A Legal Trap Ch. 12

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

March 13th, 2:35 PM

"I'll come by your room at 7, OK?" I nodded and opened the door of the rental to get out, Paul reached over and caught my arm, "We good?"

"Yeah, we're good," I smiled back at him, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the lips, then swung my legs out of the car. I smiled again as I closed the door and watched him drive away.

Paul had gotten two text messages near the end of our lunch date - which likely speed up the ending of lunch and our time together. They were both after our 'deep dive' into what we thought we were getting into as far as a relationship goes, so I had his full attention up until the texts started coming in.

Each of the texts seemed to take his attention away from our conversation about what we were discussing. He tried valiantly to smooth the transition back to the subject at hand, but it was obvious something was up. I could tell his wheels were turning behind his smile across the table from me.

The first text was from Jacob and he ask him to call when he was free. Paul didn't offer anything more than, "I'm not sure what that is about..."

Sure, could have been anything, but I was no less curious and wished he'd have shared more on what he was going on regarding the firm - I assumed he was working on that front now. What specifically though, I had no idea. Maybe I should have pressed. It was too late now, maybe over dinner tonight I'd try to inquire subtly.

The other message was from Tim at the bureau and all Paul would say about that was he needed to show him something. When I asked if it was related to Amber he said, "No... He said he would show me a few tricks regarding the software I was using to backup data to the cloud."

He seemed excited about that. I just smiled in support while he rattled off some tech stuff that was over my head and I didn't get or care to get truthfully - not my jam. I wished there was more substance than tech talk. Like, what data are you trying to back up? The Amber investigation stuff? Data from the firm? Oh well, maybe I'd get answers later tonight.

Two opportunities missed at lunch that I would try to fix over dinner. My immediate plan however was to get back to my room and check in for my flight tomorrow morning at 7:58 AM. After that, pack, and then burn off some excess stress by going out for a run. When I get back from that shower, maybe a quick nap, and then get ready for our last dinner together in Arizona.

March 13th, 3:04 PM

Done... Checked in, confirmed seat assignment - 3A window seat, First Class. Kendal had arranged it all, even transportation from the hotel to the airport in the morning - a car would be here at 5:45 AM. At lunch, Paul said he would take me, but I mentioned the firm had already set that up - I think he was disappointed I didn't try to get out of the car service in the morning.

Once I got to Seattle, a car would be there to get me to my apartment in Kent. I'd be in familiar surroundings in just a little under twenty hours. Part of me was looking forward to that, but there was of course the 'Paul' factor I was still trying to get my head around.

Would we be different on our home turfs? Would things change? Of course there would be change, everything changes! What am I trying to accomplish with him? Augh! Don't over think this! Just pack your shit already!

I looked around the room and gathered up a few things I'd laid out this morning to wear, until I'd decide on what I ended up wearing. I hated the indecision about my clothing choices and wished I could just pick something out and be happy with it.

I could blame HRT and I'm positive all those chemicals made me scatter-brained at times. Certainly, they affected my mood and emotional balance, why not my ability to choose and stick with an outfit. Right, I'm sure that's the root of my clothing issues. Geesh!

I took the trashcan liners from the bathroom and under the desk area in the living room, tossing dirty clothes in them. When I picked up my running gear from yesterday I was none to impressed with the stink. Ode' de stale sweat, good thing I was bagging my dirty clothes. HRT had absolutely changed my body's odor - which wasn't something I was expecting, but turns out is actually pretty standard.

I chose what I intended to wear tonight; a cute linen skirt, blouse, slip I was still wearing, bra, panties, clean gaff and flip-flops that didn't exactly go with the outfit, but it's the best I could do. For tomorrow's flight it would be jeans, an Old Navy branded t-shirt, bra, panties, socks, and my Sketchers. Oh, and a light jacket as the weather in Seattle wasn't Phoenix like.

Okay, that should do it. I arranged the outfits on the dresser and looked everything over at least three times. Augh, just move on - I had things to do! I needed to get out of here and run! I undid my blouse and stuffed it in one of the trash bags. I slipped out of my Calvin Klein skirt, which Agent Carr had said she had a similar one; still not sure I buy that. Put my slip on the pile of clothes I was wearing for dinner tonight with Paul. If I was staying any longer in Arizona I would have either hit a laundry facility or gone out and bought some new clothes. I caught my naked form in the mirror across the room. Don't go there, no time for self-hate.

