Jake spotted his quarry out of the corner of his eye but maintained his attention on the water below as the pompous litigator with a cigarette dangling from his lips marched with purpose toward the designated meeting site.
An Asian homeless man followed Reid down the pier. When Reid stopped to assess the people around him, the homeless man, reeking of alcohol and urine, approached the attorney dressed in his tailored Armani suit and Dolce & Gabbana shoes.
In a heavy accent the beggar pleaded, “Can you spare change?”
Reid removed the cigarette from his lips. Responding with the dismissive arrogance of the landed gentry, he grunted, “I gave at the office.”
“Please,” said the homeless man in a hope-filled voice as he reached for the suit and grabbed at the sleeve.
With his free hand Reid brushed the man’s right arm aside, more disgusted than afraid. “Don’t touch me,” said Reid defiantly.
“You have very nice suit, you spare few dollars.”
Reid picked up his pace and scooted past the beggar as a few fishermen who watched the exchange turned their attention back to their multiple fishing lines.
Reid hustled toward Jake, who was still looking out over the water.
“Do those guys just bathe in their own piss?” said Reid, flicking the cigarette into the ocean. “The smell, how do they stand living like that?”
Jake didn’t turn to acknowledge the comment, his apparent focus on the surfers. There was an awkward silence as Reid reached inside his jacket and pulled a tricolor gold cigarette case from his pocket. As if stalling for time, he removed a cigarette and tapped it against the case.
The homeless man meandered over to a bench a few feet from where Jake and Reid were standing.
“You must be Jake,” said Reid, squarely facing the undercover FBI agent.
Jake continued the long moment of awkward silence before turning slightly and sneered, “And why must I be Jake? I don’t have to be anybody.” He looked the lawyer up and down as if sizing him up. “Who are you?”
Reid was caught short. The encounter with the homeless man took the lawyer out of his game and now he was being ridiculed by some guy in cowboy boots who towered over him. “Maybe I got the wrong guy. Sorry.” The words almost choked as the apology stumbled out of his mouth. Mea culpa didn’t come easily to someone used to commanding those beneath his perceived place in society. He dropped the unlit cigarette and returned the case to inside his jacket. Reid turned to look at the others on the pier but Latino fishermen or the homeless didn’t fit the description he’d been given. Confusion reigned and he stammered with a weak “Tommy sent me. I was looking for…”
“Yeah, maybe I’m the guy you want,” interrupted Jake.
“I’m Daniel Reid,” he said, offering his hand.
Jake forcefully grabbed the extended arm just above the wrist and pulled the lawyer forward, giving Reid a Mafia hug and obligatory pat-down, running his hands up and down Reid’s back searching for a wire or a weapon.
Reid tried to push himself away but was no match for the undercover agent’s strength. “What are you doing? Do you think I brought a gun?”
Jake released Reid, who stepped back, brushing off his suit and straightening his tie.
“No, I think you may be wearing a wire. This could all be a setup. You might be some slick attorney trying to work off a tax beef. I don’t know you. Tommy said you needed help. But I don’t know that I trust Tommy any more than I trust you.”
“So are you satisfied?”
“Yeah.”
“Do I get to check you out?”
Jake took a step back, held out his hands, palms up, and gestured with a perceptible wiggle. “Yeah. Come on.”
Reid took a step forward and Jake said, “But if you don’t find anything I’m going to throw your ass over the railing. And for a few bucks everyone on this pier will tell the same story… the guy in the suit jumped. He must have gotten scared by the homeless man.”
Reid stopped in his tracks and screwed up his courage. “We aren’t getting off to a very good start.”
“Sure we are. You’re not wired and you know I’m all about business. Now let’s talk about your problem.”
Reid had his head down, afraid to look Jake in the eye. Trying to defuse the volatility of the situation and make a little nice-nice, the lawyer said, “Good-looking boots.”
“Ostrich skin. I can afford it and I’m worth it.”
Reid reached inside his suit coat and again removed the gold cigarette case.
“Nice case,” said Jake.
“It’s a Cartier.”
“You can afford nice toys, too.”
“It was a gift but yes, I can afford nice toys.”
Reid opened the case and began to remove a cigarette.
Determined to keep Reid off balance and uncomfortable, Jake said, “Leave the smokes in your jacket. Your cigarettes smell worse than your friend over there,” referring to the homeless man.
Reid slowly replaced the case inside his suit coat. “Tommy told me you had a way of making problems disappear.”
“Yeah, I’m a regular Criss Angel when it comes to problems, assuming the price is right. Why would a rich man like you need my services?”
“I need someone out of my life and I need it done quickly and quietly.”
“Timing shouldn’t be an issue as long as you’re straight up with the facts. Who is the someone?”
“It’s a girl.”
“I don’t do kids,” snapped Jake.
“No, I mean a girlfriend.”
Jake looked down and saw a diamond-studded gold wedding band on the lawyer’s left ring finger. “Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I guess if you don’t have a problem with murder, adultery shouldn’t be an issue. Why don’t you just break it off and walk away?”
Reid put his head down and in a near whisper said, “It’s complicated.”
“It always is; otherwise you wouldn’t need me. What’s the complication? Is it a celebrity? Some politician or a judge? Notoriety costs more.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. She’s the daughter of what you might call a business associate and she’s pregnant. I offered to pay for an abortion but she wants to keep the baby. That isn’t going to happen. I won’t be blackmailed with support payments for the next eighteen years.”
“Does this business associate know you’ve been dipping your pen in the company inkwell?”
“She says she hasn’t said a word but how can I believe her? She kept telling me she couldn’t get pregnant.”
“How do you know the baby is yours?” Jake offered with a hint of skepticism. “You said you can’t believe her.”
Reid reflected briefly on Jake’s question. His ego wanted to believe she had been faithful and the child was his. “Look, under the circumstances a paternity test is out of the question.”
“Why?” asked Jake. “Are you sure there aren’t any other boyfriends?”
“Most of our dates have been at clubs catering to young Asians. Maybe she met someone there. I don’t know, but waiting for the kid to be born and finding out he has round eyes is a chance I can’t take. Her father would have me killed if I bet wrong.”
Jake looked back out over the water and leaned against the railing. He paused for a long moment as if gathering his thoughts and knew he was making the attorney anxious. “I love the ocean. Each wave seems to bring new hope as it washes away the disturbances in the sand created by men and their problems.” Jake paused again, this time for dramatic effect. “I understand your complication.”
“So you can handle it?” There was a hint of excited anticipation in his voice.
“I can handle it. You want to send a message or just make the problem go away?”
“No, I want it to go away. If it looks like an accident, all the better.”
“I can do accidents. How about a random act of violence?”