Fool Me Once

"Uh-huh," Thomas said. "Yeah, he doesn't evenhave a passport, no indication he knows anyone in the Caymans or anywhere else down there, no unexplained money, no unusual debts...and none that are putting a strain on him or his business. If he's part of it, he's damned good."

********

Ryan told Consuela of the visit, using his pre-paid cell phone, that night. She was wondered nervously what the agents knew, but Ryan dismissed her fears.

They were just fishing, he told her. If they'd had anything, they would have asked specific questions about his work, where he'd been during the important dates when the funds had gone missing, who he talked to on those days...stuff like that.

He told Consuela he'd waited for even a hint of a suspicion about his connection with her but none had come. He put it stronger. They'd asked no questions that might evenpossibly develop any information leading in her direction. He'd made sure of that.

It was clear there was nothing to the visit, he told Consuela. They were just filling squares in the investigation so the defense could not say they'd "rushed to judgment." Ryan and Consuela would need to be concerned only if they came back armed with search warrants wanting to search his office or something like that.

However, that really wasn't a problem, he told her...not when you thought about it. Even if they did come back with search warrants, Ryan said, they would find absolutely nothing.

What was there to find? The only incriminating physical evidence was the laptop a hundred miles away out on the prairie under Cousin Richard's guardianship. Everything else was smashed, burned to oblivion, and the unidentifiable remains dumped in lakes for a hundred miles around.

Even if they found out about Consuela, whatever anyone had seen would be assumed to be an affair of the heart and not at all suspicious, given the state of Ryan's marriage. There would be some people at the café who could testify Ryan had had breakfast with her a couple of times, but that was all they could say.

None of her relatives would talk, and few of them knew anything anyway. The cars had been arranged through her aunt and no one else had a clue. Her aunt wouldn't evenconsider cooperating with the police. She still seethed at the treatment her son had received in a DUI arrest seven years ago.

Everything considered, he didn't expect anyone would ever to Consuela with questions. He assured her he wouldn't allow even a hint of suspicion to come her way.

********

The bank's senior negotiators asked for Ryan and his attorney to a conference to discuss an early settlement on Ryan's suit. Ryan had no problem meeting with the bank's representatives. He was relaxed and completely at ease when he strolled into the bank's conference room.

"Mr. Gilchrist, my clients feel your claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress does not, in fact, have any merit in a legal sense, but we agree there may have been some minor irregularities in the supervision of some employees and I..."

"Mr. Gilchrist? Is there something wrong?"

Ryan had gotten out of his chair and was straightening his suit coat and buttoning it. He looked at the attorney for the bank. He'd introduced himself as Darrin Estrada.

"Well...you said the lawsuit doesn't have any...uh...merit, right? Isn't that what you said? Heck, if that's the case, I figured we were all done. I was just going to go home and wait for the judge to set a court date," Ryan told Mr. Estrada.

"Ah...perhaps you would like a moment to confer with your counsel?" Estrada asked nervously.

Ryan looked around at his attorney. Mr. London was also standing, having risen an instant after his client. He'd been surprised, but not overly so, that his client was taking the lead in the discussion.

"Nah," Ryan replied. "I know Mr. London pretty well now. He's been working for me since late last year. Good man. He's given me all kinds of good advice," Ryan said contentedly.

"Ah...yes, I'm sure," Estrada replied. "Well, I'll get right to the point if you'd like. Would you care to have a seat, Mr. Gilchrist?" Ryan shrugged.

"If you're through wasting everybody's time...sure."

"Fine," Estrada said in a jovial voice. "I'm sure we can conclude our business shortly," he added.

"Good," Ryan responded, "I'm scheduled to testify in a sexual harassment case up in the Dallas Federal Court building this afternoon. If we can wrap things up here purty quick, I'd sure 'nuf be obliged. I've kinda taken an interest in that case, if you know what I mean." The exaggerated southern accent provoked a faint flush to creep up Estrada's neck.

Estrada's lips tightened and a nervous tic started on the left side of his neck. He knew the case Gilchrist was referring to. A man in a chair set in the corner of the room shifted in his seat. He didn't say a word but Estrada reacted to the slight movement.

