Bluff

by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

  “Why do you think it’s something bad?” Packer asks.

  “Because now I think Sun was telling the truth. I think him and Burt really did kill that woman on account of money,” Danya says.

  Jean looks pleadingly at Packer.

  “Vance, you know she’s telling the truth. She’s just trying to do the right thing here.”

  “I am. I swear I am!” Danya cries.

  “What Sun told her amounts to a deathbed confession. That’s very powerful, isn’t it?” Jean says.

  Packer nods. “It can be. But with no corroboration, it’s hearsay. That’s why I wish the priest had arrived.”

  Jean sighs in frustration. The look on Danya’s face is one of utter distress.

  “At the very least, I’m sure you’ll agree this merits further investigation,” Huff says, rising.

  “Oh, indeed,” Packer says.

  Packer escorts Huff and the two Mrs. Sunderlands out of his office. When he shuts the door, he turns to Chen and says, “You believe her?”

  Chen shrugs. “What reason does she have to lie?”

  “Right… She doesn’t strike me as being, well, capable of making something like this up.”

  “You think she’s dumb?”

  “Obviously. But very pretty,” Packer says wistfully.

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Over the next few days, Detective Chen investigates the death of Lois Warner. He reports back to Packer. Chen pulls out a pad with notes and begins.

  “Okay, so I spoke to Lois Warner’s maid, who said she and a chauffeur took care of Mrs. Warner. She said that Burt Sklar was a frequent visitor to the apartment and that he often came on her day off to keep Mrs. Warner company.”

  “And was the day she died one of the maid’s days off?”

  “Yup. Mrs. Warner told her that Sklar was coming to visit her that afternoon and that she seemed agitated. The maid asked Mrs. Warner if she wanted her to stay. Mrs. Warner said no. She doesn’t remember Mrs. Warner mentioning anything about Sunderland.”

  “Did anyone in the building see Sunderland that day?” Packer asks.

  “I spoke to the doorman who was on duty the night the maid came back and found her dead. He didn’t see Sklar. He told me to get in touch with the day guy. But the day guy retired a few years ago. I spoke to his daughter. He has Alzheimer’s. She says he can’t remember his own name.”

  “So we can’t put Sunderland at the scene,” Packer says.

  “No. The doctor who signed her death certificate was also her GP. I spoke to him. He said she had heart disease. The maid called him that night when she discovered the body. He went over to the apartment to examine her. He said it was clear she died of a heart attack. I asked him if there was any sign of a struggle. He said absolutely not. Signing the death certificate was just pro forma.”

  Packer leans back in his chair, massaging his hands together, deep in thought.

  “Sunderland was dying. Why would he say this unless it was true?”

  “It may be true. How do we prove it?” Chen says.

  “Sklar’s coming in shortly. Let’s see what he has to say.”

  Sklar strides across Vance Packer’s office, hand outstretched, brimming with confidence and affability. Mona Lickel was set to accompany him, but he refused, figuring the presence of his lawyer would make it look like he was guilty of something. However, he did take Lickel’s advice when she suggested he ditch the hip black outfits he wears to show his celebrity clients he’s on trend, and “dress like a nebbish accountant.” He’s got on a suit and tie. But it’s a designer suit and an expensive tie. He looks sharp because today he’s playing Michael Douglas in Wall Street—powerful, personable, and prosperous, with a you-can’t-touch-me-no-matter-what-you-think-you-have-on-me attitude. I’m Gordon Gekko! a.k.a. Burt fucking Sklar!

  “Vance, good to see’ya again. How’ya doin’? Sklar says, with a firm handshake.

  “Thanks for coming in, Mr. Sklar.”

  Sklar takes a step back as if wounded. “Burt! Please! How long have we known each other?”

  “Burt, this is Detective Chen and Kyle Michaels. I believe you and Mr. Michaels have met.”

  “Sure we did. Back in the day. Good to see you again, Kyle.” Sklar grins to show he’s let bygones be bygones.

