Chapter 7 Vessel in Distress, A Salvage tug is Underway
Musical Theme; how I want you by Karyn White
Will was in the office. Marie had gotten up at 5 am and gone to clean the windows at the auction. She had come back in the Toyota for breakfast, and then taken the tow truck out to pull a car out of a ditch. She was shuffling cars and washing them.
Sharon Isabel was doing court, so Will did paperwork and returned calls.
The phone rang. There had been an accident. Marie was at the hospital. Then there was another call from an Alan Lawrence, who was coming over to the office with her. She was fine, he said, just a little shook up. Will looked out the window, and an 18 wheel car hauler was there. A tall man got out of the truck, and then Marie did, leaping out like she was going to do a swan dive, but landing on her feet with the man making sure she didn’t fall. They came in.
“Alan Lawrence. I hit your niece’s car.”
“It was my fault, Will. I made a boo boo. I was looking at his cars, and I was in the right lane. He went out to the left, and so I started by him on the right, and I didn’t see he was signaling a right turn. See, he has cut out.”
“Cut in. Like when you tow a car, it goes closer to the curb than your tow truck did.”
“Oh, I know that. But I didn’t know Alan would need a whole lane, so I went in there, and then he was sliding to a stop, and then my car got sort of smushed. Alan was afraid I was hurt, but I’m not, and we went to the hospital, and it turns out I have worker’s insurance, so I won’t owe them anything, and then Alan picked up my car, but we’re going to throw it away. See, he has this totally great trailer with winches and things, so he just picked my car right up.”
“It’s a Sterling Road master. Your rig, Alan?”
“Yep. I haul cars nationwide.”
“Well, you just met Oregon’s newest dealer the hard way. Is your rig damaged?”
“Hardly a mark. I won’t be making a claim on her insurance. I am asking if it is all right to take her to lunch.”
“I don’t think you need to ask. You will treat her like a lady?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“She is an adult. If she wants to eat with you or sleep with you, it’s up to her.”
Alan blushed.
“You can probably fit the truck in behind her office.”
“I can. I want to rent that spot for $65 a month.”
“Did you run this by the Chairman, Marie?”
“He’s fine with it.”
“Let me see your license, Alan?”
He handed it over. Will scanned it and returned it. He made a phone call. “Caroline, can you do me a 3 for a guy who is waiting?”
“You will be parking at the edge of the pavement, just on her property?”
“If that’s OK.”
“If you are completely on her property, you will probably be covered by her insurance for vandalism and such. We’ll have to check and make sure.”
“I’m not worried. I have insurance anyway.”
The phone rang. “Will? Caroline. He’s fine, Honorable discharge US Army. Owns the truck and trailer. Credit good.”
“Thanks.”
“So we will rent you a space yes. The only thing we have against you is that you’re a Doggie.”
Marie giggled. “My Uncle is a jarhead.”
“I know who he is. An officer and a badass. Even the Army likes him.”
“Uncle Will, we’re going out dancing later if he wants to.”
“Will you text your gramps if you stay out after midnight?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t want Force Recon looking for me.”
“Have fun. Make sure Gramps knows where you are, or Force Recon will be looking for you.”
They left. Will looked out at the trees.
Sharon Isabel came in. “Settled. He gave us misdemeanor treatment on count 1 and dismissed 2 & 3 with prejudice. Judge Jack not pleased.”
“Good resolution.”
“They are giving me much better deals.”
“You showed them you can try cases.”
“It has something to do with you.”
“Maybe.”
“They want to be your pals so they do good by me.”
“Law is politics. But when you get a resolution like you just did at mid trial, it usually means they are trying to salvage something out of a case they could lose outright. And you often give them what they want because it’s worth it to your guy. The prosecutor has a 20% chance of losing. That’s bad for his average but not an offer your client can refuse.”
“So you support my decision.”
“I think you were right. So far as supporting your decisions, I support any decision you make, even a bad mistake. You’re the commander on the ground. My support is not conditional.”
“Your loyalty is frightening.”
“I’m a pretty frightening guy.”
