“Are you telling me that you’re going to step aside and let her take the fall here? What kind of human being are you? The poor woman was bringing those purses in for you, not to sell on a street corner somewhere. And now she’s been arrested for trafficking in stolen goods.”
“Maybe the manufacturer or someone else offered her a better commission than I did. But whatever happened, she is responsible for her own defense. We’d go under if I had to provide every employee here legal counsel every time they get in trouble.”
“You had her sign all the documents, for chrissake!” Ed was shouting at him, and Paul only nodded. “You could have had anyone sign them, and I heard you tell her to do it all herself. You used her, didn’t you, just in case you got caught on this one. How many times have you done this before and never got caught?” Ed was livid. “And now you’re not even going to get a lawyer for her?”
“No, I’m not. If she read her employment contract, she would know that.”
“What is it, in microscopic print in Chinese somewhere on the flip side of the contract? I read contracts very carefully and I never saw that clause when I signed up.”
“Then you should have read it more carefully, and so should she, if she decided to take a better commission behind my back, or took the responsibility for goods she may have known were stolen. You and I will never know the truth,” Paul said, and Ed had to force himself to remain calm so he didn’t hit him.
“So that’s it? You let her take the blame for something you did? You cut your losses over two hundred cheap purses that you probably knew were stolen and she didn’t?” Ed realized now that Paul had been testing to see how easy it was to get them in, and let Sydney be the one to do it and be responsible if anything happened.
It was obvious now that Paul was going to do nothing to protect her. Ed slammed out of his office and went back to his own desk. He wasn’t sure what to do, but first he had to find a lawyer for her. And he did the only thing he could think of. He called his youngest uncle in Hong Kong, who was only ten years older than Ed, waking him up at 6 A.M. Hong Kong time. He explained the situation to him, and said he needed to find a federal lawyer for her in New York, and he had no idea who to ask. His uncle had met Sydney with Ed, and knew immediately who Ed was calling about.
“And you’re sure she had no idea they were stolen goods?” Ed’s uncle sounded faintly cynical, and knew what a kind heart his nephew had and that at times he could be naïve. Sydney was, after all, a grown woman who had been in the fashion business. He had to take into consideration that she might be guilty.
“I promise you, the woman is innocent about this kind of business. Her husband died six months ago, and I think our shit of an employer set her up and used her as a convenient person to blame if things went wrong.”
“That’s entirely possible. Is she in need of money?” he asked reasonably. It would explain why Sydney might have taken the risk and made a deal with the manufacturer to bring in stolen goods, and Ed hated to tell him the truth.
“I think she probably is short of money since her husband’s death. He died without a recent will, and there were some problems with the estate, but that doesn’t mean she’d become a criminal to solve the problem.”
“No, but stranger things have happened. And why do you want to find her an attorney?”
“Because our employer isn’t going to, I just found out. She has no one else to help her. I’m her boss, and she’s my friend.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he promised. “I’m not sure I can come up with a name immediately. I’ll let you know what I can find out. I have a friend I went to school with at Oxford who’s a lawyer in New York. He may know someone who can help her. But she needs a federal defense lawyer who specializes in criminal cases. That’s not as easy to find as a good tax attorney. I’ll see what I can do. And Edward, be careful. You may not know this woman as well as you think.” He tried to warn him, and Ed was instantly annoyed.
“Yes, I do.” He thanked his uncle for trying to find a lawyer for him, and then walked out of the office at not quite five P.M. He didn’t tell anyone that he was leaving, and he didn’t care. He took a cab home and called the customs office at the airport from the taxi. But all he got was a recording, telling him their location and no hours. He thought about going to the airport and trying to see her, but she had already told him he wouldn’t be able to, so he called the federal jail in the city instead, and was told that no prisoner by that name had been transferred from the airport yet. They refused to tell him when she might come in. They told him to call in the morning. All he could do now was wait to hear from his uncle with the name of a federal criminal attorney, or for Sydney to call him herself. Until then, there was nothing he could do.
