by B A Trimmer
“Good luck with Mr. Party Man,” Sophie said.
I walked into the office and Lenny was seated behind his desk sipping on his drink. He still had the big grin on his face.
“I’ve been at the police station talking to the detectives. Turns out there are a lot of Lester’s fingerprints on the statue. Too many fingerprints. Like maybe, Lester had held it before he moved it Tuesday night to ‘look-at-the-body’ on Tuesday night. The detectives will probably want to set up a meeting in a day or two to get some more information from him.”
“So, he now a suspect in the murder?”
“They’re starting to form a case around him. You know, if we’re lucky, they might even charge him in the next few days. The evidence so far is a bit sketchy, but I think they’re trying to put together a plausible scenario that he killed the guy. If he’s charged, it could generate some substantial work for us. Maybe we’ll even get some decent press coverage for a change.”
“Sophie found evidence Les took a cab from the hotel to the murder scene at around six-thirty. He then took the same cab back to the hotel at about seven-thirty on Tuesday night.”
“Really? Well, if that’s the case, they might not even wait to charge him. We might be able to get this rolling right away.”
“About that.”
“What? And why are you such a mess?”
“Les is missing. He left with a guy who seems to be from an organized crime outfit out of Chicago. Apparently Les has been involved with them for several years.”
“What? Left with a guy? You mean kidnapped. Shit. What happened?”
“We were in Lester’s granddad’s house when a guy walked in on us, he must have followed us in. The guy knocked me out and took Les.”
“You know, the same thing happened when you were supposed to be watching Jackie Wade a couple of months ago. I’m starting to think you’re bad luck.”
“Hey!”
“I was making an observation. Did it seem like the guy wanted to kill Lester or was he only needing to get him alone for a while? Do you have a sense this is going to be a ransom situation?”
“The goon with the gun was called Magic. He told Les someone named Morningstar wanted to talk to him to explain how the situation had changed since Tuesday night. He also mentioned someone named Frankie. If Les was the person who killed the guy in the vault, it’s likely the dead guy was also from the same Chicago gang.”
“Well, that would explain why they’re pissed at him. But it could also suggest a self-defense strategy for our client. You didn’t tell the police anything about this, did you?”
“No, I don’t even know if he was really kidnapped or if he would have gone voluntarily. It seemed like Les and the goon were business associates. They certainly knew each other.”
“I’m remembering the mess we had with Jackie. All of the police and reporters only confused things, even if we did get some good press coverage. But now that Lester’s a suspect, it’ll look bad if he doesn’t show up. We’ve been on the good side of the police ever since we tipped them off about that heroin shipment. I don’t want things between us going to shit over something stupid like this.”
As he was talking, Lenny opened his desk drawer, pulled out his pack of cigarettes, and lit one up. I got the feeling this would only be the first of many this afternoon.
“Alright,” he said, “this might get ugly real fast. The police will remember the last time we had a client who became a murder suspect they also “disappeared”. As of right now, nothing is more important than getting the client back. There’s a bond, maybe even a sacred trust, between an attorney and a client. Lester needs to know we’re there for him and we’ll never give up. I want us to leave no stone unturned. Let’s get everyone involved. Use Gina, even use Sophie and Annie if you need to. Of course, let’s also make sure to keep proper logbooks of our billable time and expenses. Do you think the kidnappers will ask for a ransom?”
“I doubt it. Before he was kidnapped, Les confided to me that he’s broke. The whole ‘idle rich’ thing he shows to the outside world is a sham. He doesn’t have money to pay either you or the lawyer in Chicago. His only chance was to get us to help him find the jewelry.”
“What? Les is broke? Are you serious?”
“Not only is he broke, he already owes a lot of money to the same criminal outfit out of Chicago that snatched him. We’ll be second in line to get paid and they have guns.”
Lenny sat perfectly still for almost two minutes, calmly smoking his cigarette and sipping his bourbon. He looked out of the window and watched the shoppers walking up and down the sidewalk. I’ve learned not to interrupt Lenny while he’s thinking. Finally, he stubbed out his cigarette and put down his glass.
“Alright,” he said, “fuck it. We’ll drop it now and cut our losses. Other than a day of time from you and Sophie, we’re not out anything yet. I can’t see us wasting any more time on a charity case, especially one that’s being chased around by mobsters.”
“What about the sacred trust between an attorney and his client?”
“That implies the client is able to reciprocate financially. If not, they aren’t really a client, are they?”
“But we can’t drop this,” I said. “You’re forgetting about the jewelry. There’s twenty or thirty million dollars up for grabs.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten about that. But I don’t see a reasonable way to get at it. This thing is starting to look like a big rat-hole. Lester was our one avenue to the jewelry and he’s out of the picture. Hunting him down seems like a longshot. At the very least, it will take both you and Gina, probably with a lot of support from Sophie. The way I see it, we might find the client, then he might get the jewelry, then we might be able to get a fee after the Chicago mafia is through with him. A lot of things would need to fall in line before we could even think about getting paid. I’m thinking we should report the kidnapping and wash our hands of the whole thing.”
