Dancing with Devils, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

One

Jamal Davis returned to his office the next day. Kendall was gone and he thought the meeting with Kyle had gone better than planned. No doubt it would be a big day over at the DOJ. He imagined the scramble and meetings going on over there as Kyle brought his bosses Jamal's care package. He thought, You are welcome you fucking pencil pushing weasels. Jamal had no patience for prosecutors. They were the bottom of the barrel when it came to attorneys. He considered them incompetent and lazy who took cushy government jobs when their lack of ambition, vision, and skills kept them out of private practice or corporate litigation where the money was. Yet somehow those worthless bureaucrats decided who was charged with a crime and who was not. It was ridiculous but Jamal was confident he could wipe the floor with most of them. Not all, but most.

He was feeling particularly good, especially after his illicit tryst in a whore house in Long Island with the two boys and a girl he had ordered. He had to send another five thousand to the service to cover some damages. One of the boys would need a couple of stitches but it had been worth it.

He unlocked his office door and found a yellow envelope at his feet. That was odd, but he picked it up and went to his desk. He sat down and opened the envelope. Inside was a letter of resignation from Mindy. That was a good thing. He never liked her and he knew about her relationship with Jacob, whatever that was. She was a nice piece of ass and Jacob had his kinks. That had amused him at first, but he grew bored with their exchanges. She was just Jacob's most recent piece of ass. Jamal didn't blame the man. Everyone needed a piece of ass once in awhile. But Mindy had an influence over Jacob too. That was all well and good when he was a nominal vice president, but with him as CEO she might get aspirations above her station. He was glad she was leaving.

But there were other papers in the envelope too, and he flipped to the next page.

As he read, his mood went sour and a ball of anger began to form in his stomach. He sat back and screamed at no one, "Fuck".

He was suddenly in a rage. He stood up, picked up one of the monitors on the desk, and threw it at the door. It crashed to the floor, shattering, an electrical spark dancing out of the back of it as whatever was inside monitors, exploded onto the floor.

He took two steps toward the broken monitor and stomped on it twice and screamed, "You fucking cunt."

His tirade lasted one full minute and then he sat again in his chair, staring at the printed page on the desk. He had an urge to go to Mindy's quarters, kick in her door, and strangle her. He imagined the satisfying sound of her neck snapping as he throttled her. His head pounded with his heart beats as he thought about it. How had this happened?

After another minute he closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair and thought, always another fucking problem. He had been so pleased with his plan to eliminate Jacob as a threat, and here was another one. And this one from a god damn secretary. He sat for five minutes and then reread the letter. The bitch was threatening him.

He stood again, full of nervous energy, and stared out his window. He said to himself, "Okay, okay, you can deal with this." Maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Maybe. He imagined standing in a court room defending himself. He would probably win, but winning wasn't enough. The accusation alone would be enough to keep him from becoming CEO. Hell the accusation was enough to have the board quietly fire him. Jacob couldn't do that, but if the board wanted him gone, they could. Shit.

How had this happened? He thought about that for a long time and finally picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the number at the security firm. The man answered and said, "Jamal? What's going on? It's Saturday."

Jamal said, "Shut up and listen. I think we may have had a security breach of our systems. I need to know how someone might get into our files. You set this shit up."

The man got defensive and said, "You were hacked? The system I set up was hacked? That's not possible."

Jamal fought the urge to scream at the man. He said, "I'm telling you we were. Now I need to know how it could have happened."

The man went quiet for a moment, thinking, and finally said, "There are only two ways. Your system at the estate is completely isolated from everything, including the corporate network. You have encryption software that the NSA would take half a century to break and that's only if they knew what they were looking for."

Jamal said, "Spare me the technical bullshit and tell me what are the two ways?"

The man said, "Well its technically possible that if someone knew the network, got access to the data center in the basement, and had a network sniffer, they could grab packets of data between two endpoints, but they would have to have the encryption keys to unlock the data. I don't think that's possible since we use an encryption vault and even I wouldn't know what the keys are for any particular data set."

Jamal was getting inpatient and said, "Don't fucking tell me how they couldn't have done it. Tell me how they did."

The man thought about it and said, "Someone would have to have access to your password and your computer. That's the only way. But we put safeguards for even that. It's why we have cameras everywhere. Did you look at the feeds to see if anyone accessed your computer?"

Jamal closed his eyes. There were cameras everywhere but he didn't like the idea of being recorded in his own office so he had disabled them as the security administrator. He said, "How could someone guess my password? It's twenty characters of nonsense, it's not written down anywhere, and I change it every week."

The man thought quietly again for a minute and said, "I don't know Jamal, maybe a keystroke logger, but they would have to have access to your system for that."

Jamal said, "What the fuck is a keystroke logger?"