—
By six o’clock, Sydney had been in the cell at the airport federal customs facility for five hours. She had heard from no one, no attorney had shown up, the customs broker had left as soon as they took her away, and she hadn’t been able to get calls from Paul Zeller or Ed Chin. She was sure that they were both doing everything they could, and a lawyer would show up any minute and get her released. The federal agents who had locked her up told her nothing either. They acted as though she didn’t exist. The only human who would speak to her was the girl who had smuggled the heroin between her legs, and she had lain down on the cot in their cell and gone to sleep. She had flown in from Mexico City, she had told Sydney, and had been awake all night.
At seven o’clock, they brought each of them a sandwich on a tray, and a bowl of instant soup. They had no catering facility there, and had to buy airport food for their prisoners. It was just a holding tank, and they shipped anyone incarcerated there into the city as fast as they could. At nine o’clock that night, two female customs agents walked in, handcuffed her and the sleeping drug smuggler who woke with a start, and led them outside to a small van. They put them in the back to take them to the federal jail in the city. Their valuables, like Sydney’s purse, cellphone, watch, earrings, and wedding ring, were in a plastic bag given to the agents who drove them, to turn over to the jail when they took them in.
The drug smuggler fell asleep again on the short ride to the city, and Sydney watched the familiar route slide by from behind the iron mesh on the windows. She had never in her worst nightmares imagined that she could be in this position. But she was sure that Paul Zeller would straighten it out by the time she got into the city, and she would be released.
Instead, when they arrived at the federal jail facility, the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Park Row across from the courthouse on Pearl Street, she and the smuggler were herded into another holding tank with six other women, and told to strip. They were in the receiving and discharging area, and had each been given a federal register number to identify them. The rules were posted in English and Spanish. Sydney stared at the federal deputies in disbelief. This wasn’t possible. It was like a bad dream. The others took off their clothes rapidly, and seemed used to the routine. They were all in for various forms of drug charges, and crossing state lines with possession with intent to sell hard drugs. One woman was in for trying to smuggle firearms into the airport, and a pale young girl who looked like a teenager was high on crystal meth and had tried to rob a bank with two friends. They were an unsavory-looking group, and all of them stood naked in a matter of minutes in the drafty cell. All the guards were women, and Sydney shivered as she took off her clothes. Within minutes, she was as naked as the others, while a federal officer gathered up their clothes and threw them into plastic bags with their names on them. And then one by one, handcuffed again, they were led into a dismal-looking room, while six tough-looking female guards stood around and watched.
All the guards surrounding them were women, and one of them put on rubber gloves. They were told to bend over and hold their ankles for a cavity search, and for a minute, Sydney thought she was going to faint. She forced herself to think of something else while they searched her, and then pushed her t
oward a shower, handing her a towel, some rough cotton underwear, a denim jumpsuit, and “bus shoes.” There were tears in her eyes when they took her mug shot, and finally led her to a cell where she was alone. It had a cot, a toilet, a tiny sink, and a shelf with nothing on it. They handed her a toothbrush and a bar of soap, and left her there to wonder what was happening in the outside world, and if help would ever come. She couldn’t believe that Paul and Ed had abandoned her, nor could she understand the delay in getting her out. They left the lights on in the jail all night, and she lay awake on the narrow cot, listening to the sounds of the jail around her, the catcalls, the screams, the women who sounded insane, and the conversations among the guards as they walked by. She did breathing exercises to try to stay calm. All she wanted was to be released. And she was sure that by morning she would be. The whole thing was a terrible mistake. She thought of Sabrina and Sophie, and was determined not to call them, even if she could. There was no way she was going to call her daughters and tell them she was in jail.
—
Ed’s uncle Phillip called him at ten o’clock that night. It was eleven A.M. in Hong Kong, and he had finally reached his friend in New York, who had given him the name of a federal defense lawyer who he said was expensive, but a good guy. He had gone to Harvard Law School with him.
