Brash Endeavor, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 3

by William Manchee

Chapter 28

  THE BONUS

  The following Monday when I got to the office there was a message from Ken Sherlock's office. I was fairly certain what the call was about. I had promised Ken that I would get him an assignment on Parker #3 over a week ago but obviously that wasn't going to happen. I did receive a final check for $2,200 from Inca Oil but when we got it we were so desperate for cash we had to use it to pay bills and just keep afloat. Unfortunately, nothing had come in from Gena Lombardi and Kurt Harrison was still in Brazil. Consequently, I didn't know what I was going to tell Ken Sherlock when I called his office. While I was fretting over this predicament the phone rang. It was Jane Brown.

  "I wondered if you might be free for lunch today?" she asked.

  "Sure, that would be great," I replied.

  "We'll pick you up at 12:30 then," Mrs. Brown said.

  "Okay, fine. See you then."

  The papers had been filled with the Taylor Brown and Robert Thorn stories over the past few weeks. With the help of an anonymous tip they’d found the body of the Brown chauffeur, Ronald Sage, in a dump a few miles from Brown's Johnson County ranch. While searching Sage's apartment authorities found evidence that Sage was trying to blackmail Brown and Robert Thorn over the murder of Melba Thorn. The authorities were not sure if Sage was a co-conspirator or just inadvertently found out about the plot to kill her.

  It all seemed to make sense now, Robert and Taylor wanted control of Thorn Enterprises, Inc. so they plotted to have Melba conveniently die in an accident. It might have worked had I not received the telephone calls from Melba Thorn. But there were still three big, unanswered questions: who placed the calls, how did they find out about her murder, and why did they pick me to call for help?

  At 12:30 Mrs. Brown's chauffeur, Ralph, walked in and told me Mrs. Brown was waiting. He was a very imposing figure, tall, muscular, with that black chauffeur's uniform and those big black boots he obviously wasn't someone you would want to tangle with. I guess that's the kind of person, however, you'd want to have around to deter any would-be assailants. I got up and followed Ralph out to the limousine. He opened the door and Mrs. Brown smiled and said, "Come on in." I climbed in, smiled and Ralph shut the door.

  "Do you want to go to the Italian Alps again or would like some superb Mexican food today?" Jane asked.

  "The Italian Alps was great, but I like Mexican food too."

  "Ah . . . let's go to Juan Benito's. . . . I feel like Mexican today."

  "Fine."

  "Ralph, take us to Juan Benito's."

  "Yes ma'am," Ralph said as he turned over the engine and eased out of the parking space.

  "Well, did you hear the latest?" Jane said.

  "No, what happened?" I said.

  "Robert was indicted today."

  "You're kidding?"

  "No, apparently Ronnie was blackmailing both Robert and Taylor. The police found a letter of instructions to Robert telling him where to deliver money to him. Apparently he was killed before the instructions could be delivered," Jane said.

  "I wonder how he found out about the plot to kill your mother?" I asked.

  "He probably overheard them talking about it and decided he could use the information to enhance his income," Jane replied.

  "So how do you feel about all of this? It must be tough to have your brother and husband arrested for killing your mother."

  "Yes, it is horrible. I can't believe Robert and Taylor would do such a thing, but it's sure looking more and more like they did. I just can't believe it."

  "I'm really sorry. I guess whoever said money corrupts knew what they were talking about."

  The limousine suddenly came to a halt and I looked out and saw an old sign that read, Juan Benito's Café & Cantina. We got out and went inside. After a few minutes we were seated and placed our orders.

  "So who runs the company if Taylor and Robert are convicted," I asked.

  "The Board of Directors placed me in charge this morning as soon as they got wind of Robert's indictment. I've got complete control now," Jane said. "And that reminds me of one of the reasons I wanted to have lunch with you today."

  "What's that?"

  "Thorn Enterprises is very appreciative of your investigation of mom's death. The Board of Directors feels you should be paid for the time and expenses you've incurred."

