Excerpt From Trading Paper

Excerpt from

Trading Paper
By Cali Canberra

Chapter 1

Johan Murphy used a monogrammed white cotton handkerchief to wipe the perspiration from his receding hair line, his face and his double chin, before he entered the law offices of Burger, Douglas, Steen & Cruise. Between the high humidity, the 97 degrees outside temperature, and the fact that he was distressed about needing to work with a different attorney in the firm, it was amazing that he wasn't drenched in sweat from head to toe.

The receptionist, dressed in a conservative black pants suit, slid the chest high bullet proof glass door open so that she could greet Johan.

"Good afternoon Mr. Murphy. Alec is waiting for you in the conference room. Give me a moment ...I'm just getting accustomed to the security measures," she said dismally as she pressed the button to unlock the new steel core wood paneled door which now separated the reception area from the rest of the offices.

As she watched him pivot slightly sideways to barely squeeze what she guessed to be his 475 pounds through the door, she offered him a cold drink.

"I'll have a tall iced tea. Thanks," he said, too self-conscious about his weight to ask for sugar.

"Yes sir."

"I'll just go back to the conference room. I know the way," he said, wishing that he wasn't so familiar with the layout of the law office.

Johan was winded as he made his way down the long corridor which had offices on the right hand wall and thick paned glass floor to ceiling windows overlooking the St. Louis arch on the left side. At the end of the corridor, the stately conference room was full of bookcases stuffed with law books and an oval table that could seat twenty people.

Three years before, during his first meeting with the firm's founder, Nathan Burger, he turned over a $200,000 cash retainer. No one at the firm made any mention of it, but by the time he arrived for his second meeting with Nathan someone thought to purchase a chair that was wide enough and plenty sturdy for Johan to comfortably sit. The chair was always available regardless of what room or office he was in at the firm.

Alec, a decidedly imposing man, stood up, dressed in a black custom tailored suit, with black shirt and a tie that was accented by a small garnet and gold tie clip. He offered his hand in greeting.

As they shook hands, Alec hid the fact that he was disgusted by the calluses that he could feel through the perspiration on Johan's puffy hand.

"Good afternoon. I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Alec Douglas. I'll be taking over for Nathan," he said respectfully.

The firm bent over backward to retain Johan's business and the business of each of the five other people Johan had referred to them. The group accounted for almost 80% of the firm's business. Most importantly, they never questioned their bills and they always paid in a timely manner. Although the three minority partners in the firm were grateful for the group of clients, there was always informal controversy behind Nathan Burger's back about how they relied so heavily on the business from the small group of people.

"Yes. I remember you. Of course, I remember you," Johan answered in spite of his difficulty in trying to catch his breath. He wondered if Alec was dressed in black for respectful mourning or if Alec wanted to look like he was a Mafia consigliere.

"Are you all right?"

"Please excuse me, I have asthma and the heat aggravates it," he explained.

"Have a seat."

"This room is huge for the two of us. Why aren't we in your office?"

Alec hesitated. He assumed that Johan would inquire, but he didn't know how to word his answer without sounding harsh.

"The FBI has it sealed. Crime scene. I can't even get to my own files and to things on my desk. Or my own computer."

"I suppose you're lucky that they didn't seal off the whole office, considering."

Alec straightened in his chair, his eyes squinting with anger and his lips pursed. He adjusted the knot in his tie as his posture noticeably tensed up. Leaning slightly forward in his chair, quietly, almost through his teeth, he spoke with intensity.

"Believe me. They wanted to shut us down entirely while they investigated us. We had to get a court order. Finally, the judge said we could run business as usual, with the exception of my personal office, since that's where Nathan was gunned down," he confided.

His breathing was normal now.

"I can't imagine that you'd want to be in your office anyway, come to think of it," Johan said as he tried to picture the massacre.

Alec tried not to focus on Johan's double chin turning into a triple as his head looked down.

"No. No, I don't. But I do need my files and computer. I can't have access to anything. Those FBI agents are ass holes."

"Yeah," he said as his face flushed. He was thinking about his own anger and frustration with the FBI.

"I saw you and your brother at the funeral services. Thanks for coming."

"I guess we had to see it to believe it."

Alec didn't have any idea what Johan meant by his comment, but he didn't want to open a potential complex issue, so he changed the subject. The receptionist brought in two large glasses of iced tea, a pitcher full for refills and a sugar bowl with two spoons and two cocktail napkins.

Johan drank down his entire glass of iced tea before he spoke further.

"Nothing personal Alec, but I'm very uncomfortable working with you. Not that it's you...it's just that I've only dealt with Nathan. I confided in him. He knows me. I mean, knew me. Knew my business. My family. My colleagues."