The man said, "It's a device or piece of software that records all of your key strokes on a keyboard. You come in, turn on your computer, and type your password. The key logger grabs all of that and stores it. That's why we recommend two factor authentication."

Jamal said, "Are you fucking kidding me? We pay you motherfuckers millions of dollars and someone with one of these, key logging things, can record everything I type?"

The man once again grew defensive. He said, "Jamal, what the hell is going on?'

Jamal said, "How do I know if someone did that keystroke thing?"

The man sighed and said, "Well if it was software we would catch it in a security scan. Same with a hardware logger if its still active. If it was a physical tracker it would have to be within range of your keyboard and connected if its blue tooth; or it could be in a USB port. I can have someone come over and do a thorough investigation if you really think you have had a breech."

Jamal thought about it and said, "You will have to do it quietly. I need to see how much damage could be done. How would you get one of these keystroke loggers? I mean do you need to order it from a security company or something?"

The man sighed and said, "That, or you could order one on Amazon. They cost less than a hundred bucks."

Jamal was shocked and enraged. "So you are telling me that we pay you millions and some asshole with a hundred dollars can defeat your system?"

The man said, "No Jamal. If you run the security scans every time you log in, and you use two factor authentication, and you keep your computer in a secure location, no one could use a keystroke logger to defeat the system. I'm guessing you didn't do at least one of those things. Security systems are only as good as the people who use them as we discussed when you hired us."

Jamal wanted to punch the man until his brains leaked out of his ears. He said, "But you would have to know about this thing and have some technical knowledge."

The man said, "I suppose some, but its not rocket science. If I had access to your computer system I could set one up in less than five minutes. If I had ten minutes I could pair it with another device and grab the data as long as I was within fifty feet of the keystroke logger then if I had secure network access, I could log into your device with your credentials".

Jamal thought, This is bad. Really bad. Then he asked, "What could someone do if they did that. How bad could it be?"

The man said, "If they authenticated as you, they could see anything you can see and do anything you could do."

Jamal's blood ran cold. Something had to be done about this. The man on the other end of the phone was now curious and his engineering mind thought about the problem. He said, "Are you at your computer now?"

Jamal said, "Yes why?"

The man said, "Check your device ports. Do you see anything plugged into the USB ports that shouldn't be there? The keystroke logger would have to have a power source."

It took five minutes, but Jamal eventually found a small USB device plugged into the extra USB port behind his primary monitor. He said, "God damn it."

The man said, "You want me to pick it up and tear it apart and see what is going on?"

Jamal considered it and said, "Yes, but no one knows about this but you and I." He didn't need anyone else knowing about this. He said, "Forget this conversation ever happened. Pretend you are doing routine maintenance and call me with the results."

The man protested, wanting to bring a security team with him, but Jamal said firmly, "Shut the fuck up and just get it done. Just you. I have some damage control to do." He hung up on the man without waiting for an answer.

He stared at the small device in his palm that had betrayed him. He used his computers to control and monitor the activities of the business and the people that ran it. He brought up the security system and tuned to Mindy's room. It was empty and all of her personal belongings were gone. He sat back and said, "God damn it".

He still could hardly believe this was happening. How had Mindy known about a key stroke logger. She was a god damn secretary. He went out on to the human resource files and pulled her resume. He sat back thinking. It was right there on her resume. Masters degree in business administration, undergraduate degree in computer science.

Jamal cursed himself for not looking at her before now. She was just Jacob's hired pussy for God's sake. And yet she had done this. He sighed begrudgingly admitting he had made a mistake in underestimating her. But mistakes could be fixed.

He opened his desk drawer and found another burner phone.

Two

Kendall was having one of the best Sunday's of her life. It was just past ten in the morning and she was still in bed, laying face down, naked, sweaty, and enjoying the post orgasmic bliss from her wake up sex with Robert. He lay next to her, stroking her back gently, and said, "If you would have told me that we would drink fifty thousand dollars worth of wine last night, I would have assumed both of us would wake up in a hospital."

Kendall mewed softly and said, "More likely the morgue."

Robert patted her ass and said, "Last night was fun."

She mewed again, remembering the dinner, the drinks, the laughter, and of course the sex. She had been insatiable. She and Robert had topped their personal best of four sexual romps in a twenty four hour period. She said, "Last night was most definitely fun."

Robert rolled close to her and said, "So what was Jacob like? I mean you don't get to meet a billionaire very often."

Kendall rolled toward him and said, "He's more or less a regular guy, other than the fact he has a helicopter, a driver, and a staff that gets him whatever he wants."

Robert said, "A normal guy?" He thought about it and said, "I don't think anyone is normal that was born with six billion dollars."

Kendall said, "You are probably right, but he seems like a good guy. I mean he just lost his father and is being thrust into a CEO job. Not the easiest of circumstances."

