She didn’t turn to respond to him. “What would we have to talk about, Paul? You don’t have any clients involved with our office.”
“One of my clients — I’m not at liberty to disclose who — is concerned about a deal you’ve gotten involved in that could be dangerous. He asked me … ”
“A deal? A plea deal? I’ve been on vacation. I haven’t gotten into negotiations with anyone since I’ve been back. And even if I had, I wouldn’t discuss it with you or your client.”
“I think you should listen to his advice. What do you say, lunch tomorrow?”
She glanced around and waved to Tony before she responded. “I rarely have lunch out, Paul. But if you want an appointment, call the office and I’ll see what we can set up.”
Dreier gripped her elbow to keep her from leaving. “Margo, I’m serious. My client is very well informed and listening to what he has to say could save you a great deal of trouble.”
Before she could respond, Tony rescued her. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m hungry and jet-lagged.”
Margo shook free of Paul’s grip. “If you need to talk to me and can’t make an appointment, just come into the office and if I’m free, I’d be happy to continue our conversation.”
Before they left, Margo looked one more time at the piece of Amanda’s work she’d fallen in love with, the piece that now had a red dot on the display tag, indicating it was sold. Tony got a kiss from Liz. Fiona extracted a promise from Margo to have lunch so they could “talk” and Greer gave Tony a particularly long handshake and said she’d look forward to seeing him again soon. Amanda couldn’t leave the reception yet, so Tony and Margo were on their own for dinner.
Waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street, Tony said, “Tell me about Dreier. He’s the only one I didn’t get a chance to talk to.”
“He’s so … I don’t know … snake-oil salesman, I guess. The kind of lawyer who gives lawyers a bad name. He represents business clients all up and down the West Coast, Seattle to LA with two or three things in common — shady business ethics, a lot of money, and overseas factories for most of them. I sure wouldn’t want his practice. Although he does enjoy the perks — Armani suits, a huge penthouse condo somewhere around here, a new luxury car every year.”
“Do you have to deal with him often?”
She slipped her arm through his as they crossed the street. “Hardly ever. He’s retained to keep his clients out of trouble with us. But he hangs around the office a lot. I think he uses it as a place to pick up women.”
“I take it you’re not one of them.”
“Good God, no. But, speaking of hitting on people, why did Liz take you off like that?”
“Asking questions about us. She didn’t get too far. This big guy came in. White hair, but looks too young to have it. Colin maybe? Whoever he is, as soon as he walked in, he kissed her and she lost interest in me.”
“Ah, you met Collins. He’s a metal sculptor. Been one of Liz’s artists since she opened her first gallery. They’ve had a relationship since then, too. They own a house together here but he has his studio in Eastern Oregon. Comes to town every couple of weeks. And, you’re right, when they see each other, the rest of the world disappears. But once he leaves town, she’ll be calling me and asking questions. Hell, first I had Beth, Danny and Greer asking questions, then Kiki, now Liz. You sure do stir up interest from my women friends, Alessandro.”