I grabbed a pair of boy short panties and slid them on after freeing myself from the gaffe and tape. And then followed that up with my last clean pair of compression shorts, and then my last clean pair of loose fit running shorts. I checked the mirror again - getting better. I did have long legs and it was interesting Paul had mentioned them, even if he said he admired them in a 'non-pervy way'. I chuckled to myself.

I smiled and then frowned, my shoulders are to... No! Get dressed, get running! I quickly pulled my sports bra on, a loose fitting tank top after that. Tied up my Hoka running shoes and I was ready to go. I so needed to get my head in a different space right now, I needed this run. Bottle of water, key to the room in phone case, phone in its armband, headpho...

I jumped when my phone began ringing on my arm. I fumbled to get the earbuds in and pressed the mic / volume button to answer, "Hello..."

"Elizabeth... Hello. You sound like I caught you in the middle of something."

"Oh, a... Hello, Ms. Larson. No, I... I'm just, just hanging out," my heart was racing. Why was she calling me?

"Excellent, so you're set to return tomorrow, anything you need?"

"Ah, no... I, think I'm all ready" She sounded like she needed something, "Is there anything I can do for you?" If she didn't need something, was it creepy she was checking to see if I needed anything?

"I'm trying to get a hold of Jacob. He's pretty good about answering his phone, but I've called twice now and he's not answering. Have you seen him today?"

Oh crap! I wasn't going to lie, but should I tell her everything that had transpired today? I stopped giving updates after she said I was free to unwind over these past two days since Amber was recovered. Did she already know about the interview with Amber today?

"Yes, we were... The FBI conducted an interview with Amber this morning to get some additional information regarding David Lafleur."

"Did she know anything that could help them?" she asked.

Ah! What do I tell her now? If I try to guess what she knows and withhold that and she already knows, that isn't going to look good. Crap! She likely knows about the email from Lisa with the rumor about the firm being split up. What do I say? Shit! Shit! Shit! I didn't like the position the partners had put me in.

"No, she didn't have anything that would put them on the right track, at least that's what the agent interviewing her told everyone." That was the truth. I wasn't going to mention I was in the interview. God I hoped she didn't know that.

"That's too bad. I'm sure the Carson's are frustrated that this thing can't be put completely behind them with a conviction of those involved. As a sex trafficking case, extradition of David Lafleur would have been difficult to attain by the State Department. Best that this situation has some permanence they can be comforted by."

She knew about Lafleur, she had too... Was she referring to him in the past tense? Permanence, which is an odd way to describe Lafleur having been murdered. Sex trafficking! I never mentioned that. She knows more than I thought! What crumbs had Jacob left in emails for Janet and Martin to find?

"Yes, I guess. There's a lot of healing needed for the entire family still. I can't imagine what that is going to be like." I prayed she wouldn't ask me any other questions about Amber.

"Oh, of course... What time did you last see Jacob, Elizabeth?"

I told her and mentioned he had stayed behind to talk with Director Keith. Did she already know that? Did she know they were friends? Would she be worried about that? Did she think Jacob was trying to leverage FBI help with the potential breakup of the firm?

"We're looking forward to having you back Monday," she finally said before hanging up.

No mention of the potential changes coming, the email from Lisa and whether I had mentioned it to anyone, nothing. She was cool, calm, and matter of fact the entire conversation. Was something waiting for me Monday?

And where was Jacob? What did he need to talk to Paul about? Augh! Too many questions! I looked around the room, do I even want to run now? No! Wait, yes, go for a run! I pulled the door to my room open and headed for the nearest exit. When I popped through the doorway the sky was still ablaze in a beautiful shade of blue, with the occasional pillow like cloud slowing making its way across the sky. I hit my music, then got going at a faster pace than I expected.

