Shoot First(Stone Barrington #45)(68)
“Your position, in those circumstances, would be a person or a corporation who has not applied for a patent.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that. How can I fix this?”
“First of all, it’s necessary that you officially become my client.”
“Stone, will you please represent me as my attorney in all matters relating to all my company’s products?”
“Yes. Now I need Joan to e-mail us the correct paperwork, but I don’t want to wait until we receive it to start on this. May I proceed?”
“You may proceed.”
Stone called Joan and requested the e-mailing of an exclusive client retainer document, then he called Bill Eggers, the managing partner of Woodman & Weld.
“Good morning, Stone,” Eggers said.
“Good afternoon, Bill—at least it is in England.”
“I see. What are you up to over there?”
“Well, I’ve just signed a new client—Harmony Software of Silicon Valley fame, and its CEO, Meg Harmon.”
“It would be the firm’s great pleasure to represent the company and Ms. Harmon. Has she signed a retainer agreement?”
“It’s being e-mailed to me as we speak.”
“Good. Well, I have a meeting to go to.”
“Not yet,” Stone said.
“Why not?”
“Because our new client’s previous attorneys have fucked up royally, and unless we can sort this out in a hurry, the world may fall on both our new client and, by extension, us.”
“Explain, please.”
Stone explained.
“So, if this Owaki fellow can get his hands on the designs, he could file a patent application?”
“I am very much afraid that is correct.”
“What is the name of the managing partner of her previous law firm?”
Stone put his hand over the phone. “Who are your San Francisco attorneys, and who is the top man there?”
“Coward, McMillan & Crane, and John Coward is the senior partner and my attorney.”
Stone conveyed that information to Bill Eggers, then there was a knock on the door, and Major Bugg’s assistant entered the room with a thick stack of papers.
“This was just received from your office, Mr. Barrington,” she said, “and we printed it out for you.”
“Hang on a minute, Bill,” Stone said, and put the phone down. “Meg,” he said, handing her the pages, “this is our standard agreement for new clients. Please read it, then sign the last page.”
Meg skipped to the last page, signed it, and handed it to Stone.
“Bill,” Stone said, “I have Ms. Harmon’s signed representation agreement in my hand. I’ll fax it to you.” He handed it back to the woman and instructed her to fax it to Eggers.
“Good. Now I will call John Coward, whom I know, break the news to him, and make unreasonable demands about locating the notice of receipt from the patent office. I will also send two attorneys from our San Francisco office to their offices, to supervise the inquiry into what went wrong. Then I’ll get back to you.”
“Thank you, Bill.” Stone hung up. “All right, Meg, you are no longer a client of Coward, McMillan & Crane, you are now represented by Woodman & Weld, under my direction.”
“I feel better already,” Meg replied.
“Not so fast. Don’t feel better until we have fixed this problem. My managing partner, Bill Eggers, is sending two attorneys from our San Francisco office to your former law firm to find out what the hell happened. Then they will report to Bill, and he will advise us on how to proceed.”
“All right,” Meg said. “Now may I join you for a nap?”
“Of course,” Stone replied, then the telephone buzzed. “Yes?”
“Mr. Barrington,” Carl Atkins, the security man, said, “there is a Mr. Selwin Ozowi—oh, excuse me, sir—a Mr. Selwyn Owaki here to see you. He does not have an appointment.”
“Is he armed or accompanied by anyone?”
“No, sir, neither.”
“Please ask the butler to show him into the library, give him a drink, and tell him you will try to locate me.”
“Oh, he wishes to see Ms. Harmon, as well.”
“Tell him you will look for us both.” Stone hung up.
“What’s going on?” Meg asked.
Stone got out of bed. “Go and change into your riding clothes—tweeds, boots, et cetera. We are going to receive a visitor in the library, and we should look as though we have just come in from riding. If you have a perfume with a scent resembling horse sweat, spray a little of that on, too.”
“And who are we receiving?”
“Selwyn Owaki. You have twenty minutes.”
Meg ran for her dressing room and Stone for his.
52
It had been Stone’s experience that important people who have been kept waiting become angry and say things they might otherwise not say, so he kept Owaki waiting for nearly half an hour before sauntering into the library with Meg, chatting about their ride.
Stone tried to look surprised to see the man. “Oh, are you the gentleman who requested to see me? Without an appointment?”