The Firm

Mitch smiled and opened his hands. 'What do you want me to do?' he asked sincerely.

'There's nothing you can do, Mitch,' said Lambert. 'Just stay away from this guy, and run if you see him. If he so much as looks at you, report it immediately.'

'That's what he did,' Avery said defensively.

Mitch looked as pitiful as possible.

'You can go, Mitch,' Lambert said. 'And keep us posted.'

He left the office by himself.

* * *

DeVasher paced behind his desk and ignored the partners. 'He's lying, I tell you. He's lying. The sonofabitch is lying. I know he's lying.'

'What did your man see?' asked Locke.

'My man saw something different. Slightly different. But very different. He says McDeere and Tarrance walked sort of nonchalantly into the shoe store. No physical intimidation by Tarrance. None at all. Tarrance walks up, they talk, and both sort of duck into the store. My man says they disappear into the back of the store, and they're back there for three, maybe four minutes. Then another one of our guys walks by the store, looks in and sees nothing. Evidently, they saw our man, because within seconds they come flying out of the store with McDeere shoving and yelling. Something ain't right, I tell you.'

'Did Tarrance grab his arm and force him into the store?' Nathan Locke asked slowly, precisely.

'Hell no. And that's the problem. McDeere went voluntarily, and when he said the guy grabbed his arm, he's lying. My man says he thinks they would've stayed in there for a while if they hadn't seen us.'

'But you're not sure of that,' Nathan Locke said.

'I wasn't sure, dammit. They didn't invite me into the store.'

DeVasher kept pacing while the lawyers stared at the floor. He unwrapped a Roi- Tan and crammed it into his fat mouth.

Finally, Oliver Lambert spoke. 'Look, DeVasher, it's very possible McDeere is telling the truth and your man got the wrong signals. It's very possible. I think McDeere is entitled to the benefit of the doubt.'

DeVasher grunted and ignored this.

'Do you know of any contact since last August?' asked Royce McKnight.

'We don't know of any, but that doesn't mean they ain't talked, does it now? We didn't know about those other two until it was almost too late. It's impossible to watch every move they make. Impossible.'

He walked back and forth by his credenza, obviously deep in thought. 'I gotta talk to him,' he finally said.

'Who?'

'McDeere. It's time he and I had a little talk.'

'About what?' Lambert asked nervously.

'You let me handle it, okay? Just stay out of my way.'

'I think it's a bit premature,' Locke said.

'And I don't give a damn what you think. If you clowns were in charge of security, you'd all be in prison.'

Mitch sat in his office with the door closed and stared at the walls. A migraine was forming at the base of his skull, and he felt sick. There was a knock at the door.

'Come in,' he said softly.

Avery peeked inside, then walked to the desk. 'How about lunch?'

'No, thanks. I'm not hungry.'

The partner slid his hands into his trouser pockets and smiled warmly. 'Look, Mitch, I know you're worried. Let's take a break. I've got to run downtown for a meeting. Why don't you meet me at the Manhattan Club at one. We'll have a long lunch and talk things over. I've reserved the limo for you. It'll be waiting outside at a quarter till.'

Mitch managed a weak smile, as if he was touched by this. 'Sure, Avery. Why not?'

'Good. I'll see you at one.'

At a quarter till, Mitch opened the front door and walked to the limo. The driver opened the door, and Mitch fell in. Company was waiting.

A thick, bald-headed man with a huge, bulging, hanging neck sat smugly in the corner of the rear seat. He stuck out a hand. 'Name's DeVasher, Mitch. Nice to meet you.'

'Am I in the right limo?' Mitch asked.

'Sure. Sure. Relax.' The driver pulled away from the curb.

'What can I do for you?' Mitch asked.

'You can listen for a while. We need to have a little talk.' The driver turned on Riverside Drive and headed for the Hernando De Soto Bridge.

'Where are we going?' Mitch asked.

'For a little ride. Just relax, son.'

So I'm number six,thought Mitch. This is it. No, wait a minute. They were much more creative than this with their killing.

'Mitch, can I call you Mitch?'

'Sure.'

'Fine. Mitch, I'm in charge of security for, and—'

'Why does The Firm need security?'

'Just listen to me, son, and I'll explain. The Firm has an extensive security program, thanks to old man Bendini. He was a nut about security and secrecy. My job is to protect, and quite frankly, we're very concerned about this FBI business.'

'So am I.'

'Yes. We believe the FBI is determined to infiltrate our firm in hopes of collecting information on certain clients.'

'Which clients?'

'Some high rollers with questionable tax shelters.'

Mitch nodded and looked at the river below. They were now in Arkansas, with the Memphis skyline fading behind them. DeVasher recessed the conversation. He sat like a frog with his hands folded across the gut. Mitch waited, until it became apparent that lapses in conversation and awkward silence did not bother DeVasher. Several miles across the river, the driver left the interstate and found a rough county road that circled and ran back to the east. Then he turned onto a gravel road that went for a mile through low-lying bean fields next to the river. Memphis was suddenly visible again, across the water.

'Where are we going?' Mitch asked, with some alarm.

'Relax. I want to show you something.'

A gravesite,thought Mitch. The limo stopped on a cliff that fell ten feet to a sandbar next to the bank. The skyline stood impressively on the other side. The top of the Bendini Building was visible.

'Let's take a walk,' DeVasher said.

'Where to?' Mitch asked.

'Come on. It's okay.' DeVasher opened his door and walked to the rear bumper. Slowly, Mitch followed him.

'As I was saying, Mitch, we are very troubled by this contact with the FBI. If you talk to them, they will get bolder, then who knows what the fools will try. It's imperative that you not speak to them, ever again. Understand?'

'Yes. I've understood since the first visit in August.'

Suddenly, DeVasher was in his face, nose to nose. He smiled wickedly. 'I have something that will keep