Corridor Man 6: Exit Strategy

by Nick James

  Bobby walked into the break room, decided he wasn’t going to hire this bastard, spit in the mug he’d used earlier in the morning, and filled it with coffee. He poured in some milk and stirred in a spoonful of sugar then carried it back to his office.

  “Here we go, just like you ordered,” he said and set the mug on the coffee table in front of Finch.

  “Thanks, I gotta tell you, you should do something about the parking around here. Had to drive around for ten minutes looking for a spot. Finally ducked into a ramp which I hate to do. Drive an Infiniti, QX80, limited,” he raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Don’t like parking in ramps with that baby.”

  “I appreciate you making the effort,” Bobby said then smiled as Finch took a long sip of coffee.

  “Not a problem. Looks to me like you’re just getting started around here. Do I get to pick my own office?”

  Bobby couldn’t tell if he was serious or it was just a bad joke. “Where are you now?”

  “I’ve been with the Lofgren firm for the better part of two years. Before that Todd and Benchly. Took a couple of months off after I left Clayton and Howell before that. I clerked for Justice Magnuson coming out of Law School. Went to Hamline, obviously before the merger with William Mitchell.” He flicked at an imaginary something on his grey trouser leg and took another sip of coffee.

  Bobby smiled. “How’s the coffee?”

  “It’s okay. She does a halfway decent job, that little hottie receptionist you got.”

  “When did you graduate from Hamline?”

  “2008, admitted to the bar the following year.”

  “Impressive,” Bobby said doing the math in his head. Three firms and a clerking gig in seven years. There was a problem somewhere, starting with the personality. “How did you hear about Privado?”

  “I always make it my business to keep an eye out for opportunity.” He leaned forward toward Bobby, rested an elbow on either knee, and said, “Let’s be honest with one another, you and I. You’re going to need someone like me. What? You want to end up handling some sort of bullshit divorce or DUI’s for people who can’t pay? I’ve got contacts, I know people. I see myself as eventually becoming CEO of this firm.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, meaning no disrespect here, but what you want is a guy like me. Someone who aims high and then hits the target. I mean, just four attorneys crammed into those offices. How hard can it be? You gotta start thinking big if you want to survive.”

  “Do you know Luis Morales?” Bobby asked trying to figure out how in the hell this fool got in here for an interview.

  “Louis? What was that last name?”

  “Morales,” Bobby said trying to hit the accent he’d heard Miguel, Maria and Luis use. “Luis Morales.”

  “No can’t say that it rings a bell. He one of your attorneys?”

  “No, just with the firms you mentioned. I thought you may have run across him at some point. Tell me again how you heard about us.”

  “Afraid that’s privileged information, can’t divulge,” Fitch said, then sat back and smiled, satisfied.

  Bobby was at the point where he hoped this was a joke, but afraid the fool across from him was serious. “I’ll think on it and let you know, Blake. You, ahhh, have a résumé with you.”

  “I think we’re both past that point, don’t you? You check me out, ask around, you’ll see I’m one of a kind.”

  “I’ve no doubt,” Bobby said. “Come on, let me show you out.”

  “Knew it wouldn’t take long, you’re making the right decision. I think I like this one,” Fitch said, pointing to one of the empty offices on their way out to the lobby. “First dibs on it.”

  “Not to worry,” Bobby said then walked him to the door, thankful that it automatically locked.

  “That little hottie you got as a receptionist, she already gone for the day?” Fitch gave a quick glance around the lobby.

  Bobby didn’t respond, instead he held the door open and said, “Can’t thank you enough for your time. Interesting meeting you.”

  “Everyone thinks so,” Fitch said and headed down the hall.

  Bobby closed the door, careful not to slam it in his haste, then quickly double-checked to make sure it was locked. He still couldn’t be sure Blake Fitch wasn’t sent as a joke, but then who would know to do so other than Luis and that certainly wasn’t his style.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Erin was back from Emily’s before noon. “How’d it go?” Bobby asked, he was holding the door for her as she stepped into the lobby.

