Blue Goodness (Michael Kaplan Mysteries)

by David W. Cowles

  Stein focused his penetrating steel gray eyes on the rotund man sitting opposite him. “You’re a lucky man, Gunther. It’s a good thing you decided to retain me instead of one of those bums who advertise on television. The DA has written up enough felony and gross misdemeanor charges to put you behind bars for the rest of your life.

  “Regardless, because of my influence with the court, I was able to get you released on bail. If you plead nolo contendere, I’m reasonably sure I can plea-bargain with the prosecutor and get you off with probation and a few hundred hours of community service work.” Stein ran a hand through his stubble of beard, a beard that was trimmed daily to look like he had merely forgotten to shave for a week.

  Gunther was greatly relieved. “Thanks, Mr. Stein, you’ve done a great job.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. Just leave a check with my secretary on your way out.”

  “I will.” Gunther was not yet ready to make his departure. “I have another legal problem brewing,” he informed the lawyer. “It’s not really a criminal matter—at least, I don’t think it will be. I’d like you to handle the situation, though. You’re the best, and that’s what I need.”

  Stein’s eyes took on the shape of dollar signs. “Of course, Gunther. I’d be glad to represent you.” Despite his indiscretion with the teenaged runaway, Gunther Hogg was one of Stein’s more respectable clients; most of the others were murderers, drug kingpins, and members of organized crime. Stein pulled out a lined yellow legal pad and removed the cap from his Mont Blanc pen. “Tell me about your problem.”

  Gunther leaned forward in his seat. It was all he could do, because of the shortened front legs of the chair. “I was planning to merge my practice with that of another veterinarian—Stewart Lamb.”

  “What were you going to call the new entity—Lamb and Hogg, or Hogg and Lamb?” Stein chortled. “I once was a patient of a Dr. Katz, whose partner was named Mutz. They never could agree whether to call their partnership Katz and Mutz or Mutz and Katz. In fact, they fought about it all the time, like cats and dogs. Ha, ha.” He took out a Havana cigar and lit it, blowing the smoke in Hogg’s direction. “Which reminds me about the tale of a dentist who married a manicurist. It was said they fought tooth and nail.” Stein roared with laughter at his corny humor.

  “Excuse me for interrupting you, Gunther. Go on with your story.” Stein was not sorry at all. Telling the anecdotes and lighting the cigar used up a full two minutes of time, and therefore increased Gunther’s bill by ten dollars—enough to pay for lunch.

  Gunther paused to remember what he’d already told Stein, not realizing every delay was costing him money. “I helped out in Lamb’s clinic for a few weeks, and then he worked in mine for a month or so. As time went on, he became more and more critical of the way I did things, and I acquired a gut feeling the merger wasn’t going to work. Finally, he came right out and told me the deal was off.”

  “Lamb probably thought you were trying to fleece him. Hawr, hawr. So, what you’re talking about is a breach of contract case. Is that it?”

  “No. I only wish it were that simple. Lamb reported me to the Veterinary Board. He said he wants to get my license taken away for malpractice. I think what he’s really after is my clinic. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he made a copy of my client list behind my back.”

  “When’s the hearing going to be?” Stein asked.

  “In about thirty days.”

  “Is there any truth to Lamb’s accusations?”

  Gunther turned his head to avoid Stein’s penetrating stare. “Well, you know how it is. I’m only human, and it isn’t possible to do everything right a hundred percent of the time. But overall, no. I think I’m a pretty good veterinarian.”

  “I’m not accusing you of anything, Gunther. I don’t give a damn what you did. I do need to know all the facts if I’m going to represent you. I can’t have any surprises when we go before the Veterinary Board.”

  Gunther thought for a moment. There were a couple of minor things he had done, but he was absolutely certain Lamb did not know about them. There was no need to mention them to Stein at this time. “That’s all I can think of. The man’s jealous of my success and wants to bring me down.”

  “Who else might testify against you at the hearing?”

  “I have no idea. There could be a few disgruntled clients—every veterinarian has some. I really don’t know what to expect.”

  Stein sat back and closed his eyes. He appeared to be deep in thought. After several minutes (at five dollars per minute) he opened his lids slowly and leaned toward Hogg. “My retainer for handling your case will be thirty thousand dollars, in advance. My hourly rate, as you already know, is three hundred dollars. I’m going to have to do a considerable amount of research and spend a lot of time in preparation for the hearing. I’ll try to cut your costs wherever I can by having other attorneys in this office, even paralegals, do part of the work. Regardless, my best estimate is that before we’re done your bill will be somewhat in excess of a hundred grand—and there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to save your license. If you agree to those conditions, I’ll have my secretary type a memorandum of our agreement and you can give her a check.”

