Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [85]
“Have you heard from this guy?”
Bart rolled his eyes and took a deep breath and said, “No.”
“Then why would the lady want to double-cross you?”
“I don’t know. I did what she asked me to do, including something I didn’t want to do,” Bart said softly.
“What was that?”
“I called the man’s father and told him his son was a homo and a child molester.”
“Was he?”
“I don’t know. The guy certainly liked what I was serving up. I don’t know if he’s a child molester, probably not. Ava thought it would really do him in, even if it was a lie.”
“Ava? Did you say Ava?” I felt a sudden chill in the air and pulled my towel over my shoulders.
“Yeah, Ava,” Bart said. I started to ask for a last name, but I thought I’d see if I could get more information first.
“Is Ava from New York? I knew an Ava once,” I said as I turned toward Bart to see if he was trying to play me.
“No! I think she’s from California. Which part I don’t know.”
“Is she a middle-aged lady?”
“I would say so, but she wouldn’t. No, that goddamned Ava doesn’t know her days of being a girl are over,” Bart said.
I stopped my questions, because I had the answer I needed. I knew there were a lot of women in both New York and California with the name Ava. But I also knew there was only one “goddamned Ava.”
Batman Returns
I walked into my office building on another dreary, gray day, as winter headed into its final slide. When I walked into the suite, Kendra greeted me with several messages and said Brison and Nico were waiting for me in the conference room.
“Do we have a meeting scheduled?” I asked. I didn’t recall a meeting, and I had taken my time getting to the office. I had been trying to get in touch with Daschle, who wasn’t returning my calls. I wanted to find out who he had spoken to and wanted to make sure he’d gotten in touch with the person who could help him with his reading. He didn’t have to be my client for me to try and help him out, I told myself.
I walked into my office and took off my overcoat and sports jacket, grabbed a legal pad and a cup of coffee, then headed to the conference room. When I opened the door, Brison and Nico were huddled at the end of the maple conference table.
“When did we schedule this meeting?” I asked.
“Basil, we got some major problems,” Brison said.
“Yeah, dude. Two more clients have left, and the basketball player I was about to sign called me last night and said he couldn’t sign with a firm that was run by faggots,” Nico said with an air of superiority.
“What are you talking about, Nico?” I said, looking directly into his eyes and ignoring Brison.
“I’m talking ’bout you, man. You got to come clean with us before we lose everything. I told you guys we should have sold the firm when we had a chance. Who is going to want to buy a company whose clients are leaving by the hour?” Nico said.
“You’re overstating the facts,” Brison said.
“I don’t know who’s spreading these lies, but I’m not letting somebody else’s bullshit run my life. Who left the agency and why did they leave?”
“Martin Gill and Terrence Allen. Both said they were called and told we had a child molester running the firm,” Brison said.
“So now I’m not only supposed to be a faggot but a child molester as well?”
“Aren’t they one and the same?” Nico asked with a smirk. He was now sitting on the edge of the table with his arms folded across his chest.
“Nico, be cool,” Brison said.
“Brison, you don’t have to protect me from Nico. I can handle myself,” I said as I slapped the pad on the table. A fire-hot burst of anger came over me, and I wanted to punch Nico in his fucking mouth. I thought about it for a few seconds and knew punching Nico was about as stupid as this conversation. I also thought about Yancey and Bart. I still hadn’t determined which one was responsible. I was wondering how a person could tap into our company’s database, contact