by L. J. Taylor
Peachtree smiled. The greedy jerk probably thought he was going to get an extra bonus or something. That was the problem with his type – the Harvard law stuffed suits who thought they were smarter than everyone else. They had no idea what needed to be done to make sure a company like his stayed at the top of the heap. “The kind of gift that’s going to help you settle this case,” he said. He handed Weisman a flash drive.
“What’s this?” Weisman asked, holding the flash drive up.
Peachtree just smiled and gestured toward the computer monitor sitting on top of the desk with a wide open hand. “Play it.”
He watched Weisman insert the flash drive into the computer and boot it up. The attorney’s eyes widened then narrowed. He fumbled for the volume control on his computer speaker as the sound of Kathy’s moans began to fill the office. He knocked the speaker over. It clattered onto the desk. He righted it without taking his eyes off the screen. He then hit the pause button and turned sharp, speculative eyes upon Peachtree. “How did you get this?”
“You don’t want to know,” Peachtree said. “Let’s just say I got it from an anonymous source. Is it helpful to you?”
Weisman was silent for a moment. He stroked a hand over his chin a few times. Then he nodded. “Yes. It’s helpful on a number of levels. There are ethical rules against sleeping with one’s clients. There are also other consequences to this tape going public such as a loss of credibility and the general distaste inherent in having ones most intimate moments publicly displayed. The question is: What is the best way to utilize this information without ramifications to you or my law firm?”
Rage coursed through Peachtree. Ramifications? The bastard had yet to learn of the ramifications of disobeying his orders. He clenched his hands into fists and leaned forward in his chair, boring his eyes into the attorney’s. “For what I’m paying you, I don’t give a rat’s ass about ramifications to your law firm. You just make sure you use that video to my best advantage in this case. Are we clear?”
The attorney simply stared at him - his face expressionless. Peachtree never could read or rattle him. It made him uncomfortable.
Finally, Weisman nodded. “As crystal.”
“Good.”
CHAPTER XIII
Darryl Thomas sat behind an old wooden desk in a small office space he had rented under the name of a dummy corporation. The desk was scarred and nicked in several places and paired nicely with the ancient office chair with its cracked faux leather. Wires, tools, discarded computer parts, empty boxes and packing materials littered the moldy threadbare carpet.
He had just completed the setup of a computer system that looked more as if it belonged on the helm of a spaceship rather than in a second rate office space. He rubbed his hands together and booted it up. The sound of the powerful equipment coming to life music to his ears.
When a prompt blinked on one of the two twenty-inch monitors on the desk, he typed in a few commands. Soon, he was at Peachtree’s website. His fingers flew over the keys for several minutes then stopped. This was going to be just as hard as he had imagined - maybe even harder.
A special computer program he uploaded caused the computer to send out an alarm signaling that Peachtree’s system was making progress in tracking his location. He snarled. “Ras clot!”
He closed his Internet browser quickly and stared at the monitor. He couldn’t afford to let Peachtree trace him or he wouldn’t live long enough to get the information he needed from its system. How were they able to penetrate his defenses so quickly? He had bounced the signal off a few satellites and set up dummy locations in various locations around the world. He whistled. They must have next level defense technology that even the C.I.A. and the F.B.I. didn’t have.
He sat back in his chair, put his arms behind his head, rested his head against them, and pondered what new defenses and red herrings he could set up to give himself more time. That’s when it came to him. He smiled, picked up one of his burn phones and dialed a number. It was the first of several calls he planned to make. If he was going to break into Peachtree’s system, he was going to need a little help from his friends.
***
Kathy walked into Christie’s steakhouse in Coral Gables and looked for Stewart Weisman. She was a bit frazzled. A mountain of work and a ton of unanswered e-mails had stacked up during her trip to New York. With all of the work she had to do on Charles’ case and her other cases, the last thing she needed to do was to leave her office and head down to Coral Gables for a lunch meeting. He probably wanted to discuss settlement again and figured that if he wined and dined her, the talks might be more successful.
She had started to politely but firmly decline Weisman’s invitation; however, he hinted that they had very important things to discuss. Curiosity won out in the end, together with a hint of nervousness and a strange sense of foreboding that she couldn’t explain.
She spotted him sitting at the bar enjoying what looked like brandy. He drained the snifter, threw a few bills onto the bar, picked up a laptop case from the stool next to him and headed over to her. She shook his hand and raised her eyebrows. “A little early in the day for cocktails, isn’t it Weisman?”
He laughed. “No. It’s noon and we’re adults. It’s one of the benefits of being your own boss – no-one tells you what you can and can’t do.”
She chuckled. “Sometimes we’re better off having someone keep us on the straight and narrow.”
He didn’t comment.
The waitress came and led them to a secluded table at the back of the restaurant – away from the other diners. They sat down, perused the menu and gave their orders to the waitress. She left to fill them.
“So, what’s so important we had to meet in person on one of my busiest days ever?” Kathy asked.
