Chapter 35B

If not for the fact that Todd was in jail, Kelly would have laughed at the hired legal guns parked on the street. They had arrived with a bailiff and a seizure order for all the property and assets in the name of Todd Ayres. Being a business major herself, Kelly laughed when the documents were presented and told the bailiff that the property they were standing on did not belong to Todd but to TKO. The two suits from the North had sputtered that Todd owned TKO, to which Kelly had just laughed. The bailiff, already paid for his work, just shrugged and asked if Kelly could prove this. Stating that she most certainly could, if required, he had apologized and left. The suits had remained, threatening that perjury to an officer of the court could result in jail time and demanding to be let inside so they could take inventory. Kelly had refused and called Steve after pointedly closing the door.

The suits had insisted on leaning on the door bell, until five minutes later, Robert had come out and explained in no polite terms that they were trespassing and interfering with the normal operation of business. He had ordered them off the property and said he would be contacting the police department if the suits stepped foot on the property again. They ended up parked across the street fuming, one of them on the phone to Gerry Langstaff trying to explain the new twist.

It hadn't taken much effort on Gerry's part to find out where Todd did his banking business. A couple of secretaries working from Cleveland had handled this task. Calling every bank and financial institute in Charlotte had ended with the almost certain knowledge that Todd only used the one bank. It had cost Gerry two more donations to Judge Richardson to get the papers signed to seize Vanden Ayres' property and bank assets. He hoped the roadblock to seizing the business would be temporary and that he would be able to search the books to find all of Vanden Ayres' holdings.

In another twist of fate, Gerry Langstaff had arrived in Charlotte and booked himself and his team into the same Holiday Inn that Joe Johnson was staying at, neither of them realizing the proximity of each other.

Dave Walker entered the room and stuck out his hand to Todd. "I'm really sorry we had to meet under these conditions, Todd. Is it okay if I call you Todd?"

Todd smiled and shook the captain's hand. "I'd prefer it if you did," he said.

"I'm sorry about the delay in getting you to a cell," said Dave, "But we're making a few changes to one of our larger cells."

Todd's brows went up, but he said nothing.

"Technically, we arrested you on behalf of the Akron PD, who it appears from my phone call to them this morning, don't want you in the first place. It seems that a judge in Cleveland is forcing this issue, and another judge down here was willing to provide you to them. You haven't done anything in Charlotte to warrant you being treated like a criminal, but we are supposed to hold you until either the Akron PD comes for you or until a judge orders your release."

"In other words," Todd added, "somebody wanted me out of the way while they tried to seize everything I own."

"On the surface that's exactly how it appears," said Dave. "I've already had a call from Bank of America regarding an attempt to freeze your accounts by two out-of-state lawyers. We might be a bit 'Southern' in our ways but we tend to look out for each other," continued Dave.

"Damn," said Todd, glad he had followed Steve's advice and borrowed heavily against his own money. "I guess I beat the bullet on that one," he added with a chuckle.

"Perhaps," said Dave. "Right now, I have two sleaze-bag lawyers pacing the halls, demanding to see you so they can serve you with papers. The funny thing is, I don't have to let anyone in to see you, and I can decide who gets to visit you."

Todd couldn't help but laugh. By having him arrested, though the circumstances were fortuitous, his parents' lawyers had also cut off any chance to get at his assets.

"So, if Akron doesn't want me," Todd asked, getting serious, "just how long will it take to see a judge about this?"

"Depending on how available one is and how agreeable he is to hear the case, it could be as soon as tomorrow or you could be waiting for a month," said Dave. "But just to satisfy my own curiosity, and nothing you say in this office leaves this office," he said glancing at Lew and Harry, "did you really steal a family camera worth over five thousand dollars?"

Todd nearly fell out of his chair, first in shock and then in laughter. "Is that my supposed crime?" and he burst out laughing again. "I know where this is coming from," he finally said as he regained some of his composure. "My 'father' used to say everything I had - even my ass - wasn't my own, that it all belonged to him, and that I was never to forget it. He never had any kind of real camera for as long as I lived with them. He used to buy disposable cameras when he went somewhere on vacation. Before I moved out of their house to attend college, I had bought my first real camera. It's the one Ami now uses for practice and on-location shoots. Complete with the flash and two extra lens, I'm pretty sure I spent just over two thousand on it. Hell, I even bought the case that I carry it in, and there should be a receipt for the entire kit right in the top of it. There's a small pocket where I used to store my lens cleaning papers, and I'm nearly positive that the receipt is still in there along with my customs papers for taking it back and forth out of the country. I bought all of it in Harrisburg just before I started my senior year in high school and took the camera with me to Harrisburg Community College before I transferred to New York State University. I'm surprised my 'father' even remembers me having a camera. He never paid much attention to what I did, only to the money I paid him for board each week. He kept pushing for me to quit high school and get a job," Todd sighed. "The only way that I could get him to let me finish was to pay board every week. I earned most of my money with a camera I borrowed from the photography club in school, but the summer of my last year, I had saved enough to buy myself the K-1000."

