled off and took a good look at myself in the mirror. I had a large bruise forming on my right shoulder and a lump just above my left ear. Lucky for me, both of those could be easily hidden.
I downed a handful of aspirin and limped back to the kitchen. I realized as I stared into my empty refrigerator that I hadn’t done any grocery shopping for several days. I finally found a box of saltines and an unopened jar of peanut butter in one of the cabinets, so I settled down at my repurposed card table, and tried to work out a plan.
I was tempted to crawl into bed, but there were still too many questions. Not to mention a client that I needed to update. I was debating what to do first when my phone rang. It was Sofia’s cell phone, so I accepted the call.
“I was just thinking about you,” I mumbled around a mouthful of peanut butter.
“I can’t leave you alone for a minute,” she replied. “What’s this about a man being shot at the port?”
“Our friend from the other day was there at one of the ships they were unloading. We had some catching up to do,” I said as I gulped down my last saltine.
“You are one lucky bastard,” she retorted. “The police are saying that they don’t have a good description of the assailant. The picture from the camera is pretty useless, too.”
“Anyone dead?” I asked hopefully.
“No, but a victim with a gunshot wound was taken to the hospital,” Sofia replied.
“They don’t want the police sniffing around so my guess is they told everyone to stay quiet,” I mused. “Otherwise, our man with the tattoo would have told the police exactly who they were looking for. They’ll pass it off as someone trying to steal stuff from the docks and suggest the police have more important things to deal with.”
“I hope so,” Sofia sighed, “or you’ll have a tough time representing Anna from jail.”
“That would be tough,” I conceded. “But I’m sure we could find a way to make it work.”
“Who says I would stick around?” Sofia demanded. “There are plenty of places looking for a good paralegal.”
“Uh-huh,” I snickered. “Which is why you ended up with me.”
“Well, the location here is good,” she said. “I mean, homemade tamales and burritos anytime I want one. Not to mention the crazy dumpster diver who collects Heinekin bottles only. Who would want to leave this?”
“Exactly my point,” I replied.
“If you do get arrested,” she went on, “I’d just have to take over. Maybe go to law school even, and then I wouldn’t even need you anymore.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I protested. “Let’s not get carried away.”
Sofia laughed, and I let the sound wash over me. It was uplifting and angelic and slightly erotic all at once.
“Thank you,” I said after her laughter faded away. “I needed that.”
“So what's next?” she asked. There was still a hint of laughter there but she was back to the business at hand.
“There was a fleet of trucks already waiting for the goods,” I replied. “All from the same company. I’ll send you the pictures I took.”
“I’ll start on the company right away,” Sofia assured me. “Anything else?”
“I took some pictures of what was unloaded from the other ArDex ship,” I replied. “Since there wasn’t any security there, I’m assuming that it’s legitimate goods. The box labels are all in Japanese, though. Can you get them translated?”
“No problem,” she assured me. “Anything else?”
“No, I think that covers it,” I mused. “I don’t think I’ll head back to the office today.”
“I’ll lock up then,” Sofia replied. “I did want to tell you about the sales contract.”
“You were able to get a copy?” I asked as my brain perked up just a bit.
“Yes,” Sofia assured me. “Anna put me in touch with Fatima, and I convinced Fatima to send me a copy of the contract. It’s all standard boilerplate. Leonardo Bernardi’s signature is dated four days ago. The really interesting thing is the witness. Joseph Kurzak.”
“Kurzak,” I mumbled as I dredged through my memory. Anna had mentioned that name. “In-house counsel, right?”
“Got it in one,” Sofia said proudly.
“So he went to Boston four days ago to get Leo’s signature?” I asked.
“That’s what it looks like,” Sofia replied.
“Curious,” I replied.
“I guess they didn’t want him to back out at the last minute,” Sofia suggested.
“Maybe,” I said doubtfully. “Let me call Anna and see what she has to say about Kurzak.”
“See you in the morning, boss,” Sofia teased. “And try not to get in any more fights.”
“No promises,” I replied with a laugh.
Before I called Anna, I did a quick search on Kurzak. There wasn’t much information about him on any of the usual law-related websites. Kurzak had done an excellent job of staying below the radar for most of his career. All I knew for sure was that he’d graduated from USC Law, worked for GE for about three years, then joined his old friend Arturo Bernardi in his new venture, ArDex Shipping. I hoped Anna could provide me with a little more background.
“Good grief, man,” Anna greeted me after one ring. I realized Anna must have heard about the shooting as well.
“I’m fine,” I assured her.
