Chapter 13
Angel was on the telephone to one of the rookie lawyers………
“Did this guy Abrams’ actually see you TAKE his finished meal out of the dumpster?” The lawyer asked Angel. Angel sighed
“Yes, no, I don’t know, listen, that’s not the case, it’s already been established, it’s HIS teeth marks on the burger and bun, it’s already been tested by forensics or whatever. Prince Arreeza had to give the piece of art work up, it was subpoenaed by the courts ”
“Oh I see. Well this puts a different complexion on things…”
“I rather thought it might” Angel said, trying to, but barely hiding the sarcasm in his voice.
“So tell me Mr Stebson, what do you actually do to the um…the, the er, items when you’ve got them?”
“Well, first I arrange them on the plate or box, and then I plasticize them”
“You what?”
“I plasticize them. It’s a technique of covering the items as you call them in a thin plastic coating, to stop it from going mouldy”
“I see. And could anybody do this?”
“What do you mean?” Angel asked
“Well, this guy Abrams’ is stating he did all the work for your piece, if I can establish this isn’t so…”
“Oh I get you – well I suppose he could, it’s a polyurethane membrane you paint over the food, and then heat to a certain temperature, but you do have to know what you are doing, too high a temperature and you could burn it, too low a temperature and the stuff doesn’t dry properly and shrink around the food, the air would get in and the stuff would go mouldy” Angel explained
“So I could argue and say it’s a specialist technique, you have to know what you’re doing with this stuff”
“Yeah. Yes I suppose so you could” Angel said, not admitting that anybody could go into an average DIY or hardware store, buy a can of this stuff and read the instructions on the back of the can, like he did…
“Good, good, now we’re getting somewhere. Now how much did Prince Arreeza pay for the item, um art work I mean?
Angel swallowed and said quietly,
“One million dollars”
“Wow! Sorry, one…million…dollars, I see and Mr Abrams, he’s suing you for…50% is that correct?”
“So the writ says, yes…” Angel was bored now………
ooOOoo
Buffy smoothed her lip gloss with her finger, took a last look at herself in the mirror and made her way downstairs to the guests lounge. She bumped into the owner, Mrs Bellamy…
“Oh you DO look nice my dear, going anywhere special?” She asked
“Oh um, to the little fish restaurant on the end of the harbour, with a friend”
Mrs Bellamy hunched up her shoulders and grinned
“Oh it’s lovely there, my son Chris, you know, the taxi driver who bought you here, he buys me a dressed crab from there every Sunday as a treat for my tea!”
Buffy smiled too, Mrs Bellamy was like a favourite aunt and she had a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“Very nice – oh, here’s my date” Buffy spied William walking up the path. So did Mrs Bellamy and she grinned
“Very nice indeed!” Buffy wasn’t sure whether Mrs Bellamy meant the crab or William and they giggled.
“Make sure you’ve got your key dear, I shut the outside door at 11, but you can use you key to get in at any hour. Enjoy yourself”
Buffy said thanks and went out to meet William.
oOo
The restaurant was made to look like a shipwreck. The bar was part of a hull, and you sat on rum barrels (with a cushion on top!) the tables were chests or big barrels, and the walls had ‘portholes’. The ceiling was painted a dark bluish green, and a fishing net hung in folds, filled with artificial crabs, starfish, lobsters and fish, it was very effective. Buffy thought it lovely.
“Oh this is nice!” She smiled at William, who said,
“And forgive me for not saying this straight away, but you look stunning!”
She blushed prettily and glanced down, smiling. She was wearing chocolate coloured pants, with an old gold coloured silk shirt; she’d tied a cream cardigan around her shoulders in case it got a bit breezy later. Jewellery wise, she’d kept it simple with a gold chain, and simple gold studs in her ears.
“Thank you! – I was thinking how smart you looked too!”
“Drink? - And we can look at the menu at our leisure” William said. They went to the bar, and the waiter told them that today’s specials were chalked up on the blackboard, and handed them menu’s. Additionally he gave William a wine list too.