Lenny, look at the bigger picture.
“Look,” I said, “Les wanted to split the jewelry with his sister. If we add up the jewelry, the house, and the real estate, we’re talking fifteen to twenty million for each of them. Les may show up again on his own, but even if he doesn’t we’re still representing him. Why don’t we continue to look for the jewelry on his behalf? We could also ask Elizabeth if she’ll work with us. We’ll help her find the jewelry on the condition she splits the total with her brother. If Les has twenty million dollars in the bank, you should be able to get a nice cut of it, even if you aren’t first in line.”
Lenny lit another cigarette and thought about what I said.
“Do you think Elizabeth would go for that? From what you said, she doesn’t even like her brother. Why would she do something to help him?”
“She seems like a reasonable person. Once she finds out her brother’s in trouble, she might want to help him. If not, maybe I’ll be able to convince her I have the only clues that will lead to the treasure. She’s stumbling blindly and by now she knows she’ll need some help.”
“Yeah, OK, I like that. Use that as your new angle. Find Elizabeth and see if we can work with her. If not, we still look for the jewelry on our own. Keep an eye out for our client but we’ll go on with or without him. It also might be a good idea to contact the Feds who have been following Les and see what their interest is in all of this. Maybe we can use them to help get our client back. At least they won’t present us with a bill for their services.”
“It wouldn’t make sense for the Chicago guys to kill Les or even to hold him for long,” I said. “They know he’s looking for a big pile of jewelry and if he doesn’t get to it first, he gets nothing. It seems more reasonable they’ll let him go to see if he can find it. Of course, once he has it they’ll probably come back and demand their piece of it.”
“I agree and it all sounds reasonable from the comfort of our armchairs. But if Lester doesn’t turn up by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll need to talk to the detective i
n charge about Lester and how he may be missing.”
I got up and started to walk out the door.
“Hey,” Lenny said. “Do you know you have a big hole in your pants? Half your ass is hanging out. Good thing you’re wearing underwear today.”
Eight
I went back into the reception area. Sophie was still working on her reports.
“Well,” she said. “How’d Lenny take the news that the client can’t pay?”
“About like you’d expect. After he heard Les was broke, he almost gave up the whole thing. I convinced him there was a chance he could still get in on some of the money from the jewelry.”
“And how are we going to get in on the jewelry? Lester’s nowhere to be found.”
“I’ll talk to Elizabeth. I’ll let her know her bother is missing and he could be in danger.”
“You really think that will work? You said they don’t like each other.”
“True, but I also have the only clues on how to find the jewelry. By now, the police will have the entire contents of the vault in an evidence locker. It won’t be released for months. Even when they do release it, Elizabeth won’t know to go and look through it. She can only guess the jewelry is somewhere in the house, but she can’t be sure. She has a day job back in Chicago and she most likely doesn’t have the time or resources to spend months tearing apart the house. Even if she hires the job out to someone local, they won’t know where to look for it either.”
“But the only clue you have is about a coffin rock and you don’t even know what it means.”
“True, but I also know for sure the treasure chest is definitely located somewhere in the house, at least that’s what the note in the vault said. That’s more than Elizabeth has to go on. I’m sure we can work out a deal.”
~~~~
I went back to my cubicle and pulled out my phone. Fortunately, I had gotten Elizabeth’s cell phone number the night of the murder while we were in-between interviews with the detectives. I called her number and the phone immediately went into voice mail. I left a message and asked her to call me.
I went back up to reception and saw Sophie was now busily arranging piles of papers on her desk. She looked up at me and gave her head a little shake of frustration.
“See what happens when you find a dead body? I spend the next two days doing paperwork. Lenny not only wants to document everything associated with you finding the body, but I need to do full background checks on everyone associated with the murder. And start up a full set of log sheets in case we get to bill someone. Then I need to get all of the police reports associated with the murder and those are sometimes hard to come by, even with our contacts. Lenny also has me scanning the news reports in case the murder has made it into the press.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault. It’s not like I go out and look for them.”
“Oh, I know,” Sophie laughed. “Ignore what I’m saying. I’m just practicing my venting. I read on Yahoo this afternoon that constructive venting will help keep me centered and give me a calm and pleasant demeanor. The article said my overall stress levels would drop way down if I occasionally voice my frustrations to a friend. You know, someone who will understand the therapeutic benefits and won’t take it all personally.”
“In that case, I can take it. Vent away.”
“No, I’m good now. Besides, I’m ready to say screw it and go home.”
I looked at the clock on Sophie’s desk and saw it was already five-thirty. I needed to go home and change before my date with Reno. I had looked in the mirror in the office bathroom and Sophie was right. I was a mess. I hadn’t realized how much dirt and grease had accumulated in the trunk of my car over the years. Now much of it was displayed on my shirt.
“I’m out of here too.” I said. “It’s been a long shitty day.”
“How are you feeling? Are you still getting together with Reno tonight?”