  Gunther was flabbergasted. It hadn’t cost him that much to go to veterinary school. But he realized if he didn’t do everything he could to win at the hearing—if he didn’t have the best representation money could buy—his days as a veterinarian would be over, and being a veterinarian was the only way he knew how to earn a living. “I … I don’t have that much cash available. I had no idea this was going to be so expensive.”

  Stein took a deep drag on his cigar. “What about stocks, bonds, CDs—”

  Gunther shook his head. “No, nothing like that. Everything I have is tied up in my practice.”

  “What about real property? Do you own your home?” Stein was not going to let a client slip through his hands without exhausting every possibility, but if he wasn’t assured his bill would be paid in full he would send the man elsewhere without any qualms whatsoever.

  Gunther scratched his head. “There’s a little equity in my home, but my wife is pissed at me for screwing around on her and there’s no way I could convince her to sign the papers so I could take out a second mortgage. I do own the building where my clinic is, free and clear. It’s worth about three hundred thousand. It’s in my name only. I bought the property before I was married.”

  Stein smiled greedily. He had found an answer to Gunther’s financial dilemma. Also—a fortiori—to his own. “That’s good. Nevada is a community property state, but your wife doesn’t have any claim to your assets acquired prior to marriage. You won’t have to refinance the property now. There’s plenty of time to do that later. Just bring me your deed for safekeeping. I will require you to sign a quitclaim deed on the property, for my protection. I won’t have it recorded, though. We can straighten everything out after your hearing is over. Bring your deed to my office this afternoon. The sooner you get it to me, the sooner I can start on your defense.”

  Gunther realized he was between a rock and a hard place. He had no choice. “I’ll go get the deed now. It’s in my safe deposit box.”

  Stein owed it to Gunther to give him the benefit of his advice. “One more thing, Gunther. From what you told me, it appears that the Board’s case would fall completely apart without Lamb’s testimony. Is there anything you can do to get him to retract his complaint or fail to show up at the hearing?”

  “The only way Lamb wouldn’t be at the hearing to testify against me is if he dropped dead. Maybe I’ll just murder the bastard. That will solve my problem, won’t it?”

  Stein rolled his eyes. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. The attorney-client privilege doesn’t apply if I have knowledge you’re planning to commit a felony.”

  Gunther looked abashed. “I was only kidding, Mr. Stein. Only kidding.” In truth, the thought of slaughtering Lamb had crossed Gunther’s mind more than once.

/>   As soon as Gunther Hogg left, Oscar Stein locked his office door, called his secretary on the intercom and instructed her to hold his calls, and headed for his private bedroom.

  “I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long,” he said to the naked woman lying across the bed. “I didn’t know I was going to be with my client as long as I was.” He started undressing, carefully placing each of his garments on a silent valet to prevent them from becoming wrinkled.

  “I didn’t mind the wait at all,” the woman replied. “My meter was running the entire time. Of course, my hourly rate is less than half of yours—”

  “Well, I have a law degree. I should be able to charge more than you do,” Stein told her condescendingly.

  “Who needs a law degree? I’ve got a pussy,” she countered. “Try to top that, sweetheart.”

  “Well, at least I don’t have to fuck my clients,” he muttered.

  “Yea, but you do anyway—and you don’t even kiss them first,” she goaded.

  She was right, and Stein knew it. “You win. You know me too well,” he laughed unashamedly. He slid into bed next to her. She snuggled close and ran tickling fingers up and down his back as their legs intertwined.

  “I hope you didn’t get bored being in here all by yourself,” he said.

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I watched you and your client on the TV monitor. I found it quite entertaining. Educational, even.”

  He clenched his teeth. “Damn. I wish you hadn’t done that. Next time, watch a movie on cable instead.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “There may not be a next time. If my calculations are right, this visit should pay my bill in full.”

  Stein knew she would need his legal representation again. “You can always run up a credit balance with me. If it turns out you don’t require my services anytime soon, I’ll settle with you in cash.”

  “That would be nice for a change.” It pleased her immensely to know the famous attorney still wanted to see her, even if she wasn’t working off a debt.

  Oscar covered the woman with his surprisingly firm body. Their mouths met, gently at first, then with increased fervor as his desire turned to raw lust. Suddenly, he pulled away from her embrace. His tongue traced a path down her flesh, hesitating only momentarily to tantalize her nipples, then descending rapidly to her groin. She pressed her thighs against his head to draw his face closer into her. As he gorged himself on her honey-sweet juices, she moaned deliriously. But her mind was on someone else. A handsome, younger, more virile man, with dark curly hair and a clean-shaven face. After ten minutes of simulated passion, she faked an orgasm.

  “Oh, Oscar,” she groaned. “It gets better and better each time. Come inside me now, sweetheart, quickly. I want to feel you come in me.”

  Already stimulated to the point of no return, he climaxed the instant of penetration, as past experience had taught her he would. Their lovemaking was over for the day. Afterwards, they shared a cigarette, then showered together and dressed.

