Lady Luck Loves Lawyers

by Donald W. Desaulniers

  “I did. Schenteck wanted to be certain that the new part was effective so I installed it and ensured that it was working perfectly. Then the rat delayed me with various excuses until the period for filing a construction lien had expired. He kept dangling the carrot of a larger order in front of my nose. I didn’t want to offend him by demanding money so I allowed time to elapse. I tried to collect a few days before the lien period ran out but his assistant advised me that Mr. Schenteck was out of the country and assured me that he would sign my check the minute he returned to America. A week and a half later, I did manage to reach Schenteck but he laughed at me, called me a gullible moron and taunted me to sue him. That’s also when he told me that Teckschen Limited had no assets.”

  “That’s a sad story, Steve. Schenteck sounds like a con-man.”

  “The guy is wealthy. He lives in a huge mansion in Green Valley and has his own chauffeur. I’ve concluded that he’s a shark, not a con-artist.”

  “I’ll see what I can discover about his assets. I only brought a carry-on bag with me. I’m too cheap to pay the airlines ridiculous fees for checked luggage. I’ll need you to provide me with a few things.”

  “Just name them, Scott.”

  “I’ll need a smart phone with Internet access as well as a briefcase. At some point I may need a vehicle but for the moment I’ll take buses or cabs.”

  “I’ve brought a smart-phone for you. You can use this briefcase. I’ve got another one back at the office. Things are distressingly quiet at work so I can ferry you around in my car when needed.”

  “That’s good to know. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to drive me around tomorrow and show me Schenteck’s place of business and his home.”

  We arranged that Steve would pick me up at the main entrance of the Four Queens tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. We said goodnight and then I went downstairs to grab some supper at Magnolia’s.

  CHAPTER 6 (Scouting the Enemy)

  I went to bed right after supper. The three hour time difference made it feel like one o’clock in the morning even though it was only ten o’clock Vegas time.

  On Monday morning I woke with the alarm at eight o’clock and ate a full breakfast in Magnolia’s.

  Steve arrived right on time.

  He drove first to his own home, a very modest ranch-style bungalow in a slightly dicey part of North Las Vegas. I met his wife, Maria who worked as a blackjack dealer in a small neighborhood casino in North Las Vegas. Her shift today didn’t begin until four o’clock this afternoon.

  Maria lamented that she and Steve had mortgaged their home heavily in order to consolidate their debts and purchase some equipment for Steve’s business.

  Not only was Steve’s fabricating business in jeopardy, but it would also be touch and go whether he and Maria could avoid foreclosure. Their savings were depleted and her wages weren’t sufficient to pay all the bills. They desperately needed to collect at least a portion of the money owed to Steve by Teckschen Limited.

  Steve showed me around his workshop at the rear of the property. In order to accommodate the large order from Teckschen, Steve had turned down several other smaller jobs and now found that new work had dried up.

  Next we drove out to Green Valley so that I could see Guenther Schenteck’s home.

  It was a very impressive Spanish style mansion and generously sized lot on a residential street filled with other luxurious homes.

  I jotted down the street address.

  Our final stop was at the head office of Schenteck’s businesses. This building was a stand-alone two-storey structure on its own large commercial lot with ample parking. Another large workshop was at the rear of the property. There were several cars in the employee section of the lot. Again I wrote down the exact street address.

  The business name on the signage was “G. W. SCHENTECK INC.” rather than “TECKSCHEN LIMITED” which was the corporate name on all of Steve’s correspondence.

  I had Steve drive me back to my hotel. He said that he was going to pick up his employee and complete a tiny job in the workshop. I told him that I’d commence my extensive searches of Guenther Schenteck’s assets and companies.

  Up in my room I hit the Internet in order to discover as much information as possible about the man who had shafted Steve.

  Whenever I located an article with useful information about Schenteck or his companies, I downloaded it and then emailed it to Steve so that he could print me off a hard copy.

  I spent the entire afternoon scouring the Internet. In addition to sending stuff off to Steve to be printed, I also made copious notes about Schenteck, his family, his charitable endeavors and any properties or other assets that were mentioned on-line.

  It was amazing to me how much information there is out there about folks. Privacy was no longer possible in today’s connected world.

  Neither of Schenteck’s companies was public which did severely limit the on-line details about them. In fact I found no mention whatsoever about Teckschen Limited, the entity which had dealt with Steve.

  By six o’clock I decided that I was tired and had spent enough time on information gathering for today.

  CHAPTER 7 (A Bit of Enjoyment)

  I went out to the Fremont Street Experience and began strolling around. Little had changed since my last visit here in 2012 although a few of the hotels were sporting different names.

  Since the winter coat I wore in Canada over my suit would be too heavy for Las Vegas, I had packed a lined casino jacket which I had won more than ten years ago for hitting a royal flush in video poker at the El Cortez. I was glad that I had brought the jacket because it provided adequate warmth over my sweater. The late January evenings were still chilly in Vegas.

  I wandered in and out of the various downtown casinos checking out what sorts of slot machines they now had. None of the ones I visited this evening seemed to have any Caveman Keno slots, at least not in the locations I recalled from previous trips.

