Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with "Without a Trace". I make no profit from this.
A/N: Sorry about the slight delay in posting this – was having a little 'what have I got myself into with this whole fan fic/case file lark' moment, and it took me a couple of days to find a way to persevere and write my way out of it! Hopefully I'm over it now, so expect more chapters soon:)
Chapter Five
Offices of Redding, Phillips and Hurst, 9.45am
"No-one was supposed to find out what?"
Danny looked the stuttering security guard up and down. He had a feeling that this was going to be good.
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9.55am
"Well, that went well," mumbled Samantha, as she and Jack once again found themselves standing in the Partner's corridor of Redding, Phillips and Hurst. "Do you think that guy could have been less forthcoming?"
"Oh I don't know," smirked Jack. "He did at least tell us his name."
Sam smiled ruefully. "And that he worked in the same department as Adam. Don't forget that!"
"Ah, of course. Although, personally, the sign on his door that said "Eric Walters, Junior Partner", kind of spoilt it for me. Sort of anti-climactic, don't you think?"
This time Sam allowed herself a little chuckle. "Yeah. These people must have some non-disclosure policy in their contracts. Did you see his face when he was telling us the lawsuit was, 'no big deal'? I thought that pen cap was going to go right through his desk." She paused, the look on her face hesitantly inquisitive. "You were very calm in there."
"I figured the guy wasn't going to talk either way. We might as well wait until we have something more to go on, before we make him." He raised his eyebrows in obvious amusement at his partner. "What?"
Sam mimicked his expression. "Nothing." She softened slightly, her voice gently teasing. "That's very rational of you, Jack."
For a moment she thought he was going to continue the banter and call her on her playful insubordination. But his thoughts seemed to recoil back into themselves and he lowered his eyes. His voice fell to a deep mumble.
"Well, I learned that one the hard way."
Samantha felt something inside her, yet again, sink.
Woah, where is this coming from? Why the hell can't I seem to leave it alone today? Why is it so damn important to me that I can still make him laugh? Do I feel guilty? Did Maria make me feel guilty…? But then it's not like he isn't playing along with it. What's his excuse?
Keen to avoid the silence, which was edging toward oppressive, Jack forced a bitter but apologetic grimace before shrugging. "Well, if the little Chiefs won't talk, we might as well go straight to the top." The side of his mouth turned up as he angled his head to look at her. "You wanna be the good cop this time?"
In what was quickly becoming the pattern of the morning, they were once again interrupted by the vibration of a cell phone.
Sam smiled. "Oh well, it looks like my witty comeback will just have to wait."
This time Jack checked the caller ID before flipping it open.
"Danny. Any luck?"
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Now standing on the sidewalk leaning against his car, Danny Taylor grinned into his phone.
"Well, I think I've got a fair idea why no-one wants to talk about this lawsuit or…Monday."
Jack grunted impatiently.
"It would seem that there was… how did Bill put it? An incident – in the lobby on Monday evening, just after six thirty."
His boss filled in the blanks. "Around the time that Adam disappeared."
Danny's voice was now dripping with sarcasm. "Coincidence, huh?"
The look in Jack's eyes was now a familiar one. They were onto something. "Did you get any details?"
The younger agent looked back toward the front entrance of the building as he spoke. His mind's eye visualising the last place he knew Adam to have been.
"Not so many, I don't think the guard really knew too much. I get the feeling the Partners don't exactly keep him in the loop. And now I've seen this guy in action, you can't blame them. Not the greatest thinker of our time." He paused, assimilating the minor information he had acquired. "Best guess, someone called a meeting with all the parties involved in this suit, and things got out of hand. The way the guard told it, a couple of punches were thrown… one apparently at an unsuspecting receptionist who ended up in the ER with a bloody nose… Bill the hero comes in to calm things down but the lawyers tell him to go home. That they'll take care of it."
"Do you believe him?" A hint of incredulity crept into Jack's voice.
Danny didn't need to give it much thought. "The specific details – no way! But I don't think he's dumb enough to lie to me twice in the same morning."
Jack scoffed.