Robert said, "I suppose that would be tough. And he has no wife or girlfriend?" Kendall shook her head no and Robert said, "That sucks."

Kendall sighed and said, "Never married, but I think he may be dating his executive assistant."

Robert said, "Really? Why do you think that?"

Kendall thought about it. If she was going to tell Robert about what she had seen, this would be the time to do it. But part of her was embarrassed that she had watched Jacob and Mindy having sex by the pool. If she had just seen them having sex she might have told him, but she wasn't sure she could explain what she had seen. What she saw she didn't understand and she certainly didn't want to bring up her reaction to it. She made a choice and said, "Just a feeling I get. It might be nothing."

He kissed her and ran a hand down her side and she said, "You want more?" She reached down between his legs and found him. He was not hard but there was potential.

He said, "I'm not sure I could take more right now. I'm pretty fucked out after last night and this morning. I've never seen you like this. I may have to start doing exercises and taking vitamins."

She giggled and said, "I guess making partner and closing a fifty million dollar contract turns me on."

He said, "It turns me on too." He kissed her again and she felt him stir in her hand. He rolled her onto her back and said, "Are you going to let me come to your office so we can initiate your corner office?"

Kendall suddenly had an image of herself, bent over her desk in the corner office, much like Mindy had been bent over a table by the pool. She trembled with desire and arousal. She said, "Is that what you want? To fuck me on my desk." But in her mind, she was thinking about Jacob. She tried to focus on Robert but he rolled her onto her stomach.

Robert kissed her right shoulder and said, "I love when you talk dirty like that. I'm just not used to it."

She smiled reached back, spread her ass cheeks for him, and said, "Fuck me from behind."

He gasped with desire, slid between her legs, and pushed into her warm wet pussy from behind. Kendall pushed back to meet him as he thrust and groaned with the depth of his penetration into her. She almost said, "Fuck me Jacob", but caught her near faux pas and said, "Fuck me... Jesus.... Fuck me."

Robert thrust into his wife, feeling the pleasure of her, and when she began to contract in orgasm, filled her with himself for the fifth time. A new record. They lay face down panting, Robert on top of Kendall. Kendall lost between reality and fantasy. Finally he rolled off of her and said, "Okay I need something to eat. I'm dehydrated and hungry."

She giggled and said, "Pancakes?"

He said, "With bacon."

She was about to say something else when her cell phone rang. This was unusual because Sunday mornings she always set her phone to it's 'Do Not Disturb"' setting which would send the caller directly to voicemail. She had only marked two people as exceptions. The first was laying in bed naked with her and the second was David Gimble. She whined, "What the fuck can he want on a weekend?"

She rolled to the nightstand, found her phone, and answered, "Happy Sunday David. Did you forget it is a Sunday?"

David was frenetic. He said, "Are you watching television."

She said, "No. Why?"

He said, "Turn on the news and be in my office in one hour. Your client is being arrested." He hung up.

She sat up heart hammering and fumbled for the remote. Robert asked, "What's going on?"

She said, "I don't know."

Three

Jacob arrived by limo service to St. Patrick's cathedral at 9:00 AM. It was an iconic church in the city and was the venue where Willard Mitchell would be laid to rest. Jacob was expected to deliver a eulogy to 400 people, many of whom were heads of industry and in two cases heads of state. The mayor was expected as were several members of the city council and an untold number of wealthy business elites. It had been Willard's wish to have a memorial service there before being cremated and his ashes spread in the Atlantic Ocean.

Jacob was nervous and fidgeted. He also missed Mindy. The company had provided another assistant until he could replace Mindy, a sycophantic young man named Phillip. Phillip drove Jacob crazy with his constant compliments and deference. Jacob was sure that if he suggested to Phillip that the sky was purple and the grass was red, he would immediately agree and thank him for being so insightful.

Phillip had offered to ride with him, but Jacob had left him behind, preferring solitude to the man. Now as he arrived at the church, he wished for the tenth time that Mindy was there. While he wasn't in love with the woman, he did love her and had grown accustomed to her presence. He had left her a message the night before, but she had not responded to his invitation to join him at the funeral. This had surprised him. For all they had been through together, he didn't imagine a world where she would ignore him in this situation.

He sighed and popped the door on the limo. Two board members were on the sidewalk and raised a hand to him. He smiled, his professional CEO smile, which he was still perfecting. He greeted the two men and they went inside together.

Willard's coffin stood by the altar, surrounded by pictures taken throughout his life. Willard as a young man shaking hands with the then mayor of the city. Another showed him ringing the stock market bell when one of his first investments went public. Another showed him shaking hands with Ronald Reagan, and another smiling out next to George Bush Sr. at a fund raiser. The images of the man showed a life of powerful connections and a young man aging to an old one, accumulating wealth and power along the way.

