Unnatural Acts (Stone Barrington 23)

Kent looked at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know anything about franchising,” he said.

“All you need is a law firm that does.”

“Are you a franchising specialist?”

“I’m a generalist. My job is to put together a team of the right people in the firm and liaise between you and them.”

“All right, I’ll put you to work,” Kent said.

“Would you like me to put together a presentation on franchising Jasper’s?”

“Sure, that’s a good start. I understand you’re representing one of Marshall’s start-ups. I’ve got a couple of those that could use some legal and accounting structuring. The techies know everything about tech, and nothing about business.”

Herbie handed him a legal pad. “Give me some names and numbers, and I’ll go see them. Nothing that will conflict with Marshall’s start-up, though.”

Kent took the pad and began writing.

There was a knock at the door, and Bill Eggers walked in. “I’m sorry, am I disturbing you?”

“No, come in, Bill, and meet Kent Holbrooke, of the Holbrooke Group.”

They shook hands.

“We’re going to put together a presentation on franchising a group of high-end laundry/dry cleaners called Jasper’s that Kent owns.”

“Of course,” Eggers said. “My wife and I are your clients.”

“I’m liking Woodman and Weld better and better,” Kent said.

28

Dink Brennan sat in a circle of chairs and gazed at the seven other people occupying them. They were a mixed bag of people, but they were all well dressed and carefully groomed. Dink’s guess was that this place didn’t take Medicaid.

The psychiatrist ended the session, and an orderly came in and whispered to Dink, “You have a visitor in the main lounge.”

Finally, Dink thought. He had been there a week and was clean of any drug, but they weren’t going to let him out of there so easily, so he was going to have to keep doing business from there.

He walked into the main lounge, which looked more like the lobby of a chic SoHo hotel, and saw Parker Mosely, his roommate at Yale, waiting for him. They shook hands and sat down.

“How they treating you, Dink?” Parker asked.

“About how you’d expect. I’ve blinded them with cooperation. They make us clean our own rooms, and you should see mine: neat as a pin.”

“That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I can do it when I want to. Anyway, they seem to look at a neat room as proof of character, so I’ve had a head start since day one.”

“You got a shave and a haircut, too.”

“Yeah, more proof of character. All I had in my blood when they tested it was a little grass. My plan is to make them think my old man overreacted by sending me here, that I don’t really belong. In fact, I’ve already started working on the psychiatrist to get him thinking that the old man is the problem, not me.”

“Smart.” Parker looked around the room casually, then slipped a small book envelope to Dink. “Here’s the cell phone you wanted, and a charger, too. I gave the number to Carson, and she knows not to expect an answer when she calls, just voice mail. I told her you’d get back to her.”

Dink tucked it into his belt, under his shirttail. “Tell her I want to see her here tomorrow. I’ve got something I want her to do.”

“She’ll be here within the hour. She’s driving over from her folks’ house in Washington.”

“Great!”