CHAPTER 20
Nevermore
Santa Barbara
When Sam walked into his office Gabriella met him with a cup of coffee. "Mr. Hunter, I'd like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I don't know what came over me."
"That's okay. I do."
"I hope you were able to resolve the difficulties at the Cliffs."
Sam wasn't prepared for civility from Gabriella; it was like encountering a polite scorpion. Life was changing before his eyes. "Everything's fine. Any calls?"
"Just Mr. Aaron." She checked her message pad. "He would like you to stop into his office if it wouldn't be too much trouble."
"Exact words?"
"Yes, sir."
"My my, has the Sugarplum Fairy been through here today?"
Gabriella checked the pad. "No message, sir."
Sam smiled and walked away. Down the hall Julia told Sam to go right in.
Aaron stood and smiled when Sam entered the office. "Sammy boy, have a seat. We need to talk."
Sam said, "Forty cents on the dollar, plus interest. You keep the office. I want out. That's it. You talk."
Aaron dismissed Sam's comment with a wave. "That's all behind us, buddy. Cochran's lawyer called. There isn't going to be any lawsuit. You and I are square."
"What happened?" Sam knew he should be elated at the news, but instead he felt dread. For a moment he had relished the idea of giving up all the pretending. Now what?
"No explanation. They just backed off. They apologized for the mistake. You'll get a formal apology in the mail tomorrow. I never doubted you, kid. Not for a minute."
"Aaron, did you talk to Spagnola today?"
"Just briefly. Just a social call. He was pretty heavily medicated. I'm not sure I trust him, Sam. You want to watch your back around that guy. He's unstable."
Sam felt his ears heat up with anger. Aaron expected him to act like the betrayal had never happened. There was a time when he would have, but not now. "Forty cents on the dollar, plus interest."
Aaron lost his friendly-guy salesman's smile. "But that's behind us."
"I don't think so. You're a shit, Aaron. That doesn't surprise me. But it does surprise me that you went after me when I was down. I thought we were friends."
"We are, Sammy."
"Good. Then you won't mind having the papers on my desk by midweek. And you can pay the attorney fees. They're tax deductible, you know. And if you're late, you will need the write-off." Sam got up and started out of the office.
Aaron called after him. "We don't have to do this now."
Without turning Sam said, "Yes we do. I do."
Sam nodded to Julia as he passed but he couldn't muster a smile. What have I done? he thought.
In his outer office Gabriella was kicked back in her chair with her skirt up around her armpits. She seemed to be hyperventilating and her eyes were rolled back in her head.
"Gabriella! Again?"
She pointed to his office door. Sam threw the door open, banging it against the wall and disturbing a raven that was perched in the brass hat rack just inside. Sam stormed over to the bird, barely resisting the urge to grab it and rip its feathers out.
"Goddammit, I told you to stay off my secretary!" Sam shook his fist at the bird. "And what kind of bullshit did you pull over at Motion Marine to get them to drop the lawsuit? Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Why are you yelling at the bird?" The voice came from behind him. Sam looked around, his fist still threatening the raven.
Coyote was standing in the opposite corner of the office by the fax machine. Sam's anger turned to confusion. He looked at the bird, then Coyote, then the bird. "Who's this?"
"A raven?" Coyote speculated. He turned back to the fax machine. "Hey, what is this button that says 'network'?"
Sam was still looking at the bird. "It sends simultaneously to the home offices of all the companies we represent."
Coyote pushed the button. "Like smoke signals."
"What?" Sam dropped his fist, ran to the fax machine, and hit the cancel button a second too late. The display showed the transmission had gone out. Sam pulled the paper from the machine and stared at it in disbelief. Coyote had obviously lain on the copy machine to get the image.
"You faxed your penis? That machine prints my name at the top of each transmission."
"The girls in the home office will think highly of you, then. Of course, they will be disappointed if they ever see you naked."
The raven squawked and Gabriella appeared at the open door. "Mr. Hunter, a gentleman is here to see you from the police department."
Coyote held the Xerox up to Gabriella. "A picture of your friend," he offered.
A sharp-featured Hispanic man in a tweed sport jacket pushed his way past Gabriella into the office. "Mr. Hunter, I'm Detective Alphonse Rivera, Santa Barbara PD, narcotics division. I'd like to ask you a few questions." He held out a business card embossed with a gold shield, but did not offer to shake hands.
"Narcotics?" Sam looked to Coyote, thinking he would have disappeared, but the trickster had stood his ground by the fax machine. On the hat rack, the raven cawed.
"Nice bird," Rivera said. "I understand they can be trained to talk." Rivera walked to the bird and studied it.
"Pig," the raven said.
"He's not mine," Sam said quickly. "He belongs to-" Sam looked around and Gabriella was gone from the doorway. "He belongs to this gentleman." Sam pointed to Coyote.
"And you are?" Rivera eyed Coyote suspiciously.
"Coyote."
Rivera raised an eyebrow and took a notebook from his inside jacket pocket. "Mr. Hunter, I have a few questions about what went on at Motion Marine a couple of days ago. Would you prefer to talk in private?"
"Yes." Sam looked at Coyote. "Go away. Take the bird with you."
"Nazi scum," the raven cawed.
"I'll stay," Coyote said.
Sam was on the verge of screaming. Sweat was beading on his forehead. He composed himself and turned to Rivera. "We can talk in front of Mr. Coyote."
"Just a few questions," Rivera said. "You had an appointment with James Cable at ten. Is that correct?"
"I was there for about an hour."
"I was there too," Coyote said.
Rivera turned his attention to the trickster. "Why were you there, Mr. Coyote?"
"I was raising funds for NARC."
"Narc!" the raven said.
"Narc?"
"Native American Reform Coalition."
Rivera scribbled on a pad.
Sam said, "I don't understand. What does this have to do with narcotics?"
"We think someone put hallucinogens in the coffee over at Motion Marine. Two days ago James Cable claims he was attacked by someone fitting Mr. Coyote's description. He had a heart attack."
"I just asked him if his company would make a donation," Coyote said. "He said no and I went away." He had taken the Xerox of his penis from the desk and fitted it back into the fax machine. He searched the buttons. "'Insurance commissioner, " he read as he pushed the button.
"No!" Sam dove over the desk for the cancel button. Too late. He turned to Rivera. "That document wasn't signed." He grinned and tried to move the conversation away from his panic. "You know, I was thinking — we've got an Indian, a policeman, and an insurance broker. We're only a construction worker away from the Village People."
Rivera ignored the comment. "Did you have any coffee while you were at Motion Marine, Mr. Hunter?"
"Coffee? No."
"And you didn't drink from the watercooler?"
"No. I don't understand."
"Today, three people at Motion Marine, including Frank Cochran, claim that they saw a polar bear in the offices."
Sam looked at Coyote. "A polar bear?"