Gatekeeper's Secret
Copyright© 2026 by Fick Suck
Chapter 39
“How are the new horses, Grady?”
“Feisty, Mr. Comfrey,” Grady said as he leaned back in the comfortable chair in his attorney’s office. “They can run. They love to run and any excuse to let loose is a good excuse in their little horsey minds. I’ve no doubt why the Romans loved this horse. They’re a little smaller and stocky, but ounce for ounce, they are pure horsepower.”
“You like them,” Mr. Comfrey replied. “I’m sure after such a long wait, Ms. Witt is pleased with her purchase.”
Grady acknowledged as much before he asked what was the concern that had Mr. Comfrey calling him in for a chat. “I have several items on list. First, Mr. and Mrs. Trang were here on their own business when Mrs. Trang asked a series of questions concerning your wherewithal. I want to assure you that we follow strict rules of confidentiality, and nothing concerning your various business interests was revealed. There was nothing they learned from me, although I learned a great deal from them. Their eldest daughter is a fine, young woman and I congratulate you are earning her trust.”
Grady held his head in his hand. “God, they’re going to spread my personal business across the whole town, aren’t they?”
“Good family, good values, Grady,” Mr. Comfrey said with a slight chuckle. “Better to have them singing your praises in the street than calling for the noose and gallows.”
Grady sat back up. “Gee, thanks, I guess. What else is on the agenda?”
“The class action suit against Sylvester Jeffries is heating up again and taking off in different tangents, developments that may reflect on our civil case against him.” Mr. Comfrey pulled a file folder off the top of a small stack and opened it. “Surely, you remember Pastor Masters and his burst of violence on one memorable day?”
Grady acknowledged that he did. “I never heard that they caught him.”
“They did,” Mr. Comfrey said. “He was apprehended for drunk and disorderly in Corpus Christi last week. They ran his particulars and “boom.” He’s fighting extradition, but he will lose in the end, and the end is coming quickly.”
“What does the pastor have to do with ‘Call me Van?’”
“Discovery is a wonderful tool in the legal profession,” Mr. Comfrey said, having forgotten that he already explained this point to Grady in the previous months. “Mr. Jeffries donated a complete renovation of the Eastside Evangelical and a second complete renovation of the parsonage. The problem is there are no signs of work done on either of the buildings and only one permit for replacing a furnace with a heat pump for one the projects was filed.”
“The pastor laundered money for Jeffries,” Grady said. “A million dollars?”
“Not quite, but close,” Mr. Comfrey said. “All of this matters for our case because we can demonstrate a pattern of illegal behaviors to maximize profit. Timing wise, if Mr. Jeffries loses the class action suit, or he loses in IRS court, or he’s convicted of any of these crimes we’re alleging, then your civil suit, which has a lower bar of proof, will succeed without much of a trial. There will be almost no admissible arguments his attorney can make in court.”
“Timing?”
Mr. Comfrey closed the file before pulling another one from the pile. “Mr. Jeffries has been the one dragging out our civil suit against him. If we need a delay to allow the other cases to go first, our motion will most likely be approved.”
Grady snapped his fingers. “Did you know that the county building inspector is an employee of the Paramount Group? The Rivera brothers told me when he came out to harass my small build.”
Mr. Comfrey leaned forward over the files. “That’s not possible. County Inspector is a public employee who cannot take jobs from the companies he inspects. Such a circumstance is a casebook example of bribery and corruption. Perhaps it’s time to make another phone call.”
Grady scratched his chin while his attorney made notes on a yellow pad. “If I may,” Grady began as he sought the words, “if all these other cases or any of these cases succeed, is there going to be anything left for the restitution I’m seeking?”
Mr. Comfrey put down his pen. “If he loses the class action suit, he will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and be forced to liquidate all his assets or turn them over to the litigants to pay the penalties. For instance, if he used any of his properties as collateral for a business loan and never paid off the loan, he would be compelled to sell or hand over the properties.”
“He’s screwed,” Grady concluded.
“Greed makes people do stupid things,” Mr. Comfrey said, tapping another folder. “Putting aside the Jeffries litigation, I’ve drawn up the Twin Sisters Trust scholarship forms. The repayment clause for failure to complete a diploma program is front and center as you requested. Is there a reason that I should know about this clause?”
“You’ve met Mrs. Trang,” Grady said. “She’s worried that I’m going to convince her daughter to start popping out babies instead of going to college. College is a stretch for the Trang family as well. Put two and two together and we create a scholarship that solves both dilemmas.”
“The Brianna Coles candidate?”
“She wants to stay on at the ranch, but I need more than a ranch hand. If she wants to stay on, the stipulation is a completed degree in one of the areas I’ve identified as necessary for the Twin Sisters companies. An MBA would be nice.”
“Your lead accountant’s favorite lament is that he could teach an entire MBA in six weeks, specifically targeted for the expected employment,” Mr. Comfrey said. “You may want to speak with him.”
“Or ask Maddy to talk to Ms. Coles,” Grady said. “Strong women, strong opinions and perhaps, strong results.”
“You do live dangerously, you know,” Mr. Comfrey said with a smirk. “A final word, if I may. Several people listed in the class action suit have experienced stolen equipment, broken tools, and workplace sabotage. A few have reported unspecified threats. Having reviewed the facts gathered thus far, you need to be mindful of security for yourself and those around you. You may want to consider upgrading security at your various buildings for the time being.”
“I’ll take that advice,” Grady said, standing up. He reached over and shook the man’s hand before swiftly departing the office. “Another pain in the ass,” he muttered as he scrolled through his phone contacts and tapped the name. “Bettina? Where you at?”
Grady listened to her explanation until it dawned on him, “Ski resort? They called you? Damn, girl, you’ve really come up in the world. When will you be done? I’ve got a job or two for you.”
After a further brief of his request, he hung up and called her brothers. “Enrique, I need another gate, pronto. Yeah, I’m gonna tell your mom you said that. The job is here in town at North County Cable Company. It’s got a gate but it’s not substantial enough. Plus, I’m gonna need more motion detector lights and one of those nifty cameras that are good enough to capture a license plate.”
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