Weisman cleared his throat and glanced around. “Well, there’s something I have to show you.”
Kathy stared at him. “There’s something you have to show me? In person? You couldn’t just fax or e-mail it? What is it?”
He placed a laptop onto the table and turned it in her direction. “This.”
Kathy looked at the computer expecting to see a document Weisman would claim to be a smoking gun. Instead, a video played on the screen. She frowned. What was this? A second later, her jaw dropped open. There was a couple in the video having sex. She glanced up at Weisman. Had he asked her all this way just to show her pornography? Was this a new type of sexual harassment? But, wait a minute, something was wrong. The expression on Weisman’s face was not one of excitement; instead, he looked triumphant – as if he were holding all the cards and had her every which way from Sunday.
She looked back at the screen and took a closer look. All the breath rushed from her body when she recognized the New York hotel room and realized that the couple having sex on the video was her and Charles. A myriad of emotions ran through her – horror, shame, fear, despair and, finally, anger. How dare he do this to her? Whatever happened, she’d make him pay for this moment - dearly. She glared at him. The triumphant smile faded from his lips and a small frown appeared between his brows. Good, she’d at least wiped the smile off his face. Remembering her mentor’s motto that the best defense was a good offense, she went on the attack. She slammed the laptop shut. She wanted to throw it onto the floor and watch it break into a million pieces, but she didn’t want to create a scene. Plus, she was sure he had additional copies of the video stowed away somewhere.
“Where did you get this? We both know it’s illegal to videotape or record someone against their will. This is a clear invasion of privacy. If you even try to use this video in any way, I’ll have you slapped with criminal charges and a civil lawsuit so fast your head will spin,” she said. The more she spoke, the more convinced she became that she could turn this situation around to her advantage. She sat back in her chair and sent him a look full of scorn.
“What? Are you so hard up that you have to tape other people having sex to get your rocks off? What are you
- some sort of sick voyeur freak? Did you think I would whither into a shrinking violet because you taped me having sex with a consenting adult? Did you think you could blackmail me with it? Get with it – it’s the 21st century,” she said. Stewart just sat there staring at her impassively.
She frowned. “How did you plan on using the video anyway? You’ll never be able to use it in court. First, it’s an illegal recording and second, it’s not relevant to any issue in the case.”
Stewart grinned. “You just don’t get it do you? I don’t plan to use it in court. I plan to use it to get you disbarred, Counselor,” he said. “I can’t even take credit for the idea. I wouldn’t have thought about it myself until I watched the end of this touching little movie and heard you discussing the ethical implications of your sordid little affair with your client. And, by the way, if it’s any consolation to you, I didn’t make or arrange for this recording to be made. A little birdie dropped it into my lap.”
Kathy’s mind reeled. She should have known. Stewart Weisman wasn’t known to be the most ethical attorney out there, but he wasn’t known as the scum of the Earth either. It had to be his client. She should have known that a government defense contractor like Peachtree would know how to put the squeeze on them to get what it wanted. A wave of despair washed over her. How could she have been so stupid as to play right into their hands?
The waitress brought their entrees and placed them onto the table. It made Kathy realize that she was still there, in Christie’s, sitting across the table from Weisman, who watched her face as if he were reading her thoughts. She had to pull herself together. Whatever happened she was still the face of this legal team. She needed time to think and consider their options. She looked directly into Weisman’s eyes. “What do you want?”
He smiled. It reminded her of an expression she’d once seen on a feral cat in a dark alley one night in Brooklyn. She forced herself not to shudder.
“It’s not what I want, Counselor. It’s what my client wants. He wants this case to go away – for the parties to enter into a settlement agreement with a confidentiality clause. He’s willing to pay your client two million dollars and all of the attorneys’ fees and costs incurred to date,” he said. He picked up his knife and fork and cut off a piece of the rare steak he had ordered. Blood oozed out onto the plate. “It’s the best way, really. You and your client get paid and you get to keep your law license and live to fight me another day.” He shoved the meat into his mouth and chewed.
Kathy, who had completely lost her appetite, pushed her plate aside. “If we give you what you want, what assurances do I have that you won’t keep a copy of that video to use against me in another lawsuit?’
Weisman shrugged. “I can be made a party to the settlement agreement. Both Peachtree and I could agree to destroy any and all copies of the video and to not use it for any purposes whatsoever. That should take care of the issue.”
Kathy thought about it. In theory that would probably take care of the issue; however, she’d never know if Peachtree or Weisman or one of their underlings kept a copy of the video for their sick enjoyment. She pushed back her chair, stood up and threw her napkin onto the table. “Well, I’ve had all of your company that I can stomach for the day. I’ll communicate your settlement offer to my client and get back to you.”
He looked at her untouched plate. “You’re not going to take that with you?”
“No. You can have it,” she said.
“Well, don’t wait too long to get back to me Counselor. I’ve been ordered to file the Bar complaint by the end of the week. Oh and you can take the laptop with you so you can watch the entire video at your leisure,” he said. He waved his fork in the direction of the laptop.