The first pew was reserved for close friends and family. Jacob was assigned the aisle seat in that row, but there was no other family to speak of so a few board members stood in. They were probably closer to family to Willard than Jacob was. Jacob once again wished Mindy was by his side. Jamal Davis sat in the second pew and nodded as Jacob sat down. The next two rows were for politicians and other billionaires, with the rest of the VIP crowd behind them. It was theatre, more than a time of mourning.

The service got underway with a priest offering a prayer for Willard's soul and the people who mourned him, followed by a euphemistic review of the man's life and his contributions to the city, the business community, and the country at large. This was followed by a board member who recalled Willard's early business triumphs, highlighting his tenacity and work ethic.

Then it was Jacob's turn. It was traditional and in this case, expected, that as his son he would close the service with a eulogy. Jacob stood, dressed in a black suit, red tie, and light blue shirt. He walked up the steps to the microphone and podium that overlooked the crowd. He took in the faces in front of him and felt a surge of sadness and anger. He could not find one person that mourned the man they were there to honor. Willard had been a hard man and Jacob knew it. But he found it incredibly sad that no one here was going to shed a tear for him. Yet they all showed up to be seen and network with each other and to meet the new CEO of Mitchell Industries. Phillip had reminded him that there was a lunch and drinks planned after the service with a few important executives.

He unfolded a single piece of paper on which he had written his remarks. The words felt empty and hollow, and worse yet dishonest. But he would read them because that is what was expected of him as CEO. He kept his eulogy short, making a joke about growing up with Willard as a father and the expectations place upon him when he was young. Then he told a story about how he had learned many important life lessons from his father. And closed by saying how the world would be a darker place without the light of Willard Mitchell's life to lead them.

Dancing with Devils, Chapter 5 by Sara and Ron

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1.0

It was an acceptable eulogy, but it didn't move the crowd or wet an eye. It was just what was supposed to happen. Jacob could not wait to leave and be alone. When it was over, Jacob returned to his seat and the priest closed the funeral with a few closing words of prayer.

The organ played a hymn as the congregation was dismissed. Because he was in the first pew, his row was dismissed first out of respect, and Jacob stood and began making his way to the back of the church and toward his limousine. He sighed glad this part of his day was over.

Before he could reach the doors and freedom, a man in a blue windbreaker stepped inside, then another, and another. The letters FBI were printed in gold on the back of the blue jackets. Two more agents appeared from a hallway to the left, and another two to the right. Confused, Jacob turned to look back down the aisle and saw two more men in blue wind breakers hurrying toward him, the crowd in the pews staring. More than one were recording with their phones. He stopped, turned back to the door.

He said to the man hurrying toward him, "What the hell is going on?"

The man stood in front of him and said loudly, "Jacob Mitchell, I am special agent Reynolds with the FBI. You are under arrest for money laundering, securities fraud, and violating federal laws related to doing business with international terrorist organizations."

Jacob said, "There must be some sort of mistake. This is my father's funeral."

But the agent was already turning him and putting on the handcuffs. Another agent began to read the miranda warning. "You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney."

Jacob said "Wait a fucking minute. This is bullshit." But he was being led out the doors of the church by two agents, and followed by six more. Outside was mayhem. There were four television cameras and more photographers on the steps snapping his picture. A woman in a blue suit shoved a microphone in his face and said, "Mr. Mitchell is it true that you and Mitchell industries have been been involved in financing terrorism, drugs, and committed fraud?"

Jacob turned to her, shell shocked and confused, and said, "What the fuck are you talking about. No that's not true."

The woman said, "The FBI has issued a warrant...". But before she could complete the follow up question, the lead agent tugged Jacob down the steps and into a black suburban with tinted windows. Another agent climbed into the passenger seat and yet another next to him. Then the car pulled away and turned north as the television crews and cameras captured it all.

Four

Kendall sat to David's right dressed in jeans and a navy blue blouse. David was in jeans and a light weight pullover. Maxwell Dunne, the lead partner in the New York office was on the video screen at his desk at home. Two other junior attorneys were present, one from Kendall's team and another who happened to be working in the office on the weekend and was interested in the commotion. They all watched the video of the arrest being broadcast on all three major networks as well as a few of the cable channels.

When the clip ended Kendall said, "Jesus Christ, the FBI arrested him at his father's funeral? What the hell were those fuckers thinking?"

Maxwell Dunne said, "What the hell have you gotten this firm into Kendall? You are telling me you had no idea this was coming? Isn't it your job to know when one of our wealthiest clients is about to be arrested? The last time we had a client arrested the FBI gave us a week's notice and let us pick the office he would surrender in."