  "Well, that would be very much appreciated since I'm kind of in need of money right now."

  "Good, do you have any idea what your time and expenses are to date?"

  "Well I think I calculated about forty-five hours and eight hundred in expenses."

  "How much does that all come to exactly," Jane asked.

  "I think I figured about $7,500," I said.

  "Good," Jane said as she pulled an envelope out of her purse. "Here, this check ought to cover it then."

  I took the envelope and peaked inside. It was a check from Thorn Enterprises for $10,000. "Oh yes! This covers it nicely. Thank you."

  "Listen, the Board wanted me to convey to you their deepest appreciation for what you have done and also to tell you that in the future they may want to retain you for other projects."

  "Oh. Thank you. I'd like that. Let me know if anything comes up that I can help them with."

  "I will, definitely."

  After lunch I called Rebekah to tell her the good news.

  "You're kidding?!"

  "No. I've got a check in my hand."

  "Oh, that is so wonderful, I can't believe it! When did this happen?"

  "Ten minutes ago. Jane Brown called and wanted to have lunch. She shocked the hell out of me when she gave me the check. Now I can pay your lawyer."

  There was a long silence. "Do we have to give it all to him?"

  "Well, I'm going to give him $6,500 and use $3,500 to pay bills."

  "Good, at least we'll be able to survive another month."

  "That's right. . . . Well, I've got to go, I just wanted to give you the good news."

  "Yeah, I'm glad you called, I feel much better now."

  After talking to Rebekah I returned the call to Ken Sherlock's office. Sure enough they were wondering about their assignment on Parker #3. I told them there had been a change of plans and instead of an assignment I could give them half the balance on the retainer immediately with the rest in a week or ten days. They were very pleased to get cash rather than the assignment.

  Later that afternoon Tom Tower called to see if I had heard from Kurt. Since Kurt hadn't called me I phoned Gwen to see if she knew anything. No one answered at the Harrison mansion, so I called Cynthia.

  "Stan, I'm so glad you called." Cynthia said. "The FBI agents were just here looking for Kurt again."

  "What did you tell them?"

  "I told them I didn't know where he was," Cynthia said.

  "That's all you told them?" I asked.

  "I told them he had been in Brazil but apparently he left there because I called for him there and they said he was gone."

  "Was Heloisa with him?" I asked.

  "No, she wasn't with him when he left."

  "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

  "He might have gone to California to see Dan Kelley. If he's trying to raise money for the Panhandle Building, Dan's the one who can help him."

  "I hope that's what he's doing. Do you have Dan's phone number?"

  "Sure, I can get it for you."

  "I want to call him and see if Kurt is there or if he knows where he is."

  "Okay, good luck. Let me know what you find out."

  "I will, bye."

  "Bye."

  Anxious to talk to Kurt, I immediately called Dan Kelley's number. I knew if I didn't get this mess under control very soon it was going to be all over for Kurt, the investors and maybe even me. As the phone rang I held my breath.

  "Stan, Kurt and I were just talking about you," Dan said.

  "Then Kurt's there with you?"

  "Yes, he's right here. Do you want
to talk to him?"

  “Yes, I do."

  "Hello, Stan."

  "Kurt, I've been waiting for you to call. The FBI's still looking for you. They came by Cynthia's office today and scared the shit out of her."

  "You made the payments didn't you?"

  "Yes."

  "I thought they were going to back off once we made the past due note payments."

  "That's what I thought too, but apparently they're still worried about the deal."

  Well, I was going to call you tomorrow, so I'm glad you called. Dan's got some investors from mainland China who just signed a contract to buy the Panhandle Building. They've got more money than God and they're ready to move."

  "You're kidding? Have they seen it?"

  "They've got a man looking at it today as a matter of fact. The contract gives them a five-day inspection period. They can terminate the contract at any time before the five days expires."

  "Are you showing them the entire building?" I asked.

  "The manager was instructed to show them every floor," Kurt said. "They don't care about the condition of the building anyway. They just need a safe place to put their money," Kurt said.

