Wearing the Spider (A Suspense Novel) (Legal Thriller) (Thriller)

by Schaab, Susan

  “Evie, that actually supports your position, doesn’t it? If you were running this deal, you’d certainly have complete control over the documents, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, but Alan seems to change the access parameters almost daily. When I formally make my suspicions known to the partners, he may have changed it so I’m the only one to have full access. My username was only added to the ‘read-only’ access list recently.”

  Joe’s telephone rang, breaking their concentration. He walked to the kitchen to answer it, leaving Evie taking detailed notes. When he returned, he said that it was Ariel who called. She and Bradley had in fact arrived in town and wanted to meet up with Joe and Evie at Sciori’s for dinner.

  Evie nodded in agreement as she continued to write.

  “I can do some checking tomorrow to see if I can get another software tool that might be able to bypass some of this security.”

  “I know what you must be thinking,” she said. “This is kind of an odd situation. On one hand wanting to gather as much information as possible, and on the other hand wanting to remain as distant from it as possible.”

  “Let’s see what we turn up from my sniffer script. And, for the next few hours at least, let’s put this whole thing out of our minds,” he said as he gently raised her hands to his mouth and kissed them.

  “You think I’m unnecessarily obsessing over this, don’t you?” She gently withdrew her hands and looked at him like a scolded child.

  “No. No. Absolutely not. In fact, I think you have to be very thoughtful and calculating about any contact you have with this guy. I just want to get your mind off of it for a bit. We’ll keep fighting the good fight.”

  She took a deep breath and let him hug her.

  “Joe, it’s ironic,” she said, the words spilling down his back as he held her in a protective embrace. “I’ve spent so many hours protecting the reputations of artists through carefully constructed legal arguments. Now I find that my own reputation is completely vulnerable to destruction at the whim of a renegade partner.”

  ~~

  At eight o’clock p.m. that evening, they walked into Sciori’s and were taken to a small private table in the corner, where Ariel sat rolling a stroller back and forth.

  “One advantage of bringing a toddler,” she said. “They always find an out-of-the-way place for you, which I prefer.”

  Evie and Joe nodded. “This is perfect,” they said almost in unison.

  “Is he asleep?” Joe asked.

  “Yes, for the moment.”

  Ariel kissed each of them and they all took their seats.

  “Ariel, you really look great,” said Evie.

  “The Spa at The Peninsula Hotel,” said Ariel. “One of the few remaining perks to having been married to Max.”

  “How long have you been divorced?”

  “Not long enough. Not to knock marriage or anything. I fell in love with a wealthy wasp, and I became another one of his possessions. But, of course, he gave me Bradley.” She looked down at her Baume et Mercier 18K gold watch. “And he did spoil me a little.” She laughed.

  “Have you ever been married?” Ariel asked Evie.

  “No, I haven’t.”

  The waiter appeared and passed out mineral water and menus. He recited the specials and promised to return in a few minutes. A few seconds of silence followed.

  “I should probably change the subject.” Ariel chuckled. “You know, Joseph, I don’t know how you stand living in L.A., all this sunshine and plastic surgery.”

  “Manhattan certainly has its drawbacks,” said Evie.

  “I still spend half my time at a pied a’ terre on the Upper West Side that I got as part of the settlement,” said Ariel. “Manhattan is the definitive city.”

  “So, you got the house in Connecticut and the apartment in New York,” said Evie.

  “Yes,” said Ariel. “And he got his estate near Zurich, the flat in London, an island house in the Caribbean and a small apartment we bought in Madrid. He travels around Europe constantly and I didn’t want the headache of maintaining those properties. And, I thought if I didn’t challenge him on the property, he wouldn’t challenge me for custody.”

  Evie nodded as Ariel turned to her brother and said, “Joe, your colleague, Francois, tells me you work too much.”

  “You can’t believe a word he says.”

  “Are you bringing that ancient French company toward the twenty-first century or what?”