"Yes, I'm sure we can get you out of here in plenty of time, Mr. Gilchrist," he remarked, shuffling through a mass of documents in his briefcase.

"Mr. Gilchrist, let's...uh...get to the bottom line, here, okay? My clients would like to offer you--"

Ryan made a chopping gesture with his right hand. He let his irritation show.

"Come off it. Look, this bank is being whipsawed," Ryan said impatiently, "between the United States Attorney for this district and Texas Attorney General on the issue of sexual harassment on the part of senior officials in this lending institution, Mr. Estrada. It's grown to epidemic proportions in the last three years and now all it's all coming home to roost. On top of that you've got Federal agents crawling all over your offices, trying to find a zillion dollars one of those same senior officials sent to secret banks overseas.

"You didn't have your investment divisions and personal wealth divisions sufficiently separated like normal banks do and, as a result, you've got auditors coming out of your ears. On top of all that, I come along and I want a chunk of your ass because I can trace, withgreat specificity, sir, the failure of my marriage to your senior officers' failure to supervise her and one of your vice-presidents."

Ryan leaned back in his seat and looked coldly at Mr. Estrada's pale features.

"I canread, Mr. Estrada," Ryan told him, "and darned nearly everything I mentioned is in the newspaper. The part that isn't is on the public record in the documents filed in the harassment case or my own suit. Why are you so surprised I have a good handle on all this? Is there anything I missed, Mr. Estrada?"

"Err...I think you've summarized some of the issues quiet well, Mr. Gilchrist. I--"

The man sitting in the corner groaned and sat up straighter in his straight-backed chair. His face had been partially hidden in a shadow; it was now visible. The man stood and came to stand beside the table.

"I'm Parker Winston," he said by way of introduction. He didn't offer his hand. "I'm from Chicago," he said. He didn't explain the implications of that statement. Ryan knew the corporate headquarters were in Chicago. Ryan looked at attorney from the big office with interest.

"Estrada," Winston said coldly, "you just told our friends Mr. Gilchrist and Mr. London we have so many problems we don't know where to start fixing them."

Estrada's face took on a stricken look.

"Get out," Winston ordered harshly.

For a long moment, the attorney and his assistant didn't move. Then Estrada and the man with him...Estrada hadn't introduced the man...hurriedly gathered their papers and left the room.

Winston looked at Ryan for a long moment without speaking. He was a man used to power. He expected Ryan to look away after a short time. When Ryan did not, he began to speak in a precise, measured tone.

"In ten minutes you can walk out of here a rich man," Winston told Ryan. "You get rid of your lawyer...make it just between us two and we can do this in a lot less time than it takes to say," he offered. Ryan looked in the man's eyes for a long moment.

"Mr. London?" Ryan said without looking at his attorney. "I wonder if you'd mind excusing us for just a moment?" London nodded, stood, and walked to the door. He left his briefcase behind. He intended coming back. The door closed with a solid thump.

Winston sat in the unused chair at the head of the conference table. He was relaxed, confident.

"What will it take, Mr. Gilchrist?" he asked suddenly. "I want you and your suit to go away and we'll pay you well to make that happen. That idiot Estrada thinks you're a damned cowboy but you're smart enough to know this bank can't handle much more bad publicity. You have us by the short hairs and we know it. How much?"

Ryan gazed at the man for a long moment. Judging by Estrada's reaction to the man's preemptory order, this man was an extraordinarily powerful man in the bank's head office. He wanted this case to "go away," as he put it and he wanted it bad.

"I don't believe in beingtoo greedy," Ryan said, "but I want this to hurt bad enough that your fine institution learns areal good lesson," he mused. Winston's lips thinned another micro millimeter.

"My price is four million dollars," Ryan said quietly. " One lump sum...tax free. That is...you pay the tax on it by giving me enough over that to leave me four million when it's all over" he told the banker. "Unless, by some miracle Congress revises the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 so IIED cases are not taxable again," he added.

"Have they done that today and I haven't heard about it?"

