Unnatural Acts

21

Herbie oversaw the signing of the last of the closing documents, then invited Mark Hayes back to his office for a cup of coffee.

“How does it feel to own commercial real estate?” Herbie asked.

“It feels just great,” Mark said, “and I want to thank you for suggesting that I buy the building personally and lease it back to the company.”

“And I want to thank you for your invitation to invest with you,” Herbie said.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Mark said. He took a notebook from his pocket and did some scribbling, then ripped out the page and handed it to Herbie. “That’s the number of my shares you’ll get for investments of one, two, or three million dollars.”

Herbie took a quick look at the numbers and made a quick decision. “I’ll do the three million. I’ll draw up the documents, move the money today, and have a cashier’s check for you tomorrow.”

Mark nodded. “I’m impressed that someone your age can come up with that kind of cash on short notice.”

Herbie smiled. “I’m impressed that someone your age can start a company that’s worth the investment.”

“I suppose you’re wondering why I’m willing to sell you these shares,” Mark said.

“I expect you can use the cash for the renovation of your new building. That way, you won’t need to mortgage it.”

Mark nodded. “My new architect and builder tell me it’s going to cost a million dollars a floor to make the space habitable, and I’m going to reinforce the roof, so that I can build myself a penthouse up there.”

“What a great idea! I live in a penthouse, and I can tell you, you’re going to love it.”

There was a rap on the door and Bill Eggers stepped in.

“Good morning, Bill,” Herbie said.

“I understand our new client is here,” Eggers said, offering his hand to Mark.

“Mark,” Herbie said, “this is our firm’s managing partner, Bill Eggers.”

“Good to meet you.” Mark rose and took Eggers’s hand.

“I’ve wanted to meet you since Marshall Brennan told me about your start-up,” Eggers said. “Are we meeting all your legal needs?”

“More than meeting them,” Mark said. “Herb has given me a wealth of good advice in a very short time.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Eggers said.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Mark said, “I have a computer to get back to. I’m unaccustomed to seeing daylight during the workday.”

They said their goodbyes and Mark left. Eggers took a seat, and Herbie handed him a cup of coffee.

“Well, Herbert,” Eggers said, “congratulations on making our new client happy.”

“Thank you, Bill.”

“Now, what have you done for me lately?”

Herbie laughed aloud. “Greedy, aren’t you?”

“You’d better know it.”

“Well, last night Robert Bentley the Third and I had dinner at the Brook with Robert Bentley the Second.”

Eggers’s eyebrows went up. “And?”

“And the elder Mr. Bentley says he’d like to give us some new business soon.”

“How soon?”

“I’m going to leave that up to him, and I’m not going to rush him. He said something interesting, though.”

“What was that?”

“He put this to me hypothetically: how would I handle a major piece of commercial litigation for a client?”

“Tell me what you told him.”

“I told him that we are a large enough firm to have specialists in every area of the law, and that I would assemble a team of our best litigators, then act as the firm’s liaison with the client.”

“Whew!” Eggers said. “I’m relieved to hear it. I’m glad you didn’t tell him you’d handle it yourself.”

“I’m young, Bill, but I’m not crazy.”

“Do you have any idea if he’s referring to a real lawsuit?”

“My guess is, yes. He described it as ‘dangerous.’”

Eggers frowned. “I’m not aware of anything like that looming in Bentley’s future.”

“Perhaps it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps he’s thinking of suing, not being sued.”

“I’m going to have a word with our litigation department and see what we can find out. If Bentley comes to us with this, I want to be ready.” Eggers got to his feet and wandered out.

Cookie came in with a brown envelope and handed it to Herbie. “This just came by messenger.”

“Thanks, Cookie. You performed brilliantly in putting together that closing.”

“Thank you, kind sir.”

“You’re getting a fifteen percent raise, starting with your next paycheck,” Herbie said. “And it is richly deserved.”

Cookie smiled broadly, revealing small, beautiful teeth. “Thank you again.” She curtsied, then went back to her desk.

Herbie opened the envelope and removed the contents. It was a statement of his ex-wife’s brokerage account, with a letter saying that it had been released to him. He flipped through the pages, looking at the investments, then he called Cookie back in and handed her the statement. “Write a reply to the signatory of this letter, to be hand delivered, thanking him and instructing him to immediately liquidate all the shares, except the Apple stock, and to wire the proceeds to my checking account. Then write another letter to my banker, telling him that upon receipt of the funds he is to issue a cashier’s check for three million dollars, payable to Mark Hayes, and have it hand delivered to me.”

“It will be done,” she said.

“And when those are done, I’ll dictate a document transferring some of High Cotton Ideas stock to me, for Mark Hayes’s signature.”

“I shall return,” she said.

Herbie sat back and reflected that things were going very well indeed for him, and that it had been his experience that whenever things were going very well for him he always found a way to screw it up. When he had won sixteen million dollars, net, in the lottery, he managed to blow six million of it in three months, and all he had to show for it was an apartment, a car, and some clothes. He resolved that henceforth he would devote himself to making his fortune grow, instead of blowing it. Now that he had money in Marshall Brennan’s hedge fund and an investment in High Cotton Ideas, he was off to a good start.