  “With lightning speed. We’ll soon leave Bill Gates in the dust.” He laughed. “I’ve learned two very important lessons working with the French: one, to always have a case of wine standing by for budget approval meetings, and two, to use the great French art of expressing dissent.” Joe demonstrated with a scowl and Gallic shoulder shrug. “Mais non! C’est ennuyant!”

  “You could be useful at the next meeting of the United Nations.” Evie winked at Joe.

  “Are we still boycotting?” asked Joe, as he flipped through the wine list.

  “No, the French still produce the best,” said Ariel.

  “I agree,” said Evie.

  The waiter approached and accepted Joe’s request for a Chablis.

  Everyone took a drink of water and opened their menus. Ariel offered around a platter of hors d’euvres she’d ordered. Then she turned to Evie. “Joe’s work amazes me. I’m still writing on a paper calendar and can’t get used to Joe typing away on his laptop with no wires attached. Has your firm gone wireless?”

  “No, not fully.”

  “Do you think law firms take full advantage of technology?” continued Ariel. “How well does your firm use technology?”

  “Sometimes, I think too well. Some of the partners are more aggressive with their use of technology than others.” Evie glanced sideways at Joe. “I was once involved in a negotiation in a conference room full of attorneys seated around a long table. Every single one of us had a laptop and while the negotiations were going on, we were emailing contract language to each other.”

  Ariel’s eyes widened.

  “Each of us was typing away, sending and reading emails while we were engaged in discussions across the table.” Evie took a sip of her cocktail. “One guy was even talking in a low voice over his cell phone in the corner of the room. As the meetings continued over the course of several days, they added a digital screen at one end of the room. We started receiving messages from other meetings taking place at the same time on a split screen with the stock market readings streaming across on the other half of the screen.”

  “That sounds like some serious multi-tasking,” said Ariel.

  “It was technology run amuck, and I have to say it interfered with our ability to isolate issues that needed to be discussed. Maybe sometimes you can have too much information.”

  Evie and Joe exchanged glances.

  The waiter reappeared, took their dinner orders and collected the menus.

  “Speaking of too much information, Evie, I just saw Alan Levenger’s name mentioned on Page Six in the New York Post.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, he was at some party in the Hamptons and got in a fight with somebody over a woman. There was also a bit of gossip about your firm. It was in the ‘We hear …’ section. It said that rumor has it that someone at your firm is about to be fired. I wonder if it’s Alan?”

  Evie shifted in her seat and felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead. Joe took her hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  “I have no idea,” she said.

  20

  Evie took a long sip of her water and said to Ariel, “Joe was telling me about some of his experiences in Africa. I want to hear more.” She turned to Joe.

  “Tell her about the time you saved Dad,” said Ariel.

  Joe was leaning back in his seat and sipped a glass of water. “Are you sure you want me to—”

  “Yes,” said Evie.

  “Okay, but I think that was a joint effort. Dad and I were kind
of dependent on a higher presence on that one.”

  “Thank God you were there with him,” said Ariel.

  “Dad and I were on the Selous Game Preserve in Tanzania. We had hiked away from our jeep a few kilometers to ‘read the morning paper.’” He smiled and explained. “There’s a fresh Braille to be read every morning in the ash-rich soil in that area. It captures the impressions of whatever feet, paws and hoofs have passed during the night. Some call it ‘reading the morning paper’ to inspect the soil and draw conclusions about the night’s traffic.”

  The women looked at each other and smiled. Then they turned their attention back to Joe.

  An artfully arranged platter of lobster and crab was placed before them and they each took a portion. The wine was poured. Joe sipped, nodded to the waiter and continued.

  “While we were hiking, we came upon a herd of Cape Buffalo.” Joe looked over at Ariel and then winked at Evie. Ariel was grinning like a child listening to a father’s bedtime stories that had been recited many times, but never often enough.