Kendall went hot and said, "Well Max maybe if you did your job and kept tabs on the Southern District we would have seen this coming. You're in New York. Shouldn't one of your moles over at justice given you a heads up?" She knew Maxwell hated the abbreviation of his name to Max which is why she had chosen to use it.

Maxwell went red faced and said, "David, I know she is your girl, but she's obviously not competent enough to work an account like this, let alone be partner."

Kendall stood up, fuming and said, "Fuck you Maxwell. I didn't know this was coming and neither did you."

David said, "Shut up both of you. Let's think for one minute. We need a response and quickly. Like it or not, this is happening. My question is why the political theatre? They could have called our offices and we could have arranged a quiet surrender. This was set up for a reason."

They all went silent for one minute and then David turned to Kendall. He asked, "Jacob didn't mention this was coming? I mean we all know the investigation was on going but this isn't the normal protocol for this sort of thing unless Jacob really pissed someone off."

Kendall said, "He didn't mention anything. On the television he looked as shocked as we are."

David turned to Maxwell and said, "Maxwell, you didn't get a whiff of anything out of your contacts in New York?"

Maxwell shook his head and said, "I had dinner with three of the DOJ attorneys last week and no one mentioned it to me. I mean those guys aren't assigned to the Mitchell case, but they all talk. I even asked if anything interesting was going on with the Mitchell case since I knew you were pitching to Willard. They all joked about how it took the FBI a year to investigate and Justice a decade to indict".

David nodded and said, "I have another question for you two to think about. Willard Mitchell didn't die until Tuesday of last week. Obviously some people knew, but the press didn't know until Thursday. Now Jacob Mitchell is arrested on Sunday? How in the hell did the DOJ decide to go after Jacob in less than 24 hours? I've worked with the DOJ for twenty years and they don't do anything fast." 
Maxwell said, "That's a good fucking question that I will be asking every source I have."

David said, "Good."

Kendall said, "What are we going to do about Jacob? I mean Jesus Christ they can't keep him in jail over night, can they? He's a fucking billionaire."

David said, "They can and they will. They really can't release him until a judge signs off and it's Sunday. The FBI knows that too."

Maxwell said, "Maybe they want to squeeze him. Put him in jail, make him shit in a stainless steel toilet, don't let him talk to anyone. You know scare the hell out of him. Then they get one of their interrogators to pull his fingernails out until he signs a confession."

Kendall said, "They can't really think he would confess". Kendall was a corporate litigator, not a criminal lawyer.

David who had done criminal work in the past said, "The FBI knows how to play mind games Kendall and they are good at it. Given enough time, they could get you to confess to killing JFK even though it happened before you were born."

Kendall felt that ball of anxiety again, but more as concern for Jacob. Where was he now? What was happening to him? She had an image of him in an orange jump suit, scared and alone, two FBI agents watching him through a one way mirror until he broke enough to get him to talk without his lawyer. She said, "What are we going to do?"

David said, "First thing, you are going to New York. Don't let him talk to anyone about anything. There is a direct flight in an hour. Be on it."

Kendall said, "I don't have anything packed. I just got home."

David said, "Buy whatever you need. Bill it to the firm. But be on that flight." David turned to the lawyer who was not part of the team but wanted to watch the theatrics. He said, "You take her to the airport and if she misses her flight you won't have a job in an hour."

The man went white and stood up and said, "Yes sir." He looked at Kendall, his face begging her to hurry.

David said to Kendall, "Go".

Then he turned to Maxwell and said, "You get on the phone to your best judge and start the bail process. I don't care if you have to drag him off the fucking golf course. And run your network. I want to know what in the fuck is going on before the courts open on Monday."

Kendall left the conference room, the young lawyer hurrying her along.

Five

The executive luncheon was well attended even if Jacob Mitchell, the guest of honor, was missing. Jamal as general counsel for the firm was popular and he enjoyed the attention. As the first course was served he stood, tapped his knife on his water glass, and got the attention of the room. All eyes were on him and he felt important. He liked that feeling.

He looked around, making eye contact with each of the twenty guests. There were nine board members, four bankers from large financial institutions, and a handful of executives from business units across the world. There were three women in the close knit group. When he had their attention he cleared his throat and said, "Welcome ladies and gentlemen. We certainly have had an exciting and surprising day."

A ripple of nervous laughter went through the crowd. Everyone was trying to understand the implications of their newly minted CEO being arrested and the potential threat to their personal wealth. Jamal continued, "I want to assure all of you that while today's events were unexpected, Mitchell Industries continues to operate and function. While Jacob may have some difficult days ahead, the firm has not been notified of any legal actions against it." This was technically true, but all of them expected whatever Jacob was charged with to eventually lead back to the firm.

A man from Europe, an executive running Mitchell Industry's European and African business unit, said, "Mr. Davis, can you assure us that Mitchell Industries is not a target of whatever the department of justice is up to?"

