William Bernhardt - Primary Justice

“You did your best.”

“My client didn’t ask me to do my best. She asked me to make it possible for her to adopt a child.”

“Well, anyway. Comme çi , comme ça. What can I do for you now?”

“Find out what that Ca-Em item represents. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe Em is short for Embassy or Emmanuel or Empire State Building. But I don’t think so. Somehow all of this has to tie together.”

“You want me to call every apartment complex and condo rental property in town?”

“Well, start with the apartments and duplexes in the metro area. Do it systematically. I think one of the legal assistants in real estate could come up with a list of Tulsa rental properties.”

“Raven has an ongoing business relationship with the Jeanne Graham realty agency,” Christina said. “We use them to find apartments and houses for summer clerks and new lawyers. I bet they can help.”

“Good.” A tiny light was returning to Ben’s eyes. He’d been hesitant to assign this chore to Christina because it seemed impossibly large. Christina, however, already made it seem not only possible, but easy. “Use them. If anybody hesitates to provide rent information over the phone, give them some song and dance about being with the Tulsa Credit Union. Or maybe the IRS. Nobody wants to irritate the IRS. Tell them you need this information to complete your audit of one of their tenants blah blah blah. Of course, sir, if you’d rather, we can just audit you. …”

“I get the picture, boss.”

“Go to it.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Maggie gave me this phone message on my way in. Your mother would like you to return her call.”

Ben took the pink memo slip from Christina and crumpled it in his hand.

“Must be important, huh?” Christina said. “She’s called several times since you’ve been here.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Ben said abruptly.

Christina’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing while I’m playing Nancy Drew on the telephone?”

“I’m going to visit Joseph Sanguine again. I think this new case assignment will give me a perfect excuse.”

“Shouldn’t you okay that with Derek first?”

“Can’t. He’s not in the office. Maggie says he had an acute asthma attack. Had to be taken to the hospital.”

“Couldn’t happen to a sweeter guy.”

Ben allowed himself a small smile. “Anything else?”

“I guess you’ve heard about Alvin.”

Ben sighed. “Yes, I’ve heard about Alvin. How did you find out?”

“Ben, you should know by now that you can’t keep secrets from me.”

“Do him a favor, Christina. Don’t spread it any further than it’s already gone.”

“Why? Oh, you just don’t want anyone to find out the firm has another ruthless seducer of women, right?”

Ben looked at her stonily.

“Well,” she said, quickly rising to her feet, “I can’t sit around all afternoon making small talk. I’ve got a couple thousand people to call, give or take a few slumlords—”

“Christina,” he said, stopping her. “Thanks. I mean, for everything. This, and the other night and, well, everything.”

Christina touched him lightly on the shoulder. “My pleasure. Just don’t let me catch you at the Red Parrot with any other chicks.”

“No danger there.”

“One question, though. Who do I bill my time to now? The adoption hearing is over. That billing matter is closed.”

Ben arched his neck and loosened his shirt collar. “It’s not over till I say it’s over,” he said. He was embarrassed at having said something so trite, but he meant every word of it. He couldn’t just give up. There had to be something else he could do. Something he could do right.

28

AS HE PASSED THROUGH the double doors into the main lobby of Sanguine headquarters, Ben noted that new high-tech, double-bolt locks had been installed. What could have prompted that? he wondered. He smiled. Of course, even high-tech, double-bolt locks are of little value when the thieves have keys.

He gave his name to the receptionist, who instructed him to go on upstairs. He entered the elevator and punched the second-floor button.

He was surprised to have gotten an appointment to see Sanguine so easily. Before he left the office, he asked Maggie to call ahead and tell Sanguine he was coming. He expected to have a long wait. Perhaps Maggie saves all her charm for telephone conversations, he mused. Or did Sanguine have some reason for wanting to see Ben?

Tidwell met Ben as soon as he reached the second floor.

“Mr. Sanguine has penciled in some time for you starting in just a few minutes. You’re lucky to see him at all. Mr. Sanguine is a very busy man. I’ve already reported to Mr. Sanguine regarding the … uh, adoption hearing,” Tidwell added, clearing his throat.

“Tattletale,” Ben muttered.

“So if you’ve come to discuss that with him …”

“No,” Ben said firmly. “Haven’t you heard? I’m working on a new Sanguine matter now. Big lawsuit in Vancouver.”

Tidwell was visibly taken aback. He ran a hand across his balding scalp. “Vancouver?” he said. “I thought Bryce Chambers was handling that.”

“Nope. Seems Sanguine just can’t get enough of me.”

“Hmm.” Tidwell seemed lost in thought. “Say, you know why New Jersey has all the toxic waste dumps and Washington, D.C., has all the lawyers?”

“No. Nor do I care.”

Tidwell sniffed. “New Jersey got first choice.”

A loud buzzing noise sounded within Sanguine’s office. “Mr. Sanguine will see you now.”

Ben walked quickly to the door, cutting Tidwell off. Ben entered the office first and, without waiting to be invited, seated himself in the mahogany chair he had occupied on his prior visit.

“I have some papers that require your signature,” Tidwell said as he walked behind the huge desk and stood beside his mentor. Although he was speaking to Sanguine, Ben noticed that his eye never strayed far from Ben. “Final drafts of the shareholder prospectuses. I’ve already proofread them.”

Sanguine glanced at the papers for a nanosecond, signed each in two places, and handed the papers back to Tidwell.

“Also,” Tidwell added, “I believe I’ve found a suitable location for our prospective Fort Smith franchise.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Sanguine said dismissively.

After Tidwell left, Ben and Sanguine stared at one another in silence for several moments.

“Mr. Sanguine,” Ben said at last, breaking the ice.

“Call me Joe.”

“Joe.” The first-name address was instinctively uncomfortable to Ben, but it would be even more uncomfortable to refuse after receiving such a gracious invitation. “There are a few matters regarding this Vancouver matter I wanted to discuss with you. You could take the offensive and sue DeAmato here in Tulsa. Based on the Burger King v. Rudzewicz precedent, the court will have personal jurisdiction over the parties. If we wait and he sues us first, he’ll almost certainly sue in Vancouver, and you’ll be stuck with the difficult choice of law questions, venue problems, and the necessity of hiring Canadian lawyers to act as local counsel. The whole operation will probably double in cost. Fighting a case out-of-state, much less out-of-the-country, is always more expensive.”

Sanguine leaned back in his chair and lifted his feet onto his desk. “I sense an on the other hand approaching.”

If nothing else, Sanguine understood lawyers. “On the other hand, all DeAmato probably really wants is out of her franchise license agreement. All this stuff about fraud and Sherman Act violations and punitive damages and so forth is just smoke. She just wants out.”