"Anyway," the younger agent continued, "we'll know soon enough. I've now got every last one of Monday's security tapes and I'm on my way back to the office. I'll let you know when I find something." He heard his supervisor exhale his affirmation. "Okay. You're cool to drive back with Sam, then?"
"Yeah, I'll survive… hopefully." Jack smiled to himself as he ended the call.
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10.30am
"An incident?" Sam repeated under her breathe. Having been free to wander at will through the lesser mazes of the firm's sprawling corridors, now in the lion's den, the two agents found themselves under the watchful eye of the overly made-up, crimson manicured, Prada-wearing Personal Assistant to Senior Partner Charles Branton. As Jack rocked back and forth on his heels, his arms folded in frustration at being kept waiting, Samantha idly wondered how a PA could afford the designer get-up. This time, however, she succeeded in keeping her suspicions to herself.
Jack nodded, refusing to take his eyes off Gina, the PA, who was now standing in front of her boss's door. He scowled, indicating his watch.
"Okay, you know what? We've been standing out here for over twenty minutes. Is Mr. Branton likely to finish his phone conference any time soon? Or should we just leave our federal investigation, and abandon the hunt for your colleague, until there's a more convenient time for your employer?" Jack's voice had reached a low growl.
Gina hid her obvious intimidation behind a well-practised toss of her shoulder length blonde hair. Pretending to examine one of her talon like nails, she sneaked a glance through the glass panel in the Partner's door. Samantha took this opportunity to throw a sly glance at her partner. Arms still folded and his glare unflinching, his earlier patience had clearly dissipated. She smiled. This was the Jack she knew and…
The intercom on Gina's desk buzzed angrily and forgetting, for a moment, her poise, she raced to the receiver. She listened respectfully for a moment before hanging up. Putting on her best tone of professionalism, she addressed the agents. "Mr. Branton will see you now."
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Habitually ushering Sam in front of him, Jack stepped into the inner sanctum of Charles Branton – the most senior of the Senior Partners. Both he and Samantha caught themselves staring at the sheer opulence of the office. It was almost like stepping into a time warp. The walls were floor to ceiling mahogany boards. An iron cast fireplace, complete with a stuffed deer-head trophy presiding over it, dominated the left side. Straight ahead of them was a large window that, if it wasn't for the shuttered blind that covered it, would have been sure to afford them a view of most of Manhattan. The remaining wall space, including the area behind the door, was lined with bookshelves, also of dark wood, all covered in dusty law volumes. The sole light source was a tall standard lamp situated behind the desk, giving the lawyer an eerie glow. The only thing missing was a tobacco pipe and a bottle of liquor. The whole effect - when taken in conjunction with the austere or clinical environment that seemed to permeate every other level of operation - was truly bizarre.
Charles Branton, himself, was reclining in the deep-brown leather chair behind his desk as the agents entered. His hair was silver but his face and his hands held a deep sun-tan, out of place in the subterranean feel of his office. Jack was having a hard time reconciling the image of this man, so perfectly in fit with the portraits he had noticed earlier, with the image of the modern day lawyer whose business deals were more likely to be made on a golf course than in a smoke filled room at a gentleman's club. If any establishment was suffering with a clash between the old ways and the new, he considered – this was surely it.
As he watched his guests approaching, Branton pushed himself up out of his chair and rose to his feet, extending his hand to Jack. Jack took it in a firm but curt grasp, then watched in some amusement as the lawyer reluctantly offered Samantha the same courtesy. From the look on her face, he realised that his suggestion of making Sam the 'good cop' in this scenario may not quite work out as planned.
Lowering themselves into the two cushioned wooden chairs, conveniently placed on the near side of the desk, Jack flashed Sam a brief warning before beginning his attack. He appraised the lawyer calmly but the look in his eyes betrayed his cool exterior.
"Mr. Branton, we're not looking to make this difficult. So, let's just cut to the chase, alright?"
If the lawyer was ill at ease, having his control of the conversation, for once, imposed upon, he hid it well. Nodding, his gaze focused exclusively on the male agent.
Sensing that they had inadvertently discovered the key to at least some of his discomfort, Jack waited, knowing that Samantha would pick up his cue.