“You are.”
Will returned some phone calls and did some paperwork.
Sharon came in. “Can I have one of those special catalogs in the box?”
“You can have as many as you like. Phillipa intends to give away 1.2 million of them by the 20th of next month. Do you want an autographed Marcie Della poster?”
“Everyone does.”
He flicked on the speakerphone and speed dialed.
“Marcie Della’s office. This is Lucinda Cox”
“Hi, Lucy. Will for Marcie.”
“Sharon, you wear size eight.”
She looked at her feet. “Yeah.”
“Will?”
“Hi there, kid. My sort of kind of law partner wants a poster.”
“Which one you want, girl?”
“Uh the one where you’re fiddling with the buckle of your shoe, and wearing the black baby doll.”
“22 by 28?”
“That would be great.”
“To Sharon Isabel with love and kisses from Marcie Della?”
“You know my name.”
“I’m gonna know your shoe size in a minute.”
“Eight.”
“Oh, well I have eights all over the place. Way too many. Imelda Marcos quantities. What kind of stuff does she wear, Will?”
“Pumps in neutrals, mostly 2”. Black and white kind of girl. Maybe some boots in your dark browns or black.”
“Just what I need to get rid of. I’ll dump them at the airport in Portland and fax you a waybill. Some freight forwarder. Girlfriend can pay them or get some LTL carrier and get them to the nest that way.”
“You’re coming to Oregon?”
“No, I’ve seen the trees. Phillipa has someone going to Oregon, so. I’m going to Spain.”
“Trying out your Lear?”
“My Lear can’t jump the pond. I would have to fuel in Newfoundland or somewhere. I’m going in the Gulfie.”
“Just for Spain?”
“Oh, come on, dear. I’m going all over Europe to shake my booty. I’m going to sell twenty million pairs of shoes.”
“I heard Phillipa is up in the market.”
“If you had any money, Will, you should be heavy in them. Watch the stock when I go meet the Pope and put some pennies in the poor box.”
“You’re meeting the Pope?”
“Is he Catholic? I’m going to put a lot of pennies in the poor box. I’ve been poor, and it was no fun.”
“I have the same opinion.”
“Phillipa will match what I give the Pope. It’s going to be more than they think. They will pay me to ask for money for the rain forests and the starving children and that stuff. And I am going to do it with a vengeance.”
“Good for you.”
“I’m a bad girl. But if you will be good for both of us, maybe that will do.”
“Life according to the virtues. My project, although I’m not sure I am doing it very well.”
“Be virtuous for both of us. I have to go.”
Sharon turned off the phone. “Wow.”
“The office is in good shape?”
“Yeah, Will. You know that.”
* * *
Will went back to the house. Chrissie and Hank were there. “Do y’all want to go out to eat?”
They did.
“Me, too.”
“I thought you were out with Alan Lawrence.”
“He had to do an accident on the Interstate.”
Will took them to the steakhouse. They were seated at a good table.
“Something wrong?”
“No, Will.
“Will, you know how to use a radio and call in Tac Air.”
“Yes.”
“You know how to call in Arty, and you know how to use every sort of small arms, how to command an infantry company. You know how to use any sort of handgun or rifle or shotgun I have ever seen?”
“Most likely.”
The waitress came, and Chrissie asked for a bottle of Jack Daniel’s three glasses, and some ice. It was brought immediately. Chrissie put down hers in one gulp. Will and Hank did the same.
“Will. It’s time to put up or shut up. You know how to use one of these?”
She threw a little velvet covered box on the table. Will opened it. There were two rings in it, an engagement ring and a wedding ring. Both were done in deep blue transparent sapphires. They were much prettier than the diamonds would have been.
Mel walked in. “Sorry to disturb you. Got some news.”
“Would you care to join us for dinner, Mel?”
“Oh, I…”
“Sit down.” He pointed at his glass and Mel, and the waitress got another glass. “I would like a T bone medium rare with fries, salad Bleu cheese, and lots of it. Will y’all have the same, or?” They went with the same.
