Plastic Gods, A Rich Coleman Novel Vol 2

by William Manchee

  Chapter 10

 

  The crowd of reporters began to assemble in the Canary room at the Marriott Hotel. It had just been announced that the judge had denied the temporary injunction sought by the State Bar of Texas and Matt was ecstatic. Now with test results back proving he had been drugged, he was elated. Lynn went up to the microphone and tapped it with her finger. The tapping sound could be heard quite well so she motioned for Matt to begin the news conference. He grabbed Dr. Monroe's arm and they both walked up to the microphone.

  "Ladies and gentlemen," Matt said. "Thank you for coming out on such short notice but, as you know, today the State Bar's Application for a temporary injunction was denied. This is a tremendous victory for freedom of speech and I wanted to tell you all how pleased I am with the court's decision.

  "Now you may be wondering who I have up here with me today," Matt continued. "This is my doctor, Dr. Frank Monroe. Dr. Monroe has had some tests done after the little incident you all covered so well a day or two ago. As I told many of you, I was drugged that night by a prostitute named Monica Sommers. She was hired to drug me and then do whatever she could to embarrass and humiliate me so I would lose credibility with the public."

  Matt turned to the doctor and said, "Dr. Monroe, would you explain the test results?"

  "Yes, Matt. The urine sample taken the day after the incident showed traces of a drug called Meddelin. This is a popular drug used by teenage boys at parties to liven things up and make the girls lose their sexual inhibitions. A small dose makes the user feel very relaxed, calm and light-headed. A larger dose can cause dizziness, slurred speech, difficulty walking, and even unconsciousness.

  "I feel confident the prostitute that was photographed with Matt gave him this drug."

  "Dr. Monroe, how is this medication dispensed?"

  "It comes in a white powder, and when dropped in any liquid, dissolves almost instantaneously."

  "Wouldn't Mr. Coleman have seen it?" another reporter asked.

  "No. When it dissolves it's a clear liquid."

  "Do you have any idea who would want to embarrass Mr. Coleman?"

  "No, but I think Matt can speak on that topic."

  "Yes, as a matter of fact. We managed to find Monica Sommers and she has told us a man with a German accent paid her $500 to drug me."

  "Mr. Coleman," a reporter said. "Are you going to press charges against her?"

  "No, I've promised not to press charges, as long as she continues to cooperate in finding out who hired her."

  "Mr. Coleman," a third reporter asked, "what are your plans now that the court has denied the State Bar's temporary injunction application?"

  "I'm glad you asked that. We've decided to open offices in Houston and San Antonio this month. And if everything goes well, we'll open offices in El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Amarillo by the end of the year."

  "Mr. Coleman," the first reporter said. "Do you know if the State Bar of Texas will appeal the court's decision today?"

  "I wouldn't know. You'll have to ask them. . . . Okay, that's all for today. Thanks again for coming out."

  After the news conference, Matt and Lynn decided to drive back to the office. On the way they decided to stop at Campiszi's for lunch. The noon news was just coming on.

  "In Dallas just a few minutes ago Matt Coleman held a news conference with his doctor to explain how he had been drugged by a prostitute who had been hired to embarrass and humiliate him in hopes of putting a stop to his crusade against banks and financial institutions, this on the heels of the 111th District Court's decision today not to grant a temporary injunction against the Debt Relief Centers, Inc.

  "On Wall Street financial stocks took a nosedive on fears that today's action will result in thousands of attorneys adopting Matt Coleman's evangelistic approach to marketing bankruptcies. If they are as successful as Matt Coleman has been, many financial institutions will suffer catastrophic losses as hundreds of thousands of Americans flock to the bankruptcy court to rid themselves of their debts."

  "God, I can't believe what's happening," Matt said. "I never expected your little ad campaign to have such a profound effect on the country."

  "It's not the ad campaign itself, Matt. It's you. You've taken this thing to heart. You believe in it now and so you've become very convincing."

  "You think so?"

  "Yes, definitely."

  "Well, we'll see how convincing I am tomorrow when I address the Dallas Bar Association luncheon."

  "Hmm. That should be interesting. I'm surprised you accepted their invitation."

  "How could I refuse an opportunity to explain my position to my colleagues?"

  "I'm sure they invited you just to ridicule you."

  "I don't think so. There are a lot of attorneys who don't like their advertising censored. I'll have some friends in the audience. I'm sure."

  That night Matt prepared for his luncheon speech. He wasn't preaching to his usual flock so he knew he'd have to take a different approach to win over his audience. There wouldn't be the hatred and distrust of financial institutions for him to tap into with this audience. He'd have to be more logical, more precise with his facts and concentrate on his constitutional right of free speech.