Without missing a beat, she leant forward until her hands were resting on the desk, forcing Branton to turn his attention toward her. Pasting on a genial smile, she played her femininity for all it was worth. The lawyer could do little to wipe the disbelief from his face, as in response, Jack settled back in his chair, purposefully glancing around the room. The message was clear. Samantha was very much in charge.
Forcing Branton to look her in the eye, her tone was crisp and professional. "So, how well do you know Adam Walker, Mr. Branton?"
As if fighting the impulse to direct his response to Jack, the lawyer swivelled in his chair until he faced the blonde. When he spoke his voice oozed with well-practised civility.
"Mr. Walker has been with us for over ten years. I hired him myself."
After making a note of his answer, more to re-enforce the gravity of the situation, than out of any real necessity, she re-established eye contact.
"And what kind of employee has Mr. Walker been during this time? Has he had any problems within the workplace that you know of?" She watched for a reaction but got none. "I don't know, if not with a colleague then with a client perhaps?"
Branton regarded her with an air of superiority, his tone was bordering dangerously on out-right condescension. "Miss…"
"Agent," Sam responded in a measured tenor, "Spade."
"Agent Spade," the lawyer intoned. "As you may have noticed, this is a large firm. We have hundreds of employees, and sadly, the other Partners and I do not have the time to keep up with every single one of the cases which come through our offices. Nor do we have time to keep up with issues in our employees' personal lives. Although, I do believe Mr. Walker has a wife somewhere. Have you spoken with her yet? In my experience, that is where the problem usually lies."
Thinking back to what Melissa had told them, Sam briefly raised an eyebrow but, with considerable will-power, let the comment pass. In the corner of her vision, she could clearly see the smirk playing across Jack's features. Well, at least someone's enjoying this, she thought.
Jack was enjoying this, maybe a little too much, he considered. But there had always been something about the way this woman worked, that, if he let it, could over-power him every time. He watched as a dangerous smile passed over Sam's lips. As much for Branton's sake as his own, he braced himself.
"Oh, I'm sure you're selling yourself short, Mr. Branton." Sam's voice was light and airy. "I can't imagine that much of what happens in this building can really escape your notice." She paused, smiling sweetly. "Take this lawsuit, for example. I think you know a great deal about what happened here on Monday evening."
Branton froze momentarily. She'd got him. Their instinctive double-team dynamic kicked back. As Samantha fell silent, as if admiring her handy-work, Jack shifted his weight forward, seizing upon the lawyers sudden loss of poise. His gruff voice contrasted sharply with his partner's.
"As I said earlier, Mr. Branton. It'd save us all a lot of time if you could be straight with us. At this very moment, our colleague is headed back to our offices with your security footage from Monday – and I mean all your footage." Branton shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but remained silent. "And so far, all your well-behaved employees have seemed more concerned with their ability to feed us the company line, than they have about the fact that a colleague of theirs hasn't been seen or heard of in almost two days – since he left this building. Now, we know that something took place here on Monday, and we know that whatever it was had something to do with this law suit that everyone seems rather nervous about. So, if Mr. Walker's current situation has nothing to do with your firm, then great. But, if not, we are going to find out about it, and there will be repercussions for anyone who wilfully impedes a federal investigation."
From the sinking of Branton's shoulders, Jack had no need to ask if he had made himself clear. The lawyer suddenly looked smaller and decidedly older. His sleek façade dropped and for a moment the two agents saw him for what he was – a relic in a world that he didn't quite seem to accept. He quickly re-grouped, but when he finally spoke, he sounded wearily resigned.
"I know what this looks like, but you have to understand. There's nothing dishonest going on here." He ignored the identical sceptical glances thrown in his direction. "Despite what you may believe, there is nothing illegal going on here. But if any of this gets out into the media, all this," he lifted his hands in indication, "could be history."
The two agents waited, slightly bemused, for him to elaborate. He complied.
"I know what you're thinking. A place like this, has money dripping from the ceiling." Jack smiled, despite himself. "And for the most part, you're right." He paused nostalgically. "Most of the Senior Partners, probably myself, most of all… it's like we're the last of a dying breed." He raised his eyes to meet those of the blonde woman in front of him. "And I'm sure that there are many out there who would consider that a good thing."