  “Contrary to popular perception, Cape Buffalo can be more dangerous than lions or crocodiles. A charging herd of them is undeterable and relentless, as opposed to elephants that will often stop charging if challenged. We were watching a large bull that was visibly wounded—initially I thought by an encounter with a predator. But anyway, he saw us and decided to rush us. And his herd followed. Running like mad for a few minutes, we dove under a canopy of brush bordered by Baobab trees.”

  “Don’t be modest, Joseph.” Ariel took a bite and looked at Evie. “Dad was as drunk as a sailor. If Joe hadn’t thrown him under the brush, he would’ve been trampled.”

  Evie looked over at Joe and smiled, a profusion of admiration in her gaze.

  “Baobab trees. Are those the trees that look flat on top?” asked Evie.

  “No, those are Acacia trees. Anyway, there’s nothing in the world like a herd of buffalo thundering past just fifteen feet from where you’re hugging the earth. It sounded like a locomotive and the ground shook like an earthquake.” He took a bite of angel hair pasta and sipped his wine. “We found out from a ranger that a poacher had injured that bull the day before, so I guess there was this inherent fear of humans that caused the charge.”

  “Oh my God,” said Evie, still sipping her wine. “Joe, the world needs more men like you.”

  “Speaking of Dad,” said Ariel looking at Joe, “I think he’s back on that sleeping pill, Bylinion.”

  She turned to Evie. “Our father has an addictive personality. His latest vice is a particular sleeping pill and he’s found a doctor who’s willing to keep writing prescriptions.”

  “I’m going to have to sit down with that doctor,” said Joe. “He may not understand what type of person he’s treating.”

  “So your dad has trouble sleeping?”

  “He’s always been an insomniac.”

  “I sometimes have trouble sleeping myself,” said Evie, “and even when I do sleep, I often have nightmares about trying to complete something for a client.”

  “You know, Evie,” said Ariel. “I can’t imagine you working with Alan Levenger.”

  “Sometimes, I can’t either.”

  Just then they all looked toward the stroller as Bradley began to fuss.

  “Can I try?” asked Evie.

  Ariel nodded.

  Evie walked around to the front of the stroller.

  “Hello, Bradley,” she said to him.

  “Hewo,” answered Bradley.

  Evie picked up a stuffed giraffe that was laying next to him in the stroller. Bradley smiled with the enthusiasm that comes with the introduction of a playmate. Joe stood and watched with a bemused grin. Bradley took the giraffe and began pulling on its tail. Evie relinquished control of the stuffed animal and sat down again. Bradley drifted off to sleep again clutching the giraffe.

  “Have you thought about switching firms?” asked Ariel.

  “Yes, but I can’t.”

  “Why such loyalty? Are you up for partner?”

  “No, it’s not that.”

  “Ari, don’t push,” said Joe.

  “I’m sorry, I tend to be a bit nosy.”

  “It’s okay.” Evie took a reconnaissance look around. “I need to stay around to save my reputation.”

  “Some kind of career politics?”

  “There’s some evidence that I’m being set up.”

  “Set up? Mmm. What do you mean?” asked Ariel.

  “I can’t go into it.”

  “You can trust her,” said Joe.

  “Okay, there’s this deal that has my name all over it that I’ve had nothing to do with. After some digging, I’ve discovered that there are some questionable elements to it. Reputation-destroying at best, illegal at worst.”

  “Someone at the firm is doing a deal using your identity?”

  “Yes. I know it sounds crazy. You were talking about the benefits of technology, well, it can be used in very destructive ways, too.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I just want to find out the extent of the damage and convince the partners that I had nothing to do with it. I can’t do anything until I restore my reputation.”

  “I can understand that,” said Ariel. “Do you know who’s doing it?”

  “Basically, a partner whose advances I rejected seems to be using his position of power to undermine my credibility in the firm so he can use me as a scapegoat.”

  “Oh my God. That’s worse than physical abuse. Just the type of experience that brings out the feminist in me. Is he well-respected?”

  “I didn’t think so, but he seems to have better access to the lead partners in the firm than I would have thought. And, it seems that he is surprisingly close to a senator.”