  Sklar recalls being questioned by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michaels when Maud first accused him of fraud. Lois Warner, along with her son, Alan, vigorously defended Sklar against her daughter’s accusations, and refused to let Michaels look at her finances. Though Michaels had a hunch Maud was right about Sklar, he had no grounds to pursue the case.

  The three men sit facing Packer at his desk. Sklar quickly assesses the gravity of the situation. He’s here with Chen, the lead detective on the Sunderland case, Michaels, the head of the Fraud Squad, and the District Attorney himself. He understands how important it is to seize control of the meeting from the outset.

  “So, Vance, what can I do for you?”

  “Let’s begin with a few things. First, what’s your relationship with Danya Sunderland?” Packer asks.

  “She’s a good friend… Or at least, she was.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I haven’t heard from her in a couple of weeks. She missed an important meeting I specifically needed her to be at. And I understand she’s joined forces with Jean Sunderland, who’s suing me, as you probably know. So…” His voice trails off.

  Uneasy glances fly among Packer, Chen, and Michaels.

  “Who told you she and Mrs. Sunderland had joined forces, as you say?” Packer asks.

  “My lawyer, Mona Lickel. In fact, she called me right before you did.”

  Packer leans forward, assuming a more prosecutorial air. “Tell us a little bit about how you met Danya Sunderland.”

  Sklar gives a thumbnail sketch of their meeting at the strip club and Sunderland’s eventual involvement with Danya.

  “And it was you who obtained the phony driver’s license identifying Sunderland as Samuel Sunderland so they could marry?”

  Sklar hesitates, worried Danya has told them everything. Better not to lie, he thinks.

  “I did. Sun was my best friend. I basically did whatever he wanted me to do.”

  “You were present at the illegal marriage in Arlington?” Packer asks.

  “I was. As best man.”

  “And Sunderland asked you to take care of Danya for him financially and otherwise so he could keep the marriage a secret?”

  “Correct.”

  “Is that why Sunderland gave you his Durable Power of Attorney?”

  Sklar has been expecting this zinger because it’s the heart of Jean’s case. It’s why Kyle Michaels is there, to remind him that he’s been accused of forging a Durable Power of Attorney before.

  “Truthfully…? It’s exactly why,” Sklar says firmly, avoiding Michaels’ probing stare.

  Packer goes on. “Whose idea was it to set up a tontine between you and Danya and Sunderland?”

  “Candidly…? That was all Sun’s idea. Danya was the love of his life. He wanted her to be taken care. He was much older. He had a heart condition. The odds were he’d die first and he wanted her to have a good life.”

  “A very good life indeed,” Packer says. “And he included you in on the agreement as well. Why?”

  “It’s obvious, isn’t it? This poor kid knows nothing about finance. Sun knew she’d need someone to guide her and defend her against the very challenges she’s facing now… I was the logical choice.”

  “Did Danya Sunderland know about this arrangement?”

  “She signed all the documents,” Sklar says.

  “And she understood what she was signing?”

  “Far as I know. Sun explained everything to her.”

  Packer narrows his ey
es. “Is it fair to say you and Danya Sunderland spent a lot of time together?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Is it also fair to say that you developed feelings for her?”

  Sklar feels his stomach lurch. He quickly makes the calculation that once again it’s better to tell the truth here.

  “I fell in love with her,” he says softly.

  “Was she aware of your feelings?” Packer asks.

  “Not at that time, no.”

  “But she’s aware of them now?”

  “Yes. I told her. Which, in retrospect was clearly a mistake so soon after the tragedy. I suspect that’s why she ran away,” Sklar says.

  There is silence as Packer, Michaels, and Chen contemplate Sklar’s disarming admission.

  Now it’s Kyle Michaels’ turn. “Mr. Sklar, as you know, we met years ago after Maud Warner came to me with her suspicions about you. At that time, Mrs. Warner maintained her daughter was meddling and she refused to give us permission to look at her finances. But she died broke. Now once again, we have someone telling us that you looted a fortune using a Durable Power of Attorney. Can you see why we have a problem here?”

