Foreclosure: A Novel by S.D. Thames Page B

heard,” Bryce said.
    David shrugged. “But two things happened that the good doctor wasn’t planning on. One, the market crashed. Two, and more importantly in this case, Peaches was arrested for felony check fraud. She’s currently in jail without bail awaiting trial. You loved her enough to buy a unit here, eh doctor, but not enough to hire her a competent criminal defense attorney?”
    Dr. Herington smacked the table with the side of his bony fist. “You scum sucker!”
    “Easy, there,” David said. “I’m just stating the facts. Bryce told us what would be in your complaint. I don’t want there to be any question about what will be in our counterclaim. Your claims of fraud and breach of contract are bogus, mere pretext for the ensuing complications in the good doctor’s love life. Scandalous? Perhaps. True? Absolutely. I’m sure the newspapers will have a field day with it. It might even go national.” David pierced Dr. Herington’s angry eyes. “Do you really want to put Mrs. Herington through such a nasty lawsuit? What about your children and all your sweet, innocent grandkids? And all over a measly escrow deposit that probably costs less than the interest earned on your investment accounts last year.”
    Dr. Herington shifted his angry glare to Cummings.
    “This is extortion,” Bryce said.
    “Hey, you’re the one threatening a lawsuit.” David closed his folder.
    “I should call Alton Holloway about this.”
    “Tell him David sent you.”
    Dr. Herington whispered in Bryce’s ear.
    David stood. “Take a moment alone with your client.”

    Ten minutes later, the conference room door opened and Bryce joined David in the hallway. He looked for Frank, but Frank was long gone.
    “So what did the good doctor decide?” David asked.
    “He’ll forfeit his deposit if you relieve him of any further obligation under the contract.”
    “We can do that.”
    Bryce lowered his voice. “We want a full confidentiality provision.”
    “As long as it’s mutual. And we get a full release.”
    “One other thing—we want copies of the escrow records, the real records that show where my client’s money’s been all this time.”
    “What difference does that make?”
    Bryce ran his tongue along his lower lip. “For tax purposes.”
    “You draw up the settlement agreement, and I’ll run it by my client.”

    David entered the diner amid the tranquility of the post-breakfast rush and found Terry seated in the corner painting a deposition transcript with a yellow highlighter.
    “I nailed it, Terry. I nailed it. O’Reilly wants to hire me to handle all of Pinnacle’s litigation in Florida.”
    Terry finished highlighting a line of testimony, scribbled something in the margin with a silver pen, and finally looked up. “That’s great news, kid.”
    David took a seat as the waitress appeared and set a plate loaded with scrambled eggs, soft greasy bacon, and cheese grits in front of Terry. She asked David what he wanted to order.
    “Just coffee,” he said. Then he told Terry, “There’s just one snag.”
    Terry set the transcript down and loaded up the fork with a mound of eggs and grits. “And what’s that?”
    “Remember that trip we made to Miami a few days ago?”
    “Justin Baxter and Meridian Bank?”
    David nodded. “Well, they want to hire us, too.”
    “And that’s a snag?”
    The sight and smell of Terry’s greasy cuisine was making David nauseous. “Baxter’s work carries a lot of baggage.”
    “What kind of baggage?”
    “I think we’d be conflicted out of representing O’Reilly and Meridian Bank.”
    Terry chewed loudly. “Why?”
    “Meridian holds a first mortgage against Gaspar Towers. Due to all these nervous buyers, Pinnacle can’t pay the note.”
    “So they’re directly adverse, or about to be?”
    “Meridian’s about to call the loan.”
    Terry’s eyes focused. “And how do you know that?”
    David took his coffee from the waitress and glanced around to confirm