Inherent Danger

by Matt Lincoln

  “Thank you so much,” I grinned, taking the mug from him. “And good morning to you, too.”

  “Verity is just getting dressed now,” he informed me. “She’ll be back with us momentarily.”

  He looked well-put-together, wearing a gray button-down shirt and black, creased slacks. He was very professional for this early in the morning, but maybe he was an early riser like I was. I had a very good and desperate reason for my inclination, though. The Weir Fraud case was about to blow up.

  “Have you eaten this morning?” he asked. “I was only going to have some leftover tartlet, but I’ll be more than delighted to share it with you.” He smiled generously at me as he took his customary seat on the sofa to my right.

  “No, I’m good, thank you.” I’d grabbed a bagel from the hotel, but their coffee was sewage water compared to what George was serving me now. I sipped delicately at it, wanting to savor every drop.

  “Very well,” he nodded curtly. “So, I know that this wasn’t a scheduled meeting. Therefore I must assume that something new has come up that necessitates our urgent attention. Is that close?” George smiled, but it was the kind of smile that one wore when they knew something bad was about to happen, and they were still trying to be positive and courteous.

  “That’s very close,” I admitted. “There have been some late-night actions that have happened, and I didn’t want Verity to find out from anyone except her lawyer.” I gulped, knowing that this was going to be a blow to both of them. I didn’t want to explain it twice, though, and I decided not to say more until they were both here in this room.

  He must have understood me better than I thought because George nodded and settled back on the sofa to wait for his daughter. “Very well.”

  When Verity arrived, she was dressed, her hair was combed, and she looked more alert than before. She’d no doubt sensed the urgency and moved quickly to sit down next to her father. She looked pale, and I really hated to be the bearer of such bad news as I was about to give them, but I had to.

  “Okay, so here it goes,” I started off. “Last night, An independent news source here in Miami contacted me and informed me that the arrests we’ve all been waiting for in your case are about to occur. However, it appears that there have been some last-minute changes and that you, Verity, are being named by your colleagues as the architect of this overall scheme.”

  Her eyes glazed over slightly, and I could tell that this was sinking in slowly. George took his daughter’s hand and held it now.

  “How is that even possible?” She asked first and then followed that up with, “Is that what Weir told them, too?”

  I set my coffee mug down. “They informed me that the majority of your co-workers had named you personally as the main instigator in the copying and reproduction of the fraudulent artifacts.” I had to be quick to get all of this out before she lost her understanding of the matter. “But I also have a contact within the FBI that has told me something different.” I wasn’t about to let my client get hung out to dry. “The lead prosecutor is withholding vital information about where the machines to create these items were found. Their entire case is hinging on making you all turn on one another, and that’s all that this is.”

  George nodded, and I felt he was more aware of what I was saying than she was, which made sense. Verity’s whole life was falling apart around her, or so she thought. Clients didn’t always hear everything that they should when that was happening to them.

  “These are not mere accusations then?” George asked. “They have found evidence of the fraud, theft, and larceny perpetrated by the Weir Firm?”

  “They have, most definitely,” I answered bluntly. “I’m not giving you any names yet because I don’t want any of this to leak prematurely. We need to be in charge of the information flow now that you’ve been claimed as the mastermind.”

  “But I didn’t do anything!” Verity screamed out. “I don’t even know how to make copies of art and all the stuff they’re accusing me of!”

  This was the first time that I’d seen Verity have a bit of a breakdown. Most of the time, she was serene and kept her cards close to her vest, as the saying went. But this must have really upset her. I had a sneaking suspicion as to why, and it began with the letter “Weir.”

  “Verity,” I wanted to bolster her again, “I know that. I have a lot of information that makes it crystal clear that you were not and are not involved in any of this. Please, you need to trust me on this. I am not going to let them hurt you, your future, or your reputation over these unfounded allegations. I promise you, but you have to give me time to prove it all. Please?” I leaned forward, trying to make her see how serious I was and how I would be fighting for her.

  George now held Verity in his arms and comforted her. “Verity, Eve knows what she is doing. I trust her, and so should you. I wouldn’t have wasted her time or yours if I didn’t believe in her to manage this completely.”

  I smiled in spite of myself. I wasn’t sure why George’s words hit me so hard, but they did, and I felt an overwhelming warmness to him. “Thank you, George. Verity,” I then turned back to her, “I’m going to ask you a few simple questions, and I need to record your responses. Is that going to be okay?” As I said this, I had pulled out my small digital recorder and had already turned it on, unknowingly to her. I needed to hear how she answered me, potentially for later reference.

  “Yes, of course,” she nodded. “Whatever you need to tell me, or ask me, please. I’ll tell you everything I know if it can help.” Not the best choice of words on her part, but it could show her willingness to cooperate.

  I picked up my mug of coffee again and sat back. “Let’s start small and precisely. Now, I know that we’ve gone through some of this before, but we’ll need to again, okay?” I nodded and began. “How long have you worked at Weir Restoration Limited? The exact date would be helpful if you can remember it offhand.” I placed the recording device on the table between us and waited for her to answer.

