“I’ve spoken with Paul, and he’s willing to deal, through me.”
“Not through you,” Stone said.
“Why not? He’s chosen me as his representative.”
“How can I trust you?” Stone asked. “You’ve already lied to me at least once.”
“When did I ever lie to you?” James asked, sounding offended.
“You told me you’d never heard of Paul Manning, and then you told me you knew him. One of those was a lie.”
“But—”
“I’ll deal directly with Manning.”
“For whatever reason, Paul doesn’t wish to deal with you.”
“Then I’ll deal with a reputable lawyer who represents him.”
James was silent for a moment. “I am Paul Manning’s attorney,” he said finally.
“You’re a novelist,” Stone said.
“So is Scott Turow, but he’s a lawyer, too.”
“I take it your name is not Frederick James, then?”
“A nom de plume.”
“What is your real name?”
“I’m not prepared to divulge that.”
“And you think I’m going to deal with somebody who says he’s an attorney but won’t tell me his name? Either get serious, or go away.”
“But I—”
“I don’t know who you are, where you are, if you’re an attorney or even if you really know Paul Manning.”
“I assure you, I do.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“What exactly do you want, Mr. Barrington?”
“I want to know that I’m dealing with the real Paul Manning and that he’s represented by an attorney whose identity I can confirm.”
“And what proof of those things would you accept?”
“Bring Manning to a meeting, and let him authorize you to represent him in my presence.”
“Paul won’t meet with you.”
“Then I’m not going to remove the threat of his arrest on insurance fraud, and I’m certainly not going to give him any of my client’s money.”
“There must be some way we can resolve this.”
“I think you understand my concerns, Mr. James. Why don’t you go away and think about it for a bit, discuss it with your client and get back to me?”