At this, Sam regarded him curiously.
"But a place like this, will live and die by its reputation. No matter how many fresh faces we bring in… I take it you saw our new workforce out there… It's our long-standing relationship with certain members of the business community that keeps the cash in their pockets and their yachts in our waters. If people lost confidence in our ability to maintain our professional standards, and the privacy which we have always prided ourselves on providing… It's a brave new world out there, and our place in it is not as certain as it once was."
Jack raised an eyebrow at the unexpected melodramatics. "I think I understand your position, Mr. Branton. If you can be of help to this investigation, then I will do everything in my power to ensure you and your firm any confidentiality I can offer. But we need you to be a little more specific. We need to know exactly who is involved in this lawsuit."
Branton sighed, as if about to recount something so distasteful, he could barely bring himself to tell it. He folded his hands on the desk as he began.
"There are certain industries that Redding, Phillips and Hurst has supported, almost since its inception. Rather unfortunately, in today's political climate that is, the chemical industry is one of those. One of our largest corporate clients at present is McKeever Co." He paused. "I assume you've heard of them. They have been in the press with some regularity of late."
Samantha nodded. Indeed McKeever Co. had received a rather large amount of media coverage in the past year – largely due to the 'administrative error' that had almost seen the destruction of a children's activity centre in Scarsdale several months earlier.
As if reading her mind, the lawyer continued. "That was an unfortunate incident. Anyway, our corporate department has always taken excellent care of McKeever. However, they are not the only ones who have had trouble placating the community in the last few years. Many felt that we ourselves were falling behind in the public relations arena, Adam included, as I recall. So at some insistence, we have taken on board a couple of our own high profile pro-bono cases. The most recent of which, we were charged with protecting the interests of an environmental group attempting to obtain a piece of land outside the city which they claim should be a conservation area."
The agents, waiting patiently for the punch-line, were soon rewarded.
"Then matters became more complicated. McKeever and Co. decided that they also wished to purchase the land and requested that we broker the deal for them. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues in corporate set to work before realising the huge conflict of interest this posed. Of course, when they did realise, we were forced to relinquish both cases, and the land was quickly snapped up by a third party. Both clients were understandably upset. When they realised they had no legal recourse against each other, they turned their attentions to our firm and launched a joint lawsuit against us."
"And how, exactly, was Adam Walker involved in all of this?" Jack enquired.
Branton sighed once again. "Adam, as you probably know, works as a general legal counsel to the firm. He was the one who first spotted the conflict. He took quite an interest in our pro-bono work. When he took up the issue with corporate, some of his colleagues were non too pleased. Things got a little heated. A great deal of work had already been put into the deal on their part, and McKeever is such an important client to us."
"More important than the environment?" Samantha shrugged her shoulders, knowingly.
"This may seem cold-hearted to you, Agent Spade," Branton responded, "but we're a business, not a charity. Our economic concerns sometimes have to take precedence." He continued as if the interruption to his narrative had not occurred. "When the complaint against the firm was filed, it was the responsibility of Adam's department to oversee it. Normally such a task would be passed to a Senior Partner, but we wished to settle things diplomatically and, for whatever reason, the environmentalists seemed to respect Adam. We thought it prudent to let him handle the initial discussions."
"So you sent him into the firing squad." This was more a statement than a question, and Jack's tone was calm but somewhat accusatory.
"Not exactly, Agent Malone." The lawyer's tone was becoming icier. "In fact, last week it seemed Adam made considerable progress." His brow furrowed in recollection. "It was last Friday, as I recall. Adam came into my office and announced that he'd confirmed a meeting on Monday evening, for all three parties to sit down and discuss a mutual settlement. He believed that both McKeever and Greenways, that's the environmental group, were willing to resolve this quietly and amicably."
Sam looked surprised. "And they'd actually agreed to this?"
Her shock deepened as she saw the almost fatherly flicker of affection that fell across the older man's face. "Adam has a gift for something that you probably won't find in many of our new recruits on the floor." He paused again. "Compromise, it's quite the lost art… at least for a corporate lawyer."
"And how did Mr. Walker propose to achieve this?" inquired Jack.
