Brian Freemantle - The Namedropper

The lawyer was embarrassed by his oversight, Jordan knew. As the man deserved to be. Jordan didn’t expect any more criticism from his own attorney for playing amateur advocate. ‘Could Pullinger refuse to hear a dismissal submission?’

‘If he did we could appeal over his head. So he won’t,’ said Beckwith. He looked towards Alyce. ‘I’m going to need to call you, of course.’

‘Of course,’ she accepted.

‘It’ll be an opportunity to bring out things that Appleton’s attorney might object to being introduced during your full hearing,’ picked up Reid, talking to his client. ‘That’s why I want participation access.’

‘Like the missing three years?’ questioned Jordan, seizing the obvious opening. They’d judge him a total smart-ass after today. But Jordan didn’t give a damn because it was his own ass he was trying to save and that was his only consideration.

There was none of the earlier initial irritation at Jordan’s intervention from the two lawyers, although Beckwith said, ‘Why do I think we’re going to be found wanting again?’

‘I’ve got little else to do here but read the statement exchanges and think about what’s there and what’s not there,’ said Jordan, weighing each word before he spoke, determined against being caught out himself. ‘I’ve spent some time in the library, reading reference books: there’s a lot about the Appleton and Bellamy families and their lineage. Appleton left Harvard a golden boy, no suggestion of a job apart from representing his country in the Olympics and being part of the 1992 America’s Cup team. It wasn’t a question of “if’ he’d be selected. It was a done deal. Except it didn’t become that. Appleton withdrew, for “personal reasons”, from any consideration of selection, for either the Olympics or the America’s Cup.’ Jordan was talking to Alyce now. ‘You any idea what those personal reasons were? Here’s a guy, always in the papers, society superstar and then abruptly, nothing for about three years until he joins his first Wall Street brokerage firm before breaking away to set up his own commodity businesses about six months before marrying you.’

For several moments Alyce remained looking contemplatively into her lap. ‘I didn’t know him in the early nineties, although I knew of him, of course. And you’re right, he was the golden boy and there was the expectation of him sailing in the Olympics and for the Cup. No one ever really knew why he pulled out of either.’

‘ He pulled out?’ pressed Jordan. ‘Weren’t there any rumours. Didn’t you ever ask him, after you got married?’

‘I can’t remember them all but there were a lot of rumours,’ said Alyce. ‘There was something about a girl, but that was an obvious speculation: he had the pick of the crop. And I did ask him, after we got married. He said he didn’t want to talk about it but that he’d had a nervous breakdown that had to be kept under wraps, that no one would trust a nut who’d needed psychiatric treatment to handle their money …’

‘What’s the point you’re getting to, Harvey?’ queried Beckwith. ‘As Alyce says, it was before she knew him. Where’s the relevance with what we’re dealing with now?’

‘Maybe there isn’t any,’ conceded Jordan at once. ‘But doesn’t character and morality and integrity feature a lot in what we’re dealing with now? Why would a man guaranteed to feature – to represent his country – in the two most outstanding events of his chosen sport abruptly back off?’

‘Because he got sick, like Alyce just said,’ suggested Reid.

Jordan stared at the lawyer, letting the seconds build into minutes. ‘Don’t you think it’s worth having your enquiry guys poke around a little, ask questions? Find out if it’s true? I do.’

‘So do I, for whatever’s discovered,’ said Alyce. ‘You’ve forgotten the conversation we had in Raleigh, about my believing he had a mental problem? It could account for a lot of his behaviour. Still could.’

‘Like suggesting Alyce’s family might need his financial support when from what Alyce tells us was the reverse, when he set up on his own,’ said Jordan, snatching for another point. ‘Didn’t he have family money of his own? You establish he’s a fantasist, you establish he fantasized about Alyce having affairs, to excuse his own.’

‘You seem to have been working hard on this,’ accused Reid, irritation returning. ‘Harder than me or the people I employ to find out things for me.’

‘I’m not in any sort of contest with you or anyone you employ,’ rejected Jordan. ‘And I’m not trying to prove anything. I’ve got every good reason to work harder than anyone else and you can count them all in dollars. Your enquiry people letting you down? Fire them and get better ones.’

Reid flushed, his face hardening further. ‘I’m not trying to get into an argument with you here.’

‘I just told you, neither am I,’ insisted Jordan. ‘I thought this was a conference to exchange ideas to help all of us.’

‘Which it is,’ Beckwith hurried in. ‘You got any other specific thoughts or ideas?’

‘Nothing specific,’ said Jordan. There might even be a benefit from upsetting Reid; assessed from the preceding hour the lawyer certainly needed to try harder than he appeared to have done so far.

‘We’ve started to get the media approaches,’ disclosed Reid, anxious to move on. ‘I’ve had calls from the News and Observer and from NBC 17.’

‘They’ve tried to reach me, too, at the house in Raleigh,’ said Alyce. ‘I haven’t returned the calls, obviously.’

‘I told them it was a closed matter,’ continued Reid. ‘Nothing’s appeared so far. The uncertainty is what Appleton’s side will say publicly. I’ve told Bartle I’m going to file for a closed court. Confirmed it in writing, too, in the hope that will restrict whatever Appleton’s people might say. If they make a statement ahead of my application, knowing that I’m going to make it, Pullinger might consider it contempt, which would be in our favour.’

‘You spoke to Bartle by phone first?’ asked Beckwith.

‘Yes,’ nodded Reid.

‘Didn’t he give any indication if they’d oppose it?’

‘He said he hadn’t been called by the media but didn’t know if Appleton had, that he hadn’t heard from him. And that they’re having a meeting today, as we are. They’ve received notification of Pullinger’s appointment, as we have.’

‘How’d he sound?’ asked Jordan.

Reid humped his shoulders, frowning. ‘We’re on opposing sides. He didn’t sound like anything. If you mean did we talk in any detail, we didn’t. I made it sound like I was offering a favour, warning him about Pullinger’s possible reaction.’

‘Which I might reinforce,’ said Beckwith, contemplatively. ‘I haven’t informed Bartle I’m filing for dismissal. Pullinger could consider it contempt if either Bartle or Appleton spoke in advance of that hearing, too…’ He smiled around the room. ‘In fact that’s what I will do! Telephone him today and follow it up with a couriered letter he’ll get before today ends.’

‘He’s meeting Appleton today,’ reminded Jordan, unnecessarily. ‘You do it right now you give him the opportunity to warn Appleton off from saying anything.’

Now it was Beckwith who let the seconds build before saying, ‘Thanks for the prompt, Harvey. We’re all of us anxious to button down on publicity. Right now was exactly when I was going to break off to make the call: leave Alyce and you and Bob to maybe have some more coffee, talk among yourselves.’

Fuck you, thought Jordan, refusing the intended intimidation. ‘It’s good to hear we’re all moving in the same direction, Daniel. I’ll pass on more coffee, though.’