Return to the Land

"I think that was when I began to fall in love with you Cassie. I" Cassie gasped and looked over at Roger when he said he loved her. She levitated from her chair and jumped into Roger's lap. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled as tightly to him as she could then gave him a kiss. He gently pushed her back a little and looked into her eyes as he continued. "I have watched you and been with you every day since then and I find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with you every day."

Roger glanced over at Allen who was watching the two with shock on his face and his mouth slightly open. Roger looked once more into Cassie's eyes and said, "Cassie I know I'm damaged goods and I am not perfect by a long shot but I came to realize last night when I saw that Asshole bothering you that I loved you dearly. Cassie, would you marry me?"

Cassandra was crying as she pulled Roger's face to hers and began kissing him. Between tears and kisses she cried, "Yes. Oh, YES Roger. Oh, GOD I love you too and I never in my whole life thought you would ask me to marry you!"

Allen had moved from his chair and was standing beside Roger and Cassie. His hand was out and he said, "Congratulations you two. Roger when I first came out here I had already decided you were an asshole and taking advantage of my sister. I was prepared to kick your ass and only barely held off from just hammering you when we started talking. I was so ashamed when within minutes you had invited me to live in your house then I became more ashamed when I got to talk to Cassie and found out about your deal with her. She even told me you refused to ever go upstairs after she moved in. You told her that was her refuge and you didn't belong. Then I watched the two of you dancing around each other for nearly a year. Even a blind man could tell you were in love. I think I was as happy as you were when I saw you in bed a couple of weeks ago. I know you don't need it but Roger you have my permission to marry Cassie and I want you to know she could not have done any better in my opinion."

Roger looked at Allen and said, "Thanks." He took his right arm from around Cassie and reached into his pocket. He rummaged around for a moment with a look of alarm on his face. Then he found what he was searching for and relaxed. When he pulled his hand from the pocket he opened it and showed Cassie an engagement ring. "Cassie I will go buy you a new ring if you want me to but I would really like you to take this one. It was my mother's ring and it would mean a lot to me if you wore it. When I got engaged to Cynthia my parents were still living or she would have gotten this ring and tainted it with her deceit. On second thought she probably would have refused to wear it at all because it wasn't flashy enough and was just an old ring."

"I like to think this ring is infused with the love and the soul of my parents marriage. I have rarely seen a couple who I thought were more in love than my parents and I hope we can have the same type relationship."

Cassie smiled and slowly held her left hand out so Roger could slip the ring on her finger. She smiled and said, "Oh, Roger. Yes. I'd be proud to wear your Mother's ring I can't imagine ever finding a better ring than this. We might find one more flashy, larger and shinier but we would never find one that meant nearly as much to me as this one does."

The three friends were walking back toward the store when they saw a shiny new Cadillac tearing down the driveway ahead of a large billowing dust cloud. The car rocked to a stop near them. The driver sat inside while the dust cloud billowed past the car and enveloped the three in its gritty obscurity. After most of the dust settled a large man with silver hair stepped from the driver's door and another, slightly younger man from the passenger seat. They both looked around with disdain then walked up to the three standing there.

The driver looked them up and down then said, "Do you work here?"

Roger started to speak but Allen beat him to the punch. He said, "Yes sir, I work here. What can I do for you?"

The man turned to face him and continued talking. He said, "I'm looking for a Roger Dyer. Where is his office?"

Before Allen or Cassie could speak Roger stepped forward and said, "I'm Roger Dyer. How may I help you?"

The man looked at Roger and almost sneered with disgust. He ran his gaze up and down Roger's frame, noting the wet raggedy shorts and shirt, the muddy shoes and his unkempt appearance. Roger could see the attitude growing in his mind. Finally he spoke, saying, "You can drop your lawsuit against my establishment and my son. I don't know how you can justify filing a harassment suit against my son because he asked some little crumpet to dance but I came to warn you that if you don't drop your attempt at legal blackmail you will be in a world of hurt. I will hammer you into the dirt and you will blow away like this damn dust."