Jamal turned to the man and said, "Mikel, I am the corporate counsel and I deal in facts. I can not make any predictions to the future. What I can tell you is that I represent Mitchell Industries and our firm has not received any communications from the department of justice. I advise caution and calm. There is no reason to over react to today until we know more. While I don't represent Mr. Mitchell as a person, I do represent this firm. I will be making inquiries tomorrow and will of course vigorously defend any of Mr. Mitchell's actions when he was acting as an employee or agent for this firm."

Mikel, the man who as from Sweden, nodded. Jamal smiled affably, offering quiet comfort to the executive audience. He said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we all have jobs to do, just like we did yesterday. I will handle all inquiries into this unfortunate matter so that you all can do what you do best, and go make money." That got a laugh and the executives seemed relieved to have someone else take responsibility for this disaster.

The acting chairman of the board stood and said, "I would like to say thank you to Jamal for being our general counsel in this crisis. HIs vast experience is valuable and his leadership is needed. Further I am calling an emergency board meeting for 2pm tomorrow where we can discuss this matter and if necessary appoint interim leadership."

Jamal had not planned that interruption but could not have been more pleased by it. The board was already talking about interim leadership and he was being praised as the leader who would get them through this crisis. He should have manufactured something like this years ago. He smiled and said, "Kind words sir. I am just happy to be able to help."

The chairman picked up his water glass and said, "For now I think we should enjoy our lunch and leave our problems to tomorrow."

Jamal picked up his own water glass, returned the man's toast, and said, "I agree. Many of you have long flights later today and I know that a good meal helps me sleep on airplanes. Tomorrow I will meet with our in house legal team as well as my contacts over at Justice and see if we can sort this all out."

He said it like it was a small problem to be solved, not an existential threat.

Jamal spent the rest of the two hour luncheon moving from table to table and person to person, shaking hands, assuring nervous business leaders, and making predictions that this was just a minor challenge to be managed. At the end of it everyone felt better, most of all Jamal.

Six

The federal bureau of prisons was an ugly government building on 29th street in Brooklyn. It looked like it had been designed by a Soviet era architect who preferred function over form. It appeared to be designed to look bleak and tragic . Kendall arrived at 7:00 in the evening and the main doors were closed and locked. She looked around, saw several security cameras, and then rapped on the glass door with her knuckles. A skeptical looking guard looked up from inside, stood, and walked toward the door. He stared at her through the glass, making no indication that he was going to open the door. He said, "May I help you?" His voice was muffled through the glass. Kendall wondered if it was bullet proof. It didn't seem like regular glass.

She called out loudly, "I'm Kendall Baker, attorney for Jacob Mitchell."

The security guard eyed her and said, "Do you have identification?"

She nodded, found her driver's license in her purse, and held it to the glass for the guard to inspect. He nodded and then went back to his desk, picked up a phone, and dialed. Kendall thought, Jesus Christ could you at least let me inside? Apparently the man could not or would not. The man hung up the phone, held up a single finger, to tell her to wait, and then began reading a magazine. She thought, You got to be kidding me.

She waited for ten minutes growing more impatient with each passing second. Finally a man appeared from an elevator bank, glanced at the guard who nodded at Kendall. The man was in a sport coat and had a large frame handgun on his hip. He approached Kendal and asked her to show her identification again. Kendall complied, annoyed by the inefficiency and general lack of interest.

The man in the sport coat said something to the guard and the door buzzed, the locking mechanism disengaging. The man pushed the door open and said, "You're a lawyer?"

Kendall said, "Yes. I am a lawyer and I represent Jacob Mitchell who I believe you are holding here?"

The man said indifferently, "So what do you want?"

Kendall was growing angry and said, "I want to see my client. I want to know why he was arrested. I want to see every piece of paper and record you have so that when I sue you, the FBI, the department of justice, and the federal government I get all the names right."

The man was not impressed. He looked bored. He said, "That right? Okay go sit over there then." He pointed to a short row of seats that looked like they should be in a public bus station in Pakistan.

She said, "And who are you?"

The man sighed and said, "I"m Officer Murphy. I work the night shift. Someone told me a lawyer was probably coming to interrupt my dinner."

Kendall could not believe the man's indifference. She said, "Well Officer Murphy, I would like to see my client right now."

The man said, "Yeah well I want a house on Cape Cod, but here we both are. Now go sit down over there and I'll let the bosses know you are here. Or maybe I'll go finish my dinner first."

Kendall stared at him, seething on the inside, but unsure of how to respond to such cold indifference. She had never worked a criminal case and so had never had to deal with the bureaucrats in a prison before. She went and sat down.

Thirty five minutes later two men, one eating a candy bar, exited the elevator. The first called, "Baker?", as if there were twenty other people waiting.