  As I hit each casino, I inquired as to the room rates at the hotel check-in counters. I had already written down the posted rates for each hotel from a couple of the popular travel websites.

  I ate supper at the Redwood Grill in the California Hotel and Casino.

  After supper I sat down at one of the penny machines there and began gambling. I ordered a Bailey’s coffee with whipped cream from the waitress. Drinks were free for slot players so my only cost was a one dollar tip.

  I began reminiscing about my life. I got married here in Las Vegas in 1981 when I was twenty-seven years of age. Vivian was twenty-six. We had met a year earlier at a house party and hit it off right away.

  She loved to play blackjack and we visited Las Vegas about three times each year, usually staying at Bally’s on the Strip. Even then I enjoyed the low denomination slots and came downtown most days in order to feed my small-time addiction. The slots on the Strip catered to higher level gamblers and seemed to suck the money out of my wallet far too quickly.

  Lady Luck was kind to me downtown. My average gambling losses for our standard seven-day vacations here were less than $75 per trip and that small sum of money provided me with dozens of hours of cheap entertainment.

  The marriage was quite fulfilling for the first nine years but when a massive recession struck Ontario in 1991, the reduction in my income quickly drove our relationship south. Vivian wasn’t capable of reducing her standard of living to accommodate the severe drop in my earnings and we split in 1992. Our uncontested divorce was finalized the following year.

  Since then the only woman I’d fallen in love with had been Jennifer but as I mentioned earlier, her deadbeat son soon beat that romance to death.

  I was a bit hesitant to get back in the saddle now. For one thing, having substantial assets was a complication for older guys. My lawyer’s naturally suspicious nature made me wary that any girl I met now might only be interested in getting her paws on my money.

  I wasn’t hideous looking but I was certainly no Brad Pitt.
Women hadn’t been pursuing me over the past two years but I had to admit that I hadn’t put myself anywhere where unattached ladies might be plentiful. I rarely went to any bar and totally avoided nightclubs.

  Jimmy Corbett’s wife Ginny had tried to set me up on a blind date a couple of times but I politely declined.

  So far no opportunities to meet anyone had sprung up in Belleville. I really didn’t relish the thought of remaining a lonely old bachelor for the rest of my life.

  My slot machine was moderately hot and it kept me going for the rest of the evening without having to dip into my wallet over and over again.

  By the time I’d decided that five Bailey’s coffees was sufficient liquor for one night, I cashed in exactly even on the night.

  I stopped to watch the midnight overhead light show on the Fremont Street Experience outside the Four Queens and then went up to my room and hit the sack. It had been an enjoyable evening.

  CHAPTER 8 (More Detailed Searches)

  On Tuesday morning I woke up with a mild hangover. I emailed Steve who then called to say that he had printed off the materials I had sent him and would drop them around to my hotel room at ten o’clock.

  I went downstairs for breakfast and then returned to my room to wait for Steve.

  The poor guy was down in the dumps when he arrived. I asked him what was the matter and he blurted out that he and Maria had just been served with the first foreclosure notice. They hadn’t been able to make their February mortgage payment of $2,100 and would miss their March payment by the end of the week.

  “It looks like we’re going to lose our home because of Guenther Schenteck. Maria is livid with me for letting him get away without paying a cent toward the work I did for him. I’ve got no answer for her. I was gullible and trusting at the worst possible time. You’re our last hope, Scott. Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel yet?”

  “It’s too early in the process. Today I’ll try to chart out Schenteck’s corporate structure. Once I’ve got that laid out, then my next avenue of investigation will be his real estate holdings. Did you always deal personally with Mr. Schenteck or were some of his employees also involved with the job?”

  “Mostly Guenther handled the contract himself. There were no attorneys involved. His foreman and cousin, a chap named Heinz Bolter, showed up with Guenther twice in order to ensure that the part I was creating met the required specifications. Mr. Bolter also came around two or three times on his own to see how we were coming along with the order.”

  “Did you have any correspondence directly with Mr. Bolter?”

  “I’ll have to check my emails again. I can’t recall off the top of my head.”

  “I thought you provided me with all the correspondence.”

  “I did give you everything that came from Guenther or Teckschen Limited. When I get back home, I’ll check my personal computer. It’s possible that I sent a message from my other email address. I’ll call you once I’ve checked it out.”

  Steve left and I got to work.

  I started with corporate records.

  I managed to locate the corporate filings for both of Guenther Schenteck’s companies. He was the sole officer and shareholder of Teckschen Limited but G. W. Schenteck Inc. had a normal full slate of directors and officers. I wrote down the names and then tried to locate information on each one.

  Very quickly I ascertained that the other officers and directors of the main company were Guenther’s wife, his son and three daughters. The other two names on the corporate filing were Heinz Bolter, the foreman mentioned by Steve, and Anthony Bonito. Every one of the officers and directors of G. W. Schenteck Inc. was also a shareholder although Guenther held a whopping majority of the company shares.

