An Insignificant Case

Chapter Forty-Four

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Three months later, Charlie stood in a crowd at the Portland International Airport, waiting for Miriam Adler to walk onto the concourse. Charlie didn’t know what Guido’s mother looked like, but Miriam had seen Charlie on TV, and he towered above the other excited family members and friends who congregated in front of the exit doors.

At Charlie’s urging, Guido had called Miriam. The initial phone conversation had been strained, but there had been subsequent long-distance talks that had resulted in Miriam asking if it would be okay to visit and Guido consenting.

Miriam was going to stay at the farm, and Charlie had volunteered to pick her up and drive her there so Guido wouldn’t have to take time from painting.

While Charlie waited, his thoughts drifted to Alexis Chandler. Charlie and Bridget Fournier had been seeing each other, and that was going really well. Bridget kept him up to date on the hunt for Chandler, who was still at large. Alexis had been sighted in Spain, but there were also reports that she was in Chile and the Bahamas. In other words, no one knew where she was. Part of Charlie rooted for Alexis. He knew she was a killer and she had made a fool of him, but he couldn’t help feeling that everything she’d done was justified—if not by the statutes of the State of Oregon, then by the biblical rule of an eye for an eye. Given the atrocities the men in Golden’s sex club had committed, Charlie found it hard to condemn Alexis for avenging her sister and the other victims, a sentiment shared unanimously by Bob Malone, Gary Schwartz, and the other members of the Barbarians Motorcycle Club.

Leon Golden was singing like the proverbial canary in hopes of avoiding an indictment that charged him with being an accessory to murder. Using his information and the contents of the flash drive, the DA’s office had arrested seven men. Some were prominent businessmen and politicians. The list included Anthony Noonan, who was facing a murder charge, and Henry Roman. One thing that Golden said made Charlie very sad. Alexis had asked him what happened to Annie’s body. Golden said that Yuri Makarov had disposed of it, and only Makarov knew where she was. Now that Makarov was dead, it was unlikely that Annie would ever get a proper burial.

Charlie’s practice was starting to pick up too, thanks to all the publicity he’d gotten from Guido’s case. He wasn’t raking in the dough, but he was getting enough business to justify hiring an associate, who was now using the office Elin Crane had worked in.

Miriam’s plane had landed twenty minutes earlier, and a steady flow of passengers had walked into the waiting arms of the people who had turned out to greet them. Charlie watched a family of four come through the exit. They were followed by a plump woman who was barely five feet tall. She had curly black hair with a scattering of gray and soft brown eyes that were scanning the crowd. The eyes stopped when they focused on Charlie, and the woman managed a tentative smile. Charlie smiled back, and moments later, they were headed toward the baggage claim.

“How was your flight?” Charlie asked as they took the escalator down.

“It was long, but the woman next to me was very nice, and we talked through a lot of it.” Miriam looked embarrassed. “I’ve never been on a plane before. Jerry didn’t like to travel, and we didn’t have a lot of extra money for vacations.”

“Given the current state of air travel, you’re lucky,” Charlie said. “At least your flight wasn’t canceled.”

“That’s my bag,” Miriam said as she pointed to a valise that had just come out of the chute.

“No lost bags,” Charlie said with a smile. “You’re batting a thousand.”

Charlie parked his car in front of Guido’s barn. Then he went around and opened the passenger door for Miriam Adler. He could tell Miriam was very nervous during the ride to the farm, and he tried to assure her that everything would work out, even though he wasn’t completely sure. Guido was still Guido and as unpredictable and volatile as ever.

“You need to know a few things about your son,” Charlie had said when they were on the highway. “First—and I have no idea how this will play out—Larry really thinks that he is Guido Sabatini, a reincarnation of a Renaissance painter who studied with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. During the time I represented him, he wouldn’t respond when he was addressed as Lawrence Weiss.”

Miriam smiled. “I’ve called him Larry during our phone calls, and he hasn’t objected.”

“That’s a good sign,” Charlie said. Then he hesitated before bringing up the next topic. “Ms. Adler, there’s no easy way to put this, but Guido has serious mental problems. He should be seeing a psychiatrist to deal with his childhood traumas. I’ve suggested that he see someone, but he resists the suggestion. You should see if you can convince him to get help, but let it drop if it interferes with reestablishing your relationship.

“One final thing. Your son is a brilliant painter, and the publicity his paintings received when he was on trial have resulted in a large number of sales. You should be proud of what he’s accomplished and the peace he’s found through painting.”

Charlie led Miriam into the barn. Guido stopped when his mother and Charlie walked in. He looked nervous.

“Hello, Larry,” Miriam said.

“How was your flight?” Guido asked for something to say.

“It was fine,” Miriam said. There were tears in her eyes. “I’m so glad to be here.”

Guido tried to say something, but he was frozen.

“What are you working on?” Charlie asked so Guido could retreat to a safe topic.

“A pastoral scene in Tuscany at sunset. Getting the light just right is trying my patience.”

“I have faith in you, Guido,” Charlie said. “You’ll figure it out. May we see the painting?”

Guido stepped aside, and Miriam followed Charlie to the easel.

“It’s beautiful,” Miriam said.

Guido smiled. “I’m glad you approve. Perhaps you will accept it as a gift?”

“I’d be honored.” Miriam paused and looked at her son. “I’m so proud of you. What you do here. How many people can create such beauty?”

“Your mother has had a long flight, and I bet she’s starving,” Charlie said. “Why don’t you show her to her room and fix her something to eat?”

“That is an excellent suggestion,” Guido said, relieved to have a chore to perform that would ease the tense situation. “Follow me, Mother. I have a very pleasant guest room. You’ll be the first to use it. While you’re getting settled, I’ll prepare some food. Will you eat a sandwich? I have homemade bread, excellent cheese, and Serrano ham.”

Just before Guido took his mother into the farmhouse, Charlie told them that he had to get to his office. Miriam thanked him for driving her to the farm, and Guido thanked him for gifting him time to paint. As he drove away, Charlie thought Miriam’s visit was starting out well. Guido had acted like a sane person, and Charlie hoped that the rest of Miriam’s visit would be a success. He was grateful for little things where his ex-client was concerned.

When he walked into the waiting room, his receptionist told him that a Mr. Beecham had called several times.

“He says it’s urgent,” the receptionist said.

“That name sounds familiar.”

“It should. It’s all over the TV and the internet.”

“Why?”

“He’s the CEO of a major tech company, and his son was just arrested for drowning his wife on a fishing trip.”