The passenger turned to the driver and said, "George I need you to remember what we talked about. I'm your attorney and we need to keep this businesslike."

Cassie opened her mouth to say something and Roger snapped, "Cassie, that's enough." Roger turned and walked into the office and picked up his cell phone. As he came out the door he stopped and took a picture of the vehicle making sure he got the license plate in the shot. He walked up to the four standing glaring at each other and took a picture of the seething man and his alleged attorney.

After Roger had taken the pictures he dialed his phone and began talking. He said, "Solange this is Roger Dyer. Let me talk to Steve please. I have a situation here we need to take care of right now. Aww Crap! Ok, can I call him there or does he have his cell with him? Ok, I'll try that."

Roger looked up and was surprised at the look of almost fear tinged with respect he saw in the attorney's eyes. He said, "Steve's over at the Fieldings. You know they have crappy cell service there but if I can get him he's only a couple of miles away."

Roger dialed and began talking almost immediately. "Hey Jimbo. How's it goin'? Yeah, say, I hate to butt in but I have a little problem over here. Solange said Steve was over there and I am in need of his wise counsel as soon as possible. Ok, thanks."

There was silence for a moment then Roger began talking once more. He explained what had gone on and the conversation with the men. Then he said, "OK. Yeah, we're at the office. Great. See you then."

"Steve is on his way over. Why don't we all go over there in the shade and have a seat while we wait on him?"

About ten minutes later another nice Cadillac pulled up beside the one there. This time however, there was almost no dust to tend with. Another handsome silver haired man walked up and stood beside the group at the picnic table. Roger stood, then the rest of them stood also. Roger smiled and shook hands as he said, "Glad you could get here Steve. Sorry for interrupting the jabber fest with Jim and his crew but this Gentleman wants us to drop the lawsuit against that Nixon Asshole. I thought you might like to get involved in that discussion.

When Roger called the man who had bothered Cassie an asshole his father's face got more red and angry looking. The attorney's face tightened and he looked almost scared. Before anyone could say anything else Steve Jensen began talking. He said, "Ok Roger. I'm here now and even though this little visit isn't appropriate perhaps we can come to some type of agreement."

Steve turned to the attorney and continued, "I am rather surprised that you would act in this manner though Martin. I was sure you had more ethics than this has displayed. Hummm, well, no matter. Let's get started shall we?"

Steve took his seat and turned to Mr. Nixon and his attorney. He continued talking. "Now what's this about dropping our lawsuits and just what are you offering us if we do such a thing? I know Mr. Dyer is furious and embarrassed about the treatment he received but he is even more upset and worried about the treatment Ms. Cassandra Sprightly had to endure both in your establishment and in the police station. As I am sure you know they feel strongly about their position and demand satisfaction."

"In fact, Cassandra's brother Allen was so upset he almost"

When Steve mentioned Allen's name Mr. Nixon's head whipped around and he glared at him then he looked at Cassandra. He flushed and seemed to sink into his seat. He said, "Cassandra and Allen. Sprightly? Ohhhh Shit. Were. Are you the children of Thomas and Linda Sprightly? Is this all about the stock they had in my club?"

Allen looked surprised then glanced at Steve before he answered, "Yes they were our parents. What's it to you? And what are you talking about stock anyway?"

Mr. Nixon said, "Crap. This just gets worse and worse." He turned to his attorney and continued, "Thomas and Linda are deceased. These two here are owners of a third of the club. I gave their parents that third ownership for loaning me the money to open it. I have been trying to get the money ahead to buy them out for years but between our expenses and the way Darlene likes to spend money I haven't been able to. Crap, how are we going to clean up this mess? Not only will they be suing themselves with this lawsuit but if they win it or drag it out we may lose the business."

Nixon turned back to the Sprightly's and said, "Well if this is about the money you can just forget it. I don't have it yet. I've just barely been able to pay salaries so you just don't have anything coming to you. Now can we just drop this whole mess and get it over with?"