  I searched Bonito on the Internet and discovered that he was a local attorney who ran his own law office. Further checks indicated that Bonito was a sole practitioner.

  It dawned on me that I really had no strategy in place. All I seemed to be doing was blindly accumulating information. Presumably Steve wanted me to ascertain if Teckschen Limited had any hard assets such as real estate or bank accounts.

  I decided to search property records tomorrow. Since I wasn’t familiar with the land registry system in Nevada, it made more sense to attend personally at the registry office. One of the clerks there could probably assist me by advising the easiest way to search the various records.

  It was nice to have something to occupy my time. Every minute I spent on Steve’s behalf was saving me money that I wasn’t losing on the one-armed bandits.

  CHAPTER 9 (Land Registry Records)

  Steve called me first thing on Wednesday morning before I’d even gone downstairs for breakfast. He had located some additional emails on his personal computer and had printed them off for me. We agreed to meet in my room in an hour after I’d eaten.

  I briefly glanced over the new emails and then had Steve drive me to the Land Registry Office for Clark County.

  One of the clerks was extremely helpful and showed me how to search the records by owner’s name and by street address.

  It was evident that Guenther Schenteck was very wealthy personally. His home, which he owned jointly with his wife, was mortgage free. In addition to the house, he also owned four other homes in just his own name. Each of those properties was also owned outright with no encumbrances.

  Teckschen Limited wasn’t shown as owning any property at all.

  G. W. Schenteck Inc. owned just one parcel of land. I confirmed that it was the small office and fabricating building that Steve had driven me past. There was a small mortgage registered on title.

  I printed off copies of the title abstracts and deeds for all of the various properties since there was far too much information to digest today.

  Then I caught a taxi back to my hotel.

  It was almost time for supper.

  My eyes were tired from the computer screens so I put the search materials aside and walked down to the El Cortez.

  The place had changed substantially from the last time I’d visited here. The restaurants all sported new names but luckily many of my Caveman Keno machines still occupied the northeast section of the casino.

  I ate in what used to be the main coffee shop. It had been renovated and was now more upscale. Years ago when I used to stay in this hotel after my divorce, they had a sensational program called the “Four Seasons Club” in which all it took was a slot jackpot of $100 or more to qualify. Being admitted to that club entitled the members to a free hotel room for three nights once each “season.” In addition to that generosity, hitting any jackpot of $100 also earned the player a jackpot photo and a coupon for a free meal for two people.

  On my many trips to Las Vegas after my divorce, I used those free rooms to keep my trip costs low. The owner of this casino also owned two other spots, the Gold Spike and the Las Vegas Club, both of which also had a similar free room program.

  I used to spend three free nights at one spot, move over to the next hotel for the ensuing three free nights and wind up paying for only the seventh night.

  Eventually the casinos moved into a player’s card system in which gamblers earned points for the amount they gambled. Because I was a small bet gambler, I never again qualified for any free rooms or meals.

  After supper I dropped over to the hotel check-in counter. Since the clerk wasn’t busy, she told me about some available room specials and I booked a room for three nights beginning on Sunday.

  The Caveman was kind to me all evening. I hit several minor jackpots and ended the night with a gambling profit of $75. Tonight I drank beer and had at least five. I poured myself back to my own hotel a few minutes before one o’clock.

  CHAPTER 10 (A Novel Inspiration)

  On Thursday and Friday I dove into the various materials I had accumulated about Guenther Schenteck and his companies.

  When I contacted Steve late on Friday afternoon, he suggested that I attend at his home on Sunday after lunch in order to advis
e both him and Maria what I’d discovered. His wife was working a long shift tomorrow but had Sunday off.

  Since Saturday would now be a free day for me, I booked a day bus trip to Laughlin, Nevada. I had only been there once before many years ago and wanted to see the place again.

  I ate supper at Magnolia’s downstairs but came right back to my room and hit the sack early. My tour bus pick-up was at eight o’clock tomorrow morning and I wanted to get a good night’s sleep.

  The tour bus was five minutes late and then it made a few stops at other downtown hotels before heading to the main staging area.

  I paid for the tour and obtained my boarding pass in the tour office and then took a seat on the Laughlin bus.

  The coach was only half full and most of the other passengers were in pairs or foursomes. No one sat beside me.

  I used the solitude to mull over Steve and Maria’s situation.

  One thought that came to mind was for me to contact Guenther Schenteck to discuss the possibility of a partial settlement. One impediment to that approach was the lack of any leverage on our part. Teckschen Limited was a shell company with no assets. Steve had been very foolish in many ways.

  Firstly, he should have insisted on a payment schedule. Taking on an expensive order from a brand new customer should in itself have made Steve wary. The guy was too trusting for his own good.

  It amazed me how massive problems could have been avoided altogether with a bit of foresight.

  Another flaw in Steve’s business system was to enter into a large contract without legal assistance. An experienced commercial lawyer would have insisted either on payment up front or a personal guarantee from Guenther Schenteck or both. Entering into a contract with a corporation was always risky. Banks normally required the company owner to go on the hook personally for a loan. Steve should have done the same thing.