Читать книгу Silence is Golden - Grace Quincey - Страница 16

Chapter 10

Dan in the Lion’s Den

After his unsuccessful attempt to reach Jenene by phone when the detectives left his office, Dan decided to see how much information was out there. He began by calling for the senior partner, Jim Tobin, but succeeded only in getting his secretary. He was told that Tobin was out of the office at some meeting about the governor’s death, and Dan made an “appointment” for late morning to see him. He made a couple of calls to some contacts in the district attorney’s office, but everyone was “out.”

I am getting nowhere, fast, he thought. Maybe I should be making some personal contacts.

With that, he left his office. As he stepped into the elevator, he was face-to-face with those green eyes again. Even in the midst of all the pending events, he felt that agonizing stir in his groin again.

“Good morning, darling.” Cheri smiled coyly as she pressed closer to Dan.

His mind was in a swirl. What did he actually do last night (was it only last night)? Whatever he did or did not do, he sure wouldn’t mind doing it now! As he made a slight turn to exit the elevator, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him as no man should ever be kissed in an elevator.

As he finally broke free, all he could stammer was “Coffee with me?”

“Your place or mine?” she countered.

“Just here in the coffee shop,” he answered.

Cheri followed him to the coffee shop, and as they entered, all heads seemed to turn. Was it Cheri they were staring at, or maybe it was common knowledge that he had been visited by the detectives this morning and they were staring at him. Maybe Cheri could give him some inside information since she was a relative of Tobin and seemed to have all the “ins.” Or maybe it was simply the fact that the two of them came in together? With a stab or guilt, Dan again thought about Jenene, thinking maybe he should be more concerned about her disappearance, but as he began to talk with Cheri, all thoughts of his wife vanished. Dan was having a hard time concentrating, but he kept telling himself that this woman could, and probably would, be very important to his career, if he played his cards right.

So with a kick to his conscience, he said, “I’d better get going. I have a wife waiting at home.”

“Oh really?” she asked coyly. “That’s not the information I have.”

Dan felt a weird feeling go through him. How could she know anything about his personal life?

“Just what kind of information do you have?” asked Dan in a cold, steely voice.

“Oh, nothing, really, just over-the-water-cooler gossip that you and your wife had split and that you don’t even know where she is.”

“That is absolutely not true,” he retorted. “My wife and I are still greatly in love. It just happens that she is out of town for a little while. And while we are at it, please stop calling me ‘darling’ in public.”

“Sorry,” said Cheri, “can we go someplace that is not so public then?”

Dan chuckled in spite of himself and again felt that biological urge starting to take hold of both body and mind.

“Dinner, perhaps?” he asked.

And with that simple invitation, Dan opened up a new chapter in his life that he would hereafter look back on often and say, “If only I hadn’t . . .”

As they finished their coffee, Dan broached the subject of the governor’s death, hoping she might have some inside information from Jim Tobin. All she said basically was the same thing as Tara had mentioned—that it appeared he died from an overdose of insulin or some kind of drug.

“Guess what?” said Cheri enthusiastically, quickly changing the subject. “Uncle Jim has made me top counsel for Mr. Appleby and the new Dare Devil Hotel. I am so excited. What a deal! And he hinted that if I was as successful at that as I have been in the rest of my litigation, I would probably get the accounts for the other hotels seeking representation by us.”

Her eyes sparkled, and she seemed like a little child opening presents at Christmastime. Dan couldn’t help feeling happy with her, but at the same time, his mind kept saying, “Nepotism again. This young and relatively novice attorney getting the big, big accounts—it just isn’t fair. I should be the one getting these. Why am I being bypassed? This is getting to be a lot more complicated than meets the eye. First, the meeting with Arnie and his violent death, the threat on my wife’s life, then the governor’s unexpected death, and Cheri getting the hotel accounts. Was there a Mob connection here someplace? This is starting to sound like bad novels.”

Trying to dismiss the turmoil of his thoughts, he decided he had better make the appointment with Tobin, but this last bit of news made him even less sure of his stand with Tobin. He made the plans with Cheri for dinner, and then quickly existed.

Stopping to check his messages on his home phone, he was relieved to hear Jenene tell him she was safe. Trusting she would be back in touch soon, he headed for the Tobin meeting.

Tobin was not in his office when Dan arrived. He was, of course, supposed to be back momentarily, and Dan found himself becoming almost angry at having to wait for him.

I shouldn’t have to wait like this, he thought. I am important too. What is going on here? I get passed up for any kind of promotion, Cheri gets the big accounts, my wife has taken to the hills, and it looks like I may be charged with the governor’s death.

Just as Dan had decided not to wait any longer, Tobin came in and waved Dan into his office.

“My secretary said you sounded like it was urgent to see me, my boy. What’s this all about?” Tobin asked.

My boy? thought Dan. God, how I hate that phrase. Am I being patronized here too?

“Jim, I think I may be in some sort of trouble because of a potential client I met, and I need to get as much information as I can to protect myself and the firm. I think I could get indicted for conspiracy to kill the governor or at least charged for the hit on my potential client. The detectives were here this morning, hinting at all kinds of things.”

“Well, Dan, maybe you should start from the beginning,” Tobin said, and although Dan had some qualms about how much information was “attorney-client privileged information,” he began to fill Jim in on all he knew.

After some further discussion, Tobin told Dan he knew nothing more about the governor’s death than Dan did, but should be able to get some more information after the autopsy.

“We’ll give you all the support you need,” said Tobin, “if the need actually arises. I think we have enough attorneys right here in the firm to defend you if anything comes of this.”

“Maybe even Cheri?” Dan asked with a touch of bitterness in his voice.

“So you heard about her making top counsel for Appleby, eh?”

“Yeah, she told me,” said Dan and, without a backward glance, left Tobin’s office.