“Are you paying for this?” Ed’s uncle asked him.
“No, I’m sure she’ll pay for it herself. Our employer certainly isn’t going to. Apparently it’s in the small print in our work contracts that if we get in trouble in the line of duty, we’re responsible for the legal fees ourselves.”
“Nice people you work for,” Phillip Chin said in a tone of disapproval. “When are you coming home?”
“One of these days.”
And then Phillip asked his nephew a question he’d been curious about for the past five hours. “Are you in love with this woman?”
Ed laughed. “No, I’m not. I’m still gay. But I was her immediate superior. I should have protected her and I didn’t, and I feel responsible for her now. We’re friends and she doesn’t deserve what happened to her. And I’m not convinced of our boss’s innocence. This is all I can do to help. At least I can contact an attorney for her.”
“And you’re planning to continue working for this man?” His uncle sounded shocked.
“No, I’m not.” He had made the decision that night, while he thought about the whole sequence of events. He realized now that Paul had used Sydney, dazzled her with a profit participation in the sale of the bags and using her name for a “signature line” to get the goods into the country, and let her take full responsibility in case something went wrong. Sending her to China to sign all the papers and be responsible for the deal had been a way of shifting all the risk onto her. And it had worked. Sydney was in jail now, and Paul was not. And he was even willing to suggest that she might have double-crossed him, to make her look guilty and absolve himself, which was even worse. Paul Zeller was a despicable person, and Sydney had been his unwitting victim. There was no way Ed was going to abandon her now. He had a strong suspicion that Paul knew the bags were stolen. And if so, he had probably done it before. Their leather goods were famous for their high-class look. Maybe this was why. “I just haven’t had the chance to tell him yet,” Ed said in answer to his uncle’s question. “This all happened this afternoon. I haven’t even been able to speak to her again since she got arrested.”
“If she’s innocent,” his uncle said cautiously, “this must be a shocking experience for her.” He was beginning to feel sorry for her, if everything his nephew said was true. He had found her to be a kind, charming person when they met, with great dignity.
“I’m sure it has been. The first thing I want to do is get her out of jail. And I’ll call the name you gave me tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it works out.”
“Good luck,” Phillip Chin said and then hung up, and Ed sat staring at the name he’d written down. Steven Weinstein. He just hoped he could help her and get her off the hook. It was Paul Zeller who deserved to be in jail, not her. Ed sat awake all night worrying about his friend.
Ed called Steve Weinstein on his cellphone at eight A.M. He apologized for calling him so early, and Weinstein said it was fine, he was on his way back from the gym. Ed explained how he had gotten his name, via his uncle in Hong Kong, and told him what had happened to Sydney at the airport the day before, and that he believed she was being transferred to the federal jail in New York.
“Your employer sounds like a nasty guy,” Weinstein said coolly.
“I guess he is, while he pretends to be everyone’s best friend. I always thought he had a shady underside, but nothing like this.”
“And you don’t think it’s possible your co-worker had some part in this, or knew what was going on?”
“Absolutely not.” Ed vouched for her without hesitating. “She was a very successful designer until sixteen years ago when she remarried.”
“Who was she married to? Or is she still married?”
“He died about six months ago. Someone called Andrew Wells.”
“Of the investment banking firm?” The attorney sounded momentarily impressed.
“I believe so. She doesn’t talk about it a lot. I think there have been problems with the estate and her husband’s daughters by his first marriage. They inherited everything, so she went back to work.”
Steve Weinstein was thoughtful for a minute. “If she’s who I think she is, this is going to get some attention in the press, which will be unpleasant for her until we clean this up. They may use her as an example and prosecute her vigorously to make a point.”
“Can you at least get her out of jail immediately? She must be totally freaked out. She sounded hysterical when she called me, and she must be wondering why no one has shown up. I thought Zeller would send his attorneys to her, but apparently it’s against company policy, which none of us knew. I’m planning to quit today. The guy is a sonofabitch and I’m convinced now he’s a crook,” Ed said heatedly.