Winston's eyes narrowed. The man hadn't stumbled over the lengthy name of the applicable act and the acronym for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" had rolled easily off his tongue. This minor contractor knew an awful lot, when you got down to it. He reaffirmed his judgment this country bumpkin needed to be out of the bank's business...now.

"Done," Winston said.

Ryan shook his head and held up his right hand. His pinky finger was folded into his palm.

"Don't be so quick to agree, Parker, old bean. You might not like the whole package. That was just the first condition...and that one is in addition to paying my lawyer's fees, by the way. Any objection so far?"

Mr. Winston waited a moment, staring Ryan in the eyes and trying to read the mind behind them. He shook his head.

"Okay,second, the bank settles out of court with all eleven of the men and women who've alleged sexual harassment in the case up in Dallas without making them go through a trial," Ryan said.

"Out of the goodness of your heart, their compensation for their suffering will be five hundred thousand dollars, one lump payment...and tax free in the same fashion mine is, and you'll pay their attorney's fees too." The ring finger on Ryan's right hand was wiggling slowly in the air to show Winston the condition was still unfinished.

"In addition, if they've quit or been terminated, you'll offer them their jobs back and restore them to their previous positions if they want themwith suitable promotions they would have otherwise have been eligible for. They're entitled to back pay for the entire period backdated to the date of termination.

"Those who stayed with the company are due all the back wages up to the present date for the difference in what they did earn and what theywould have earned with promotions they weren't considered for because of the harassment recriminations.

"You'll expunge any and all poor performance reports if they were given during the period, or immediately after the alleged time of harassment. If the bank gave any poor recommendations to any of the eleven who quit, those recommendations will be rescinded and new ones issued with apologies for the misunderstanding to the businesses where they now work."

Ryan let his ring finger fold itself into his palm.

"Third, you will pay Mrs. Sharon Michaels an amount equal to ten years of his salary, plus any other compensation he would, or most likely would have earned, had he remained in the position he held before he was indicted for fraud and money laundering. It will be, as with the rest of us, a one-time payment and "tax free" like we've already discussed.

"Fourth, Mr. Winston, I and everyone concerned will get a written apology from the CEO of this bank for the pain inflicted on us because you people can't keep your house in order.

"Fifth, in return, Mr. Winston, we will agree to not pursue any future litigation in connection with the incidents alleged in the documents already submitted to the courtand we will agree to sign nondisclosure agreements and not go public with any part of the settlement...including the apology."

All five of Ryan's digits were doubled into his palm. His let his fingers and thumb tighten into a clinched fist he held motionless for a long moment. Then he dropped his hand gently to the tabletop.

Winston was silent, staring at Ryan for a long while. He clearly didn't like the terms that were being dictated to him.

"Come on, Mr. Chicago lawyer-banker man," Ryan said in a derisive tone. His eyes were cool, mocking. His lips were curved slightly in an amused smile.

"You know damn good and well, the award to me for the IIED isn't limited by any current statuette," Ryan said.

"I've got areal good lawyer working for me. If you don't go for this, my award alone will be twenty or thirty million...maybe more, and you know it won't be overturned on any appeal. I've looked at the stats on the last fifty such cases and they were all confirmed except for that one with incomplete documentation. You've also got to pay your own attorney fees on top of that...I know you can draw this out for years, but it'll be costing you an arm and a leg just to keep the lawyers working. You can avoid all that. Don't pass up the chance, pardner."

Winston was still silent, considering his alternatives. The man across from him was laughing at him. Gilchrist had the bank, and its officers, by the scruff of the neck and he knew it. Still, he delayed, hoping against hope something would happen to turn this all around.

"What's the bad publicity worth that you're going to get every day though my trial and theirs, Mr. Winston?" Ryan said softly. He leaned closer.

"I promise you," Ryan almost whispered, "my attorney will be giving a press conference out on the courthouse steps every single day right after court adjourns. Can you think he'll forget to mention the evil bankers from the north who've come down to corrupt our innocent women and idealistic young men in any of those little talks, Mr. Winston?"

Parker Winston glared at Ryan with menacing eyes until it was clear it had no affect.

"Agreed," Winston said abruptly. He didn't look any happier than he had a moment earlier. He had an air of resignation about him though.