“You’re just in time for a special moment.”
He got on his knee. “Chrissie, will you marry me?”
She threw her arms around him and started crying. “Oh, Yes, Will!” When she stopped trembling, Will put her back in her seat, and put the ring on her finger. He put the box with the wedding ring in his pocket. He sat down.
Mel drank his glass dry, refilled it, and did it again. He refilled it again, but did not touch it. “The news?”
“Please.”
“I took the two guys who got shot, you know, the ski mask guys. I went backward since we don’t know who shot them. And I got up to Michael Galvin. Some real old beef, it seems. Well, Michael not being someone you toy with, I had a SWAT team in to arrest him. He elected to shoot it out with them, and got blown away. Nobody is interested in the guy the ski mask bandits went for, because it’s so obviously justifiable.”
“Thanks, bro.”
“Oh then that makes me an uncle to Marie. So she has a car lot, two uncles, and a carry permit.” He passed it to her.
“Marie, you being a dealer, you can buy and sell cars?”
“That’s my business, Uncle Mel.”
“And could you let someone have a key to a car, on a kind of no questions asked basis?”
“If you asked, Uncle Mel.”
“Realizing that the car might get damaged. Things happen. You might not be able to bill anyone for the damage. Metro would be your pals, but you might have to eat some smashed up cars time to time.”
“Metro or someone would explain it all to my insurance?”
“Oh, there would be no problems with your insurance.”
Will put his hand on hers. “Marie, this would all be a need to know basis.”
“I need to know what?”
“You get told what you need to know. What you don’t need to know, you don’t try to figure out. You don’t ask questions about what your Uncle Mel is doing. You don’t know, you don’t need to know and you don’t want to know.”
“I owe Hank a lot of money. I can’t lose these cars, then I couldn’t pay him. I have to pay him.”
“You’re not going to lose a lot of money. You will lose sometimes, and make a lot other times. Tom James, your CPA, will be even more frustrated than he is now with your bookkeeping mistakes. But he will know what to do.”
“So I am going to have under blankets cars.”
“Don’t ask.”
Her phone rang.
She answered. “It’s Alan Lawrence. Can he join us?”
“Sure.”
“Alan, can you come to the steakhouse?”
“Ask if he wants a T bone medium rare.”
“He does. He’s coming.”
The waitress brought their dinners.
“Ma’am, we have a guest coming, so one more T bone if you will.”
“Will you still call us waitresses ma’am if you get elected DA, Mr. Ames?”
“I certainly will, ma’am. Ladies are always entitled to be addressed respectfully, regardless of what they do for a living.”
“Even the world’s oldest profession?”
“Arguably more honorable than my own. Yes, ma’am. Most of them have stories back of them that would be very hard to hear. I don’t much care to judge people by their circumstances. Bad acts are something else.
“What about pimps?”
“Chrissie Jasmine. Will’s fiancée. My fiancée is very much against pimps, and what he would do to them if it were legal would be something we don’t talk about in polite company. Will supports a woman’s right to sell herself with deep regret. If elected, he will enforce the law, but he has compassion for women who have to permit themselves to be used in that way to make a living for themselves, and often their children.”
Alan Lawrence came in, and sat with them. Mel got up to rearrange them with Alan and Marie at the back.
“I will have a steak for you in a few minutes, Sir.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
They ate up their dinners, and the waitress came back to see if they wanted dessert. “Would y’all like some pie or something? We have some good choices.”
“Ma’am,” Alan said, you have done very well by us. I, at least don’t want pie. He looked around the table. Everyone shook their heads.
“Two gentlemen from the old school in one night.”
“Don’t leave me out of the count,” Mel said, taking her left hand, on which there was no ring. He put her hand to his lips. “Melvin Alan Wright.”
“Katie Louise Caprioso.”
She was a hard used woman with a pretty nice figure. Will figured her for 45. She had some nice looking hair. Mel was still holding her hand. Will spoke up. “When do ya’ll close, Katie?”
“Uh, as soon as you guys are done, actually.”
“Why don’t you come hang with us?”
