"But how does he make his money if he has so few clients?" Sam Marston
frowned over the piece of paper list in her hand.
"Buttershaw doesn't bill for services rendered like most of us do. He receives a very lucrative monthly retainer from most of them regardless of whether he does anything or not. It ensures that he's available when needed and also that he doesn't work for a client's business competitors." Melvin Collins leaned back in his chair and stared wistfully at the list. "It's every lawyer's dream."
Sam smiled. "Wouldn't you rather make an honest living, knowing that you charge a fair fee for everything you do?"
Collins looked at her in surprise. "No."
Sam gave up and went off into peals of laughter. She liked her husband's lawyer and his droll sense of humor. After they solved this matter of who was trying to kill Elliott, she would have to see about finding the right wife for him. The man was too attractive to be left a bachelor for long. She reverted back to her reason for being there.
"Well, I don't see that these names tell us very much." She ran her finger down the list. "Thomas Higgins is a big shipping name, I know that. But I don't recognize James Buchanan or Silas Latham." She looked up, her brow furrowed.
"Buchanan made his money in sheep ranching but he sold out a couple of years ago and went back to Scotland. Buttershaw has been winding up his affairs for him." The lawyer leaned forward to peruse the names for himself. "Latham's a different matter. He's building railroads all over the state. He needs political friends. I wouldn't be surprised if Buttershaw wasn't a silent partner in most of his dealings."
"So we'll put a little tick mark beside Mr. Latham." Sam marked the paper accordingly. "I see that the Army also contributes to Mr. Buttershaw's income. How much money could that bring in?"
"Lots." Collins was emphatic. "Getting the Army as a client is like having permission to take a wheelbarrow to the Exchequer and load it up with gold every week."
"How?" Sam stared. "What would he do for them?"
"He'd negotiate with merchants to get the best deal he could. A really unscrupulous lawyer could get rich just on the bribes offered by those who wanted to become Army suppliers." Collins began to count off on his fingers. "He would also deal with local government authorities when the Army needed anything from them; they would prefer to use the services of a local lawyer who knew Australia. Another opportunity would come from assisting army officers who needed legal advice personally and wanted someone they could trust."
"Really? Then we'll definitely need to consider the army." She made a note on the paper.
"That could be a little difficult." Collins was amused. "It's pretty big."
"Yes, but we can narrow things down." Sam leaned back in her chair and mimicked his earlier counting motions. "It would have to be a senior enough officer to motivate Buttershaw into visiting the chief constable's office. Also a senior officer would have more at stake than a petty officer or enlisted man."
"But that still leaves a large group of men." The lawyer was drawn in by her logic.
"There might be quite a few officers who would know Robert Buttershaw. That I'll grant you." She tapped the paper in front of her. "But how many of those officers would also know Jasper Connaught and be able to influence him?"
Collins stared at her, his lips pursed in a silent whistle.
Sam nodded emphatically. "The only bank on this list is the Prime Mercantile, not the First Commercial. Buttershaw wouldn't have much pull with Connaught." She tossed the paper on the table between them. "So we have to ask ourselves: who does?"
"Buttershaw doesn't bill for services rendered like most of us do. He receives a very lucrative monthly retainer from most of them regardless of whether he does anything or not. It ensures that he's available when needed and also that he doesn't work for a client's business competitors." Melvin Collins leaned back in his chair and stared wistfully at the list. "It's every lawyer's dream."
Sam smiled. "Wouldn't you rather make an honest living, knowing that you charge a fair fee for everything you do?"
Collins looked at her in surprise. "No."
Sam gave up and went off into peals of laughter. She liked her husband's lawyer and his droll sense of humor. After they solved this matter of who was trying to kill Elliott, she would have to see about finding the right wife for him. The man was too attractive to be left a bachelor for long. She reverted back to her reason for being there.
"Well, I don't see that these names tell us very much." She ran her finger down the list. "Thomas Higgins is a big shipping name, I know that. But I don't recognize James Buchanan or Silas Latham." She looked up, her brow furrowed.
"Buchanan made his money in sheep ranching but he sold out a couple of years ago and went back to Scotland. Buttershaw has been winding up his affairs for him." The lawyer leaned forward to peruse the names for himself. "Latham's a different matter. He's building railroads all over the state. He needs political friends. I wouldn't be surprised if Buttershaw wasn't a silent partner in most of his dealings."
"So we'll put a little tick mark beside Mr. Latham." Sam marked the paper accordingly. "I see that the Army also contributes to Mr. Buttershaw's income. How much money could that bring in?"
"Lots." Collins was emphatic. "Getting the Army as a client is like having permission to take a wheelbarrow to the Exchequer and load it up with gold every week."
"How?" Sam stared. "What would he do for them?"
"He'd negotiate with merchants to get the best deal he could. A really unscrupulous lawyer could get rich just on the bribes offered by those who wanted to become Army suppliers." Collins began to count off on his fingers. "He would also deal with local government authorities when the Army needed anything from them; they would prefer to use the services of a local lawyer who knew Australia. Another opportunity would come from assisting army officers who needed legal advice personally and wanted someone they could trust."
"Really? Then we'll definitely need to consider the army." She made a note on the paper.
"That could be a little difficult." Collins was amused. "It's pretty big."
"Yes, but we can narrow things down." Sam leaned back in her chair and mimicked his earlier counting motions. "It would have to be a senior enough officer to motivate Buttershaw into visiting the chief constable's office. Also a senior officer would have more at stake than a petty officer or enlisted man."
"But that still leaves a large group of men." The lawyer was drawn in by her logic.
"There might be quite a few officers who would know Robert Buttershaw. That I'll grant you." She tapped the paper in front of her. "But how many of those officers would also know Jasper Connaught and be able to influence him?"
Collins stared at her, his lips pursed in a silent whistle.
Sam nodded emphatically. "The only bank on this list is the Prime Mercantile, not the First Commercial. Buttershaw wouldn't have much pull with Connaught." She tossed the paper on the table between them. "So we have to ask ourselves: who does?"