  She gave him a look then said, “The conversation was rather short and to the point. How did it go you ask? Does the term absolute prick have any connotations?” She walked over to the receptionist counter and set her purse on the floor.

  “Are you talking about Emily or the Charlie Sawyer? Either one can be a loose cannon.”

  “Yeah, she’s got some issues, I’ll give you that. But that asshole she called, what’s his name, Sawyer? What an absolute prick. I don’t even know what’s really involved and I wanted to go over to his office and hear his thick skull head off. What an absolute jerk.”

  “Did she behave herself?”

  “Yeah, actually she was really good, other than constantly giving the finger to her cellphone and making faces. Very polite and lady-like which just made him crazier. I set her phone on speaker and taped the entire conversation so I got to listen to him rant, too. Not fun.”

  “He was okay with that?’

  “Are you kidding? I suspect color TV is still a technological marvel to that jerk. We sure as hell weren’t going to tell him he was on speaker, he probably wouldn’t know what we were talking about. I got a recording of the conversation on my phone to play for you. You might want to listen and then call her with an idea of where things are going to go from here. In a nutshell, he went from telling her he didn’t know anything about the insurance policy to telling her the last thing that guy said before he jumped was, “Don’t Pay.” God, probably the biggest slime ball I’ve had to deal with in a very long time, and all I had to do was just sit there and listen.”

  “Yeah, he’s a piece of work. Take a good look, he and that other idiot he’s got as a partner will have the doors slammed closed on that firm in under six months. It’s almost a given.”

  “I think you’re being generous,” she said and sat down. “Hey, how did your interview go?”

  “Oh, you mean with golden boy Blake Finch, gift to women of all ages and the legal community in particular?”

  “Not hard to look at, I’ll give him that much. Might be fun for a weekend getaway, but you’d have to tape his mouth shut and you could never tell your girlfriends.”

  “If I recall he referred to you as ‘that little hottie’.”

  “Really, mmm-mmm.”

  “Stop, please. You pick up on any aura from him?”

  “It was seeping in under the door when he knocked, I kid you not, like a stain on the new carpet, dark pink.”

  “He’s gay?”

  She rolled her eyes. “No, you’re so wrong, so very wrong. Dark pink, has nothing to do with his sexual orientation. It means the guy is deceitful, dishonest, and not very mature. A real pain in the ass. My advice, would be to stay the hell away. He’s trouble.”

  “That meshes with what I picked up just talking to him for barely fifteen minutes. Which was about all I could stand.”

  “It took you that long?”

  “Actually no, I came to that decision before we really even started talking. Start with being twenty minutes late and letting me know he had to find someplace safe to park his very expensive car. He didn’t go into specifics, but a quick look at the work history threw up a number of red flags. I’d say he lands somewhere and within twelve to eighteen months he’s out of there. I have visions of staff meeting with the powers that be and telling them either this jerk goes or we all go. Now that I think about it, I should maybe have sent him over to Charlie Sawyer and s
ee if they’d hire him. It would serve both Sawyer and the golden boy right, they deserve one another.”

  “I’m not sure who would get the shitty end of the stick in that deal. God, but that Sawyer was really a awful.”

  “How did Emily seem after the call?”

  “I’d say she’s pretty cool, at least for the moment. But my sense is she’s capable of a reaction down the road. That’s why I think you should listen to the conversation tape and then give her a call with a plan, just to make sure she doesn’t storm down to that office and do something crazy. He put his foot in his mouth and it’s probably a safe bet he has no idea. Just a real absolute jerk, and that’s his good side.”

  “You didn’t happen to pick up any aura on Emily while you were over there, did you?”

  “You know, I don’t mind suggesting what I think with the people coming in for interviews, that’s understandable, but I don’t want to get involved in anything personal. fair enough?”

  “What makes you think it’s personal?”