“I’m not supposed to socialize with customers.”
Will butted in. “How about you ask your boss to come explain that policy to William Ames?”
“You are. I thought so.”
“This man here who doesn’t want to let go of your hand is the Chief of Detectives for the Metro police. He’s a nice guy, a widower, and an extremely good investigator. I’m sure he knows your shoe size.” Will flashed a five and four to Mel.
“I really doubt that.”
Mel put his other hand on hers. “Nine.”
Katie put her hand to her mouth. Will looked at the manager. He came over. “We’re having a nice rap with Katie. Can we take our dinners with us, and her, too? I can assure you that no harm will come to her.”
“Katie, do you want to leave with these people?”
“Yes, Ron, if it’s all right.”
“I want to know who you are leaving with, Katie.”
Business cards came spinning at him. A lawyer, a detective, a trucker, a car dealer, an assistant district attorney.
“Looks like some pretty good company. See you tomorrow, Katie.”
Katie put the dinners in boxes.
They went to the house.
Mel and Katie took one end of the sofa. Marie and Alan took the other. There was a lot of space left. Will started up the wood stove. Chrissie started up the stereo. Will pulled a catalog, signed it under his picture, and handed it to Katie.
She opened it to the page where he had signed.
“You really shot this catalog, 300 pages of Marcie Della”
“I shot six thousand pix of Marcie Della.”
“Can you get me a poster of her?”
He flicked the phone.
“Marcie Della’s office.”
“Will for Marcie if she’s still awake.”
“Will. Twice in a day. The Atlantic is boring.”
“So much of the same thing. A friend of a friend wants a poster. Katie.”
“I’m pulling the one with the baby doll outfit. It’s on the cover of Vogue, it’s our signature pic at this time.”
Will turned to Katie. “To Katie with love and kisses, Marcie Della, she will draw some little hearts?”
“That would be great!”
“It’s done, and marked to go to your office. Who else is with you?”
“Chief of Detectives Mel.”
“So to the Chief, Mel, love ya forever?”
He nodded.
“I’ll send you various stuff. What size shoes does Katie wear?”
“Nine.”
“Katie, are you a businesschick or a femme fatale, or a sweet and innocent? I might have some shoes to hand out.”
“I wait tables.”
“There might be some sensible shoes somewhere. Not really my line of thing, girl, but it could happen.”
“I’m getting married, Marcie.” Chrissie said.
“I’m sad and lonely, but not envious because I never thought I was good enough for you, Will. I had a hell of a crush on you when I was a little girl.”
“You’re good enough for just about anyone.”
“OK, I still need to look at the Atlantic. If she doesn’t treat you right, I’ll make her regret it. I don’t know how to make violent threats, but you could help me.”
“You’ll smack her in the face with a framing hammer.”
“Whatever that is, consider her so threatened.”
“Seeya.”
They hung up.
“You’d better treat me right, Chrissie. You know what might happen.”
“You will get a framing hammer, show Marcie which end to hold, and then perhaps she will smack me in the face with it. Absolutely terrifying!”
Everyone laughed.
“I heard wrong, or you guys are going out dancing?”
“We might be.”
“Now you treat my niece like a lady, or I might sic Marcie Della on you.”
“Not a lot of guys would mind that.”
“Well, I can call her. But you date my niece or my model, and forsake the other.”
“Which do you think I should go for?”
Marie poked him.
“Well, Marcie makes a lot of money. She has a Lear jet. She’s supposedly the prettiest girl in America. She’s touring Europe for Phillipa in a Gulfstream, but I think what she wants is a seven three. On the down side, she can be less than kind. She teaches the course for junkyard dogs. She could marry you, and then get caught banging someone else’s husband, and refuse to apologize.
“Now the one you have on trial cuddle there is sweet. She has a place for you to park your truck. You know about her lack of judgment. If you pick her, you will have to watch that she doesn’t do something silly. You’ll have to check her books so the CPA doesn’t quit. But she is genuinely nice.”
“Well, I think I want this one here.”
She held him close.