Kathy debated with herself for a moment. She wanted nothing more than to tell Weisman to go screw himself with his laptop. On the other hand, she needed to view the entire video to be able to accurately assess the damage it could do. The attorney in her won out. She picked up the laptop and held her other hand out.
Weisman looked puzzled.
“Give me the case,” Kathy said.
“Oh,” Weisman said.
He put down his cutlery and wiped his hands on his napkin. Then he reached down, lifted the case off the chair next to him and handed it to her.
She stuffed the laptop into the case, grabbed her pocketbook and strode out of the restaurant.
***
Kathy opened the door to her condominium the moment she heard the knock. Charles walked in. “You don’t ask who it is before you open the door?”
She locked the door. “Please, have a seat.” She gestured toward the living room.
Charles walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch. “You have a nice place.”
“Thank you.” She clasped her hands together in front of her. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“I’ll have a glass of wine if you’ll join me,” he said.
“Okay,” she said. “Do you prefer red or white?”
“Red.”
So, they had that in common. It’s funny the things you learn about a man after you sleep with him and get videotaped in the process of doing it. She poured two glasses of red wine and brought them into the living room. She set the drinks down onto the cocktail table and elected to sit on the loveseat instead of joining him on the couch. She didn’t want to give him any ideas.
Charles frowned. He’d probably gotten the message.
“The reason I asked you to come here tonight is because I didn’t think this was a conversation we could have at the office,” she said. “I needed to speak to you about a meeting I had with Stewart Weisman yesterday.”
Charles’ frown deepened. “The opposing counsel? Why did you meet with him? This had better not be about settlement again. I already told you that I’m not interested.”
“Would you please just shut up for a minute? This is not just about you. There are other people in this world who matter.” She regretted the words the moment they left her lips. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
He looked at her warily. “No problem. So, why are we here? What did you want to discuss?”
“I have to show you something.” She picked the laptop up off the coffee table and opened it up. She then set it on the TV tray between them, clicked on the video and pressed the “Play” button. The sound of moans filled the living room.
Charles stared at the screen. At first, a smile began to spread across his face. Then it disappeared. His gaze sharpened. He looked up at her. “Where did you get this?”
“I got it from Weisman. He gave it to me yesterday during our lunch meeting at Christy’s. I asked him where he got it. He told me that a little birdie dropped it into his lap.”
Charles stood up and began to pace the living room. “It had to be Peachtree.” He swore. “I should have known they’d be following us. It all makes sense now.”
“What are you talking about?”
He whirled to face her. His face livid with emotion. “I’m talking about the murder of Mrs. Roberts and now this video recording of us in your hotel room. These people will stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe. I bet he tried to blackmail you into getting me to settle this case with that video.”
“As a matter of fact, he did. And it was a very effective threat too. They didn’t just tape the two of us having sex. They also taped our conversation afterwards. You know - the part where I announce that I’ve committed an ethical violation by sleeping with you. That little statement could be considered an admission on my part in any Bar proceedings. This is serious, Charles. They could take my license for this. I could lose my job. I don’t have anyone to take care of me. I’m it.” She put her head into her hands and bent over resting her elbows onto her knees. “What the hell did I get myself into?”
Charles walked over and sat next to her on the loveseat. He put an arm around her and pulled her close until her face r
ested against his chest. She didn’t resist.
“Look,” he said. “I don’t want you to lose your law license because of what we did. I’ll settle the case before that happens.”
She sat up and shook her head. “No. I’m not going to let those bastards win by blackmailing me. What we’re going to do is get you new counsel and bring them up to speed as quickly as possible. I’m going to withdraw from your case. Once I’m no longer your counsel, Peachtree will lose all interest in me and any leverage they think they have over you.”
“But I don’t want new counsel. No-one else knows this case like you do,” Charles said. “If I don’t settle the suit, I want you to try it.”
“I can’t try your case if I’m disbarred,” Kathy said.
“There’s got to be a way around this,” Charles said. He got up from the loveseat, walked over to the balcony doors and stared out at the bay. After a moment, he turned to face her. “What’s our deadline for responding to the settlement offer?”
“Friday,” she said. “You should know that they’ve increased the offer to two million dollars, plus attorney’s fees. I bet you could negotiate a higher amount if you wanted to.”
“Why don’t you give me until Thursday to come up with a way to deal with this?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been over this a million times since yesterday and I can’t see a way out other than you settling the case or me withdrawing as your counsel of record. It’s not in your best interests to settle the case. If you won, you could recover much more than two million dollars – especially if we proved gross negligence on Peachtree’s part. This is precisely the sort of ethical quandary the Bar rules seek to prevent.”
“Just give me until Thursday,” he said. “If I can’t find a way to break Peachtree’s hold over you by then, you can file the motion to withdraw.”
He walked over to her, pulled her to her feet and put his arms around her. “Don’t worry. This will all work out. I promise.”