  “A U.S. Senator?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

  “So fucking typical. Excuse my French. They all—I hate it when they protect each other like a bunch of self-centered juveniles. Wait … it’s not … it’s not that jerk Alan Levenger, is it?” Ariel frowned.

  “It’s probably better if I don’t say any more.”

  “It is, isn’t it! I can’t believe a prick like that has a direct line to the United States Congress. Okay, well, yes, I can. Evie. It is him, isn’t it? You poor thing,” Ariel said as she checked to make sure Bradley was still sleeping and had not heard her outburst. He was stirring again so she stood for a moment and rocked the stroller until a sleepy sigh was heard.

  “I have to go back tomorrow instead of waiting for Tuesday,” Evie whispered to Joe during Ariel’s brief absence from the table.

  “I know. As luck would have it, I’ll be in New York again later this week. More battles with the French,” he whispered back.

  “Will you call me when you get in?”

  “I will.”

  Ariel sat back down and turned to Evie. “Is there anything I could do?”

  “Nothing really, except, Ariel, please no further than this table, okay?” She looked over at Joe, who was nodding to Ariel.

  “Of course,” said Ariel. She thought a moment and said, “Evie, aren’t there whistleblower laws that protect people like you?”

  “I wish that were the case. From what I know so far, this isn’t a wrong against the government and there isn’t any threat to public safety. And the whistleblower laws don’t apply to the pursuit of a personal vendetta that hasn’t resulted in any quantifiable career damage.”

  “Well, isn’t there someone outside the firm you can confide in?”

  “Well, I’m evaluating my options.” Evie paused and emptied her wine glass. Even with the vague references she felt like she had said too much. She swallowed and said, “Have you ever felt that your fate is out of your control?” She looked at Joe who draped his arm across the back of Evie’s chair.

  “Yeah,” said Ariel. “When I was standing before the judge in my divorce hearing.”

  “And see? That turned out perfectly,” said
Joe nodding toward Bradley’s stroller.

  “Well, if you need them, I’ve got close friends in the media. The power of the press can be very effective when you’re feeling powerless.”

  21

  An uneventful flight the next morning and Evie was in the office by two thirty in the afternoon. She walked to Hanover’s office still without a clear, cohesive story to tell. She wasn’t sure he was in the office, but he was definitely the partner she wanted to confide in. As she approached Liza, Hanover’s secretary, she was stunned to see Alan standing over the reception counter engaged in what appeared to be an animated storytelling. Liza was laughing and gesturing, and began her own counter-story. As Evie approached, she heard the final fragment of Liza’s anecdote.

  “… and I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. That little Miss Thing didn’t miss a beat. ‘A V.I.P.,’ she said!” Alan laughed as if Liza had paid for it in advance. As he threw his head for effect, he noticed Evie approaching. Liza turned and smiled a greeting.

  “Evie,” Alan said her name as if it tasted good. “The traveling associate has returned. Now that you’re back, you’ll be available for new matters?”

  Evie had abandoned thoughts of fleeing and succumbed to the social undertow pulling her toward Liza’s desk, but she felt a surge in her blood pressure and her limbs felt stiff and heavy. She tried to keep an even tone in her voice while the words stumbled over her dry tongue. “I don’t know. I will have to check my availability and get back to you.”

  Evie directed her attention to Liza. “Is Hanover in today?” Evie’s eyes darted quickly toward Alan and then she added, “I wanted to give him an update on that client meeting in Florida.”

  “He was in for a few minutes this morning, but left for some tests,” Liza said. “He hasn’t been that cooperative and the doctors are getting more forceful in their orders.” Liza turned back to Alan. “Did you have a chance to see him this morning, Alan?”

  “Nope. No luck. But I know you will direct him to me the minute he calls in, right?” Alan flashed an electric smile at Liza and then turned it toward Evie, as he swaggered off with the air of a man who is confident of his own charisma, convinced that he had succeeded in leaving the two women wanting more of his company.