Evidence

compensating us for our time and loss of prior employment.”

“We can’t find her,” said Cohen. “Or rather, our attorney can’t.”

Holman said, “Don’t ask why we didn’t check her out more thoroughly. A partnership, like a marriage, is based on trust.”

Milo didn’t blink. I was willing to bet on his internal dialogue. Motels on Washington Boulevard.

Holman said, “While she was truthful about her educational credentials, she lied completely about other things.”

“Such as?”

“First off, she’s not German, she’s Austrian. And her father’s not a shipping tycoon, he’s a banker.”

“Is Gemein her real name?”

Reluctant nod. “What should have tipped us off was her take on green: hatred for humanity rather than feed and save the planet. The woman’s a total misanthrope and as time went on, she felt freer to share her opinions on how the evolutionary process had failed when it produced human beings. How Homo sapiens disrupted the crucial balance, what the world really needed was a good plague or a world war. Which coming from a Teutonic type is pretty damn breathtaking.”

She turned to Cohen.

He said, “Rather impolitic.”

Milo said, “Could we talk about the fire?”

“I’m coming to that,” said Holman. “This needs to be logical, so that you’ll understand we’re not just a couple of disgruntled malcontents. Where was I-Helga’s lies. The home address she gave us here in L.A. was phony, as we learned when we tried to serve her with papers.”

“You’re suing her.”

“Damn right we are. Professional alienation, breach of contract, anything else our lawyer can come up with.”

“Where was the phony address?”

“Brentwood. As to why we didn’t find it odd that Helga never had us over, we believed she was all business and that was fine. We were motivated to create something important. Correct?”

Cohen nodded.

Finishing her drink, she returned to the kitchen, poured a refill. Cohen watched her with sadness, turned to us. “It might be helpful for you to know that Helga hired Des Backer before she talked to us. She presented him as a rising star whom she’d met looking for young architects with green credentials. We did check those credentials. Top of the class, his professors had nothing but praise for him. However, when our attorney recontacted them, none had ever spoken to Helga, nor had Des asked them for letters of recommendation. So she found him some other way.”

Holman said, “Given the advantage of hindsight, it’s clear Des’s work product was nil.” Smirking. “In terms of architecture.”

Cohen said, “Our attorneys had someone go through the office computers. Des did a lot of gazing at pornography as well as surfing through some disturbing websites. Which brings us to the fire.”

Milo said, “Arson websites?”

“Eco-terrorist websites. Congratulatory photographs of vandalized luxury housing and animal research labs, chat strings of people who believe the ends justifies the means.”

“We’ll need those office computers.”

“Sorry, we need them,” said Marjorie Holman. “Our attorney has instructed us to place all the furniture and equipment in storage, so we can show that Helga clearly abandoned the office.”

Criminal trumps civil, but Milo didn’t push it. “Those websites-”

“Were sent to Helga. We had no idea the two of them had any relationship beyond the firm. On the contrary, Helga claimed not to even like Des.”

“Even though she hired him?”

Cohen said, “Helga was good at putting things-and people-in boxes.”

“Acceptable professionally,” said Milo. “Unacceptable personally.”

Holman said, “There was no ‘personally.’ The woman is coldblooded. As was her version of green.”

Cohen said, “The unfortunate truth is, a strong misanthropic streak exists within the green community. But it’s a minority view and Helga seemed to take it to the extreme.”

“Plagues and wars.”

Holman said, “Des sent her j-pegs of burned-out buildings and she sent him LOLs and happy faces. Singing the praises of ‘selective pyrotechnics’ as a tool of ‘biological cleansing.’”

Milo had her repeat that, scribbled in his pad.

Cohen said, “What was surprising was Des mirroring Helga’s point of view. He had seemed so sociable and humanistic. Talked about his niece, wanting to build a better world for her.”

Holman said, “She’s capable of anything, probably killed Des simply because she felt like it. Or maybe he was supposed to burn down that house, chickened out, and she executed him for disloyalty to the fatherland, whatever.”

Milo said, “Who’s your attorney?”

Holman said, “Manny-Emmanuel Forbush.”

Cohen said, “Forbush, Ziskin and Shapiro. Here’s their number.”

“Thank you, sir. What else?”

Holman said, “That’s not enough?”

“It’s a good start, Ms. Holman-”

“Then get going with it. Run that bitch into the ground and do the world a favor.” Making progress on the booze slur. She drank, spilled gin on her lap. Cohen handed her a tissue. She ignored him, drank some more.

Milo said, “Any idea where Helga is, ma’am?”

“For all I know, she’s back in Shwitzerland.”

“Why Switzerland?”

“Because that’s where she’s from.”

“Thought she was Austrian.”

“She was born in Austria but the family moved to Spritz-Shwitzlerland, her father owns a bank there. Manny found that out easily enough.”

“Do you have the bank’s name?”

“Why would I?”

Judah Cohen said, “GGI-Alter Privatbank, Zurich. The address is a postfach-a post office box.”

Holman stared at him. “You should go on Jee-epardy.”

Milo said, “A bank with no office?”

“I’m sure there’s an office,” said Cohen, “but perhaps they’re all about investing, have no interest in walk-ins. Apparently, it’s not unusual in Zurich, according to Emmanuel Forbush. He’s sent several certified letters but no answer so far, feels a civil suit will take years to unravel, we need to be patient. If we choose to persist.”

Holman said, “Oh, we choose, all right.”

Cohen didn’t answer.

Milo said, “Years to unravel unless Helga can be tied in to a criminal case.”

Holman said, “She is a criminal, catch the bitch before she braids her