After asking her what she’d like to drink, William ordered Vodka and tonics for both of them, ice and lemon.
“Are you having a starter?” Buffy asked peeping over her menu
“I am indeed, and I’m having a main course, a pudding AND the cheeseboard, if I can!” William said with a grin
“In that case………I shall have, the giant prawns grilled with lime and chilli to start, and then………yes, I’ll have the lobster special off the blackboard, the one with the creamy Champagne sauce”
Buffy closed her menu and put it down on the counter.
“Oh I missed that, that sounds good!” William said, and then he reopened his menu and continued,
“Hmm…nope, I’ll have what I first saw, the devilled crab. But I’m having the same starter as you!” he put his menu on top of Buffy’s.
The waiter took their order and asked if they wanted a medley of fresh vegetables or salad
“Oh, erm…” Buffy began, and William came to the rescue and said,
“Let’s have one of each, so we can have a bit of both then” Buffy readily agreed.
“Any wine sir?”
“Oh yes please, let’s push the boat out as we’re on holiday, we’ll have a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne please”
“You do like Champagne?” William suddenly asked
“Hmm I LOVE it! Wow!” William smiled and the waiter left to get it.
“Champagne eh, you’re spoiling me!” Buffy said
“And there’s nobody else I’d like to spoil more!” William said boldly.
Buffy’s face went a delicate shade of pink, but she was loving it – she was definitely going to tell Mrs Bellamy she’d stay the extra two days, and after that, well who knows………
ooOOoo
The evening was a great success, the conversation flowed as easily as the Champagne, and because Buffy was full, they had the intimacy of a shared crème brulee for pudding. They had coffee and brandies, and when it came time to go Buffy stood and felt a little light headed, she giggled.
“You okay?” William asked concerned
“I’m fine – it’s the Champagne, I’ll be fine when I get a little air outside!”
“Do you want to go straight back to the hotel?”
Buffy frowned and said
“Oh no! I’m having wayyyy too much fun!”
William smiled and she took his arm and they walked along the harbour. The tide was nearly in and the little boats bobbed on the water, some had lights on and they sparkled and danced on the lapping water. A huge white moon shone down from an inky-black sky and Buffy was amazed at the stars.
“Wow – I’ve never seen so many stars – my goodness, it’s like I could reach and touch them!”
“I love that too – it’s a shame, light pollution stops us seeing them where we live…look at them out to sea, where there’s no light at all, except can you see that little pulsing light off to the right there, hold on………there – did you see it?!”
“Oh yes!”
“That’s the lighthouse on Barney’s Bit!” William told her, and they grinned at each other.
A gust of wind got up and Buffy shivered and put her cardigan on properly.
“Are you okay love, warm enough?”
“Yes thanks, I am now!” William put his arm around her and they walked to the Chichester Arms, the pub they had the late lunch that afternoon
“Let’s have a nightcap, you don’t have to have alcohol, you can have a juice or a soda if you prefer” Will said. They went inside and Buffy took a seat by the fire.
She’d ordered another brandy, so William had the same. They sat sipping them by the fire.
Buffy yawned and apologised
“I’m sorry, but I was up at 6 am this morning – thought I might sleep on the coach but there were children on there who had other ideas!”
“I understand. Well I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed and evening so much, or the company!” William said
Buffy smiled and leant across and squeezed his hand saying,
“Me neither!” And then she added,
“So what time will we meet tomorrow morning?”
“Um...10.30am – if that’s alright with you, I’ll come to your hotel and meet you?”
“Perfect!”
They finished their drinks and William walked her back to her hotel
“It’s been a fantastic evening, well for me it has anyway!” William said standing in front of her.
“Hmm, me too – thanks it was just…just perfect” They smiled at each other. A gust of wind made Buffy shiver
“You get inside, I’ll see you in the morning, 10.30 okay?” William half turned to go, but Buffy put her hand on his arm and she leant in a dropped a soft kiss on his lips –
“Thank you” she barely whispered. William took a sharp intake of breath, homed in and planted a real smackeroony of a kiss and Buffy just melted into his arms…with the tiniest of squeaks…
“Oh!”