March 13th, 5:18 PM

There was nothing like taking a long shower after a good run. Since I wasn't responsible for the heating of the water, that's exactly what I intended on doing. I let the water flow and roll over my twenty months of chemically produced hips, that giggly ass due to generous fat redistribution, and of course my perky, small, and lopsided breasts. I had hopes they would naturally be larger and symmetrical in shape, but that wasn't my luck.

I had to be pushing the thirty-minute mark under this powerful stream of hot water. My fingers were starting to show those water-logged wrinkles. I needed to get a move on it and quickly shaved my legs, rinsed a second round of conditioner through my hair, and finally called it good.

I reached for a towel, began patting my face in it gently, when my phone began to buzz and ring on the vanity. I pulled open the shower stall door, got the towel lodged under my arms and around me, and looked at the number, it was Paul.

"Hey you..."

"Hey yourself... What are you doing," he asked sounding like he was in a good mood.

I hoped he was going to want to meet early, "Just getting out of the shower. Got about seven miles in I think, now just gotta get ready for later. What's up?"

There was a pause, "Yeah... Well, gonna be a little later. Any chance we can do dinner at 8?"

Okay, at least he wasn't interested in being late and was warning me. I wondered what was going on though.

"Sure, that'll work. What are you doing?" I tried making that sound as if I wasn't probing.

"Ran long with Tim, having problems with my back up."

"I saw some wonderful clouds out there while running today. They didn't look to be having back up problems."

"Ha ha... Very cute. Need this stuff done before I can unplug for the evening. You good with an hour delay?"

Jacob MIA, help from Tim at the bureau with some cloud computing stuff, what are you up too?

"Sure, let's play it by ear - come when you can," I wondered if I could loosen his lips anymore, "Got an interesting call before going out for a run."

"Janet?"

"And you knew that how?"

"We just pulled the entire stack from the firm's network and are in the process of backing it up to the cloud. Tim got me pointed in the right direction after a failed attempt yesterday. Jacob is avoiding contact with Janet and Martin in case Blass has told them the network has been compromised - which there's no way that message hasn't reached them, Blass isn't an idiot he knows someone's pulled a copy of every file."

He just outlined what he had been doing. Interesting.

"Figures she would try hitting you up looking for Jacob. Things are gonna be coming to a head pretty quickly I think." A chime in the background caused him to pause, "Hey, gotta go... See you at 8."

"Sure, but I want details..."

"I figured you would. I'll come clean, promise. Gotta go..."

March 13th, 7:39 PM

Getting ready was the typical struggle. I hated my body, hated the way the blouse I had picked out looked with this skirt - but I had only one other choice for a blouse and it totally wouldn't have worked. I thought about just wearing my outfit for the flight home tomorrow instead, but jeans weren't going to make the lasting impression I wanted on Paul.

The skirt showed off my legs, which he liked, and while I had more of a love / hate relationship with them I did want him to notice them. In the scope of it all, I just didn't have a wide breadth of clothing options that were clean or, well I just didn't have a lot of clothes period. I certainly didn't plan my wardrobe options very well for this trip. I should have packed more.

I had been watching a 'Reload' version of the TV show 'Live PD' since the top of the hour. It was interesting and even had police action from right here in Phoenix, though from a couple months ago. Some of these people captured on the show were none too bright.

When there was a lull in the action, I reached for my Android tablet and checked my work email, nothing new. I thought about replying to Lisa's email about the firm, but held off hoping Paul was going to shine some light on things over dinner. Plus, Lisa wasn't likely to see it until Monday morning and I would be back to work then anyway. That was my...

There was knocking at the door and I jumped. Ah! Was I nervous? I closed up the tablet and went to the door, opening it to see Paul's smiling face...

"Whoa, you look nice," he said leaning in to kiss me quickly.

"Thanks, you're early."

"Caught a break, things just fell into place. You ready?"

"I'm starving, let's get go." I grabbed a small clutch from the kitchen counter that had some basics in it, my phone, wallet, and of course the corporate credit card.

March 13th, 8:13 PM

The drive to the Brazilian steakhouse we'd decided to try didn't take much time, maybe ten minutes. Paul had made a reservation for 7:15 PM, but was able to change it to 8:15 PM when he knew he was going to be late. There wasn't a wait when we got to the hostess stand and we were seated right away. Drinks pretty much arrived within a few minutes of sitting and having ordered them.