Kendall stood and said, "I'm Kendall Baker."

The man said, "Put your purse and cell phone in a locker over there. Bring your driver's license and legal credentials with you and follow me."

Kendall locked her things into a locker and returned to the two men. Both were in uniform, but neither carried weapons. She said, "Can we go see my client please?"

The man said, "Sure. Once we run you through the metal detectors and verify your identification."

Kendall was incensed. She had already shown her identification to two of these mouth breathing morons. She said, "I've already shown my identification to two people and you know who I am here to see."

The second man in uniform smiled, enjoying her annoyance. He said, "Ma'am you are in a federal prison right now. We have protocol to follow. If you don't like it, you can wait outside until the staff gets here at 9:00 tomorrow morning. The only reason you aren't sitting outside right now is that someone high up made a call to let you in."

Kendall thought about David and Maxwell. She knew that while she was in the air both had made calls to the DOJ and used some of their political capital to get her access to Jacob. These two were just annoyed to have their routines disrupted. She bit back a snarky response and followed them into the elevator. It took another twenty minutes, but she was eventually led down a hallway to a room with a steel door. She was escorted by yet a third man who used an electronic code to unlock the door. Inside was a stainless steel box and an equally stainless steel table and chair. Jacob sat in the chair. When he saw her he smiled, his face filled with hope. The man who led her in said, "Mitchell your lawyer wants to see you. You got fifteen minutes before we take you back to your cell."

Kendall thought, Fifteen minutes? But she didn't argue. She stepped inside and Jacob stood. He was in a prison jump suit, not orange, but blue. She said, "Hello Jacob."

Jacob stood and went to her, hugging her tightly to him. He said, "Oh thank fucking God you are here." She had never seen someone happier to see her in her life, but it was awkward to feel his arms around her. There was nothing romantic or sexual about it, just a man who wanted someone to help him. She patted his back and said, "Easy Jacob. Sit down and let's talk. We don't have much time."

Jacob let her go and said, "I'm sorry. It's just been a hell of a day."

She nodded and said, "I know. I saw it on television."

He sat and said, "It's on television? Jesus."

She nodded and said, "Jacob you are CEO of a multi-billion dollar firm and were arrested in downtown Manhattan at your father's funeral. Yes, you have been on all the channels all day."

He rubbed his face nervously then said, "Must be a slow news day".

Kendall smiled and was glad the man was capable of a joke, no matter how small. She said, "I'm here and our firm is going to get you out of here as soon as we can."

Jacob said, "When will that be? They say I'm going to court in the morning."

Kendall nodded and said, "Yes. There is an arraignment scheduled for morning. We are working on it."

Jacob said, "Working on it? What the hell does that mean?" Now Jacob was angry. He took a breath and said, "Listen I'm sorry. I just don't know what the hell is going on."

Kendall said, "Neither do I, but I promise we are going to find out. Our New York office is getting a criminal attorney assigned and they will handle the arraignment and bail. We got a copy of the charging documents and will be reviewing them. Now forget about all that right now. I have some questions for you and some instructions."

He said, "Okay what do you want to know?"

She said, "Tell me the truth. Did you know this was coming? Did the FBI or anyone else contact you about surrendering?" Jacob shook his head.

He said, "No. I had no idea. I mean one minute I'm reading my dad's eulogy and the next minute these agents were all over me." Kendall thought about that. She looked the man's face and didn't see a lie there. But then again, she was not a criminal attorney.

She said, "Okay, has anyone tried to talk to you?"

Jacob shook his head. "One guy came in and asked me if I wanted a cup of coffee. I said, yes, and he brought me one. Then he asked me about my dad and when I first became aware of the money laundering." Kendall thought, Oh shit.

Dancing with Devils, Chapter 5 by T_S_Wolfe

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She asked, "And what did you tell him?"

He said, "I told him the truth that I had no idea what he was talking about. He asked me a few other questions and finally I told him I wanted my lawyer. That's when he left."

She sighed and said, "Okay Jacob. That's good. You remember those words. You don't talk to anyone without a lawyer with you. You understand?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah I understand but these guys in here are assholes."

She smiled and said, "Yes, on that we can agree, but Jacob, these people are not your friends. They aren't looking for truth. The investigation is over. They are here to convict you now. Don't talk to them. It's the single worst thing you can do."

Jacob said, "Okay but can someone explain to them that I don't know what they are talking about? I mean this has to be some sort of mistake. I don't know anything about money laundering or wire fraud or terrorists."

She patted his arm and said, "Jacob I'm not going to bullshit you. You are in a hell of a lot of trouble. You say you didn't know anything, fine. I believe you. But they don't. They think you are guilty and are going to do their best to make sure they can prove it. It's my job to make sure you don't make our job harder. Do you remember what I told you the day we met?"