  “Yes, um, it was on the second of December. I pinned it in my digital calendar and on my cell because I was extremely excited when I got the job.” Verity answered that honestly, which was a great start.

  “And were your job expectation and duties explained and verified to you beforehand?” I needed to prove that she was only responsible for a very limited set of tasks.

  “Yes, they were.” Verity moved away from her father’s hug but kept holding onto his hand. “I was responsible for identifying any item that came into the business. I noted the era, area, and period that the client’s pieces came from. I personally never handled the restoration process, but I did see a few during my first week of employment, just to understand what the business did as a whole.” Verity seemed to understand what I was asking of her, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

  “But after the initial consultation, I never held the pieces again until the last inspection,” she continued. “Most of my time was spent in research and aiding the buyer when she had questions about the correct pigments or supplies to use on the pieces. Only after the entire restoration was complete, would I look it over to ensure the accuracy of the piece, and I was never alone with the items. Not once.” She nodded at me to confirm that she was done with her answer.

  “Then, once you passed them off to the restorer, to either Weir or Arwa, you didn’t see the piece or pieces again until they were finished, that’s what I’m understanding?” I had to make sure we got her answer in different ways. I wasn’t about to tell her right now, but this recording was going to my contact in the FBI.

  “That’s it exactly,” Verity replied. “I have no idea what happened during the time when they weren’t in my custody. They were placed in the storage area, or the workroom, and when I analyzed them afterward, it was always at my desk in the shared office. They were brought to me to inspect, always with gloves on. All of us wore gloves all the time when we handled the pieces.” She nodded, trying to make sure that she included that b
it.

  “I see.” I smiled at Verity to calm and relax her. “And was the restoration always done at the Weir Restoration Limited location? That is, as far as you know, the work was never moved or outsourced from this location?” I really needed to hear her answer to this one. A lot was riding on it.

  Verity looked confused by my question. “No, not at all. There was no other location. We all worked from that one office space every day. And the insurance didn’t cover outside help or work, so I’m sure that the firm wouldn’t have done anything like that.”

  Oh, it was such a beautifully naïve answer! I stopped myself from grinning like an idiot about it. It was time to drive it home. “Alright, Verity, as to the best of your knowledge, have you ever worked from, traveled to, or been employed at the following location…” I handed her a piece of paper from my pocket with an address typed out onto it. “I have just handed my client a printed receipt with the address of 1835 East Southview Boulevard, Number 62, here in Miami. I didn’t want any of the numbers to get confused or misheard, so I have written and verbal identification on hand for my client.” I winked at her and George.

  “No,” she shook her head at me. “I don’t know where this is. I don’t think that I’ve ever heard of this address or been there, either. I know that I’ve never worked from there before. I have a pretty good memory for past employment, and the Weir firm is the only employment I’ve had since I moved here to Miami.”

  She couldn’t have said it better if I’d coached her, which I didn’t, because that would have been wrong. “Thank you, Verity. That is all for now. I appreciate you answering these questions.” I reached over and pressed the button to turn off the recorder. Once it was safely back in my pocket, I shared more of my news.

  “So,” I said after another sip of coffee, “now that that’s done with, here’s what I can tell you that I couldn’t before. I needed your answers to be unrehearsed and fresh and with no prior knowledge as to why I was asking them. You ready?” I was kind of joking because I knew that they both had to be dying to know what I was asking all of that for.

  “Yes, please,” George replied for both of them.

  “Alright then,” I conceded, “but this can’t go any further than this room. Neither of you can go onto social media, or tell the other defendants about this, or anything like that, do you understand?” I gave Verity my sternest look of disapproval if she failed.

  “I promise,” she said, nodding. George nodded, as well.

  “There was a set of 3-D printers found at this location, the one on the paper. The memory files indicate that almost all the pieces, their schematics that is, brought into the Weir Firm have been fed into those machines. And there is proof that there have been copies made from the files. Now, we don’t know where those copies are, but that’s evidence that no one can deny. These precious, one-of-a-kind pieces of rare art, all privately owned and not contracted for reproduction, have been copied without consent. That’s fraud, larceny, theft, and I’m digging around to find some more charges to throw at whoever is truly responsible for this.”

  George gave a cheerful huff and reached over to hug Verity again. “And that is why I called on Eve to accomplish this for you.”

  “So then, since I have no knowledge of this other place, and I never handled the pieces very much, I shouldn’t be a real suspect then?” Verity asked me. “Is that what I’m to understand?”

  “Almost exactly,” I grinned. “And just for your own satisfaction, your colleagues didn’t always wear gloves. The FBI found some very nice prints at the scene, but you didn’t hear that, right?”

  “Right!” She smiled and sighed. I could tell that she would be able to unwind a little now.