  “Truthfully….? The only person Maud should have been angry at was her mother. And the only person Jean should be angry at is Sun, rest his soul. I acted on his behalf with his full knowledge and consent, just as I did with Lois.”

  “So Sunderland was aware you were transferring the bulk of his assets into offshore companies and other entities in yours and his and Danya Sunderland’s joint names?” Michaels says.

  “He directed me to do it. The entities are in his name too. Look, he took a big risk marrying her, for Christ’s sakes! But he did it because he wanted to prove to the world she wasn’t just some bimbo! Danya was the love of his life. Candidly…? I have no idea why she’s sabotaging herself like this.”

  “Is it also true that the last surviving member of a tontine gets everything?” Packer asks.

  “Yeah, obviously. So what?”

  “Do you know of any reason why she might be afraid of you?” Packer says.

  “Afraid? Of me? Hell no! Truthfully…? I protected her from Sun. I loved the guy. But lemme tell you, he made Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde look like boy scouts.” Sklar says with a grim chuckle.

  “How so?” Packer says.

  Sklar is now fed up.

  “Look, gentlemen, the guy’s dead. I don’t wanna bad mouth my best friend. But I have photographs of Danya which prove he got too rough. If I committed a crime in aiding and abetting this marriage, I’m sorry. I’ll have to take the consequences. Right now, though, as far as the law goes, I’m carrying out his wishes. Truthfully…? I’m mystified Danya is suddenly siding with Jean here when all I’m doing is protecting her rights. So if I’ve answered all your questions, I have work to do,” Sklar says, rising from his chair.

  “Just one more thing,” Packer says, waving a hand at Sklar to stay seated.

  Sklar makes a show of his annoyance, but sits back down. “What now?”

  “Are you aware that your best friend Sunderland made a deathbed confession to Danya?”

  Sklar scowls. “What confession?”

  “She swears Sunderland confessed to her that you and he murdered Lois Warner.”

  Sklar is too stunned to react right away. He remains silent as he calculates how best to react to this accusation. Presence of mind is a vital tool in this situation. How would Gordon Gekko or The Wolf of Wall Street handle it?

  “Poor guy must have been delirious,” Sklar says, trying to sound nonchalant.

  “He asked for a priest,” Packer says.

  “I don’t know what to say, guys. It’s hard to believe.”

  “What’s hard to believe? His confession? Or her? Or both?” Packer asks.

  Sklar shakes his head. “It’s just sad. And, frankly, delusional. For starters, Lois died peacefully in her bed. You can check it out.”

  At this point, Chen pipes up. “How exactly did you find out Mrs. Warner died?”

  He bridles slightly. “Guys, you’re really gonna question me about this? Fine, I mean, sure… Her housekeeper discovered her and called Dr. Schneider. Schneider went over there and immediately called me.”

  “Why did he call you?” Chen says.

  Sklar proceeds calmly. “Look, Lois and I were like family. She was estranged from her daughter. Her son was an addict. I basically took care of the woman. I was her emergency contact. Dr. Schneider and I had many, many conversations about her health. I loved Lois, okay? I was always concerned about her. Even though Lois was ninety years old, she looked on me like I was a father to her. We had an extremely close relationship, which is one of the reasons her daughter resented me so much. I’d have been furious if Schneider had not called me.”

  “Did you see Mrs. Warner that day?” Chen says.

  “Yes, in fact, I did. It was Thursday. I always visited her on Thursdays because it was her housekeeper’s day off. I’d sit with her and we’d talk about the news or investments she wanted to make. Sometimes she’d read Shakespeare to me. We really enjoyed each other’s company. And that day, she was particularly lively—which is why I was so shocked when Schneider called that evening and told me she was dead.”

  “Was Mr. Sunderland with you that day?” Chen asks.

  “Why would I bring Sun up to see Lois? He was an incredibly busy man.”

  “What if the doorman remembers you and another man going up to visit Mrs. Warner that day?”

  “I’d say he was mistaken. How many years has it been now? Look, Lois was old. Old people die.”