A knock on the door interrupted them, and an officer said that Todd's cell was ready.

Dave asked Todd to go with the officer and told him that he would be down to see him shortly. And, oh yes, unless Todd wanted otherwise, Dave would tell the two lawyers from Cleveland that visiting hours for Todd were on an approved basis only and that they were not yet approved. "Let them cool their heels upstairs waiting for my approval," said Dave with a mean glint in his eyes.

After Todd left, Dave turned once again to Harry and Lew. "I know that I said nothing he said leaves this room, but Todd seems to have more friends than he realizes. I also received a call from a licensed investigator a while ago who claims that you can vouch for him, Lew. A Joe Johnson?"

Lew nodded and was about to explain when Dave just held up his hand. "A real friend of Todd's would know how to clear this up in a hurry. I don't want Todd to have to spend more time than necessary in one of our holding cells. No matter how pretty we make it, it's still a cell."

"Fuck!"

Gerry Langstaff was not having a good day. First he had run into a brick wall trying to seize TKO's assets, and it now looked like it would probably take months of courtroom time to get that problem unlocked, and then he had gotten the news about the personal bank accounts being frozen. And contrary to plan, it wasn't his people who'd done the freezing. Someone else had beaten him to it. What really pissed Gerry off was when his lawyers had presented the paperwork for disclosure on Ayres' accounts, they found he'd recently taken out a loan for just over three million dollars! Gerry knew then that Eddie's fumbling had cost him big time. Nobody, but nobody, got a cash loan for three million unless they were worth a lot more.

Gerry was a greedy man, but not a stupid one. If the charges against Vanden Ayres were stronger, he would take the time for the fight, but he had known going in that the charges were weak to non-existent. It had been a good run. He had gotten his sister off his back by giving that worthless son of hers a job that had lasted the better part of a year, and Gerry had managed to make some money off the elder Vanden Ayres in the process. It should have been an easy swoop and grab, and Gerry could have collected his 30 percent without breaking a sweat. The problem was that Theodor Vanden Ayres had been smarter and quicker. Somebody else had probably also helped him protect his ass. Gerry was set to cut his losses and run. Vanden Ayres would stay in jail until some judge dismissed the charges, and Eddie would have to make the best of a public defender. Betsy and Adrian would have to pay the cost for the bribes to the judges and if they didn't, well they'd feel the full wrath and power of Langstaff and Associates.

It was time to cut his losses, and though he regretted losing the potential windfall, Gerry didn't like to take on - much less continue - cases that would involve real work. He preferred to scare people into paying. Present a strong front, freeze their assets, and hound them with court delays and actions until they caved in. With a sigh, he called his assistants and told them to pack. They were closing the books on this one. He felt no remorse for Vanden Ayres, not even any for his own nephew, Eddie. Money was the only thing that interested Gerry, and there was none to be made in Charlotte.

Todd smiled even as the iron bars clanged shut behind him. The cell had obviously just been completely scrubbed and smelled clean, that hint of bleach still in the air. The stainless steel sink and toilet gleamed, and instead of a paper-thin mattress on a metal cot bolted to the wall, an obviously brand new single bed sat in a corner of the cell. Nothing fancy, but it would be infinitely more comfortable. The bedding felt new and the pillow was still wrapped in plastic. A portable privacy screen was folded beside the toilet, and Todd's street clothes, the ones he had on that morning, lay folded at the end of the bed. A radio stood on a small stand beside the bed along with a number of J.D. Robb novels. All the comforts of home, thought Todd. He removed the toothbrush he had received from Gloria and placed it on the stand, noting that someone else was also concerned about his dental hygiene as there was another brand new toothbrush sitting beside a new tube of toothpaste on the small stand above the sink.

By the time Dave Walker made it downstairs to see how Todd had settled in, Todd had already changed into his own clothes. He didn't particularly care for the orange jumpsuit.

"So, what's the deal with the first class accommodations?" Todd asked.

Dave sighed. "It's far from first class, Todd, but it was the best I could arrange on short notice."

