but all attorneys and paraleagls left earlier today for the firm’s
annual conference in Florida. They won’t be back for several days.
Unfortunately, I was called away on unexpected business and have to take
an early morning flight down. Paul had a similar predicament. Everyone
else is in attendance.” He glanced at his watch. “Thus you can scream
all you want. However, actually you have every reason to work with us.”
Her eyes turned to slits, Sidney looked at both men. “What are you
talking about?”
“This conversation might best be carried on in my office.” Goldman
motioned toward the door and then produced a small-caliber revolver of
his own to reinforce the request.
Brophy closed and locked the office door. Goldman handed the gun to him
and sat down behind his desk. He motioned for Sidney to sit across from
him. “It’s certainly been an exciting month for you, Sidney.” He
produced the termination letter again. “However, I’m afraid your recent
excesses have resulted in your tenure at this firm coming to an end. I
wouldn’t be surprised if the firm and Triton Global instituted civil
litigation against you. Possibly criminal action as well.”
Sidney’s eyes now bored in on Goldman. “You’re holding me against my
will at gunpoint and you’re telling me to worry about criminal action?”
“Paul and I, both partners in this firm, observe someone, an intruder,
in the firm’s library doing God knows what. We attempt to apprehend
said suspect and what does she do? She pulls a gun on us.
We’re able to wrestle the gun away, fortunately, before anyone is hurt,
and now we are detaining that intruder until the police arrive.”
“Police?”
“Oh, that’s right, I haven’t called the police yet, have I? How
absentminded of me.” Goldman reached for the phone, lifted the receiver
and then sat back in his chair without dialing. “Oh, now I remember why
I haven’t called them.” His tone was goading.
“Would you like to know the reason?” Sidney didn’t answer. “You’re a
deal lawyer, Sidney. Well, what if I were to propose a deal to you?
A way for you to not only remain at liberty but also derive some
economic gain, since you now happen to be unemployed.”
“Tyler, Stone isn’t the only firm in town, Phil.”
Goldman winced at the abbreviation of his name. “Well, actually, in
your case that’s not quite correct. You see, as far as you’re
concerned, there are no firms left. Not here, not anywhere in this
country, perhaps the world.”
Sidney’s face betrayed her confusion.
“Let’s be rational, Sid.” Goldman’s eyes gleamed momentarily as he
returned the verbal joust. “Your husband is suspected of sabotaging a
plane, resulting in the murder of almost two hundred people.
On top of that it’s clear he stole money and secrets worth hundreds of
millions of dollars from a client of this firm. Obviously these crimes
were planned over a long period of time.”
“I haven’t heard you mention my name yet in this ridiculous scenario.”
“You had high-level access to Triton Global’s most important records,
perhaps records to which even your husband wasn’t privy.”
“That was part of my job. That doesn’t make it criminal.”
“As they are fond of saying in legal circles, and as is embodied in the
Canon of Ethics, even the ‘appearance of an impropriety’ must be
avoided. I think that you long ago overstepped that boundary.”
“How? By losing my husband? By being railroaded out of my job without
a scintilla of proof? Why don’t we talk about lawsuits for a minute?
Like Sidney Archer versus Tyler, Stone for wrongful termination?”
Goldman looked over at Brophy and nodded slightly. Sidney turned her
head to look at him. Her chin began to tremble when she saw the
minicassette recorder emerge from his pocket.
“These things come in so handy, Sid,” said Brophy. “Record so clear
it’s as if you were right there in the same room.” He hit the play
button.
After a minute of listening to her conversation with her husband, Sidney
whirled back around to face Goldman. “What the hell do you want?”
“Well, let’s see. I suppose we must first establish market price.
What is that tape worth? It establishes that you lied to the FBI. A