  “Let’s just say she seems to have a particular skill set that’s projected, regardless of the sex of the viewer.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yeah, like that’s a surprise. You could get me a cup of coffee while I run to the ladies room and then we can go back to your office and I’ll play you the recording.”

  “Here take my keys,” he said reaching into his pocket. “I’ll meet you in my office.”

  She closed the door behind her and headed toward the ladies room. Bobby hurried over to her purse and quickly rifled through it. There was a small pistol housed in a black leather holster sitting on top, with her billfold and cellphone just below that . He quickly opened the billfold, two ten’s and a five dollar bill. He debated taking one of the tens then decided against it. He checked the side pockets in the purse but didn’t find anything of interest. Two condoms lay at the bottom of the purse. He placed it back against the wall and stood just as he heard the key being inserted in the lock. He hurried around the corner and into the break room.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Bobby sat down behind his desk, slid a brand new legal pad in front of him, and took out a brand new pen from his desk drawer. Emily settled into one of the client chairs on the other side of the desk and placed her cellphone, housed in a glittery-pink protective case, between the two of them.

  “Okay let’s hear what you got,” Bobby said.

  “I have to say she did really well, didn’t seem a bit nervous, and the way this absolute butthead talked to her, God. Once you listen to the recording you’ll see what I mean. We were recording right from the start, so you’re gonna hear her dialing,” Emily said. She pressed a couple of buttons and then said, “Okay, here we go.”

  Sure enough, a moment later you could hear the dial tone and then Emily punching in the firm’s phone number. There were a couple of clicks and then the sound of a phone ringing a three of times.

  “Denton, Allen, Sawyer, and Hinz. How may I direct your call?”

  Bobby recognized Marci’s sugary-sweet voice and pictured her coming up with a half-dozen different ways to make the caller’s experience less than positive. He cringed at the sound of her voice and recalled her keeping track of the time it took him to accomplish various tasks. He wondered if she’d ever listened in on calls just for the gossip factor, and knew the answer had to be yes, not client calls necessarily but certainly personal calls that came through the office.

  “I’d like to speak with Mr. Charles Sawyer,” Emily said, sounding ever the professional.

  “And what is this in regard to?”

  “An insurance issue. I was dealing with Bennett Hinz, but apparently he is still unavailable right now, so Mr. Sawyer suggested I talk with him. He said he would be able to assist me. Unless of course Mr. Hinz is available, then I’ll speak with him,” Emily said.

  Erin stopped the recording. “Emily came up with that unavailable line all by herself. Really clever,” she said then pressed another button to resume the recording.

  “One moment and I’ll connect you with Mr. Sawyer,” Marci said. There was a momentary pause and then a click. Bobby figured Marci was checking with Sawyer.

  Three rings and then Charlie Sawyer’s voice came across the line. “This is Charles Sawyer,” he said and cleared his throat. “How may I help you?” He sounded as if he added that last part as an afterthought and Bobby wondered if he had a note taped to his desk reminding him to ask the question.

  “Oh, hello, Mr. Sawyer. This is Emily Saunders,” followed by a very long pause.

  Eventually Sawyer cleared his throat again and said, “Yes?” sounding less than thrilled once Emily had identified herself. He pictured Sawyer’s face beginning to grow red.

  “My sister was Elizabeth Saunders. She was killed in a hit and run in France. Paris, actually, while on business for your firm. I’m calling on behalf of my elderly….

  “You’re the, that woman who attempted to blackmail poor Bennett Hinz. Do you have any idea what your actions did to him? You literally drove the poor man out of his mind. He took his life. I hope your happy, now. For God’s sake, because of your actions and the depression you brought on, he had a momentary lapse in judgement. And now you have the temerity to call and ask when you’re going to be paid?. I hope you’re satisfied with the result you’ve inflicted on all of us who admired him.”

  “I’m not sure what it is you’re referring to. My sister Elizabeth was employed by your firm and sent….”