  Chapter Fifty

  After Sklar leaves, Packer, Chen, and Michaels sit in silence for a long moment.

  “Sklar’s a scumbag—pardon my French. Unfortunately, that’s not a crime,” Packer says.

  “It should be. Except then half the world would be in jail,” Chen says.

  “Only half?” Michaels says. “I just can’t get over the fact that Sklar’s done the exact same thing with Sun Sunderland as he did with Warner’s mother—getting their powers of attorney.”

  “You’ve seen the document. It’s Sunderland’s signature with two witnesses. One of them being Mona Lickel, his lawyer,” Packer says.

  “She signed the one before too. No chance it could be a forgery?” Michaels asks.

  Chen shakes his head. “I talked to Lickel. She said she and a paralegal witnessed it. When I asked her if I could speak to the paralegal, she told me I’d need a medium. The woman died of lung cancer shortly after Sunderland signed it. They had to know this woman was going to die.”

  “Let’s face it, Mona was Lucretia Borgia in another life,” Packer says.

  “She’s Lucretia Borgia in this life,” Chen says.

  “You think she knew about the bigamy?” Michaels says.

  “She says not. Again, who knows? She’s Sklar’s lawyer, right? She can’t say much. Look guys, the way I see it Sklar thought he was going to get the money and the girl,” Chen says.

  “So what’s he going to do now that she’s refusing to cooperate with him?” Michaels says.

  “Not our problem. Yet,” Packer says. “I’d love to charge him with fraud, believe me. But right now it’s just their own legal nightmare, right Kyle?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. No proof….Should she be scared of Sklar?”

  Packer shakes his head. “I don’t see him bumping her off, do you? Plus he loves her. He’s still got a lucrative business and many, many powerful friends. People are afraid to offend the guy on account of his impressive client list.”

  “I disagree,” Chen says. “Sklar’s gone to a lot of trouble to set all this up. He’s obsessed with her. Read the letters. Unrequited love plus a billion dollars is an explosive combination. I think he’s potentially very dangerous.”

  “Ma
ybe, maybe not,” Packer says, heaving a sigh. “Maybe he was just pretending to be in love. Maybe he’s using her to get to the billion. In any case, there’s nothing we can do for now.”

  “One thing’s for sure. The lawyers are loving it,” Michaels says.

  Packer raps his desk with his pen. “All right, gentlemen, we can’t prove any of this, so let’s move on. Lydia’s going to defend Warner with E.E.D., like you predicted, Detective. They’re going to say Warner was so unhinged by the death of her brother last year and all this other financial chicanery with Sklar that she didn’t know what she was doing. But we all think she knew exactly what she was doing, right? She planned to get away with murder using E.E.D. She doesn’t know we’re onto her. How wrong she is.”

  “She’s still a sympathetic figure,” Michaels says.

  “Plus she has The Legend defending her. And if they put the victim on trial, she might get off,” Chen says.

  “She’s not walking. Not On My Watch,” Packer says, stabbing the air with his pen. “She wasn’t confused. She knew exactly what she was doing. She planned to shoot Sklar, and missed. The fact she accidentally killed a scumbag is irrelevant. It’s still premeditated murder. This AARP pinup is going to prison for life.”

  The River

  “Whoever coined the phrase ‘a man’s got to

  play the hand that was dealt him’

  was most certainly one piss-poor bluffer.”

  —Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

  Chapter Fifty-one

  Lydia came to see me in Rikers. She was wearing black as opposed to her usual bright pastels. A bad sign. I could see it pained her to tell me the news.

  “Maudie, they’re charging you with Murder One,” she said solemnly.

  Lydia explained their theory to me. They believed I intended to shoot Sklar, then use the E.E.D. defense to get a lesser sentence. She said the prosecution had evidence that I knew about that strategy beforehand. She explained that Detective Chen had found the Joyce Kiner Braden Washington Post article Sklar had sent me with his note about E.E.D. Not only that, Chen had gone to interview Braden in her office. The detective surmised I got the idea for that defense from the article, then purposely sought Braden out at a poker tournament to find out more about how it worked.