“Watts left me some garbled message about people being attacked at the dock, and telling me that I needed to get my dogs under control,” Anna said in a rushed breath, “Then I see a news report about a shooting. I thought you were just going to look around.”
“That was the plan,” I agreed. “But yesterday’s visitor was at the Osprey, and he recognized me.”
“He recognized you?” Anna repeated. “Then why aren’t you under arrest?”
“They don’t want the police looking too closely at the Osprey right now,” I replied. “Whatever they’re bringing in, it’s on the Osprey. Or it was. They were already putting it all on trucks to move out.”
“I feel like I’ve wandered into the middle of a war zone,” Anna sighed.
“You have.”
“You’re really okay?” she pressed.
“Absolutely,” I assured her.
“Well, thank you for calling,” she whispered. “I’ve been sitting here wondering what to do.”
I realized that she thought I had called to tell her about my misadventure at the port and to tell her I was okay.
“Ummm, there was one thing I wanted to ask you about,” I admitted sheepishly.
“Ah,” she said. “So that
’s why you called.”
“I would have called anyway,” I quickly explained. “But Sofia was looking into a couple of things, and she found something interesting.”
“It’s okay,” Anna laughed. “I’ve been debating whether to call her or to call you ever since I got Watts’ message. Truly, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you,” I said, only slightly mollified.
“What do you need to know?” she asked.
“Your brother’s signature on the sales contract was witnessed by Joseph Kurzak,” I explained. “What can you tell me about him?”
“Joe Kurzak,” Anna sighed. “I figured he was caught up in this. He was a long-time friend of my dad’s, since like, second grade. They drifted apart after high school. They attended different colleges and then Joe went to law school while my dad went into the Navy. They met up again at a high school reunion, if you can believe it. They started talking, and dad always said it was like they’d never parted ways. Dad mentioned to Joe that he was starting his own shipping company, and Joe volunteered to serve as the attorney. He’s been part of the company ever since.”
“Your father trusted him, then,” I said.
“In the beginning, absolutely,” she replied. “We used to spend time as a family with Joe and his wife. Things changed after Joe got divorced from his first wife, though. I was in ninth grade then. I remember coming home one day from school and Joe and my father were arguing.”
“So why did your father keep him around?” I asked curiously.
“I think dad always hoped they’d be good friends again,” she sighed. “And for a while, it certainly seemed like Joe was his old self. He and dad would hang out in the backyard, just telling tales to each other. Leo and I got such a kick out of that. After my mom passed, Joe was really good to my dad. And when Joe remarried, my dad was best man.”
“But things soured again,” I predicted.
“Just before dad got sick,” she agreed. “Dad and Joe had a big blow-up one night. I only found out about it because the neighbor told me when I came home to visit dad. She said she’d heard them yelling at each other in the backyard, and had thought about calling 9-1-1, but then she saw Joe’s car leave. She went over to my dad’s house to make sure he was okay, and he told her he and Joe had just been having an argument about cutting costs.”
“Did he ever talk to you about the argument?” I asked.
“No,” she answered. “I tried asking him about it once, but he just brushed me off. He said it was just two old men behaving badly.”
“Do you have a phone number for Kurzak?”
“I have his cell number and his direct line at the office,” she replied. “What do you plan on saying to him?”
“Not sure yet,” I told her. “But I think it’s time I met him.”
“I don’t know,” she hesitated, but I could hear the giggle she tried to hide. “Your meetings don’t go very well.”
“I thought our meetings have gone very well,” I protested.
“Well, true, ours have been all right,” she conceded. “Maybe I should ask Heath what he thinks.”
“Heath is a fellow bro,” I pointed out. “He understands.”
“Ugh,” Anna snorted and I imagined there was an eye roll to go with that.
“Pretty please,” I finally begged.
“I’ll text them,” she gave in.
Anna’s text arrived only a few seconds after we hung up. The promised phone numbers were there, along with a message advising me to avoid overstimulation and three laughing emojis.
I decided to try the office phone first and was surprised when Kurzak himself answered.
“Kurzak,” he said gruffly.
“Mr. Kurzak,” I drawled. “This is Vincent Creed. I’m representing Ms Bernardi.”
“Mr. Creed,” Kurzak sniffed. “I received your TRO today. The company intends to challenge this frivolous claim.”
“I would expect nothing less,” I replied. “I was hoping we could meet today, maybe see if there’s some common ground we could find.”
“It’s the end of the day,” Kurzak pointed out. “And I have plans for this evening that don’t involve you or your client.”
“Just a few moments of your time,” I said. “I think your client would prefer to see this end quietly and not in court.”
“Ah, is that her game?” Kurzak mumbled. He sounded disappointed.