"Let's get London back in here," Winston said. "You tell him what he's supposed to know and he can draft up the paperwork. We'll have to get the individuals who filed lawsuits alleging harassment to agree, but I expect they'll accept that deal in a heartbeat. Estrada will call them up in Dallas as soon as we're done here. I think we can get to them before the first one goes into the courtroom.

"I'll tell Estrada and the people upstairs they're to sign the agreement with you without delay. All payments will be computed and delivered by courier made not more than ten work days after that signature...same for the harassment cases. Agreed?"

Ryan hesitated, looking at Winston intently for a long moment. He nodded.

Chapter 7

"I'm going to get five hundred thousand dollars?" Consuela asked wonderingly.

"Yep," Ryan assured her. She looked at him with a bemused expression.

"Actually something more than that...for lost wages and stuff," he added.

"And you're getting fourmillion?"

Ryan nodded.

"Pretty cool huh?" he said.

Consuela nodded. She still had a dazed expression on her face. She looked around the living room in a too-small house she would not have to live in again. She didn't know what to say, or do.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"Well," Ryan said reflectively.

He untwined Belinda's arms from around his neck for a moment. She was holding on so tight he was having trouble breathing. It had been a long time since Ryan and Consuela had thought it safe to meet and Belinda was afraid he was going to leave again.

"How about we go see what dinner's are like at the café these days?" Ryan suggested.

Consuela's eyes widened. She knew the significance of being seen in public together. It was no longer dangerous to be together. She smiled happily.

"Yaaaaaaeeee..." Belinda caroled.

It took almost longer than the four-year-old's patience could bear to transfer Belinda's car seat from her mother's sedan to the big pickup. Eventually, it was installed and they got on their way. It was a happy ride.

The café regulars watched the trio's arrival with surprise. This was not a chance meeting at breakfast, and anyway, Ryan and Consuela hadn't had breakfast together there for a long time. When everyone saw how contented and affectionate the three were with each other, even the most doubtful was won over. Smiles were directed at them from all corners of the room.

Ryan was accepted without question into their midst. Several couples and families dropped by on their way out to chat with Consuela and to be formally introduced to Ryan. Everyone told them they shouldn't be strangers.

********

They got home just before midnight. The dinner had led to a visit to Baskin Robbins, and that evolved into a trip to the movies to see a children's movie for Belinda. Everyone had been having a good time and no one wanted it to end.

Exhausted, Belinda fell asleep in the truck on the way home and only murmured faint protests when Ryan took her out of the car seat and carried her into the house. Consuela loosened the small girl's clothing, took off her shoes, and tucked her into bed while Ryan watched with an affectionate smile.

Ryan backed away to give Consuela space to come through the doorway. Consuela closed the bedroom door behind her and looked up into Ryan's smiling face without saying anything.

Releasing the doorknob, she moved close to Ryan and wound her arms around his neck pulling his head down for a long kiss. The movement was so smooth, so natural, Ryan had no time to step away...even had he wanted to.

His hands went to the small of her back so he could pull her tighter against him. They broke the kiss, only to start another. It wasn't their first kiss, but this time it was special and they both knew it.

"I've wanted that for a long time," Ryan told her when they stopped to breathe. Consuela smiled up at him without speaking.

"Me too," Consuela said. She touched his cheek with her right hand and traced the outline of his jaw with her fingers. Ryan caught her hand in his and tenderly kissed her fingertips.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, you know," she said quietly, unexpectedly. Ryan looked down at her and cocked his head to one side without saying anything.

"We were just going to work with each other to testify for each other," Consuela explained. "I'd tell the judge at your divorce hearing Sean made a lot of passes at me...and you'd tell the judge when my suit came up that he seduced your wife and we'd each get what we wanted."

She raised her lips for another kiss, stopping her explanation for a long while.

"Then we were going to teach them a lesson by getting them in trouble...and the bank too," she said softly. This time Ryan started the kiss.

"We did it," Consuela said, resuming after a moment. "We did exactly what we set out to do and we got away with it. And all the time, you stood there like a big wall to make sure if theydid ever figure out anything about you, they'd still never find out about me."