chapter 6
“WHOA. HANG ON. Okay—let me get this straight,” Samantha said, holding up a hand and then flipping to a clean sheet of paper.
She leaned forward, staring at the two old men, and then asked, “The two of you robbed the Kroger. We’re talking about that giant grocery store?”
“That’s the store. But we didn’t exactly rob it. We sorta embezzled the weekend deposit,” Walter said with a sly grin. “And we had two more people helping. It was an inside job, and we didn’t use guns—just brains.”
“We doubt they’ve even figured it out yet,” added Bernard Jefferson with a sense of confidence.
“And you want me to help you start a legitimate foundation with this stolen money to help older people who don’t have any money.” She stared back at them and noticed a distinct twinkle in Bernard’s eyes.
“That’s a bit of oversimplification. We want to start a foundation to help older people who worked all their lives and don’t have anything to show for it…like us—to do one final, life-changing act for their families. Help them get a break, a leg up, so to speak,” Walter explained calmly.
Sam, in obvious disbelief, took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
Walter allowed his comments to sink in for a moment and then continued, “For instance, we have a guy in our group with a grandson who’s going to medical school and having to work two jobs just to pay the bills. He doesn’t even have time to study. Imagine not being able to study properly at medical school because you’re worried about paying the rent, buying gas and books…and eating. He’s a great kid who’s trying really hard. Imagine what twenty-five thousand dollars would mean to him. Imagine his granddad being able to give it to him. The kid could study properly, be competitive with the other students, and perform at his best. People like him deserve some help.”
“You’re serious.”
“You betcha! You see, we help him, and in return, he pledges to help someone else when he can,” Walter added with an unvarnished Minnesotan accent and a broad smile.
“So that’s how it perpetuates,” Sam remarked.
“Absolutely. But we can’t help everybody. We know that. We want to be selective. We need requirements and a means to help us decide who really qualifies and to spot the freeloaders. Whether it’s school tuition, helping start a business, paying for a surgery, whatever…there’s a lot of need out there, and there are a lot of people like us who want to help but can’t. We need a lawyer to set up the foundation and then to monitor, administrate, and help it continue,” Walter explained and then glanced over at Bernard, who was excited to add, “That’s why we hired you.”
“You haven’t hired me yet,” she shot back.
Sam’s mind was racing. She could count her clients on one hand and still have a couple of extra fingers. That did not translate into a healthy practice. Now these crazy old men waltz in, lay down an envelope full of much-needed cash, and then casually admit to stealing the money to help those in need. Her ethical compass was spinning wildly.
“I haven’t seen anything in the news about the robbery,” she said with certainty. Sam watched the local news each night while thinking about exercising.
“It wasn’t robbery, and we’re good guys.”
“How much money are we talking about here?”
“One hundred and sixteen thousand dollars. There’s five grand in that envelope to retain your services,” Walter replied as he gestured toward her desk.
“We saw your commercial on TV,” Bernard contributed confidently.
“Actually, I did a pretty thorough background check on you,” Walter said with a smile.
“On me?”
“Walter Googled you,” Bernard interjected enthusiastically.
Before Walter could clarify, Bernard added, “We know about the panthers.”
Sam looked at him with a furrowed brow.
“It’s important to have the right person help us,” Walter explained.
“Well, gentlemen, I’m not sure I’m buying your story, and even if I did, that’s not enough money to start a foundation like what you’ve described. You could start it, I suppose, but you just couldn’t help many people.”
“Oh, we’re gonna get a lot more money. I have a plan for that,” Walter explained.
Sam blinked. She had to ask, “How? More Krogers?”
“No, ma’am. I can’t tell you. I don’t feel comfortable explaining crimes we’re considering.”
“But you told me about the Kroger felony.”
With steely resolve, Walter stated, “What we’ve done is done…and you’re our lawyer, so you can’t betray us.”
“I’m not your lawyer, yet.”
“I told you because you need to know that we’re being totally honest.”
“Nobody’s gonna get hurt,” Bernard promised.
“Look, gentlemen, y’all seem sweet, and I’ve enjoyed talking with y’all. The foundation concept is worthwhile, but your funding methods don’t make sense. Doing something bad to do something good? If everything you’ve said is true, this creates an ethical, if not legal, dilemma for me.” Sam leaned back and stared at the cash on her desk. Five thousand dollars sure could go a long way around here, she thought.
“We aren’t asking you to break the law. Just execute our wishes. We’ll pay your hourly rate and allow you to be the administrator—for a fee, of course. It’s our legacy, and we are very serious about it,” Walter explained as he leaned in for emphasis.
Walter let a long moment pass and then sat back to study her office. From the looks of things, it appeared she needed the retainer. Need was everywhere. Everybody needs something.
Sam glanced down at her watch and then at the two old men smiling at her. She could hear her receptionist explaining to a confused walk-in that the therapist was gone. Sam sighed and wondered just how much of their story was true. At least they could pay.
“Okay, here’s my proposal: we go to lunch, you buy, and I bill you for a minimum of one hour and pro rata every fifteen minutes beyond the first hour, including travel time. You tell me everything, and I’ll decide if I’m going to be your attorney.”
“Deal,” the old men said in stereo.
Walter smiled; after a few more heartfelt stories about helping others, he would have the lawyer he wanted. He would bide his time before explaining to her what he really wanted the foundation to accomplish.