I moved to the three drawers of files that were built into the wall of wood shelves behind Joe’s desk. Pulling out each file, I began searching. Most were files for my in-laws’ personal matters. Mortgage information. Tax records. Utilities. Bills and so forth. There were a few client files for cases Joe must’ve been currently handling. But in all my searching, I could find nothing about Ethan Tucker or the Cayman Islands.
Maybe his former law partner could help me out.
Steve Edmonds was a senior partner at Tolstoy & Myers, a big corporate law firm that occupied two floors near the top of the thirty-story One Eleven Congress building. I knew him pretty well because he and Joe had been partners for nearly twenty years. Steve and his wife were around for a lot of family functions and parties. But I hadn’t seen or spoken with him since they’d broken up their little firm five years ago. From what I knew, it was not a bad breakup. Joe just told me the two men wanted to go in different directions. Steve was ten years younger and still full of healthy ambition. Joe wanted to start taking some steps back and make more time for his grandkids. So they dissolved their law firm of two partners, two associates, and a couple of support staff, then went their own ways.
Steve met me in the firm’s lobby. Short and overweight, he had black hair that was graying on the sides and wore khaki pants and a long-sleeve white dress shirt. We shared a handshake and then a quick hug.
Steve’s face sagged. “I can’t believe this, Alex. This is the worst news ever. I can’t even focus today; I’m so shook up by it. Joe meant the world to me.”
“We’re all shook up by it. It’s been a really tough couple of days.”
“I can’t even imagine. Carol must be distraught.”
“She’s hanging in there.”
“When is the service?”
“Saturday. I’ll get you the details.”
“You know I’ll be there in the front row. Joe was my mentor. I pretty much owe everything I am as a lawyer to him. Hell, as a man.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Let’s go back to my office to talk. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Soda? Maybe something stronger? I know I’ll need it to handle this news today.”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
I followed Steve down a busy hallway lined with lawyers, paralegals, and assistants and into a spacious partner’s office that had a desk on one side and a small sitting area with a leather sofa and two chairs on the other side. Steve invited me to sit on the sofa while he squeezed himself into one of the chairs next to me.
“You said on the phone you had some questions about Joe’s old cases?” Steve said.
“I do. I’ve started sorting out Joe’s financials, and I’m having a difficult time piecing a couple of things together. Three years ago, Joe invested a lot of money to help me start my company, Illuminate.”
“I heard about that. I spoke briefly with Joe a few months ago. He mentioned how well your company was doing and seemed very proud of you and Taylor. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. At the time of the investment, Joe told me the money he was putting into the company came from a big client case he’d set aside years ago. I was curious if you knew anything about that.”
“How much money? If you don’t mind my asking.”
“Five million dollars.”
Steve’s square head jerked back a bit. “What? Five million?”
“You’re surprised?”
“I am. I think the biggest settlement Joe and I ever won was for around seven hundred thousand dollars—which, of course, we split with our client. Are you sure he said it came from one of his old cases?”
“Positive. And he said there was more available should my company need it to continue to grow.”
Steve’s chubby forehead bunched up. “Damn. That’s a lot of money. Well, it definitely didn’t come from any case while we worked together. Plus, that kind of case doesn’t even sound like the Joe I knew.”
“What do you mean?”
“Joe stayed away from the big-money, high-profile cases. I always wanted to go after them, to make a bigger name for ourselves, to reel in even bigger fish, but Joe always wanted us to turn them down. He said he didn’t want the headaches and the stress.”
“Joe was a wise man.”
“Yes, he was. I wish I had one more chance to tell him that.”
I thought about what Steve had just said. “So do you think this big case could’ve happened before you guys were together?”