Ten minutes later she dialed an estate attorney recommended by her lawyer.
“Mister Jennings, you were recommended to me by Taylor Carson. He says that you’re the best in the business when it comes to estate claims.”
“That was kind of him. I’ve known Taylor for over twenty years. We started our careers at the same law firm. What do you need help with?”
Over the next five minutes, Evelyn explained the situation and made an appointment to visit the offices of Lawton, Jennings & Barth. She intended to put all the pieces of her plan together before mentioning anything to Kane. She was risking their relationship, but in the end he would understand why she did what she did.
Chapter 38
Lauren McKnight thought long and hard before she signed the papers. Years earlier she made an verbal agreement with Adam that helped her secure a divorce and generous settlement. The agreement implied, but did not specify that she was to “look the other way” regarding Adam’s theft and sale of her Antique Jewelry collection It was claimed at the time that the jewelry was beyond retrieval. Lauren’s lawyer wanted the loss of the collection to be listed as one of the causes in the divorce decree, but Adam’s lawyer refused to include it because doing so would be tantamount to Adam admitting to the larceny. That left it open to be litigated at a later time.
The “later time” had finally arrived. Together with everything else, Lauren was confident that Adam Hampton III would finally get his comeuppance. It was only a matter of time, now. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Since Adam was playing dirty, she decided it was time to fight back with all the guns in her arsenal She authorized her lawyer to file a complaint for the recovery of the jewelry and to make sure the information was leaked to the media.
Adam may view this as just a shot across the bow, but it will be unpleasant enough to teach him a lesson. Maybe nothing will come of it, but it should act as a warning to him to stop messing with her and Daniel. Why does it always have to end up in a confrontation with him. It makes me furious every time I think about the way he treated me. Whoever said “revenge is sweet” was absolutely right. I feel so elated.
Chapter 39
Daniel smiled as he read the report from Palentine Investigations. He asked Walter Madding to investigate a possible link between Adam Hampton, Gil Parsons at Local 33 and SEWU.
Walter left a message on his phone. He had traced several large payments from Adam’s personal accounts to Local 33. That was just the thing Daniel had hoped for. He dialed Walt. “Good morning Walt. Good job on that investigation. That was the link I was looking for. It explains why Gil Parsons went south on me.”
“Thanks, Daniel. We’re talking about some serious charges here.”
“I know. Adam won’t be able to worm his way out of this. We nailed him. How should I proceed with this information?”
“Look Daniel, I’m not an attorney, but there appears to be a clear violation of the National Labor Relations Act. The feds shouldn’t have any problem charging him with bribery and an attempt to use a union as an enterprise. Best case, if he’s convicted he’ll serve some time at a Federal facility and pay some pretty stiff fines. The current administration in Washington takes a dim view of tampering in union affairs.”
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Would I have to stick around to testify? I’m trying to close up shop in Old Brooking and move up to Westfield.”
“I really can’t say. Your dealings with Local 33 are a matter of record. The violation comes from Adams trying to influence the union. Talk to an attorney. They can advise you on what to do. They will contact the proper federal authorities to get things moving. You can remain anonymous if you want to. Whatever you decide, good luck. If you need me to check out anything else, give me a call.”
“Thanks, Walt. Give my best to Shirley.”
“You do the same with Lauren.”
Daniel thought about his next step, I guess it’s “shit or get off the pot” time. I hate doing this. It goes against the grain. But I don’t really have much choice if I want to live with myself.
He got out his phone directory and dialed the law offices of Terwilliger & Benson.
Chapter 40
“Adam, I’m glad I caught up with you.” The caller was Matthew Scheiber, senior partner at Scheiber, Scheiber and Cox, the law firm Adam retained for his personal affairs.“I’m sorry to bother you, Adam, but this is important They told me you were here in New Haven visiting one of your plants and I wanted to catch in case you might want to stop by here on your way home to discuss something that happened earlier today
“What on earth are you talking about?
“I accepted a subpoena on your behalf. Apparently process servers have been trying to serve you for a week or more. Did you ever have a Marcia Bloom working for you?”
“Why? Is she the litigant?”
“Yes, She is. She claims that you owe her back pay and access to her retirement fund. Her subpoena is for Hampton Industries corporate records. I sent that on over to your legal department. In a separate motion, she accuses you of harassment and seeks punitive damages of five million dollars. You have been ordered to appear three weeks from today at 9 a.m. here in New Haven. I can’t be there on your behalf. You have to appear in person.”
“That’s preposterous! Sure, I held up her money, but that was just to teach her a lesson. She left me high and dry by suddenly resigning right after the merger.”
“That was several months ago Did she perform her duties properly?”
“Yes, but she only gave me two weeks’ notice. I was so pissed I sent her packing. She’s got a hell of a nerve suing me.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About three weeks ago.”
“Adam, you can’t hold her money like that. Were there any questionable business practices that would justify holding her money?”
There was a noticeable delay in Adam’s reply, “Not really, although that bitch was having an affair with someone she was supposed to be riding herd over. I suspect she that she held back important information from me.”
