I told him simply that he should go and inform himself better, before trying to con someone into signing papers they didn’t want to sign. By then, they still weren’t aware that I had a law firm (actually two) covering me, so he asked me to return the papers if I didn’t want to sign them, and they would decide if it was the case to let me read the will – which they wanted me to declare I had read and understood – and then they would give me the bill for their services. I replied that he wasn’t scaring me before listing the missteps they had made.
First, they asked me to sign a document where I stated something false, and also refused to make me read what I had to declare in a legal document that I read and understood. Second, it was my right to keep a copy of the papers and even have a lawyer of my trust read them, and they had been paid already for their services. And third and last, if I was named in the will it was my legal right to read it – I should have been present at its opening – and thus it was their legal obligation to allow me to read it. Of course I could show that self-confidence because I’d been instructed and clearly told that they could do nothing, and that if they did as much as to sell a company car after the opening of the will and before I took my seat on the board and approved it, or refused to accept the inheritance, the action was legally prosecutable.
That was probably the main reason they were in hurry, as Miles explained, so they could move capital to make it appear the business was broke, and then refuse to give me the sum they wrote on the papers on the grounds that there wasn’t money left. It would take years to verify, and their information told them that I couldn’t afford it at all.
The guy came back the following day, apologizing and with a copy of the will. They were blatant in the forgery, since the will had been read almost publicly, and newspapers in their region talked quite extensively about it, thus forging it in the hope I never heard of it other than a deliberate crime was bordering into plain stupidity.
He asked me to return it. “Is it a copy?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then there is no reason I couldn’t keep it myself to help me with my decision about signing those papers.” That put him in an uneasy situation and, in the end, he decided that I would probably sign the papers thanks to the fake will, that would disappear as soon as they got the signed papers back.
He said that he would be back the next day to retrieve the papers and stressed again on the fact that it was the last day to sign them. I asked for his number to call if eventually I signed the papers before then, and he gave it to me.
Later that day, I was told by my lawyers that they were ready, with all legal documents, warrants and officials available. The following morning teams of lawyers with public officials would present themselves in the business’ offices and stop any activity, looking for the accounting books, and promoting a full audit of both the accounting and the company. At the same time, I would go with another team of lawyers and some law enforcement officers to the law firm, while the associate who came to me to lie and threaten me would be taken in custody by the local authorities. The connections of the Cordell’s and Randall’s were such, that upon showing the main evidences about the AFLA wrongdoing, hinting there may be worse, they got all the warrants they asked for signed.
When we entered the AFLA’s building they were surprised, and soon they panicked. They tried to stop us at the reception, with the excuse I didn’t have an appointment set. I told them that as the legal owner of the Glantry’s business I deserved at least a consult whenever I needed it, otherwise it would be clear they weren’t representing my best interests and I would give the mandate to another law firm. Less than five minutes later we were escorted to a luxurious and very wide meeting room on the fifth floor. They tried to have me alone, in front of those who were clearly my own lawyers, blatant in their attempts at preventing me legal counsel, but I said that either all the people there with me would stay, as my legal representatives and advisors or I would leave. I perfectly knew that even if they were trying to swindle me, and were lying to me, they couldn’t afford to have me walking away, at least not before I signed those papers that they absolutely needed to get their hands on everything. Did I tell you one of the public officers with me was a District Attorney? Specifically of the State Attorney General office, on behalf of the Attorney General in person, to manage this situation, given the strong suspicions, in the least, of blatant bias from the local Office of DA, if not even open corruption.
“Miss Delvey, it wasn’t needed for you to come here, and with such a show of people. We have no intention of hurting you in any way, in the opposite we have your best interests in our minds, and we hope you understand that and will allow us to continue managing your business.”
“Please, show me a copy of the last will of Mr Glantry the first.”
“Well, our associate gave you a copy already, didn’t he?”
“It wasn’t perfectly readable, so I’m asking you to show me a copy as well. I am confident it will be a perfectly readable copy. I don’t think there is a problem in that, isn’t it?”
“Well, I don’t know if we have a copy available at the moment…”
“Oh. A law firm of such size, not having a copy of such an important document available? Are you telling me that you can’t quickly provide the requested documents? So, if I need something to close a deal, I can give up the deal because you can’t quickly provide a copy of a document? So, this is your level of reliability? This is how well you would do ‘my best interests’?”
“Ehm, no, wait. There has been a misunderstanding, we’ll comply immediately.” The eagerness to get my signature, paired with the panic caused by my being so confident distracted them from questioning about who the people with me were, and I didn’t introduce any of them yet. He sent to recover a copy of the will one of the other associates, who in less than three minutes was back with a sheet of paper, giving it to him.
“It wasn’t that difficult, was it?”
“Ehm, no, we had that copy ready to be archived, actually,” said the associate who brought it.
“Do you confirm it is a copy of the will?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Did you read it?”
“Yes, I just read it to be sure it was the right document.”
“Do you confirm that, Mr Brauch?” I asked to the first associate and President of the AFLA. He took the sheet, read it and then answered.
“Yes, it is a copy of the will.”
I took the sheet, read it and to my amusement it was, as I suspected, a copy of the fake will. I then passed it to Mr Carey, who read it and passed it to the DA, who opened his folder bag, read something and then gave it back to Mr Carey, who put it in a folder.
Despite me being there with several obviously hardened lawyers, the greed and confidence of the AFLA in being well covered and connected in the area – or maybe their habit at blatantly lying without risking anything – didn’t even allow them to think that it could be a trap, so they fell for it almost eagerly.
“Were you present to the reading of the will Mr Brauch?”
“I was, but what does it matter? I’m not sure what’s happening, Miss Delvey, did you sign the papers?”
“Actually no, Mr Brauch.”
“You’ve been told today was the last term to sign them, then you wouldn’t get anything, as the will stated.”
“Actually yes, I’ve been told that. Also, I’ve been suspicious about such insistence on your part that almost went as far as a threatening, so I asked a few friends’ help. Since I didn’t yet, I want to introduce you to Mr Carey, President of the Cordell’s Associates, with some of his Associates, Mr Barnes and Mr Rosen, then Mr Randall of the Randall & Co Lawyers, that you should have recognized if not so focused on swindling me, Mr Shore of the R&C and my personal lawyer, and least but not last, Mr Meyer from the Attorney General office, who happens to have with him a copy of the real will of Mr Michael Albert Glantry, the first.”
The guy paled, and we could see he almost had a stroke. He and all presents were taken in custody on the spot and started launching accuses to each other, refusing responsibility for anything. The DA made a call and a platoon of AG officers who were waiting outside swarmed the law firm, showing search warrants to everyone, while law enforcement officers were taking in custody everyone, from the lawyers to the janitors and cleaners.
The can of worm opened by that was something that would last for years, involving the highest authorities of the region, with big names of several counties being brought in the dirt. As soon as it was clear there were evidences enough to jail most of them, they started to talk, revealing new things in the hope of save their skins.
Of course, I wasn’t finished.