  "Don't tell me anything more about your investors. I don't care why they want to buy the building, as long as they've got the money and they know exactly what they are buying so they don't come back after you or the partners."

  "Okay, do you think Ron Johnson can set up a quick closing on this deal?"

  "Oh yes, I know he can."

  "What about the FBI?" Kurt said.

  "Well if Worldwide is taken out, what do they have left to investigate?"

  "Okay, call everybody and set it up for four o'clock Friday. Come by the house Friday morning at ten with a draft of all the papers. I'll have the Chinese there and you can go over it with them to make sure everything is in order," Kurt said.

  "Okay, but are you sure about this? . . . I don't want to have Big D, Worldwide and the owners all sitting around a table ready to close this deal and then have the Chinese not show up."

  "They'll be there, don't worry. Just have everything ready."

  "You'll need to overnight me a copy of the contract of sale. Dan can't set up a closing without it."

  "We'll Fed Ex it to you today," Kurt said.

  "Okay, see you Friday then," I replied.

  This was such good news it was scary. Was Kurt just setting me up to take the fall for him? I was worried. Why would Chinese investors want the Panhandle Building? What if I set up this big closing and Kurt never made it back to Dallas? I'd have Worldwide and the FBI all over me. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any alternative but to go along with Kurt's directions and hope for the best.

  After I got off the phone I called Ron Johnson and alerted him to the fact that we needed a quick closing on a new Panhandle flip. I called Cynthia and told her what Kurt had said and asked her to let me know the minute the contract of sale came in. Then I called each of the investors and told them the good news. Tom Tower was particularly elated to hear Kurt had come through.

  "I knew Kurt would make this thing work. He's really a genius," Tom said.

  "That's not what you were saying about him last week when he was holed up in Brazil," I replied.

  "Well, I guess I sold him short. I just didn't have enough faith in him."

  "Let's wait until Friday before we pat him on the back."

  "Oh, I am sure he'll be there, he wouldn't have any reason to lie at this stage of the game."

  "I hope you're right, I'll call you when I get the contract of sale so you can decide if you want to sign it."

  "Thanks, Stan for everything."

  "No problem, bye."

  My next call was the most difficult one of all. It was to Mark Pointer, attorney for Worldwide. He'd be greatly relieved with the news I had for him. The down side, however, would be that once Worldwide learned they were being taken out it would be impossible to work with them in the future if the deal fell through. But, I had no choice but to call and alert them to the strong possibility that the building would be sold. I dialed the number and waited.

  "If your calling about the FBI I told them Kurt made his first two payments, so they're considering dropping the investigation. However, they just wanted to go to Amarillo first and check out the building, you know, just to make sure everything is okay."

  "Sure, but that may not be necessary. Kurt's got a contract on the building. I am supposed to have a copy tomorrow and the closing is set for Friday. That is, if you guys don't mind getting your loan taken out," I said.

  "I doubt if Mr. Wylie would mind much having this loan retired. He's taken a lot of flak from the bank examiners. They still don't understand how Kurt talked him into releasing those CD's," Mark confessed.

  "I wish I could have heard that conversation myself. It must have been some sales job."

  "Okay, well that's great news. Send me a copy of the contract when you get it tomorrow, okay?"

  "Sure, I'll do it. Thanks."

  The next morning the contract arrived via Federal Express around ten. I immediately sent a copy to the partners, Mark Pointer and Ron Johnson. After all of the copies were on their way, I began to examine the contract. The purchase price was more than half a million dollars higher than what Tom, George and Pete had paid for the building. I couldn't believe it, but if the deal went through they would have tripled their money in less than 90 days. Before the end of the day Tom, George and Pete dropped by to sign the original contract. Obviously they all loved the it and signed it eagerly.

  That night at dinner I was feeling pretty good. It seemed my luck was changing and, if the closing took place as planned, the worst would be over. Then I could give my complete attention to proving Rebekah innocent of Sheila Logan's murder. Before we’d finished dinner the doorbell rang.