“Are you romantically involved with her?” Weinstein wanted to know as much as possible before he saw her.
“No, I’m not,” Ed said matter-of-factly. “I was her immediate supervisor. She reported to me, and we became friends.”
“Does she have kids?”
“Two daughters. They’re both designers too.”
“In answer to your earlier question, I can get her out of jail, but I’m not sure when. Today is Friday, and she has to be arraigned, and the judge has to set bail, unless we can get him to dismiss the case. If he doesn’t dismiss, there will have to be a grand jury hearing, probably after the arraignment. But that will all depend on how bad this looks, especially if her employer is throwing her under the bus, which you seem to indicate.”
“It’s the impression he gave me yesterday. He’s protecting himself. If they go after him, it could be really bad for him. He’d rather sacrifice her. I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t,” Ed said, feeling guilty again. The idea that they might use her as an example made him even more frightened for her.
“I’ll try to get in to see her this morning, and let you know what I find out.” Ed liked the sound of him. He seemed young, smart, and down to earth. At least she’d have a lawyer now and be in good hands. And maybe Weinstein could even get the case dismissed. Ed didn’t see how they could charge her with the crime. She’d been operating under direct orders from the owner of the company. How could they prosecute her? It didn’t make any sense. He hated Zeller for that. He seemed far more Machiavellian now than Ed had ever feared. He had thought him a little sleazy, not an outright crook.
An hour later, Ed walked into Paul Zeller’s office. He had already been upstairs and collected his things, and the sketches in his desk. The door to Paul’s office was open and he was drinking a cup of coffee his assistant had brought him, and he looked up with a broad smile when he saw Ed.
“I was just going to call you. We have to figure out some spe
cial promotion to replace those bags.” But he didn’t look worried about it as Ed stared at him, and he never mentioned Sydney’s name.
“That’s it? You’re worried about a new promotion, while you let Sydney rot in jail?”
“She’s not ‘rotting.’ She’s a well-connected woman. I’m sure she’s called an attorney by now. She made a big mistake.”
“No, you did,” Ed said bluntly with fury in his eyes. “The only mistake she made was taking a job here. And so did I. I’m here to correct that mistake this morning.” Paul looked surprised. “I quit,” Ed said, looking at him directly.
“Without notice? You can’t just walk out like that. You’re our chief design consultant and creative director. You have a responsibility to the company and to your team,” Paul said angrily. He hadn’t expected to lose Ed in the bargain. Sydney was expendable, which was why he had used her. Ed was not. Not easily in any case.
“And you have a responsibility to your employees, but apparently you don’t see it that way.”
“I warn you, Ed, if you walk out now, your name will be mud in the industry.”
“I doubt that. Your name is already dirt. I’ve been defending you for three years. That was my big mistake. I’m done,” he said, and turned around to walk out as Paul stood up at his desk, with a wicked look in his eye.
“If you walk out now, I can still say that you were in on it with Sydney. You’re not clear of this either,” he said in a menacing tone. Ed turned to face him again, with an expression that was rock hard.
“If you even think about doing that to me, my family will put you out of business. You’ll lose every factory worker you have in China, and your factories. You’re a scumbag. Don’t ever threaten me.” And with that, Ed walked out as Paul stared after him, and sat down in his chair without a word.
—
Sydney was brushing her teeth in her cell when a guard came to tell her that her lawyer was there to see her. She had no comb or brush for her hair, and she tried to smooth it down with her hands. The blue uniform they’d given her was enormous on her, and so were the “bus shoes” she’d been given. They handcuffed her again, let her out of her cell, and walked her through three locked gates and into the attorney conference room where a man in a suit was standing, waiting for her. She assumed that he had been sent by Paul Zeller. It never occurred to her that he had been referred by Ed, or the lengths he’d gone to to find a lawyer for her. She had no idea that Paul would abandon her, since she’d been acting on his behalf, on his orders, as part of her job.
Fall from Grace Page 11