“Suspecting her of wrongdoing and having concrete evidence are two different things. Are you withholding monies due her strictly on your suspicions?
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“You can’t do stuff like that Adam, you must know that. Look, I advise you to contact your accounting department and release those funds immediately. The longer you delay, the worse this situation is going to get. Call me when it’s done and I’ll do what I can to squash this subpoena.”
“What about the punitive damages? Can she still go after that after we’ve squared things with her funds?”
“She can. It’s a separate issue entirely, but this is just an initial hearing for fact-finding. The courts usually don’t like delays at that level. I don’t think you should try to mess around with that hearing.
Matt could hear the frustration in Adam’s voice.
“Look, Adam, why not let me talk to her attorney. Once she has her money, she may not feel it’s necessary to push the envelope any further. Or maybe she’ll settle for a token amount so she feels you’ve been taught a lesson. A suit for punitive damages is usually filed to fuel action on another issue entirely. It usually works, too. Pay her the money you owe her and let’s see what transpires.”
“Well if you think so.”
“I do. You relax and let me handle everything. Release those funds right away, and let me do what you pay me to do.”
“Okay, Matt, I’ll call the office as soon as we hang up. She’ll have her money by noon tomorrow. Personally the sooner I have her out of my hair, the better.”
“Well, Let’s hope that’s soon enough. I’ll keep you informed. Before you go, Adam, I got an odd call from one of the partners at Lawton, Jennings & Barth. He said he was doing some preliminary fact finding into your father’s estate. He wanted to know who handled your father’s defense at the competency hearing. I told him it was Ne
lson Platt.”
“Why did you tell him anything?”
“It’s called professional courtesy. Anyway, It isn’t confidential, it is a matter of public record, after all.”
“Still, the less information you give out, the better. Let them do the searching.”
“I’m sorry Adam. I should have checked with you first.”
“That’s okay. I guess I’m just extra sensitive on the subject. My father asked to see Platt the other day on another matter. I didn’t see any harm in it, so I let him visit for about fifteen minutes. I had his visit recorded. As far as I could see, there was nothing going on there but a trip down memory lane. Still it is odd that his name comes up again. I wonder if he read something into my father’s behavior. I showed him a file on my father’s last visit with his doctor. It showed remarkable progress from the level of dementia that Platt saw at the time of the competency hearings. Could he have seen that as an opportunity to re-open that can of worms again?”
“That’s always possible. I thought that Platt was retired. Still, it is strange that someone would inquire after all this time. You know you shouldn’t have recorded their meeting without informing at least one of them that you were doing so.”
“Tough shit. I’ll testify that I told my father. Who’s going to prove otherwise. Anyway, Platt wasn’t there for anything official. It was a personal visit.”
“That doesn’t matter. Well, it’s water under the bridge. Just be more careful, please. You’re taking too many chances. Sometimes you’re your own worst enemy. Be sure to clear legal matters with me. Stop being such a loose cannon. You’re going to get yourself into a mess where I’ll be unable to help you.”
Adam could sense the displeasure in the attorney’s voice. “I will, I promise.”
“I’ll make some discrete inquiries about Platt and get back to you.”
“I appreciate that. I’m going to leave here in about an hour. I plan to visit with my father tonight, so anything you find out will be appreciated. Use my cell phone number for the next three hours if you need to.”
“I’ll do that, Adam.”
An hour later Matt called Adam.
“Matt, did you find out anything?”
“I did, but you’re not going to like it. It seems that today is get Adam Hampton day.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well I did a sweep of any open inquiries regarding Hampton Industries or you personally. It seems that your ex-wife has taken out a complaint claiming you willfully sold her personal antique jewelry collection without her permission. I seem to recall that that issue came up during your divorce negotiations.”
“It did, but she made a bigger issue out of the mortgage deed forgery. Once we made our offer, the issue of the jewelry was dropped; or so I thought. Isn’t there a statute of limitations on that kind of thing? It’s been years since that happened.”
“Not where a felony is concerned. This could be very serious.”
“What’s going to happen now?”
“I expect that they’ll issue an Interrogatory. That’s a written list of questions that must be answered and returned by a specified date.”
It got very quiet on Adam’s end, so Matt continued, “Let’s wait until we get the papers. Then I’ll ask that the claim be dismissed on the basis of a verbal agreement between you two. We’ll tie her up legally for as long as we can. If there’s something else behind this move, on her part, there will be time for it to shake out.”
Matt took a deep breath and continued, “There is one more thing. Right now, all I know about this, is a heads-up that I got from a close friend at Terwilliger & Benson.”
“Spit it out! It can’t be any worse than the rest of this shit you’ve been telling me. What is it?”
“Local 33 of SEWU has been in negotiations McKnight Sports, Inc. You apparently made two rather large payments to SEWU while the negations were ongoing. There is a possible violation of the National Labor Relations Act.. That could mean imprisonment and some hefty fines if they get a conviction. Either way there could be some nasty press when it becomes public, It’s hard to contain these things once they start filing legal papers.
