Page 28 of Pro Bono

After she was settled in the master bedroom he made the rounds of the house, checked every lock, and studied the street and nearby yards for activity. Then he set his phone’s alarm to wake him three times during the night so he could check again. He had not forgotten that Copes and Minkeagan had not stopped being professional criminals.

He didn’t hear Vesper Ellis moving around until sevenA.M.He got up, showered, dressed, and went downstairs. She had made him a breakfast of eggs Benedict that could have come from the restaurant of a good hotel and served it on a set of dishes in a modern pattern. He said, “This is wonderful, and it wasn’t necessary.”

Vesper Ellis shrugged. “I heard the shower and figured you’d be hungry. I used to entertain a lot, so my head is full of recipes I hardly ever use anymore. It was kind of fun to cook something nice again.”

“It’s great. Thank you. I hope you’ll cater my disbarment party.”

“It depends on how many friends you have. I don’t want any big jobs.”

After breakfast he helped clean up and put the pans and dishes in the dishwasher, stripped the sheets off the bed in the guest room, then said,“Quick question. Do you ever meet with the advisors who handle your accounts?”

“No. My husband did at least a couple times, but those accounts were started a few years ago, so I’m not even sure the advisors are still the same people. I’ve never seen any reason to ask for a meeting. They would call me about once a year and suggest it, but I sensed a sales pitch, and I was still busy running a small business and trying to hold on to my sanity.”

“Not surprising,” he said. “I’m going now. I’ll be in touch, probably with other questions. If a day goes by when I don’t call you, then call me. I want to be sure you’re okay. And call me right away if any of those investment companies contact you.” Then he added, “If you see either of the two kidnappers, even from a distance, call even faster.”

“I will,” she said.

“When you do, don’t forget that both of our phones still might be tapped.”

On his way to his condo building, he called his car dealer to have his bullet-damaged car towed to their shop for repairs. Next, he drove to the car rental agency to trade in his rental car, because his new associates Copes and Minkeagan had seen it. He replaced it with a black Honda. The car didn’t look fancy, and it wasn’t large, but it had good acceleration and maneuverability, and tinted side windows. He hated driving with tinted windows, but he liked not being easy to recognize. He stopped at an electronics store on the way to work and bought four burner phones with cash.

He was still at the office before ten. The first thing he did when he arrived was to check on the cars he had tracked with AirTags. The two cars that usually went to work at financial firms were parked where they usually were during business hours. The Lamborghini that was usuallyparked behind Patrick Ollonsun’s house was on the road. At this moment it was moving along Route 1, heading north along the coast past Malibu.

The tags he had installed on the cars had been a sensible move when he had still thought one of these men had arranged to have their client kidnapped. It made less sense now that he believed they were nonviolent white-collar criminals engaged in long-term, gradual embezzling.

As he closed the laptop, he heard Martha’s key slide into the lock and then turn. He remained seated behind his desk rather than startling her by standing up. Martha entered the office with Alan the dog, saw Warren, and said, “Good morning, Charlie. You’re here! I was planning to get in touch with the police to find out where you were being held so we could consider bailing you out.”

“Consider?”

“I might have had to save up. It could have taken weeks. I’d still have to get my hair done, get manicures, clothes, and so on. It all contributes to the tone of the office.”

“I get it. I just didn’t have anything to report until after hours. Next time I’ll call and wake you up. If I do, answer the phone, because I really might need bail.”

She stopped and stared at him. “You’re serious. What’s going on?”

“As of right now, Vesper Ellis is alive and free. There were no kidnappers. I just misunderstood, jumped to that conclusion, and involved the police. She still has the theft problem. Have we heard from the financial companies that hold her accounts yet?”

“Three have frozen her accounts and written to tell you so. Two have answered to say they can’t do that without confirmation from Vesper Ellis that it’s what she wants.”

“Founding Fathers Vested and Great Oceana Monetary?”

“Correct.”

“Thank you, Martha. When I get around to it, I’ll ask Vesper to give them a call, or maybe even bring her to their headquarters.”

“I thought you’d be in more of a hurry.”

“I think that they’ve already placed a hold on any transactions. They know from my letter that they’ve got a problem, and therefore liability, and the obvious way to keep it from getting worse is to freeze Vesper Ellis’s accounts. They might have strategic reasons not to let me know they did what I asked, but I’m betting they did it.”

“Okay. I’m glad you didn’t lose our new client. Congratulations.” She went to the reception desk in the outer office, patted Alan’s head, and started paying attention to her computer.

Warren closed his office door, then unwrapped, assembled, and charged all four of the burner phones. He picked one and dialed the number of Copes’s phone. He was still afraid that Minkeagan’s call might have been picked up on a tap, but Copes hadn’t called him.

When Copes answered, Warren said, “I’m calling from a burner phone, and I’ve got two for you and your friend. Where do I go to get them to you?”

“You don’t have to. We’re less than a mile from your office. We’ll drop by and get them now.”

“Call me when you drive into the lot. Park near the elevator and wait. I’ll be there soon,” Warren said. He ended the call and went back to work.

---