Paul was drinking a true IPA imported from Brazil and to be different I ordered a Caipirinha after the server described its distilling process as being similar to rum but the fermentation process being done with fresh sugarcane juice. The first sip was interesting; I could see liking these on a hot day out by a pool. That wasn't something I'd do often in Seattle though. I'd love to travel more.

We perused the menu, settling on two different cuts of steak, and then agreeing to share. To this point, not much had been said about Paul's afternoon, I was getting impatient. Do your mind reading thing! You know what I want to hear about...

"You packed?"

"I am," I took a sip of my drink. "This is interesting, you want to try it?"

"I'm not a connoisseur of fine alcohol like you, but I'll try it." He sipped the drink, made a little face, and handed it back. "Think I'll stick to the beer. Brazilian beer, not bad actually." He raised his glass and we clinked our drinks together.

"You look tired?"

"Yeah, been an interesting couple weeks, months actually," he said rubbing his neck.

"Tell me about it." You catch the double meaning Mr. Kline, double meaning! Spill it before I ask you straight up.

"So, you know the score. Janet and Martin are making a play for the firm. They offered to buy Jacob out yesterday for fifty-three million dollars, terms are five years for full payment."

I gasped, "Oh my God..."

"Terms are pretty basic; everything stays the same in regard to the staff of one-hundred-sixteen lawyers, eighty-nine of those are partners, and one-hundred-thirty-two support personnel, the book of business, and a long list of other pieces that comprise the firm. The real change is in the name, they'd be dropping Jacob's name," he took a sip of his beer, put it down, and then picked it up to take another.

"How does he feel about that?"

"Not so good. He started the firm twenty-nine years ago and he's not ready for retirement. I can certainly think of plenty of things to do with just over ten-million dollars a year for the next five years."

"But, I don't understand why they want him out."

"Money... They want to restructure the firm to increase profit, to do that they need to realign staff. There's talk about expanding to other metropolitan markets even."

"They want to get rid of partners?"

"No, just the opposite. Look, from everything I can piece together each lawyer in this firm generates on average about seven-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars in revenues annually. Hack out twenty-million for overhead, office space, and support staff - that's sixty-seven-million in gross profit before paying those generating those revenues for the firm. The math is funky, but for reporting purposes or the public's perception of profitability, the profit margin runs over 70%. If you're trying to bring in new clients you want to look like you're doing a better job than others."

Numbers, okay I get those are big numbers, but I don't understand the motivation yet. Add partners? Wait a second! Add partners, they're salaries aren't considered in the profit margin percentage calculation, but their generated revenue certainly is. It's a way to look more profitable to potential clients. Shit... What the hell is going on?

"You in there," he waved a hand over the table.

I'd spent more time than I thought trying to understand what Paul was telling me. "I'm getting it, but it's not making sense yet. All this to look more profitable?"

"Well don't feel bad, I've been doing this seven months for Jacob and it was only through repetition that I began to get it," he said thoughtfully. "Yes, look more profitable so if you had a want to expand, you bring in more partners, more revenue, and the bank accounts keep growing."

Expand the firm? "So, Jacob doesn't want to expand the firm?"

"Correct, he's happy with the little kingdom he's built in Seattle. He says he doesn't need the added stress."

"But they're all managing partners, two to one vote against Jacob and they're in expansion mode, right?"

"Generally, yes. But when Janet and Martin were brought on as managing partners they split forty-nine percent of the firms voting power. Jacob holds fifty-one percent."

Partner, managing partner, associate - all titles that dictated your compensation package of salary, bonus, and profit sharing. Our one-hundred-thirteen lawyers, not counting the managing partners, making on average two-hundred thousand a year in salary, plus for giggles sake, half their salary in bonuses, a little thrown in for profit sharing and that sixty-seven-million in gross profit really shrinks to about eighteen-million to share among the three managing partners. Jacob getting fifty-one percent of that is around nine-million.

"I... They low-balled him," I muttered aloud finally.

Paul was staring at me, "You're better at math in your head than I am. I'd be like, 'carry the seven, divided by zero' and still be way off."