“What are you talking about? That’s ridiculous. I made two contributions to Local 33. That was for the best interests of the community. My record of cooperation with labor unions is an open book. Who’s behind these allegations?”
“I don’t know for certain. It’s possible that Daniel McKnight is behind it, but from what I’ve heard he turned ownership of the stadiums over to the city. That would seem to make this a non-issue, but you can never tell with the Feds. That’s as much as my friend was willing to tell me. The whole matter may be dropped before it gets anywhere, so, once again, I suggest we just wait and see.”
“What about Platt? I hope you don’t have more bad news for me.”
“I couldn’t find out anything except he’s setting up an office at his old firm. That’s all I know. I’ll keep my ears open and let you if I hear anything,”
“Damn, what a day. I’m sure glad I have you running interference for me. It’s like I’m swimming around in a pool of sharks. I’m glad I have you watching my back.
“Remember that the next time we sit down to negotiate my retainer.”
Adam chuckled. Don’t you blood suckers get enough, he thought; five hundred thousand a year and special charges.
The pressure was building, All this and then I have to deal with my father tonight. If I didn’t have to drive, I’d stop and have a drink. I could sure use a Rusty Nail right now. He looked at his watch, Only two hours more hours to go. Time to get home, have supper and spend some time getting my thoughts together. Matt can take care of Marcia, Lauren and McKnight. I’ve got enough to do to take care of the old man and his mysterious bastard son.
Chapter 41
The Assassin checked out of his motel. He drove to a nearby park where he removed the disguise he used since he checked into the motel. He replaced the Pennsylvania license plates with a pair of Maryland plates and headed off to Old Brooking.
A clipboard with a timetable rested on the passenger seat next to three remote handsets, marked “A” , “B” and “C” and his pager.
He looked at his watch. It was 7 p.m., time to get in position at the Water System. He parked at the top of the hill with his car heading in opposite direction. The excitement began to rise as he reached for the first remote. At precisely 7:15 his thumb flipped the safety switch to the right, returned and pressed the button. At first he could only see sparks flying into the air from one of the transformers. Now for the rest. Within seconds the entire electrical grid burst into flame and a thunderous explosion rocked the one square block station. The center of the building imploded from the weight of the pumping equipment and broke the casing around the water main located directly below. As it did, a geyser of water flumed thirty feet into the air and sprayed water over the rim of the fire extinguishing most of it. Water flowed into the surrounding area as gravity emptied the town’s water towers. The area surrounding the pumping station complex had the lowest elevation in town and the water level in the streets began to rise disproportionate to the sewer drains ability to drain it away. Within minutes the area was under one foot of water and the Old Brooking Water System was out of operation. The town of Old Brooking, Connecticut was without their water supply. Perfect execution!
The Assassin smiled as he checked the box next to “A” on his timetable. He started up his car and took a last look in his rear view mirror. He could see people heading toward the perimeter of the manmade lake, a few even wading into the water with their pants rolled up as he used to do as a small boy. The people seemed to be fascinated by the water. Enjoy it. It will be around for a while, only you’re not going to be able to have water where you really need it; at home.
He checked his watch, 7:20. Time to move on to the warehouse. During the short drive he had to pull over to let an emergency vehicle pass. Good luck,
fellas, a lot of good you’re going to do. As he passed a residential area people were at their front doors trying to figure out what caused the loud explosion several minutes earlier. It wouldn’t take them too long to figure it out once they tried to run water in their houses.
It took him only five minutes to arrive at his second observation spot. Again he had a clear view of his target. He picked up the remote marked “B”, followed the same procedure as before and at 7:30,on the dot, the abandoned Parker Brothers Lumber warehouse became an inferno. He knew he could linger awhile and observe how the Old Brooking Fire Department handled the fire without a fresh supply of water.
The “fleet” consisted of only four pumpers, since the one tanker they had suffered major engine problems and the town voted against the funds to replace it. The remaining apparatus was less than two years old. The pumpers were each equipped with thousand gallon tanks.
The Assassin watched as they approached the blaze, amused by the flurry of activity. They must know by now that the hydrants are dry. This will be like taking a leak on a forest fire. He smiled as he thought, You guys must be wishing that you had three miles of hose so you could pump water from the new lake in the center of town. I bet your next request for a Fire Department levy will pass overwhelmingly. You don’t have to thank me. Glad to be of help.
The two thousand gallons that the two pumpers carried dissipated quickly as they hosed down the adjacent buildings even though they were vacant; that was the protocol. After that, all they could do was direct traffic and watch as the flames enjoyed the feast of aged wood. The sirens of the remaining two engines could be heard in the distance You guys should have brought some marshmallows. It’s a crying shame to waste such a nice fire.
He looked at his watch, then back at the firemen doing their thing. He couldn’t help but think, So much for Old Brookings’s rendition of the “Keystone Firemen”, but I must be off. The Assassin had a deep respect for police and firemen and all those who put their lives on the line, but this was business. He checked the “B” box on his timetable. It’s time for the coup de grace.
Hampton Manor Page 19