Deadly Dining
Chapter 29
Stan Turner
Stan wished he could be at the trial but somebody had to manage the law office while Jodie and Paula were tied up at the courthouse. The firm had many clients and their problems didn’t stop just because the firm was wrapped up in a major murder trial. Stan also had to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Sandy Richmond and Emilio Bellucci. Over the weekend Detective Besch and the FBI had been unable to find either one of them and they hadn’t shown up for trial.
The more he thought about it the more he was convinced they had fled together. When they had interviewed Sandy she seemed adamant that Ricardo was innocent. In retrospect it was as if she knew the identity of the killer. He knew now that she had a motive to kill her husband and if it weren’t for the incriminating evidence pointing to and linking Rizzi, Wilkinson, Hunt and Jamison she’d be a prime suspect. He wondered how Emilio figured into the equation.
Since he was stuck at the office he called Bassettt Security and talked to the owner Bill Bassettt. “Hey, do you guys do criminal record’s research?” Stan asked.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“This goes back a few years but sometime in 1979 there was an arrest and conviction of a student at Hillcrest High School for statutory rape. The defendant was eighteen and the girl sixteen, I think. The guy was John Richmond but I need to confirm the name of the girl.”
“Sure, I may have to send someone down to the courthouse to get the records out of archives. I’m not sure they have inputted information that old into the criminal databases.”
“Whatever. Just let me know as soon as you find out.”
Stan hung up the phone and thought about who might know more about Eva Bellucci. He knew she had been a model and was known in the trade as Eva Bologna. He would have asked Eva herself, but at the time he didn’t think it was any of his business. Now, however things had changed. Later that afternoon Bill Bassettt called back.
“Okay, the girl was Eva Bologna.”
“Really. That’s what I was afraid of.”
“She was a famous model, wasn’t she?”
“Yes. She retired four or five years ago, I think.”
“Well, if there is anything else I can do, let me know.”
“I will. Thanks,” Stan said and hung up the phone.
Stan knew now that Sandy Richmond and Emilio Bellucci were together and he thought he knew why. He dug into Emilio’s estate planning file to confirm his theory. Eva and Emilio were married before she made it big as a model. Everything they had acquired during their marriage was technically community property but Eva had control of it and kept it out of Emilio’s reach. Stan remembered Emilio complaining about his lack of control over their money on more than one occasion. Eva had also financed the startup cost of the restaurant and guaranteed all the debt. So, although Emilio ran the restaurant he was always under Eva’s thumb and Stan knew this bothered him. He called Eva to confirm his suspicions.
“Eva. This is Stan.”
“Oh. Have you heard from Emilio?”
“No. But I’m thinking he may have run off with Sandy Richmond.”
Eva didn’t respond.
“You said you haven’t always been faithful to your husband. My guess is you’ve had a long-standing affair with John Richmond. Am I right?”
Eva sighed. “I guess it wouldn’t do any good to deny it. You’ve already figured it out.”
“Yes. I have. So, my guess is Sandy Richmond found out about it, told Emilio and they figured a way to punish both of you and end up rich.”
“You think Sandy and Emilio murdered John?”
“Yes, Bill and Donna Rice weren’t supposed to be at the table. I think they were collateral damage.”
“That couldn’t be. Emilio wouldn’t kill anybody.”
“I wouldn’t have thought so either, but if he found out about your affair that could have angered him enough to do it.”
“It’s that manipulating bitch, Sandy Richmond. She’s capable of anything. John has told me all about her.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Once she gets an idea there is no stopping her. I’m sure she bullied Emilio into murdering poor John. I can’t believe this.”
“Well, it’s just a theory right now, so don’t talk to anybody about it. I can’t prove right this minute that Sandy and Emilio are together, and there still is the question of the poison in Hunt’s car and the $10,000 cash under Ricardo’s bed.”
“Okay. I’ll keep my mouth shut but I think you may be right.”
“Thanks.”
Stan hung up wondering what he should do now. Emilio Bellucci was a client and he didn’t want to incriminate him in the three murders, but if that would get Ricardo off then he’d have no choice but to do it. His only hope would be if Paula could get Ricardo off without needing to incriminate Emilio. Then he wouldn’t have to bring any of it up.
The rub would be if Wilkinson, Hunt and Jamison were convicted. Would he have an obligation to disclose the evidence to the court to exonerate them? That wasn’t his job. But could he live with himself knowing such an injustice had occurred? That was the question, a question he hoped he’d never have to address.
As he was thinking Maria advised him that Ram was on the telephone. He cringed at the news. He picked up the telephone.
“Ram. What can I do for you?”
“Any word on our claim? Our bills are piling up and we are very cramped in our friend’s home.”
“The lawsuit is progressing slowly as I feared it would. The attorneys for MGIC are fighting at every turn.”
“I don’t know how long we can hold out. My friend’s house is only 1800 sq. ft. and has but three bedrooms and two baths. He has four children who are having to sleep together in one room and they are very unhappy.”