"I didn't realize the police budget was so flexible," Todd said.

"It's not," said Dave. "But I'll be damned if the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is going to treat one of the city's biggest contributors to Charlotte's underprivileged kids like a common criminal when you haven't broken any laws in our city!"

Dave was clearly pissed off by the whole deal, so Todd didn't press the point. "Thanks for letting me wear my own clothes," he said instead.

"Hell, Todd. We got the damn warrant, and we had to follow through on it. That meant sending somebody out to pick you up, and then you had to be there too."

Todd understood that the delay in the execution of the warrant had to have come from higher than Harry or Lew would have dared to pull on their own. Now he knew where the order had come from.

"We had to follow all the procedures for booking, which of course meant the jump suit, but hell, even weekend drunks don't have to wear them while they sleep off their binge. I'd like to have put a TV in your cell, but that would have required running cable. I do promise you that if you have to stay here more than a few days, I will personally run a cable from the roof down here!"

Todd laughed. "Thanks, Dave. I can live without TV. I appreciate the books, though, and the radio."

"Wait till you see the meals," Dave said with a smile. "Annie is making them up special for you. Since Bubba is on voluntary duty to the new unit, she can come and go without supervision. Of course, starting tomorrow, you can have whoever you want come to visit you. We do have to restrict visits to a room, but we won't stop anyone you want to see from bringing you anything. And we'll make sure that anyone from any law firm other than the ones you approve simply won't have access to you."

"I appreciate all you're doing for me, Dave. Hopefully I won't be here long enough to start scratching dates in the wall."

Dave Walker laughed, shook Todd's hand, and headed back to his office.

From their new office, Lew had found Joe's contact number at the Southside Holiday Inn. Lew also had Joe's cell number but had decided to try the hotel first. Joe had been busy entering his information into his laptop and was preparing to send it to his boss when Lew had called.

When he heard about the possibility there was a bill of sale inside the camera bag and that the charges all stemmed from the possible theft of the camera, Joe got very excited. Enough so that he asked if he could stop by and get a copy of the charges. Lew said he had already run the papers through the photocopier in anticipation.

"Joe," Lew said hesitantly. "I don't know who's paying your boss or what connections he has, but if that person had any clout in Ohio, and with the proof in hand that Todd has never been in Ohio, and the fact that the Akron PD isn't planning on coming down here to pick up Todd..."

"I understand," said Joe. "If an official in Ohio overturned the charges, you'd have no reason to hold our friend."

"Exactly," said Lew.

Four hours later, Joe Johnson was sitting in the offices of TKO sipping on mineral water as he examined the contents of the camera bag. He had already contacted the colleges in Harrisburg and New York and had fax copies of Todd's full time enrollment for the time he was supposedly living in Ohio. Todd had lived on campus at both schools and records showed him paying continuous rent on the dormitory rooms. All Joe had to do was prove the camera had been bought when and where Todd had claimed.

Getting into the door at TKO had proven easier than expected considering the turmoil that had gone on. Until that afternoon, Joe had had no idea who the client was that had been paying for his services. When he had found out, he had let out a low whistle. He knew Regan boats. Had one himself that he used for fishing when he wasn't out of town working.

Carefully, he lifted the cover, hoping that Todd's memory was correct. He slowly undid the zipper of the small pocket under the top and gently tugged out the papers. Ten years shouldn't make them fragile, but Joe wasn't taking any chances. He smiled with satisfaction when he read the receipt for the camera purchase. The name of the store and its location were all clearly legible along with the handwritten details and serial numbers for the flash, each of the lenses and the camera body. Hell, the warranty cards were still inside the case, at least the half the purchaser kept. Joe was already sure he had enough information to have the charges dropped, but the warranties would be further proof if required. You just don't travel to Pennsylvania to buy a camera if you were living in Ohio.

Joe was glad when Robert had left to pick up Vanetta at the airport and taken Ami with him. She had not stopped crying since he had arrived, and while he understood her emotional state, he was much more in tune with Kelly's detached state. Joe knew that after the crisis passed, she would drop like a rock and sleep, but she had a personality trait he admired — courage under fire. Laura was strong, like her father, but not used to the legal wrangling involved.

Joe hoped to meet Todd in person. From what he had been told after his arrival at TKO, and what he had heard from Sergeant Lew Weaver, Todd had been given the chance to make a run out of the city, knowing who was after him and what for. Instead, he had chosen to take a stand, making him a man, Joe thought, obviously stronger and more decent than the gene pool that had spawned him.