an appraising look, waiting to see how he’d deal with the situation.
“Good afternoon, Tom. Do you know what provoked the government into going after the company?”
“No mystery there. Either some sleazy competitor made ridiculous charges, or it’s a bureaucrat looking for a payoff.”
“Listen, Justin—” Arthur looked disgusted. “—this is wasting my time. It’s Montana’s job to keep the plant operating. He’s doing that and has my full support, whatever it takes. I don’t need Strider’s help.”
“And I don’t want any outsiders down here,” Montana added. “We take care of our own problems.”
“Whether you want his help or not,” Sinclair said, “you need it.”
“I may be able to turn this into a win for Palmer Industries,” Jack said. “If it’s harassment, I can try to stop it. If the problem is more than that, a rational compromise with regulatory authorities usually works out better than defending against injunctions and lawsuits. A cost benefit analysis could show that in the long term—”
“Long term, my ass,” Arthur growled.
“All right, gentlemen,” Sinclair broke in, “let’s wrap this up. Arthur, you pay me to protect you. That’s what I’m doing. Tom, Jack will give you a call in a few days to get whatever he needs.” Before Montana could respond, Sinclair touched a button. The monitor went black.
“I’ll tell you again,” Edward glared at his brother, “we made a big mistake caving in to that sweetheart bonus deal he demanded.”
“He doesn’t have a chance in hell of meeting the terms we set. He’ll never collect one dime of that bonus,” Arthur said. “We outsmarted him.”
“But if he does meet the terms, we have to pay him millions.”
“Edward,” Arthur said, “I’m fed up with you looking at a peach and calling it a damned lemon. Leave it alone.”
“Montana’s a loose cannon. We can go to jail for condoning what he’s doing.”
“You can’t condone what you don’t know about, so butt out.”
“But we do know about it. When we first went into business down there, the border guards stopped our trucks and buried us in paperwork and fines. Suddenly, the problems stopped. There’s only one way Montana could have pulled that off. By ignoring it, we sent him a message. This time it’s not some penny ante border guards. He’ll try to bribe the federal government.”
Sinclair held up his hand to stop the bickering, then took off his glasses and slowly polished each lens with a handkerchief, a telltale sign he was losing patience. “Then it’s settled,” he said. “Worst case, we go to court or a Hearing and kick their ass. If everything else fails, there are still a few heavyweights in Washington willing to do a favor for an old man. In the meantime, Jack goes to Mexico City. His pro-environment reputation is exactly what you need right now.”
Arthur said, nodding at Jack, “Is he one of those goddamn environmental nuts?”
“Of course not.”
“All right, goddamn it, but on one condition.” Arthur shook his finger at Jack. “Leave Montana alone. Period. And remember that the client is always right.” He stood and headed for the door, followed by Sinclair. Edward hurried to catch up.
Jack sat in silence, waiting for Sinclair to return. The meeting had been a disaster. Sinclair was a master at creating an illusion, so maybe he had a strategy he’d chosen not to reveal to the Palmers. If he didn’t have something clever up his sleeve, Jack’s job prospects would swirl down the toilet bowl.
Sinclair walked back in. “Arthur’s a hothead, so stay in bounds.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Sounds as if Montana is effectively running the company.”
“I’m sure he keeps Arthur informed, at least about anything he wants to hear.”
“Then Edward was right. They’ve cut him out.”
“Edward would raise hell if he had proof that Montana is, shall we say, cutting corners. Arthur’s the realist. He understands
“Good afternoon, Tom. Do you know what provoked the government into going after the company?”
“No mystery there. Either some sleazy competitor made ridiculous charges, or it’s a bureaucrat looking for a payoff.”
“Listen, Justin—” Arthur looked disgusted. “—this is wasting my time. It’s Montana’s job to keep the plant operating. He’s doing that and has my full support, whatever it takes. I don’t need Strider’s help.”
“And I don’t want any outsiders down here,” Montana added. “We take care of our own problems.”
“Whether you want his help or not,” Sinclair said, “you need it.”
“I may be able to turn this into a win for Palmer Industries,” Jack said. “If it’s harassment, I can try to stop it. If the problem is more than that, a rational compromise with regulatory authorities usually works out better than defending against injunctions and lawsuits. A cost benefit analysis could show that in the long term—”
“Long term, my ass,” Arthur growled.
“All right, gentlemen,” Sinclair broke in, “let’s wrap this up. Arthur, you pay me to protect you. That’s what I’m doing. Tom, Jack will give you a call in a few days to get whatever he needs.” Before Montana could respond, Sinclair touched a button. The monitor went black.
“I’ll tell you again,” Edward glared at his brother, “we made a big mistake caving in to that sweetheart bonus deal he demanded.”
“He doesn’t have a chance in hell of meeting the terms we set. He’ll never collect one dime of that bonus,” Arthur said. “We outsmarted him.”
“But if he does meet the terms, we have to pay him millions.”
“Edward,” Arthur said, “I’m fed up with you looking at a peach and calling it a damned lemon. Leave it alone.”
“Montana’s a loose cannon. We can go to jail for condoning what he’s doing.”
“You can’t condone what you don’t know about, so butt out.”
“But we do know about it. When we first went into business down there, the border guards stopped our trucks and buried us in paperwork and fines. Suddenly, the problems stopped. There’s only one way Montana could have pulled that off. By ignoring it, we sent him a message. This time it’s not some penny ante border guards. He’ll try to bribe the federal government.”
Sinclair held up his hand to stop the bickering, then took off his glasses and slowly polished each lens with a handkerchief, a telltale sign he was losing patience. “Then it’s settled,” he said. “Worst case, we go to court or a Hearing and kick their ass. If everything else fails, there are still a few heavyweights in Washington willing to do a favor for an old man. In the meantime, Jack goes to Mexico City. His pro-environment reputation is exactly what you need right now.”
Arthur said, nodding at Jack, “Is he one of those goddamn environmental nuts?”
“Of course not.”
“All right, goddamn it, but on one condition.” Arthur shook his finger at Jack. “Leave Montana alone. Period. And remember that the client is always right.” He stood and headed for the door, followed by Sinclair. Edward hurried to catch up.
Jack sat in silence, waiting for Sinclair to return. The meeting had been a disaster. Sinclair was a master at creating an illusion, so maybe he had a strategy he’d chosen not to reveal to the Palmers. If he didn’t have something clever up his sleeve, Jack’s job prospects would swirl down the toilet bowl.
Sinclair walked back in. “Arthur’s a hothead, so stay in bounds.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Sounds as if Montana is effectively running the company.”
“I’m sure he keeps Arthur informed, at least about anything he wants to hear.”
“Then Edward was right. They’ve cut him out.”
“Edward would raise hell if he had proof that Montana is, shall we say, cutting corners. Arthur’s the realist. He understands
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