Free Saving Sophie: A Novel by Ronald H. Balson Page A

afternoon.” Turning to the bartender, she said, “I’ll have a light beer, please.”
    Liam tapped his glass for a refill. “You could’ve called.”
    “I’m sorry. I was in chambers. I came as soon as I could. Anyway, how was your day?”
    “Depressing. I spent the whole day looking into the bedeviled life of John Sommers. One tragedy after another. I talked to a couple partners in the transactional group and his deceased wife’s friend and neighbor Sharon Oberman. He has a sister, Deborah, but she hasn’t returned my calls.”
    The bartender brought the two drinks and Liam took a sip of his cocktail.
    “So, you left a message for Deborah Sommers?”
    “No. Now she’s Deborah Wilson. Married to Eugene Wilson. They live in Louisville.”
    “What did you learn about Sommers?”
    “Everyone I talked to likes him, and everyone feels sorry for him. And no one is surprised that he left his job. They worry about him.”
    “Do they think he took the money?”
    “I didn’t raise that issue with everyone. It’s not common knowledge. Yet. Walter asked me to keep quiet about the money, at least until the lawsuit is filed and it hits the papers.”
    Catherine took a sip of her beer. “Does anyone have any idea where he went?”
    Liam nodded solemnly. “The general consensus is Brazil. Walter found a receipt for a plane ticket, and the FBI confirmed that Sommers was issued a boarding pass for Rio a few hours after the closing.”
    “Why Brazil? Does he have a connection there?”
    “Not that anyone knows of. There’s a picture of Sommers, his wife, and daughter on a beach that sits on Sommers’s desk. Could be Brazil. But Walter thinks it’s most likely about Brazil’s extradition policy. It’s almost impossible to get someone extradited from there, so the ticket might make sense. Brazil amended its constitution in 1988 to state, ‘No Brazilian shall be extradited.’ If he planned all this and applied for Brazilian citizenship, who knows?” Liam shook his head. “But I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s more likely the ticket was a diversionary tactic, a misdirection. He might not have gone there at all, but even if he did, he could have gone on to someplace else.”
    Catherine grabbed her beer and her purse. “I’m starving, let’s get a table.”
    The owner led them to a corner table covered with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. In the center, a straw-covered bottle of Chianti had been converted into a candleholder. They waved off the menus. “We’ll both have the cannelloni special, Tony,” Liam said. “Sausage and peppers to start.”
    Catherine took another sip of her beer. “So, tell me about your depressing day.”
    “I started at your old firm. Walter introduced me to Chuck Henderson, who seemed to know John Sommers well. They were both transactional attorneys, ate lunch together, sometimes socialized. Sommers headed up J and F’s business group—he was the practice-group chairman.”
    “I knew Jack was a group chairman, he was appointed to the position before I left. But he worked on a different floor and we didn’t cross paths very often. I also remember Chuck. A little overweight, a little thin on top? Fighting that middle-age battle?”
    Liam nodded. “Middle age is a formidable opponent. Chuck’s losing the war. To quote Charles Barkley, ‘Father Time is undefeated.’” Liam tore off a piece of garlic bread and placed it on his plate. “Anyway, Chuck’s a nice fellow who was close to Sommers and had a lot of information to tell. As far as Jack’s service to the firm, he was a diligent, hard worker. There was never an issue with his professional responsibility or his work product. He was never accused of mismanaging a file or neglecting a matter. He was entirely trustworthy, and Chuck cannot believe he misappropriated any money.”
    “But?”
    Liam shrugged. “He’s gone and the money’s gone. As Chuck reluctantly admitted, ‘The inference is compelling.’