  "Who could that be?" Rebekah said.

  "I'll get it!" Reggie yelled as he bolted from his chair and ran to the front door. In a minute he came back and said, "Daddy, it's a lady for you."

  "I wonder who that could be?" I said as I got up to go to the door. As I approached the front door I saw it was Gena Lombardi. "Gena, where have you been? I thought you skipped the country."

  "No, I was just out on the road working. When I called Mom on Monday she told me you'd got the charges dropped and I was a free woman."

  By this time Rebekah and all the three boys were all at the front door listening.

  "Come on in," I said.

  "Okay, but I can only stay a minute. I just wanted to thank you in person for what you did for me."

  "Well, I just did my job."

  "No, you did a lot more co-signing my bond, finding out my father was dead and collecting on the insurance. It's incredible what you've done for me and my family," Gena said.

  "I'm glad it all worked out."

  "Anyway I just wanted to give you the sixty-five hundred dollars we owed you and a little bonus."

  "A bonus? You don't have to give me a bonus."

  "Well, I want to. Remember, I told you someday you'd be happy you took good care of me."

  "Yes, I vaguely remember words to that effect."

  "Well there's your bonus," Gena said as she pointed to the yellow Corvette sitting in the driveway. I was stunned as she handed me a set of keys and an envelope. "Here's the keys and the title. It's all yours. Oh there still is $10,000 owed to the bank, so you can either keep making my payments or sell it and get the five or six thousand dollars’ equity. I hope you keep it though so you can get rid of that piece of shit Pinto you drive."

  "But Gena, you love that Corvette. You'd die for it." I protested.

  "I know, it isn't easy for me to do this, but you deserve it Stan," Gena said. "Besides Mom bought me a new Mercedes with that insurance money you got for us, so what do I need with two cars?"

  "Oh. I see. Now it all makes sense," I said. "This is so cool! Thank you, Gena, this is very nice of you. It's going to be a rea
l pleasure driving a decent car for a change. I'm going to really love it."

  I started to approach Gena to give her a hug but she raised her hand to stop me. "I'd love to hug you, Stan but I've been reading about your wife."

  I looked at Rebekah and laughed. "You can't believe everything you read. Rebekah wouldn't hurt a flea."

  Just then a young man in a brand new Mercedes drove up.

  "Oh, here's my ride. Well, I've got to go. Nice seeing you Rebekah, kids. . . . Good bye."

  "Good bye, thanks again," I said.

  Rebekah and the kids waved good bye. After Gena left we all went back to the dinner table in a partial state of shock. I frankly had almost given up on even getting paid let alone getting this incredible bonus. Rebekah seemed a little unsettled about the whole thing.

  "You’re not going to keep that thing are you?" Rebekah said.

  "That thing? It’s a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette. It's an awesome machine. You're damn right I'm going to keep it. We could never get a loan on a car like that in a million years. This is an incredible piece of luck."

  "But I heard sports cars are gas guzzlers and the insurance premiums are out of sight," Rebekah said.

  "Well, just let me worry about that. I've been driving the cheap Pinto for four years and I'm really going to enjoy driving a sports car for a change. Besides, tomorrow for the first time I'm going to drive up in front of Kurt Harrison's mansion and park right next to his Maserati and not feel the least bit humiliated!"

  Rebekah sighed. "Okay, but I'm just worried about the cost of having a car like that."

  "Don't worry, Babe, it won't be that bad. Now, how about a ride!" I said.

  The boys jumped up and all ran outside, Rebekah picked up Marcia and she and I joined them in front of the Corvette.

  "Can we all fit in there?" Rebekah said.

  "Well, this isn't exactly a family car, but I think so," I replied.

  Once everyone was in we took off. The sudden burst of power from the big eight-cylinder engine surprised us. The kids screamed with delight and even Rebekah cracked a smile. We drove around town proudly and then took it to Rebekah's Mom and Dad's to show it off. They were shocked but excited by our good fortune. It was a great evening; one I will remember for many years to come.

