The Lasko Tangent by Richard North Patterson Read Free Book Online

include himself. “OK, let’s take it from the top.”
    “My guy is close to Lasko Devices. When the subpoena hit, it got him thinking that he should talk to you. Apparently, there’s something going on up there, although he won’t tell me what it is over the phone. I’m going to Boston today to see him.”
    “Why all the secrecy?”
    “I’m not sure. It’s clear he’s pretty scared. One reason he doesn’t want to give his name is so you can’t go after him with a subpoena.”
    It made a cockeyed kind of sense, except for one thing. “So why are you calling me now, if he isn’t sure he wants to see me?”
    “He wants to set it up in a hurry, if he decides to do it. He’s under some kind of time pressure; I don’t know what. It’s sort of half-baked.”
    I was half-exasperated. “All this is pretty vague.”
    Gubner sounded a little exasperated himself. “I didn’t write this scenario. He wrote it. All I could do was decide whether to represent him or to tell him to take his business elsewhere. But I didn’t, for reasons personal to me. Are you going to meet him or not?”
    I was getting very curious. “Just exactly what does our mystery guest have in mind?”
    “You’re to meet us at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon by the Boston Common, unless you hear from me otherwise.”
    My own willingness surprised me. “Can I spot you by your trench coat and sunglasses?”
    “Meet us in the area by Commonwealth Avenue. The Public Garden. As I recall, you know Boston.”
    “I know Boston.”
    The question hung in the air. Finally, he asked it. “So will you meet him?”
    “I’ll meet him.”
    I heard a faint exhaling sound as if Gubner had been holding his breath. “Thanks much, Chris. I appreciate it. See you tomorrow, hopefully.” He sounded relieved; I wondered what his relationship was to the nameless client. But I said good-bye and hung up.
    I sat and thought about it. I had the feeling that the case was falling into my lap, for no good reason. It was disconcerting. I went to see Robinson, and told him about Gubner. He was pensive.
    “Have you told McGuire?” he asked.
    “Not yet. I’ve been waiting to figure out how to put it to him.”
    “He’s going to think you’re crazy.”
    “Probably. What would you do?”
    He thought for a moment. “I’d go. It’s pretty screwy but you’ve got nothing to lose.”
    Something hit me, for no particular reason. “Our subpoena to Lasko only covers documents relating to stock transactions. It doesn’t ask for financial stuff—like books and records or the records of their outside accountant from their yearly audit. Do you think you could draft a subpoena to get me that?”
    Robinson gave his fingernails a doubtful look. “Sure. But you really don’t have any grounds for fishing in the company’s financial records. McGuire may not let you do it—let alone Woods.”
    Woods’ name reminded me of Mary Carelli. “I’ll try to figure something out.”
    Robinson smiled at me skeptically. “OK. I’d rather have my job than yours. I’ll get the subpoena out this afternoon. Incidentally, you might pay a courtesy call on Ike Feiner, at least for the sake of the case. You may be the only thing which makes him look good,” he added dryly, “but Feiner tends to forget how grateful he should be. You may have felt those little knives in your back.”
    I shrugged. “This should be invaluable.” Robinson’s semi-smile followed me out the door.
    Feiner was sitting in his book-lined office. He looked up with the trapped, wary look of a cop drafted to bring in a rabid dog. I was clearly something beyond his life experience, and he’d already been burnt on the Lasko case. I sat down across from a bust of Martin Luther King, which Feiner had acquired at a safe distance from the sixties. “I need to go to Boston.”
    Feiner considered this. “Why?”
    I told him. He grimaced. “You’d better ask Joe. I’m keeping out of this one.”
    “I can see how you’d