Branton smiled again. "There were a lot of things about this business that Adam found distasteful. But that doesn't mean he couldn't play the game if he so chose. How do you think he survived in this firm for ten years? As far as I can tell, he pointed out, in no uncertain terms, to McKeever, the unfavourable press which they would undoubtedly once again receive, if it were leaked to the press that they had taken on an environmental agency to buy ten acres of land which they barely needed. After the Scarsdale fiasco, their investors were already getting a little jumpy. Another bout with the media may not have gone down too well."
Jack frowned. It was starting to become clearer, but they were still missing a couple of rather large pieces.
"And what about Greenways?"
The lawyer almost sneered in the seeming flawlessness of his employee's scheme. "Who do you think was funding the suit against us? If McKeever decided to quietly drop the action, thereby avoiding the negative publicity, Greenways was effectively neutralised. We were working for them for no expense, and they'd never find another firm willing to take them on for an action against us. There was no way the suit could continue."
"So, Adam screwed the environmental agency." Sam stated bluntly.
Branton shrugged. "It's not like they really had a case. If it hadn't been for McKeever's insistence, they never would have filed suit in the first place."
"But," Jack began slowly, "it's conceivable that certain people at the agency may be non too happy with your current employee of the month?"
Again the lawyer was ambivalent. "Maybe. Who knows with these activist types? There's always something they're fighting about."
To Jack's amazement, both he and his partner managed to refrain from commentary. He took a moment to digest what they had just learned. Something still wasn't right.
"Okay, I might be missing something here. But, if everything was all settled on Friday, what the hell happened here on Monday evening which landed one of your receptionists in the ER?"
Even in the dim light, the agents detected the blush which rose in Branton's tanned cheeks. "You heard about that, then?"
"Yes," Jack replied simply.
The lawyer nodded acceptingly. "To be honest, I'm really not sure. The representatives from both establishments – which from Greenways I got the impression was most of their members – arrived here earlier than expected, around six-twenty. The meeting wasn't due to begin until six forty-five. They were down in the foyer waiting to be shown up to the conference room. Then, around six-thirty, my secretary gets an urgent call from security. Some sort of 'skirmish'," he chose his phrasing a little too carefully, "was taking place in the lobby." He looked across at the two agents, as if gauging their reactions. They gave him nothing. "By the time I got down there, every last Junior Partner involved it seemed, all twenty of them, from Adam's department and corporate, had beaten me to it. But everything seemed to be under control. I was told that a couple of testosterone fuelled punches had been thrown by certain individuals on both sides, but it was a ruckus, nothing more."
Samantha smiled. "I think your receptionist might disagree."
Branton was beginning to have a harder time concealing his contempt. "As I said, the incident was unfortunate. The young lady involved was escorted to the hospital. It was getting late, and there were only a handful of employees left in the building. I told Bill to lock the front entrance for the night, and take the evening off. The night guard was on at nine, and we'd be fine until then."
"And what did you do then?" asked Sam.
The lawyer now seemed unperturbed. "As you will no doubt see on the tape, we escorted everyone upstairs and conducted our intended order of business. The Senior Partners were already in the conference room, waiting for us. We finished around eight o'clock and everyone went home. The outcome was much as Adam had predicted. McKeever backed down and the suit was dropped."
"That can't have been a fun meeting," smiled Samantha.
Branton shrugged. "Few of them are."
"So that means Adam would have left the building considerably later than your security guard reported?" Jack concluded somewhat sarcastically. "Considering the security guard wasn't even there."
The lawyer hesitated.
"I'm assuming that Adam attended the meeting he had gone to all this trouble to set up for you?" the agent continued.
Branton blinked, as if something were just coming to him. "Now that you mention it, I don't recall seeing Adam at the meeting at all."
"What?" intoned Samantha. "And you didn't think to mention this earlier?"
Branton did at least have the courtesy to look apologetic, if not embarrassed. "With all the talk of his disappearance, it quite honestly slipped my mind."
"You're saying, you have no recollection of Adam Walker being present during the meeting?" Jack's expression belied his own disbelief.
Branton shook his head. He appeared genuinely puzzled, but this time he spoke with absolute certainty. "No, actually, I don't."
TBC