  “I have it on very good authority that your sister took advantage of Noah Denton. For your information he was the senior partner of this firm. Apparently your sister forced him into an uncompromising situation which ultimately led to circumstances that required his hospitalization. Under the circumstances it would….”

  “I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, Mr. Sawyer. You’re partially correct, there is a sexual assault on file with the police regarding this Denton person from your firm. The assault was witnessed by a number of your employees. My sister was the victim of an unprovoked, sexual assault in your firm’s office. The assault took place in front of a number of witnesses. Signed statements by those witnesses are in the police file if you would care to check. None of the statements suggest my sister did anything to provoke an assault, in fact quite the contrary. Your organization sent my sister overseas on firm business to Paris where she was struck by a car in a hit and run and killed, along with her partner.”

  “Partner? Oh, for God’s sake. Is that the politically correct term now? Partner. The two of them living in sin and at our expense. Probably on some drug induced escapade….”

  “I don’t see how your opinion has anything to do with my inquiry. As I said, I’ve dealt with Mr. Hinz in the past, but apparently he is unavailable. So, I’m forced to contact you, on behalf of my elderly mother. We’re wondering what the delay is with the insurance payment….”

  “Your mother? Isn’t that just special. You can tell her from me, and as a matter of fact from all of us here. She certainly did one hell of a fine job raising the two of you. She ought to be ashamed of herself for what she’s brought on our society.”

  Emily paused the cleared her throat. “Mr. Hinz had assured me that the insurance settlement had been signed and would be….”

  “I know of no such thing. I have no knowledge of any insurance policy. I have no knowledge of Bennett Hinz signing any such document agreeing to a payment. I have no knowledge of a five-million-dollar payment going either to your mother or to you at this time.

  I do happen to know that you sent some sort of perverse image to Bennett on his computer and threatened to slander him based on a momentary dalliance. God only knows the methods you used to entice the poor man. I must say, I find your actions reprehensible and I would caution you on pursuing this matter any further lest you find yourself charged with manslaughter. My only regret is that we can’t charge you with murder one and there is no death penalty in the state
of Minnesota for your pornographic and lascivious behavior. Good day, Miss Saunders.” Sawyer shouted that last line then disconnected.

  “Holy shit, what a…”

  “Wait,” Erin said and stared at the phone.

  A moment later Emily’s voice came on again. “I’d like to record our conversation. Is that okay with you?”

  Bobby looked up and smiled.

  “Bastard never would have agreed,” Erin said. “I can slip that last bit in there at the beginning and no one will ever be able to tell. I’ll put it right after she tells him who she is and before he answers yes. We’ll nail his miserable ass to the wall. I gotta tell you, he was such an absolute jerk, such a bully, it will be a pleasure.”

  Bobby was thinking that hopefully it wouldn’t be necessary, then a thought occurred, Might it work to play both sides against the middle…hit Sawyer and Allen for an amount he could just keep for himself. A little nest egg on the side, as it were.

  “Erin, this is great. Please, go ahead and make the adjustment to that recording. I have to say I’m mightily impressed. As awful as he was, and he was awful, that was just what we wanted. Thank you.”

  She stood and said, “I’ll work on it tonight. I don’t expect any problems. Just be sure you call Emily, let her know you listened to this and it’s going to go a long way toward getting her mother that insurance payment. She seemed okay when I left, but some reassurance might help in preventing some stupid reaction further down the road.”

  “I’ll call her right now. Tell you what, I haven’t had a chance to check out places for lunch,” he said pulling out his wallet. Do you mind checking out some place that delivers or does take out and get both of us something? I’m going to continue working on these files after I call Emily.”

  “Sure, what do you feel like?”

  “Whatever you get is just fine by me,” he said and handed two twenties across the desk to her.

  She smiled, then headed for the door.

  “Thanks again, Erin, well done.”

  “Thanks, and don’t forget you’ve got a two o’clock appointment this afternoon….”