Alec's posture relaxed and his eyes softened. "I understand completely," he paused for effect. "But even if you left our firm, you'd be dealing with someone you didn't know or trust yet. We would really appreciate keeping your business."

"I've thought of that. You're absolutely right. That's why I'm here. But keep in mind, I'm just not comfortable yet."

"Right."

"You understand that I have a variety of interests?"

"To be honest, I don't know much about what our firm has done for you. I couldn't locate your files anywhere. They aren't even in Nathan's office. Our billing records are very sketchy."

"In that case, for right now, why don't we deal only with a financial problem I'm going through. Basically, everything else I've done with the firm is pretty irrelevant to this."

"Sounds sensible to me. Go on."

"Well, last February, I bought a pure bred Arabian show horse on four year terms. I don't have the funds to pay the next payment on the note. Is there any way I can do anything to avoid being sued?"

Alec didn't expect anything like this. He suspected that Johan dealt in some shady areas of business. This was just about a horse. He decided he shouldn't let his imagination run rampant anymore.

"Well, I don't know. Do you have a purchase contract with you?"

His short stubby fingers, irritated hang nails and all, fumbled to open his brief case. "Yeah. Right here," he said as he slid the contract, face down, across the table to his new counsel.

Seeing Johan's hands, it reminded him that he forgot to show up for his routine hair trim and manicure the previous morning. Before Alec picked up the document he couldn't help but see that Johan's open brief case had several files and brochures in it.

"Do you have anything else with you that relates to the purchase?"

"Well, you tell me. I'm not sure what you mean by relates... so I brought these," he said.

He carefully pulled out color advertisements, a small poster, the auction catalog, and a magazine with a photo of Love Letter on the cover. A manila folder contained clippings of newspaper and magazine articles about his acquisition of the mare.

Alec's piercing dark brown eyes opened wide as Johan started spreading everything out on the conference table.

"All of this is about you buying one lousy horse?"

"She's not a lousy horse, " Johan said defensively, his voice raised a decibel. "She's the only female who's ever been a Triple Crown winner in the Arabian breed!"

"I didn't mean lousy horse literally! It was just a figure of speech for saying one horse. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Yeah. I know. I'm just upset, 'cause I'd really like to keep this horse."

Alec unconsciously adjusted his tie knot. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I understood you had a lot of money. Why don't you just pay the note like you planned?"

"I don't have the money right now," Johan said, looking down at the floor as he contained his anger.

"Have you tried calling the party you owe the money to and explaining your situation? Requesting an extension of time?"

"Yeah. They'll give me an extension, but I'll have to pay penalties and interest and I don't think I'll have the money in three months either. They said if I don't pay, they will be forced to sue. The mare is too important and it would set a bad precedent for the industry if they let me just give her back."

Alec didn't comprehend the importance of what they were talking about and the relaxed expression on his face showed it. "So they'll sue you. You'll pay in a few years when it gets to court. Or settle in the mean time. Don't worry about it Johan," Alec said as if he were telling a little league player not to worry just because he struck out at bat.

He was relieved that he wasn't going to have to deal with anything complicated or with pressure or with anything that may disappoint Johan enough to leave the firm. The firm needed Johan to give them a fair chance to deal with Nathan being dead.

Johan shook his head; his jowls swung independently. He stood up angrily, reaching to gather all of his papers and magazines so that he could leave.

Alec tried to act relaxed, although he knew his blood pressure was rising. The partners would be furious if he lost this client.

"I'm sure we can work this out. Just have a seat and let me read the contract," he said as he turned over the document in front of him.

For dramatic effect, Johan continued to stack his paperwork, but not quite as aggressively.

A look of confusion washed over Alec's face. He squinted his eyes, cocked his head to the right and reread the part of the contract that spelled out the purchase price.

"First of all, the contract has a big typo error in it. That alone is in your favor."

"What do you mean?" Johan said as he lowered himself back into the chair.

"It says here that the purchase price is $2,500,000.00. Obviously, it's supposed to be $25,000.00."

If his problem wasn't so serious, Johan would have broke out laughing. Instead, his face looked pained, as if he were constipated.

"Turn the page," Johan said. Beads of sweat were forming at his receding hairline.

Alec's soft skinned manicured hand turned the page. Nothing registered, as if time were in slow motion for a brief moment. In an instant, his eyes just about popped out of his head. Johan actually signed a contract to buy the mare for $2,500,000.00. The terms of the agreement were 20% down payment upon the fall of the gavel, and equal quarterly principal payments for four years, plus 12% interest on the unpaid balance.

Alec swallowed hard, taking a minute to gain his composure that memorable Friday afternoon.

"So, what is a Triple Crown winner, anyway?"