Cassie was looking surprised and Allen was glaring at the man as he spoke. He said, "You mean your club is the S & N Enterprises that we have stock in? I found that certificate just before I went to Iraq but when I asked about it none of the stockbrokers I talked to knew anything about it. I had been meaning to see if I could find out anything after I got back but I have been too busy around here."

Nixon looked down and whispered, "FUCK. Me and my big mouth." Then he looked up at them and continued, "Yeah, I worked for your parents in their restaurant but I wanted to expand the bar and have a nightclub also. They only wanted a quiet little bar and the restaurant. I was going to leave and go out on my own but I couldn't afford it. I don't know why but one day your father offered to help me and we rented the building next to the restaurant for me to open the club. Of course when your parent's died and the restaurant sold I lost my favorable rent and had to move. That almost caused me to close but we held on and now we are doing well. This lawsuit though will hurt badly even if you don't win. The publicity will keep many away and if you do win it could cause me to have to shut down. You're just going to have to forget about any money from me."

Mr. Nixon looked at Cassandra and asked, "Did my son really say what you allege in your lawsuit? Did he actually try to drag you onto the floor after you had told him you didn't want to dance? You know he and the bouncers all claim you were willing to go with him until Mr. Dyer returned to your table. This whole thing was just a set up wasn't it?"

Cassie began to talk. She nodded her head yes and said, "Yes he did try to force me and he wasn't too gentle about it either. He bruised my arm he held me so tightly."

Roger spoke up then saying, "You know the police have statements from some of the people sitting at tables around us. I think you know he really did what we said he did. Surely as a businessman you know if he did this to Cassie and if he did or does it to other ladies you will eventually begin to lose business. No one wants to go out where they or their dates will be treated like that."

Mr. Nixon sighed and said, "I know. I. We had some trouble with him while he was in college but he doesn't do that now. In fact I think the sluts that accused him of bothering them were just trying to dip into our pockets like you are. We are better off and more visible than his peers and money grubbers are coming out of the woodwork all the time trying to get a piece of our change."

Mr. Nixon's attorney whipped his head around and he placed his hand on his client's arm. He said, "Richard, you need to watch it. You promised you would let me negotiate."

Steve was sitting at the table smiling. He said, "I need to discuss this with my clients. Would you excuse us for a moment?"

The three friends and their attorney rose from the table and walked around the building. They stood in the shade while they discussed the afternoon's revelations. Steve said, "If you two do own a third of the establishment Mr. Nixon is right. You might be cutting off your nose to spite your face by pressing this lawsuit. I don't know the value of the club or even the amount your parent's gave him but if they have to close because of this you could lose your stake in the club. Of course, if they have a good enough insurance policy and we win a large enough settlement that might not be a totally bad thing... really though, from what you told me and what the witnesses say I can't see you winning more than a token amount. If the publicity adversely impacts the club then you could end up losing more than you gain..." He sighed and asked, "Well, what do you want to do? Should we try to negotiate a settlement, drop the lawsuits or what?"

Cassie and Allen looked at each other, then at Roger. Allen said, "Sis it's your call. The asshole was messing with you... Hell, we haven't received a dime from them in the three years since Dad and Mom died so even if we do drive them into bankruptcy what have we lost? You do what you think you want to do."

Cassie moved to Roger and wrapped her arm around him. She looked up at him and asked, "Roger? Honey what do you think?"

"Well, I'm no expert and I would really need to see the books to make any kind of judgment but I think this is a bunch of bullshit. A club like that in New York, one as busy as that one is, would be a goldmine. I think he chose not to pay you because you weren't hounding him for your share of the profits. He is either skimming, holding a lot of cash in the club's accounts, or he is paying out way too much in salaries to someone. I would bet that someone or those someone's are him and or his family."

"I suggest we demand to see the books first off. I think we, excuse me, I think YOU should tell him you want to have your CPA go over the books to see why you haven't been receiving your share of the take and to determine what your action will be on the lawsuit. Even if you decide to drop the lawsuit against the business you may still have one against the kid, unh, what's his name??? OH yeah, Frank."

