Surf sounds rose from the base of the cliff, not visible but always in the background in the outer row of condos at the Court. Further in, no unit presented a view of the long, flat expanse of ocean, just corners of lawn and other condos. The sound of the sea pulsed beneath the voice of Guillaume Sackett as he paced across his balcony speaking into his phone. He stopped for a moment and hollered to the gulls, “Shut up already!”
On the other end, a voice remarked, “Did you know there are forty-eight species of gulls, Monsieur Sackett?”
“Yes! And every one of them is a scourge on the face of the Earth…just like you and your colleagues, Monsieur Westcott.”
“You know, I never tire of lawyer jokes. They’re the soul of wit, in my opinion. Why else would Shakespeare indulge in them?”
“Sarcasm is the last refuge of the clever man who has exhausted his intellect. So, what do you really want from me? You have already taken the trouble to remind me that you know my true past and intend to hold me hostage to it. Such an effort can only herald your desire to extort me further.”
“As you know, I am in jail waiting for a sentence.”
“Why can you not just exercise your training and have yourself released?”
“Seems no one thinks I have a legitimate excuse for hanging around the Court. I was hoping you would provide one for me.”
“Begging seems so crass. A man in your position could afford to sound more authoritative.”
“Well, if that’s what it takes to get your attention, here goes…You better come down here and put in a written statement on my behalf and bail me out or I’ll expose you and you’ll get fired from your plush job managing that sorry jumble of second-rate cardboard boxes you call a development.”
Guillaume stopped his circuit of the balcony and took in a long breath of the salty air. “Lucky for us both, I tape all my conversations. That was a nice quote. I have no doubt it will be useful.”
“Hey, whatever. Just get your butt down here and help me out. Speaking of which, I hope you kept that open unit for me.”
“I am a businessman, Monsieur. My job is to keep the occupancy level as high as possible, even if I must make outrageous compromises to do so. If I have a definite commitment versus a tentative ‘once I recover from the cost of separating while still supporting a non-working spouse,’ that will always be my choice.”
“In other words, you don’t have a current vacancy.”
“Mais non.”