“It won’t take me very long to get there,” I added. “I can be in and out and no one will be the wiser.”
“You’ve already been in and out of ArDex property today,” Kurzak snapped.
“What are you suggesting?” I asked, curious to see if he would admit that they knew who the assailant had been.
I could almost hear the creaky wheels of Kurzak’s brain coming to life. His breath was heavy, and I knew he was considering various scenarios.
“I’ll be here for another half hour,” he finally said. “If you can make it here by then, fine. If not, I won’t wait.”
“I’m on my way,” I replied as I gathered up my keys and then half-sprinted, half-hobbled towards the door.
I made it to ArDex offices in record time and with two minutes to spare. The security guard at the front desk checked my license against a list and pointed me towards an elevator.
“Third floor,” he told me.
I was met at the third floor lobby by a plump, older mestiza. She was wearing a trim, dove gray suit that matched the color of her hair and flattered her golden skin. Her jewelry was just as conservative: a pair of simple pearl studs, a thin gold watch, and a silver wedding band.
“Mr. Creed,” she greeted me. “Please come with me.”
I followed obediently behind her as she wended her way through a cubicle farm, and past a conference room, a kitchenette, and two broom closets. We arrived at an office at the back of the building, and she tapped lightly on the door before stepping inside.
“Mr. Creed is here,” she announced before stepping to the side so I could pass her.
“That will be all, Fatima,” Kurzak replied.
I forced myself not to look at her when Kurzak said her name. She gave a little nod to Kurzak, and a quick glance at me, then stepped back outside and closed the door. Kurzak remained seated behind his desk. He wrote a few more lines on the legal pad he had in front of him before he finally looked up.
“Thank you for meeting me,” I said as I moved forward with my hand extended.
Kurzak looked at my hand like it was a mangy dog. “You asked for this meeting,” Kurzak pointed out as he ignored the proffered handshake.
“I did,” I agreed as I dropped my hand. “I wanted to talk to you about Leo. In particular, I wanted to talk to you about the sales contract.”
“It’s a standard contract,” Kurzak stated as he finally waved me into one of the two guest chairs in front of his desk. “There are no grounds for invalidating the sale.”
“I disagree,” I replied. “We believe the contract was signed under duress.”
“Under duress?” Kurzak scoffed. “I can assure you, there was no duress involved. The company made an offer, and Mr. Bernardi accepted.”
“After all this time and without telling his sister?” I pushed.
“He was an adult, Mr. Creed,” he replied. “I don’t know why he decided to sell now, nor do I care, nor am I required to serve as an arbiter between brother and sister.”
“But you know both of them,” I pointed out. “You’ve known them since they were kids.”
“Your point?” he demanded.
“Did anything strike you as odd about Leo’s sudden change of heart?”
“Not especially,” he replied. “Leo has always been pragmatic about cash at least. If he were running low, then I expect the offer seemed like the perfect answer.”
“But Anna made a better offer,” I pondered aloud. “Surely that would trump the company’s offer, if he was as pragmatic as you claim.”
Kurzak finall
y grinned. “Ah, but she made the offer after he had already sold the shares back to the company.”
“All but one,” I corrected.
“What?” Kurzak asked. He did seem confused for a moment, but then the look of contempt was back.
“Watts claimed that Leo sold all but one share. He kept one so he could vote for Watts.”
“That sounds like a family affair to me,” Kurzak sighed. “It’s regrettable that such private business has become part of the company’s business, but it’s not uncommon in family-run businesses.”
“But it’s curious,” I continued. “I was under the impression that the meeting was called just two days ago.”
“Yes,” Kurzak grudgingly admitted.
“So did Watts tell him a week ago about the meeting?” I asked.
“He might have mentioned that one would be called. Obviously, he didn’t have an exact date,” Kurzak explained.
“So, Leo, who spends his time drinking beer and playing video games, and not thinking about the company, decided to hold on to one share for an unknown amount of time, just so he could cast a vote for Watts,” I mused. “That doesn’t sound very much like Leo.”
Kurzak’s face turned red, and he glared at me. “You don’t know a damn thing about Leo! I watched that boy grow up and I know the man he became.”
“You know what I think,” I said as I ignored Kurzak’s outburst. “I think Watts had to come up with a reason for Leo to fly out here. If Leo had already sold all the shares, he wouldn’t even bother with getting on a plane, and everyone knows that. He might put Anna off for a while, but when the meeting date was set, Anna would call and Leo would have been forced to tell her he’d sold the shares. Instead, Leo agrees to fly out here at Watts’ invitation. Now, why would he do that?”