  I continued. “The co-workers that are involved are going to be looking to implicate the rest of you, so just keep quiet, stay low, and don’t talk to anyone about the case at all. That is the most important part of all of this.” I motioned to the files and papers I’d placed on their coffee table. “These are all for you to read and go through so that you can be up on your own case and know what’s going on before you hear about it from anywhere else.”

  “That’s a lot.” Verity sounded overwhelmed just by looking at it.

  “Not really,” I assured her. “There are some transcripts of what your colleagues have told me. I just don’t want you to have a false impression of what was said or done. You need to know who you’re dealing with.” I hoped that George at least would take my meaning. By the look on his face, he did.

  George turned to his daughter. “Verity, I need to speak with Eve privately on another matter for a while, if you don’t mind. Would you please leave us? I’ll come and get you when we’re through.” It was a kind of command that I’d not heard George use on his daughter before. But she did it and left the two of us alone.

  “What’s up, George?” I was kind of at a loss as to why he’d sent her out.

  “It has to do with Jake Header’s case and their involvement in the overall matter. Are they as connected as I suspected they are?” He watched me closely for my answer.

  I nodded in the affirmative. “Yes, they are. I got the phone call records, and there was a call from a Declan Speirs to Weir about a collection of small art pieces. The call wasn’t recorded, unfortunately, but it lasted for over ten minutes. Weir then sent an email detailing the work to Arwa and Emiko, and that email told us that there were going to be twenty-six pieces coming in at the first of the month. They had a contact number, and I had that traced back to Mr. Speirs’ personal cell.”

  “So then, there is absolute proof that these two cases are intertwined.” George looked disheartened at this.

  I wanted to know why. “George, is there more going on that I need to know about? With Jake’s case, I mean? If you know something, and if it could help Verity or Jake, I’d like to know about it, please.”

  George sighed. “I have been doing some… let’s call it consultation, on behalf of Mr. Header and his team. Suffice it to say, there’s been some foul play embroiled on his end, and I can’t help but speculate if that’s due to information that someone received from Weir’s firm.” He had to know that he wasn’t making too much sense to me right now.

  I took another sip of coffee and set the mug down before responding. “I have all the Weir phone calls and emails. I can try to locate something in particular if you’d like me to run that down. But if it were done on a private line or account, I wouldn’t be of much help. I’m sorry.” I really was, too. Another angle would be nice, especially if it could vindicate Verity. “But I will look into it as much as I am able to, I promise. And thank you.”

  “Thank you as well.” George stood up and stretched. I got the indication that my time here was coming to an end, and he was just too polite to say anything about it out loud.

  I got up too, my eyes gazing over the mounds of paperwork that I had left for them. I hoped they’d take advantage of it and get familiar with the case more than they already were. It was good to be prepared. But I couldn’t leave his house without thanking George for his faith in me. As we headed for the door that led to the driveway, I stopped and faced him.

  “Thank you again for trusting me to take on your daughter’s case like this, George,” I said warmly. “It means a lot that even though we don’t know each other that well, you asked me for my help.” I looked down at my feet because I hated to admit what I was going to say next. “I certainly needed that ego boost after the whole Judge Fu thing. Finding work in Chicago’s been tough. The Judge has the ear of a lot of people and, well, thanks for this opportunity.” There, I finally said it out loud. I needed this job.

  George grinned. “I’m all for candor between friends, so now it's my turn. I wasn’t going to call upon you. I would have preferred a local solicitor to oversee the case, but then I spoke to someone who I think the world of. And the first words out of her mouth were, ‘Get Eve to represent Verity.’” He seemed slightly mortified to admit this now. “And I listen
ed, and I’m very glad that I did.” He reached out to take and shake my hand. “I would certainly not distrust your ability, Eve, but I scarcely knew enough about you to possess a qualified opinion.” He smiled again, and I could feel the authenticity in it. “And now, seeing you, I do intend to place you on permanent retainer, if you’ll have me.”

  I supposed I could say that I’d earned his respect for real. But I had to know.

  “I accept, but who told you to hire me?” That was an important detail that was burning a hole in my brain.

  “It was Kippy,” he revealed. “Once she heard what Verity would be going through with the case, you were her only recommendation.” George opened the door for me, and I felt sure that there was nothing more to say on the matter.

  “Well, thank you for letting me know, and I’ll be in touch.” My mind raced and tumbled with all these thoughts as I headed to my rented Cadillac. What a weird, strange, and bizarre situation I was in. And now, I had Kippy to acknowledge for it. That just had to be bad karma.

  26

  Jake

  Eve surprised me later that evening with a visit and a takeout tray from a Moroccan place that rested between her hotel and my condo. We dined on some chicken bastilla, a little zaalouk, and khobz bread, and she’d even remembered to grab us some khoudenjal tea and gray wine for an extra special treat.

  All in all, it was a great way to spend the evening, just hanging out on the balcony together and talking about the day’s events. We were both a bit prudent as to what we talked about, as we’d not discussed or worked through the differences from our last brief encounter. I knew that it was only a matter of time, though, before we would be forced to talk to each other about the future, and so I decided to get it all out there tonight. It was the best way to move forward.