He nodded and said, "You wanted to make sure I stayed out of prison." He smiled and said, "I wish you would have worked harder at that."

She smiled back at him and said, "You aren't in prison yet Jacob. This is a holding facility. You won't be going to prison unless they convict you and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure they don't. Your job is to sit her and keep your mouth shut until we can get you out of here."

He asked, "When will that be?"

She shrugged and said, "Hopefully tomorrow but no promises. Alot is happening right now."

He sighed and said, "Please do your best. This is not the Ritz Carlton."

She nodded. He looked visibly better from the time she walked into the holding cell. She was his lifeline and she was going to make damn sure that she did everything she could to represent him well. She said, "The criminal attorney will be at your arraignment. Don't talk to anyone but him."

There was a rap at the door and the guard called, "Time."

She reached out and took Jacob's hand and said, "What did I just say?"

He looked up at her with those dark eyes and said, "Don't talk to anyone but the lawyer tomorrow at the arraignment. Will you be there too?"

She nodded. The door opened and yet another man in a uniform said, "Time's up ma'am."

She said, "Try to relax Jacob. We will get to the bottom of all this."

Jacob said, "Thanks. But get me out of here tomorrow."

Kendall said, "I'll try Jacob. And I'll try to be in court tomorrow as well."

She turned and was about to leave when Jacob called, "Um Kendall can you do me a favor?"

She turned back and said, "What?"

He said, "Could you call my assistant, well my ex assistant, Mindy. Tell her I didn't do this. And tell her I'm okay. If this has been all over television she's probably worried and I have not been able to reach her before today."

Kendall didn't answer immediately but then said, "Sure Jacob. I'll try."

She left him, scared and alone, in custody.

Seven

It took another twenty minutes to be processed out of the facility, retrieve her belongings, and be let out to the street where her driver waited. She got sat in the back seat and went to her phone. She had four voicemails and several texts. She scrolled through the texts and got updates. Maxwell had found a federal judge at a country club in New Jersey and after two phone calls and a courier got a judge to sign a bail agreement that would be entered into court records the next morning.

She had one text from Robert telling her to be safe and that he missed her. She appreciated that and typed back, 'Thanks honey', but her mind was not with Robert or her home life right now. Tonight she was working as a lawyer, but very far out of her swim lane. She glanced back at the prison where Jacob would spend the night and thought about his request.

She brought up her email found the email Mindy had sent her to arrange her meeting with Jacob, found her phone number in the signature line and punched it in. The phone rang four times and then a woman answered, "Hello? Who is this?" The woman sounded like she had recently been crying.

Kendall said, "Hello. Is this Mindy?"

There was a long pause on the other end and then the woman sniffled and said, "No. This is Charlie. Who is this?"

Kendall said, "My name is Kendall Baker and I am Jacob Mitchell's attorney. I am trying to reach Mindy, Jacob's former assistant". She paused realizing she didn't remember Mindy's last name.

The woman said, "I'm sorry but Mindy, is," the sniffles went to a stifled sob, "dead. She passed away last night."

Kendall's heart dropped and she reflexively said, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea. What happened?"

The woman began to cry and said, "She was shot walking home from the grocery store. She went to buy wine so we could celebrate."

Kendall's mind was racing. She said, "Jesus. I'm so sorry. Are you a friend of hers? How do you have her phone?" Kendall hated herself for asking the question but she was caught off guard. Mindy dead? What the hell happened?

Charlie wailed and then said, "I'm her, well I was, her fiancé. We were supposed to get married next spring. She left her phone here to run down the street to get some wine and she never came back."

Kendall said, "I'm so sorry." She didn't know what else to say. She was confused. Did the woman say they were going to be married? She thought about Jacob. What was going on here?

Charlie said, "What did you want with Mindy? She quit that job on Friday. She said she was done working for Jacob. You're his lawyer? What did you need to talk to Mindy about?"

Kendall said, "It's not important Charlie. I'm so sorry for your loss." She hung up.

She sat in the back of the car thinking as her driver drove her to her hotel. She dialed the number of her researcher and said, "I need to get everything you can on Jacob Mitchell's assistant. She was supposedly killed in Brooklyn last night."

The researcher who was at home eating a bowl of cereal watching the news said, "She was killed last night?"

Kendall nodded, "I think so. Find out. She could have been a material witness. I need to know what happened.

The researcher said, "I'll start first thing tomorrow."

Kendall said, "Start right now. This is important." She hung up and thought about Jacob and how he had inquired about Mindy. She knew they were lovers and worried about how he might react to Mindy's death. She wondered if he knew about Charlie. And then she wondered if Charlie knew about him.

Dancing with Devils, Chapter 5 by Sara and Ron

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