Flat-Footed, Part 5

Flat-Footed, Part 5

Biz followed Detective Rain out of his office and waved her to the door. As the door closed behind her Biz turned to his mother. She was busy at the computer.

“Get her number?” she asked, not looking up from the computer screen.

“We’re having drinks.”

“She’s too tall for you.”

“Every woman on the planet is too tall for me. If I only dated women my height I’d be arrested as a pedophile.”

“You’re always chasing after tall women.”

“I wonder why that is, Doctor Freud?”

Now his mother looked up from the computer screen. “Sure. Blame me. It’s always the mother’s fault. I suppose you’re going to investigate?”

“He paid me an advance and I haven’t earned it back yet. I need you to pull up as much information on Delbert Fontaigne as you can. I’m going to assume for the moment that the cops are going to focus on Shala Fontaigne hiring someone to kill her husband.”

“I hope you’re not ruling it out.”

“I haven’t. I’d also like you to get hold of your lawyer buddies and see if you can find out who’s representing Shala Fontaigne and if Delbert had any separate counsel for whatever he might have needed it for.”

“Walter Chang.”

Rumproast whined and Biz picked her up and rubbed behind her ears. “Who is Walter Chang?”

“Delbert Fontaigne’s attorney.”

“And you know this... how?”

“I knew you’d want to know.” Mom smirked. “Right?”

“Absolutely. Know him?”

“Personally? Only by reputation. I am friends with one of his partners, Jimmy Buschell.”

“Criminal attorneys?”

“You’re not going to make that joke, are you?”

“About how we have a criminal lawyer in town but nobody’s caught him at anything yet? No, I won’t make that joke.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Jimmy Buschell handles all of ShalaVu’s legal matters. Or his legion of legal minions does. Buschell, Ogilvie, Ornstein, Baldwin and Associates.”

“BOOB Associates?”

“You think you’re the first person to make that observation?”

“I hope not. And Chang?”

“Criminal defense. BOOB has about two hundred lawyers, Benjamin. Walter Chang runs their criminal defense division.”

“Can you make an appointment for me with him? This afternoon?”

“Sure. Then what?”

“I don’t know. I’ll make it up as I go along.”

Mom pursed her lips. “I don’t believe you. You’ve got some inside information or person at ShalaVu. Who is it?”

Biz yawned. “Just doing my job. And thanks.”

“Meanwhile, I seem to be doing all the work. What are you going to do next?”

“Take a nap.” He put Rumproast down. “I’ll be up at noon.”

To be continued...