“Sorry…I – I wanted to do that all night!” William said, Buffy nodded, not having quite recovered, but recovered enough for her to home in this time!
Both of them panting when they came up for air, William whispered,
“If I’m to remain a gentleman, I MUST go!”
“Night Will…see you in the morning!” She turned and went indoors. She didn’t remember climbing the stairs, she floated up!
William walked back to the cottage with a silly big grin on his face!”
ooOOoo
“………So in worst case scenario, I could be looking at paying out what sort of amount do you reckon?” Angel asked.
“Sky’s the limit. Who has he got as a lawyer, do you know?”
“Er hold on…I think it says on the writ…” Angel said, and then he continued,
“Oh, it doesn’t say”
“Who issued the writ, I might be able to tell by the name of the writ issuer”
“Um…Larry………Larry somebody I think”
“Oh god, not Larry Mason?”
“That’s the guy, why, what’s the matter?” A sinking feeling Angel had in his stomach was telling him there was more bad news to come…
“Larry Mason only works for the best, he ALWAYS gets his man as they say, he works for the senior partners at Wolfram, Hart and Shipton, the preliminary hearing and one day in court alone would cost you around $125,000.Then there would be our fee as you lost…then there’s the half million Abrams wants…” Angel closed his eyes. There was a knock at the door and he excused himself over the phone
“Come in Cordy”
Cordelia came in very sheepishly, carrying Angel’s mobile phone, at arms length, saying with a pained expression,
“He absolutely INSISTS on speaking to you”
Angel could hear yelling, frowning he took the phone off Cordelia and said
“Who is it, hello?”
“Angel Stebson – you have made a fool out of me! Well – no more! I will have back my million dollars by the time the banks close tomorrow!”
“Arreeza?”
“PRINCE Arreeza to you, Your Highness to you, you give me back my money and you keep your junk so called art! I must have been blind not to see it for what it was!”
“But I can’t, I mean you – oh god come ON! This isn’t fair, you bought that fair and square!” Angel said, panic now setting in
“Well now, I’m UN-buying it – you have made me a laughing stock – ‘Look at the junk Little Arreeza buys, doesn’t know camel shit from gold’ – that’s what they are saying about me!”
“I’ve won art prizes, how dare they, how dare YOU!”
“By tomorrow night, else you’ll find out how bad an enemy I can be!” The line went dead. Shakily Angel handed Cordelia the phone back and she went back into her office.
“Er, did you hear any of that?” Angel asked his lawyer
“Um yeah, all of it…so that’s a million on top of any figure I give you what you are likely to pay out”
“Oh god, this can’t be happening – it can’t! – What the fuck am I going to do!”
“Well, you never know, maybe the publicity may heighten interest in your work” the lawyer said without much conviction – having seen a ‘coffee table’ book on modern art that contained some of his clients previous works of bits of rusting metal, an old washing machine and a punctured tyre………
“Doubt it, I’ve tried everybody I know who’s bought my stuff before, and this fucking credit crunch couldn’t have come at a worse time!”
“Uh huh, well look Mr Stebson, I’ll see you on the 17th when you come back to New York for the preliminary hearing, and we’ll take it from there, chin up eh? – Goodbye!”
“Yeah, okay, bye” Angel heaved a sigh and put the receiver on the cradle.
He’d got a million and one questions running around his head – one, how the fuck did somebody like this Abrams guy afford lawyers like Wolfram, Hart and Shipton – two, how on earth was he going to pay back Arreeza, and three, not just him, if he lost the court case – how much more would he end up shelling out –
“Oh fuck, Fuck, FUCK!” Angel stood and kicked the coffee table. There was a smash and tinkle of glass as it hit the wall. Cordelia came flying out of the office. She looked at the mess of the coffee table and then at Angel, who was standing, with his hands on his head.
“What am I going to do Cordy? What the fuck am I going to do?”
“Well, wrecking the office isn’t going to help, THAT’S for sure”
ooOOoo
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