Chapter 6 Let’s Make A Deal #2
She paused at a crosswalk, the blinking red hand urging her to wait.
As she stood there, she closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the hum of passing conversations, the distant honk of a car, the steady drum of her own heartbeat.
Then the light changed. She exhaled, opened her eyes, and kept walking.
The moment she arrived at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Sheila jumped up, waving several memos, all of which had ‘urgent’ scrawled across the top.
Scowling, Esther grabbed them and strode into her office, closing the door behind her.
For a moment, she leaned back against the sturdy door, forcing her shoulders to relax and taking several deep breaths before moving to her desk.
The first message was from C-VILLE Weekly requesting an interview.
She scoffed and tossed the paper to one side.
“That’s not urgent,” she muttered. The second message was more difficult to decipher, and she scanned it with a furrowed brow.
One Daniel Larimore, attorney-at-law, was requesting a phone call.
The notation on the message read: “Important proposal. Please call at once.”
She stared down at the message. That name. It sounds familiar. She glanced toward Norman Clayton’s office, and seeing him at his desk, she pressed the intercom, connecting their two offices. “Norm? Would you step in for a second?”
When Clayton entered, she handed him the message, then motioned him to a chair. “I know I’ve heard that name, Norm. But I can’t place it. Can you?”
Clayton read the message and then handed it back before taking a seat, his face alight with a mischievous grin. “That, dear Esther, is the name of one of Elias Moreno’s legal team. He’s low-level, which is probably why Moreno chose him.” He leaned toward Esther. “Elias’s reaching out.”
Esther tapped the message against her desk, staring at it as if it might burst into flames.
“Do we bring Colin in on this?” she asked, glancing at Norm. “He’ll want to be informed, but I think we both know how he’ll react.”
Norm snorted, settling back in his chair. “Oh, I can tell you exactly how he’ll react! He’ll insist on attending the meeting and then spend the entire time listing the various ways he plans to make Elias Moreno regret the day he was born.”
Esther sighed. “I already dealt with him once today, and you’re right about his mood.” She looked up at Clayton, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t want to sidestep him, Norm. But I hesitate to involve him too deeply in these negotiations. This situation is just too personal for him.”
Norm nodded, his expression sober. “If he pushes too hard and fast, Moreno might pull back before we get anything useful.”
She nodded, chewing on her lower lip. “All right, so for the time being, this is you and me.”
“I’ll return the call if you like—see what this Larimore wants. We can always bring Colin in later.”
Esther leaned towards him and then hesitated for a moment, her expression puzzled.
“This… Larimore. Why him?” She drummed her fingers against the desk.
“He’s not one of Moreno’s top attorneys.
Is he sending him because he wants to keep this under the radar…
or because Larimore serves some purpose we haven’t figured out yet? ”
“He may be simply testing the waters,” Clayton offered.
“Tossing Larimore into the deep end rather than risk exposing one of his top-tier attorneys to the kind of scrutiny this office can bring to bear.” Clayton paused, shaking his head.
“You want my take? Elias wants to play Let’s Make A Deal, and he’s starting with a softball pitch to see if we’re willing to go along. ”
Esther nodded. “Maybe the pressure we’ve been putting on his businesses has started to take a toll.”
“Without a doubt. Plus, you can bet that Lexi has been whining to his big brother morning, noon, and night about finding him better quarters.” Clayton gave a soft, ironic laugh. “Red Onion is no picnic… especially in solitary.”
Esther handed him the memo. “Get back to me as soon as you talk to this guy.”
Clayton rose and moved toward the door. “I’ll make the call right away.”
With Clayton gone, Esther leaned back and exhaled slowly. She checked the clock. She had fifteen minutes to get to UVA for an informal talk with law students about careers in prosecution. It wasn’t urgent, but canceling at the last minute was out of the question.
When she returned from the university, a yellow sticky note sat dead center on her desk.
Call me—Norm. She glanced toward Clayton’s office in time to see him step out, memo in hand.
Seconds later, he entered her office, the memo pinched between his fingers.
His stride was steady, but his eyes carried a knowing edge.
He set the note on her desk and met her gaze. “Elias wants a meeting.”
“He wants a meeting?” Esther replied, directing him to a chair.
“Not with him, not right away anyway,” Clayton said as he fell into the chair. “We’ll meet with the lawyer who will provide us with Elias’s—” Clayton shot her a look and arched an eyebrow— “demands.”
“Ha!” Esther shot back. “Demands, my ass!”
“Esther, relax. It’s a tactic. He knows he’s in no position to make demands.
” He glanced down at his notes. “The meeting will take place in a controlled environment, with only the attorney and us. He’ll give us Elias’s terms and tell us what he’s offering in return.
” He leaned toward Esther. “Esther, I think this is legit. I think we should take the meeting.”
She stared out the window for a moment, considering, then turned back to Clayton.
“I think you should take the meeting. He doesn’t get both of us.
And we make no commitments. You’re there to listen, nothing more.
Once we know his terms, we can discuss them.
” She turned to face Clayton. “That might be the right time to bring Colin into the room.”
Clayton nodded. “I’m supposed to call Larimore back to arrange a time and place.” He glanced at his watch as he got to his feet. “Too late today—maybe I can set it up for tomorrow.”
“Do you know where?”
He shot his boss a look. “I’m going to suggest The Clifton and ask for a private dining room.”
“Good choice. Norm, I don’t have to tell you that I want to be kept in the loop on this.”
“Of course, Esther.” He moved toward the door. “I’ll send you details as soon as I have them.”
Later that afternoon, as she sat in a meeting room with city police detectives reviewing long-term investigations, her phone flashed a text message from Clayton: Clifton. 1 p.m. tomorrow. She pressed her lips together and, for a moment, her eyes closed.
And so it begins.
By the time she emerged from her meeting with the city detectives, it was nearly five o’clock. As she entered the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, she saw Colin standing at the counter, laughing with Sheila. His overcoat was on, and his briefcase was in his hand.
“You headed home?”
“Don’t I wish. I’m headed back to the Omni. My husband blackmailed them into giving us some actual cooking equipment, and he’s making me dinner.”
“Better text him. You’re going to be late,” Esther announced, waving him into her office.
Colin shot Sheila a puzzled glance before trailing behind Esther. “What’s up, boss lady?”
Esther pointed to a chair. Once Colin sat, she leaned back against her desk, arms folded. “Tomorrow at one, Norm’s meeting with a Moreno attorney to hear Elias’s so-called ‘demands’.”
Colin froze, every muscle taut. “Esther, I—”
“Stop right there,” Esther snapped, interrupting him. “You’re not going anywhere near that meeting. And neither am I.”
He settled, jaw tight, gaze locked on the floor.
She watched him think it through, then saw him give a slow nod and collect himself. “I understand.”
“Good. When Norm’s back, the three of us will go over Elias’s proposal together.”
He nodded again. “What about the FBI?”
“I told them. They’re watching. Not stepping in—yet.”
“How secret is this? Can I tell Josh?”
“Of course. But I’d wait until we know more. I don’t want him getting his hopes up just to have them crushed. Tomorrow, we’ll know. You can tell him then.”
Colin nodded, jaw still set. “It’ll kill me to sit on it, but you’re right.”
Esther softened, just a flicker. “Go home. Have dinner and watch TV with your husband. Enjoy the peace. Tomorrow, the door opens—and we don’t know what’s behind it.”
She waved him out. “It might be a while before you get another quiet night.”