Woods, Stuart - Stone Barrington 47 - Desperate Measures by Woods Stuart

Author:Woods, Stuart [Woods, Stuart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-10-16T00:00:00+00:00

33

HERB WAS LET into a room containing two steel chairs and a table, all bolted to the floor. He sat down and tried to check his phone for messages, but there was no signal.

Five minutes later a guard opened the door, and a tall, slim young man with thinning dark hair and glasses entered the room. His handcuffs were removed and he shook Herb’s hand firmly. “I’m Michael Adams,” he said, then sat down.

“I’m Herb Fisher. Your grandfather has retained me to represent you.”

“He spoke to you directly?” Adams asked, sounding surprised.

“No, through your previous attorney, Ted Faber.”

“I’m glad he found you. Faber didn’t impress me.”

Herb was surprised at how calm and confident Adams seemed. In these circumstances, his clients were usually shaken and worried. “I’ve been told by Ted Faber that you’re willing to answer all the DA’s questions, in exchange for immunity from all charges.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Adams asked.

Herb smiled. “Of course, but I’m going to need to hear your story before I attempt to make that deal.”

“Okay, ask me whatever the DA will. This can be a rehearsal.”

“Let’s avoid that term and just call it a client interview.”

“Sure.”

“All right, Mike, give me your sixty-second biography, right up to this minute.”

“Born New York City twenty-nine years ago, educated at Buckley, had a shot at Yale, but didn’t make it there. Got my degree at Fordham.”

“Is your grandfather Catholic?”

“You guessed it.”

“And after Fordham?”

“I got into law school but left after a year.”

“What did you do for work?”

“My father got me a job at his commercial real estate firm, but it didn’t suit me. Neither did a couple of other things, but old Dad got me the night clerk gig at the hotel, which his firm owns. It suits me well. I can read and watch a lot of TV and, sometimes, work on my novel.”

“When did you begin?”

“A year and a half ago.”

“Any problems at work? You get along with your boss?”

“No problems. Everybody there works for my father’s firm, and my boss works days, so we don’t see each other that often.”

“When did you meet your two coworkers?”

“Sid Francis, the janitor, and Larry Cleary, the elevator operator?”

“Right.” Herb made a note of the names.

“They were already working there when I arrived. Nominally, I’m their boss; they’re night workers, too.”

“And who do you report to?”

“The assistant manager, Harmon Wheeler, Jr., who reports to the manager, Harmon Wheeler, Sr., who reports to my father’s firm.”

“And what were your first impressions of Sid, the janitor, and Larry, the elevator operator?”

“Slackers. They worked slowly, and they paid a lot of attention to the airline girls who stayed with us.”

“Flight attendants?”

“And pilots. They worked for a couple of charter airlines that had a deal with the hotel. Until recently.”

“What happened recently?”

“My dad’s firm decided to gut the hotel and remake it as something that would appeal more to business travelers, so the airline people looked for beds elsewhere.”

“How recently?”

“A few weeks ago. There’s very little business now because as their contracts expire, they aren’t renewed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.