“I’m so sorry, Ram. I wish there was something I could do. It’s just that litigation is a slow process even if you work at it diligently.”
Stan didn’t mention the fact that he hadn’t been paid a dime on the litigation. The $10,000 for the bankruptcy had long since been depleted. He knew Ram couldn’t pay him so he had taken the insurance case on a contingency, something the firm rarely did. If they weren’t able to get the insurance company to pay, the firm could easily lose a hundred thousand dollars in fees.
“I’ve got a job making minimum wage but it gives us barely enough to buy food, clothing and gasoline for our car. We are so broke I didn’t even have money to buy Melakea a birthday gift this year.”
“Listen, I’ll try to put some heat on them to settle the case. I can’t promise anything but I’ll try.”
“Please do something. I don’t know how much longer we can hold out.”
“Alright. I will,” Stan said and hung up.
Stan pulled out Ram’s file and started thinking about things he might do to move the case along. He knew insurance companies hated bad publicity so he contemplated trying to get one of the local TV stations to do a story on Ram’s case. He also knew they hated regulatory complaints so a letter to the Texas Department of Insurance would be an option. He decided to call Derek and brainstorm with him.
“Derek. Have you heard anything from your claims adjuster on Ram’s case?”
“Nothing new. They’re still claiming it was an act of terrorism.”
“They can’t really believe that will fly, can they?”
“The problem you have is the claims adjuster assigned to the case is an idiot. He doesn’t have a lot of experience so he thinks he’s doing the company a big favor by denying the claim.”
“So, what can I do to get him to be more reasonable?”
“You somehow have to get past him to his supervisor.”
“How do I do that? I’m obligated to deal with the attorney they’ve hired to defend the lawsuit and it’s to his advantage to keep the litigation going, so he can collect more attorney’s fees.”
“You might try making a settlement offer and address it to the claims supervisor. That wa
y the attorney will have to pass it on and bypass the assigned claims adjuster. If the supervisor sees it he may realize that the company is taking a big risk by continuing to litigate.”
“That’s a good idea. I think I’ll give it a try. If I wait for the litigation to run its course I’m afraid Ram may end up having to return to Pakistan.”
“Let me know when you forward the letter to the attorney and I’ll notify the supervisor that it is coming so their attorneys can’t keep it from him.”
“Good idea. I’ll let you know.”
Stan started the letter immediately and after an hour had it completed. It read as follows:
David Johnson
Claims Manager
North American Division
Meridian Global Insurance Company
RE: Ramadan Bakira v. Meridian Global Insurance Co., Cause No. 97-42868, 14th District Court, Dallas County, Texas
Dear Mr. Johnson,
This letter is sent to you for settlement purposes only. I am sending it directly to you in case you haven’t been kept abreast of the particulars of this claim. I would respectfully ask you to rethink your denial of the claim on the grounds that the loss was the result of terrorism or the policyholder’s arson. I have talked to the State Department, the FBI and the Pakistani Consulate and they all assure me the arson of Mr. Bakira’s store was not an act of terrorism. Mr. Bakira was not politically involved and no terrorist organization would have any reason to set fire to his store. As to your innuendo that Mr. Bakira set the fire, you have not provided me one shred of evidence of that fact in your responses to my requests for production, so I assume you have none.
As you can imagine my client is in dire straits due to the failure of MGIC to honor the terms of the insurance policy which he purchased from your company. Having suffered the total loss of the building in which he conducted business he has lost not only the property but the income that sustained him and his family.
Because MGIC has failed to timely pay his claim he and his family have been forced to stay with friends in cramped housing and live on the earnings from his temporary job that pays only minimum wage. This situation is causing him and his wife extreme mental anguish and embarrassment each day that this matter remains unresolved. Further he is losing daily business profits and will suffer a permanent loss to the value of the business as customers are forced to buy elsewhere.
I have been talking to an investigative reporter for one of the local networks and she has expressed a desire to do a story on Mr. Bakira’s situation and MGIC’s bizarre defense to paying the claim. I will have my client hold off on that interview until you have had time to consider this settlement offer. But if we can’t reach an accommodation shortly I feel certain he will grant the interview and go forward with the story.
Because we are still in the early stages of this litigation and attorney’s fees and costs are relatively low, this is a good time to put this matter to bed. Accordingly, my client would be willing to accept in full settlement of all his claims the sum of $250,000 to rebuild the store, $150,000 for lost inventory, fixtures and equipment, $60,000 for lost profits, and $10,000 attorney’s fees accrued to date.
I think you will agree this is a very generous offer since my client will be waiving his claim for punitive damages of $1,000,000 which will be quite easy to get if your frivolous “act of terror” or “arson” defenses do not hold up.
This offer is being hand delivered on this date and will be open for ten days only.
Sincerely,
Stan Turner
Stan printed out the letter and faxed Derek a copy. He just hoped and prayed the claims supervisor would take a serious look at it and reconsider their position. If not, he’d have to start looking for a hungry news reporter looking for a story.