  When she left Stein’s office, walking with her head held high past the knowing glances of the secretaries—they were jealous, that’s all—Soozie patted her large handbag possessively. Tucked deeply inside was the videotape she’d pilfered of Oscar and Gunther Hogg. It was going to be of great use to her one day soon, of that she was quite certain.

  Eleven

  KIMBERLY STOOD with her long legs apart and her hands on her hips and surveyed the assortment of gear spread out over her driveway.

  “It looks like we’re going on a month-long archaeological dig,” she observed. “Everything’s here except for camping supplies. Should I toss my sleeping bag in the Jeep, in case we decide to spend the night under the stars? It’s big enough for two—”

  “Definitely not,” Michael laughed. “My idea of roughing it is staying in a hotel that doesn’t have room service or cable TV—not that we’ll be going to a hotel, Kimberly. I fully expect us to be back here in time for dinner. I know it seems like we’re taking everything but the kitchen sink, but there’s not an item here we don’t need.”

  Kimberly was puzzled and a little concerned. “I see you bought a couple of walkie-talkies—why? We’re going to be together all the time, I hope.”

  “We will, except when I climb down into the mine shaft. You’ll have to stay on top. If something happens to me while I’m underground, I want to be able to let you know so you can run and get help.”

  Kimberly’s face clouded over. “You’re starting to scare me, Michael. This is beginning to sound very risky. Maybe we shouldn’t go at all. Maybe your first thought was right—we should just tell Mark Caruso about Soozie’s story and let Metro take over.”

  Michael shrugged off the suggestion. “We’ll be fine, I’m sure. Did you remember to bring your camera?”

  “Of course. It’s already in the Jeep. I wouldn’t miss getting pictures of this excursion for all the tea in China.”

  Michael finished loading the vehicle and they started on their way. He drove south on I-15 to Jean, then turned off the highway onto a dirt road. Kimberly navigated, following the map Soozie prepared.

  In about ten miles, the dirt road became little more than a bumpy, dusty trail. More than once they thought they’d lost their bearings, but each time when Michael was preparing to turn the Jeep around and backtrack Kimberly recognized a landmark Soozie had drawn on the map, and they knew they were still headed in the right direction. Halfway up a broad alluvial plain they found what they’d been searching for—a chain-link enclosure surrounding a narrow but deep hole in the ground. A sign on the fence read, DANGER—KEEP OUT.

  Michael found a level spot to park the Jeep in the narrow shadow of a Joshua tree—an agave so named by early Mormon pioneers because its branches, extending skyward like upraised arms, reminded them of Joshua leading the Israelites. Michael and Kimberly walked over to the mine shaft to evaluate the situation. The air was still and unbearably hot. A gray lizard sunning itself on a rock scurried away as they approached.

  “I have to admit that Soozie drew you a good map,” Kimberly volunteered. “She must have been here before—perhaps, many times.”

  “Soozie’s probably experienced at making maps because she works in real estate. Who knows? If she knew exactly how to direct me here, maybe everything else she told me is true. We’ll find out soon enough.” Michael put his shoulder to the chain-link fence and pushed against it with all of his weight.

  “This fence seems sturdy enough,” he noted with satisfaction. “The posts are anchored firmly in the ground. I won’t have to use the stakes we brought—I can just attach the rope ladder to the fence posts.”

  “Will we have to climb over the fence?” Kimberly asked apprehensively.

  Michael shook his head. “Fortunately, no. At first I thought we might, but, look closely—someone has cut through the wire mesh. There’s an opening big enough for us to crawl through.” He pulled a large tumbleweed aside to reveal a two-foot-square hole.

  “So. Someone has been inside the fence before. Maybe to dump bodies into the hole. I hope he doesn’t come back while we’re here. He might decide to kill us and throw us down there, too,” Kimberly fretted.

  “Don’t worry about that—you can see anyone coming for miles. If somebody heads this way while I’m down in the mine, call me on the walkie-talkie and I’ll be right up,” Michael assured her.

  In a few minutes he’d affixed the rope ladder to the fence posts, tied one end of the nylon rope to a post and the other to a metal pail, and donned the breathing apparatus and hard hat.

  “Hold it right there, Michael,” Kimberly instructed. “I want to take a snapshot of you in that outlandish get-up. You look like a creature from outer space.”

  Michael posed for the picture, then readied for his descent. “Okay, Kim, I want you to be very careful whenever you go near the opening,” he warned. “The ground here is a little loose, and, if you slip, you might fall in. In fact, before you step anywhere near the hole, I want
you to tie a piece of rope around your waist and fasten the other end of it to the fence, as a safety precaution.

  “I’ll take the lantern and a walkie-talkie with me. I can attach them to my belt. While I’m going down the ladder, I won’t be able to carry anything else. I’ll call you on the walkie-talkie if I need something sent down. Put small items in the pail and lower it slowly. You’ll have to tie the bigger things, such as the shovel, directly to the line.”