“The headache’s gone and the lump’s already starting to go down. I’m not sure about Reno. It depends on when Elizabeth calls me back.”
“Reno would be a lot more fun than the angry sister of a kidnapped client. Especially one who can’t pay his bills and won’t be a client for long, even if he doesn’t show up dead tomorrow.”
“I’m supposed to meet Reno at Frankie-Z’s for dinner but I also need to talk with Elizabeth. I left her a voice mail and I’m not sure when she’ll call back. After I go home and change, I might need to head to her hotel and see if I can catch her there.”
“But didn’t you say you and Reno had one of your ‘discussions’ Saturday night?”
“Yeah, but I talked with him Tuesday night and we’re good again.”
“But the first date after a fight is where you get to have make-up sex. You can’t pass that up. Make-up sex is the best. All you have to do is imply you’re still a little upset and a little horny. Then lay back and let him do all the work. He’ll be glad to show you how sorry he is. There’s nothing like a man wanting to please you with some quality make-up sex.”
“Sure, that sounds great, but I’m not sure we’ll have time for make-up sex tonight. I get the feeling this thing with Elizabeth and the jewelry is starting to ramp up.”
“Really? I’m thinking you need to sort out your priorities. There’ll always be another client but good make-up sex is something you don’t get but once or twice a year. Well, maybe more in your case since you and Reno fight like once a month.”
“We don’t fight. We have discussions.”
“Yeah, whatever. But still, don’t pass up this opportunity. You’ll be kicking yourself all week.”
~~~~
I drove back to my apartment, stripped off my clothes, and inspected the damage. The Capri’s were a total loss. The hole I had ripped to open up the pocket had taken out the entire left side of the seat. The tee shirt wasn’t a lot better. In addition to dirt and black grease, there were several small holes that must have been caused by me thrashing around in the trunk.
I folded clothes for one last time and walked over to my trashcan. I gently placed both the shirt and Capri’s on top of the pile of garbage. I felt a brief pang of loss and regret as I retired two pieces of clothing that had served me well.
Feeling a little melancholy, I lingered in the shower, and then had to hurry. I only had a quick ten minutes to fix my face and hair. I had just put on the last swipe of mascara when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Elizabeth.
“Hey,” I said. “Thanks for calling back. I need to talk to you as soon as possible.”
“Can we do this over the phone?”
“It would be better in person. Where are you?”
“After everything that’s happened the last few days, I didn’t want to have anything to do with jewelry or with Les. I got up early and drove up to the Grand Canyon. I’ve spent most of the afternoon at the overlooks around Grand Canyon Village, looking down into the canyon. It’s so beautiful, I’d love to go back up sometime and spend a few days there. Maybe I’ll even ride a mule down to the bottom. I saw a group of tourists start down the Bright Angel trail and it looked like a lot of fun.”
“Where are you now? Will you have a few minutes to talk when you get back into Scottsdale?”
“I’m coming into Flagstaff now.”
“You should be back in your hotel in about three hours, so about ten o’clock. I’ll meet you at the lounge in the main reception building. It’s called the Center Stage Bar. It’s a nice place to relax and talk.”
“Is this about Les?”
“Yes.”
“Did he do something stupid?”
“Umm, maybe.”
I heard her sigh. I could tell this wasn’t the first time someone had told her Les had done something stupid.
“OK, but I’m still on Chicago time and I’m already worn out. I’ll meet you at the bar for a drink, but then I’ll need to go to sleep. Deal?”
“Deal."
~~~~
I walked o
ut the door of my apartment and was surprised I was actually early. Being early is not something I’m acquainted with. At least, not very often. I had pulled onto Miller Road when my cell phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw it was a 202 area-code number. I answered and there was a serious sounding male voice on the other end.
“Miss Black, this is Special Agent McCoy. I’m with the FBI. My partner and I are looking into the movements and activities of Lester Murdock. I assume you know who I’m talking about?”
I wasn’t surprised the FBI had my phone number. After having firsthand experience with the super-secret database, I knew a lot of things were possible.
“Are you the guys who have been following me around in the blue sedan all week?”
There was a pause. When he answered, he sounded surprised. It was as if he couldn’t understand how he could have been made.
“Miss Black, we have evidence that Lester Murdock is currently with members of a criminal organization based in Chicago. We’d like to discuss the circumstances of how he came to be with them.”
“Sure, he was sort of kidnapped.”
“Could you explain the ‘sort-of’ part?”
“We were at Lester’s granddad’s house and a guy came in with a gun. His name was Magic and Les seemed to know him pretty well. Magic wanted Les to go with him to talk to somebody named Morningstar.”
There was a pause and I could tell that Special Agent McCoy was talking to somebody on his end.
“Miss Black, the FBI is asking for your help with an ongoing investigation. We’d like to meet with you and discuss this further. Would tomorrow morning be convenient?”
It figures. One more thing.
“Sure. Tomorrow morning will probably work. You know I work for an attorney. Perhaps we should meet down at his offices?”