  The next morning promptly at ten I drove up in front of Kurt's mansion in the Corvette. I parked between the Rolls and the limo and when I got out I looked toward the house hoping someone had seen me drive up. As I was walking up to the front door Gwen came out to greet me. "Stan . . . you got a new car! It's beautiful."

  "Thank you. I just got it yesterday," I said.

  "Now, that looks more like an attorney's car."

  "Yeah, I think I'm going to enjoy driving it."

  "You'll have to take me for a spin when you're done with Kurt."

  "Sure thing."

  "Kurt is inside waiting for you, but before you go in I wanted to thank you for getting him back here," Gwen said.

  "Well, I'm not sure I'm the one who got him back. It seems like he knew what he was doing all along judging by the numbers on that contract of sale," I replied.

  "No, he admitted to me that he had planned to stay in Brazil. He had about a half million stashed down there and figured there was no reason to come back, but when you called he realized he'd be a fugitive the rest of his life if he didn't clean up the mess he had made and, worst of all, he could never return to the U.S. ever again."

  "Thank God he came to his senses. Can you imagine what shit would have come down if he'd never returned?"

  Gwen and I walked inside and into the den. Kurt was behind his desk writing on a yellow pad. "Hi Stan, thanks for coming by this morning. Cynthia's in the backyard showing the Chinese investors around. Did you bring all the papers?"

  "Yes, I've got them all here," I replied.

  "Good, when they come back in you can summarize the deal for them and let them look over the paperwork."

  "Sure."

  "Listen Stan, I want to thank you for knocking some sense into me while I was down in Brazil. I was just so tired and depressed that I temporarily lost my nerve."

  "You sure fooled me. From my vantage point you had the world by the tail," I replied.

  "It may have looked that way but I knew everything was going to crater after Panhandle closing, so I decided it was time to run. Then, after you called, I contacted Dan to see if he had come up with any ideas how to salvage the deal. He said he had a couple of good prospects but he needed me to come to California to work on them."

  "I hopped on the next flight to L.A. and Dan and I brain stormed for several days until we came up with the Chinese investor deal. We had heard that there were a lot of communist officials in China who had been stealing money from the government and investing it the U.S. The story was they didn't care much about how good the investment was as long as it was a hard asset like real estate and they could close quickly with little publicity."

  "The difficult part was finding them. Dan had some contacts in Hong Kong who finally got us in touch with the right people. From there on it was easy, they loved the idea of buying a building in downtown Amarillo, Texas. The fact that they were going to have to spend a little money fixing the place up didn't bother them in the least."

  "Huh, that's interesting. . . . I never knew that kind of activity was going on."

  "Oh yeah, billions of dollars are funneled out of China every year," Kurt said.

  "Well at least if they don't like their investment once they buy it they won't be complaining to the FBI," I replied.

  "That's a safe bet." Kurt laughed. "Anyway, when this deal is done I'm going to be square with everyone, thanks to you, Stan."

  "Good, I'm glad it all worked out, but I must tell you I was more than disappointed when I learned you had left the country and abandoned your investors."

  "I don't blame you. I don't know why I suddenly panicked. I hope you'll forgive me. I really want you to stay on as my attorney," Kurt said.

  "Well since you're about my only client right now I don't have much choice," I replied.

  "Good."

  From a distance we began to hear people conversing in Chinese and then suddenly the patio door opened. It was Cynthia and the Chinese delegation. When they all were seated I passed out copies of all the documents and began explaining them. Luckily several of them spoke good English so it went better than I expected.

  That afternoon the Panhandle Building sold for the second time in two months. Kurt was forty-five minutes late for the closing but he finally showed up. He was back on top again and Tom Tower, George Sanders and Pete Hall were as high as a Tibetan Monks and just itching to invest in Kurt's next venture. As usual, Kurt paid my bill in cash with thirty-seven one hundred dollar bills. I told him for accounting purposes, he ought to always pay by check but he said he always got better service from people if he paid them in cash.