Fast and Loose

36

Erik Macher and Jake Herman sat in Macher’s new suite, a small one, at the Lombardy Hotel, surrounded by boxes. Macher’s secretary had been dropped with her boxes at her sister’s apartment building a few blocks away.

Macher poured Herman another drink. “You understand, Jake, you’re still employed by my security company, which I owned before I met Christian St. Clair. The money isn’t quite as good, but it will keep us afloat until we can feather our nests once again.”

“And how are we going to do that?” Jake asked.

“Opportunities will present themselves, and we will capitalize on them.”

“What kind of opportunities?”

“That remains to be seen, but believe me, they will materialize. Christian St. Clair was such an opportunity. There will be others.”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

“But before we make the move back to D.C. we have business to take care of here, with regard to Barrington and Fox.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Don’t worry, there’ll be the two of us working on it. You won’t bear the entire responsibility. I would, however, be grateful for suggestions.”

“A bullet to the brain has always worked for me,” Jake said.

“Not in this case. There are three people to deal with.”

“Three? Whatever happened to just the two?”

“Elihu Barnes will join Charles Fox and Stone Barrington on our list.”

“Who the fuck is Elihu Barnes?”

“He’s the chairman of the St. Clair board, the imperious prick who fired us.”

“Oh. Well, in the circumstances I can hardly blame him,” Jake said.

“I can blame him,” Macher replied.

“Okay, then you kill him. I’ll help with the other two.”

“What I’d like your help on is to think of a way to get them in the same room. I’m well trained and experienced with explosives.”

“Well, they must have further business together. Where would that take place?”

“I would think in the St. Clair mansion,” Macher said.

“Why there?”

“Because I suspect that Barnes and the board are going to offer Charles Fox my job, and probably today.”

“Why Charley?”

“Because St. Clair hired him, and I expect with the promise of one day replacing Christian in the CEO’s job. Barnes and Company would know that. They’d naturally turn to him, and Fox would take it in the blink of an eye.”

“Well, if you can make a bomb, I guess I can get it into the library, where the board meets.”

“You know that girl in accounting, the one you’ve been diddling since you came to New York?”

“Velma Ottley?”

“That’s the one.”

“She’s not going to plant any bomb,” Jake said.

“No, but she hears things around the office. She’ll know what’s going on.”

“I guess.”

“I think you should ask her to dinner tonight and prepare the ground for the sowing of seeds, so to speak.”

“I guess I could do that.”

“I got you a room down the hall. You can take her there after you dine. Make a reservation in the hotel dining room.”

Jake picked up the phone.

“No, take your things down to your room,” Macher said, handing him the key card. “Use your cell phone to call her.”

“They took my cell phone when they threw us out.”

Macher handed him a burner phone. “This will work.”

Jake picked up his bags and left the suite.

Macher lay down on the bed, his head throbbing. He’d feel better when they were all dead.

Charley Fox walked into Herb Fisher’s office at Woodman & Weld and introduced himself.

“I hear you’re Stone and Mike’s new partner,” Herbie said.

“That’s right. And I hear you’re the ace attorney Stone turns to when there’s work to be done.”

“I’m his man.”

Charley set his briefcase on Herbie’s desk. “These were delivered to me this morning,” he said. “It’s all the papers you’ll need to prepare the sales contract and the closing statement.”

Herbie took the papers from the case and ran through them, making notes on a printed form.

“What’s the form?” Charley asked.

“It’s a checklist of everything we need for closings — helps bring order to the process.”

“When do you think we can close?”

“When do you think you can come up with a cashier’s check for half a billion dollars?”

“Pretty quick. It’s already in the works.”

Herbie completed his list. “Whaddya know, Mr. Barnes is very well organized. We have every piece of paper we need to move this forward. I just have to write the sales contract. My secretary can put together the closing statement. If I work this weekend, I can be ready to close on Monday morning.”

“Well, Herb, that’s really moving. Stone and Mike will be delighted, and I’ll be in my new apartment on Monday afternoon.”

“Where’s your new apartment?”

“On the top floor of the St. Clair mansion, about three thousand square feet of it, according to the plans.”

“Very nice.”

“And my office will be in the library on the first floor. Can I schedule the closing for noon on Monday?”

“Sure, as long as there’s no hitch. It helps that the banks are not involved. There’s no mortgage on the building, for instance. I’ll call you if any impediment arises, but I think we’re in good shape.”

“Thank you, Herb. Listen, I’m going to need a personal attorney to handle my affairs. Would you like the job?”

“I’d be delighted, Charley.” He reached into a drawer and pulled out another printed form. “Here’s a Woodman & Weld client agreement. It sets out our terms. Read and sign it at your leisure.”

Charley took out his pen, signed the document, and handed it to Herbie.

“Welcome aboard,” Herbie said. The two shook hands, then Charley left him to get on with his work.

Jake Herman got out of a shower and into a freshly pressed suit. Tonight, he would begin a charm offensive on Velma Ottley, one designed to bend her to his will.