Roger turned to Steve and asked, "What do you think Steve?"

"Well, it might weaken our case if we release the club from the lawsuit. I do think it is a good idea to look over the books and to get an appraisal of the business though."

Roger was staring into space. Finally he turned to Allen and asked, "Allen do you have any of those papers where you can get to them pretty fast?"

"Well, I have a box of the folks business papers upstairs. I don't know what's in them for sure. We just cleaned out their house and office when they died and I boxed up the stuff. We had to sell everything almost to pay off their bills. They didn't have enough insurance to cover their medical treatment after the accident and almost everything they had went to that. Then I fucked up and put the few thousand dollars left over into a joint account for Cassie and me. I never thought about my power of attorney allowing Vicky to clean it out while I was in Iraq so...well as you know now we have nothing unless by some accident this turns out to be valuable."

"Allen why don't we go see what we can find right quick." Roger turned to Steve and continued, "Can you and Cassie keep them busy until we get back? See if you can get them to make some kind of offer maybe?"

The four took off on their respective errands. After about thirty minutes Roger was smiling. He had found the stock certificate and a letter from Mr. Nixon thanking the Sprightly's for their confidence in him. It referenced the attached stock certificate for one third of the shares of S & N Enterprises and served as a receipt for the $40000.00 paid for said stock. The certificate was for 400 shares, par value $100.00 per share. Now they knew how much Allen and Cassie might lose in the venture (assuming no increase in value of the stock) if the business closed.

Roger sat back and looked at Allen then he said, "Allen without seeing the books to check on cash flow and profits I can't make a final call but, if they own the building... Wait a minute, let me check something."

Roger grabbed his phone and the phone book. He looked up a number and called. "This is Roger Dyer. I'm an investment banker and we are negotiating with S & N Enterprises. They allege they own the building at 1724 Industrial Avenue in Springville. Could you verify that and let me know of any outstanding liens? Yes, I'll hold if I may."

A few minutes later Roger began to smile and he said, "Yes, unh huh. Yes, I understand. Thanks."

Roger turned once more to Allen and said, "They own the building but there is an outstanding loan on it for $1.17 million. The appraised value for the property is $750000 for tax purposes. With the real estate situation as it is I almost bet they owe more on the building than it would sell for if we forced a sale."

The two friends walked back to the office and motioned for Steve and Cassie to join them. He reported what he had found out on the phone and showed them the paperwork he found in the box. He looked at the three standing with him and began talking. "I used to work in the investment world and like to think I have a good working knowledge of finance. Having said that, and admitting that I worked on the bond desk, I have some thoughts about this mess. Your parents let Nixon have $40000.00 and if I understand correctly there has been no payout to you or your family on that. I still think he is using your money and has no intention to pay you any profits in the business. I suggest we threaten to press on with the lawsuits or give him the opportunity to rein in his son, drop the counter suits and buy you out of the business. I don't know if he can come up with any money but I have my suspicions..."

The four walked back to the table and took their seats. Roger looked at the other three and began to speak. "My clients and I have an offer for you Mr. Nixon. We have found some documentation on the funds you obtained from their parents. If I understand correctly, you obtained $40,000.00 from their parents over 15 years ago and have never made any distributions to them for their share of the profits. We need to see the business books and tax returns for those years to see if this is justified. Additionally, we want to see minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors discussing officer's salaries and director's salary. We also want to see a breakdown of employee compensation to see if it is reasonable. It has been my experience that a business such as yours has an extremely good cash flow and generates substantial profits if operated correctly. I have been in your establishment numerous times and it is always very busy. My clients and I therefore suggest you give them a cash buy out right now for $200,000 with a breakdown of $125,000 to Cassandra of which $50,000 would be earmarked for compensation because of your son's actions. The other $75,000 would go to Allen for his share of the missing profits and the initial loan. If you do not agree to this today we will obtain your books, past tax returns and file for their fair share of each and every year's profits."