business. Natalie understood the problem hampering the case against Harrison Michaels was the connection, if any, of his trips to the Cayman Islands to the banking transactions of various companies. Those transactions were themselves a problem. The accounting department could not figure out any pattern with the transactions which would prove Harrison was breaking the law. The agency believed he was funneling money through the holding companies but without the information in the Cayman Banks it was having difficulty forming a complete picture. Even though the bureau was attempting to put pressure on the banks they were unable to obtain the information they desired. Therefore the only alternative was to connect the people Harrison was in partnership with and hope they were banking within the United States or in countries that cooperated with the U.S. The theory was if they could get the first part and the last part of the puzzle the accounting department would figure out the middle.
That was the reason Natalie directed John Daniels to travel to the Cayman Islands to follow Harrison. The problem was that to date Harrison never met with anyone while he was at the islands. It was as if he knew he was being followed. If the government changed its tactics or surveillance agent, Harrison would immediately pick up on it. The government also could not find out whether Harrison was meeting people in the banks themselves. Harrison traded with several banks on the islands and his business was always conducted in the upper offices. And the Cayman banks did not allow government agents to sit inside their establishments and bother their clients. The banks were very protective of their clients. No one was allowed to enter the banks unless they had business there. If a person came in and sat down it wouldn’t be long before a bank representative would approach and question them about why they were there. If they didn’t have business they would be politely but firmly asked to leave. And flashing a government badge would only have them shown to the door quicker.
The only way the government could find if Harrison was meeting someone in the banks would be to post agents outside every bank from opening until closing. The government never knew which bank Harrison would use until he walked inside. Harrison used every bank in the islands and never notified any bank he was coming. He would just show up and do business. This did not bother the banks because many of their customers did business that way. Background checks would then have to be done on everyone who arrived or left the bank utilized by Harrison. The manpower necessary to accomplish such a large-scale surveillance was unavailable given the “higher-ups” reluctance to be directly involved in this case. Therefore, unless Harrison became sloppy and met someone outside the bank, connecting him to anyone would be impossible. But given the situation Harrison was currently in with the death of his wife, sloppy was a possibility and Natalie was not about to give up any opportunity to prove herself to the bureau.
Chapter 5: Elizabeth Hires Charles Griffith
Janice Whittington sat nervously in the reception room of the law office of Charles Griffith. She did not know how she was going to accomplish getting one of the best known lawyers in town to agree to handle Elizabeth’s case. Janice couldn’t believe she was here in the first place. She and Elizabeth had met shortly after Elizabeth moved into her apartment complex. The two were in the laundry room when Janice ran out of detergent before she got to her last load. Elizabeth gave her some detergent and the two began talking. They became friends and spent many evenings sharing their dreams and aspirations. But just how good a friend Janice didn’t realize as she sat looking around at the lavish décor and the beautiful paintings on the wall in Charles Griffith’s reception room. She had no idea what Mr. Griffith charged to represent someone in a murder case or what amount of money Elizabeth had in her bank account. “This is crazy,” Janice thought to herself, and got up to leave just as the receptionist announced Mr. Griffith would see her.
Walking into Charles Griffith’s office Janice was both impressed and nervous. She had reason to be. Charles Griffith was a force to be reckoned with in the legal community. He had practiced law for twenty-five years and established a reputation for being the best. Mr. Griffith, like many criminal defense lawyers, had begun his carrier as a public defender. A public defender represents individuals who can not afford to hire their own attorney which makes the pay low and the hours long. Mr. Griffith used his position well and established himself as a brilliant trial attorney. His many victories soon brought him a higher class of clients who could afford to pay for his services. After his first ten years in practice Charles Griffith handled nothing but criminal cases. Now he represented mostly white collar people accused of crimes because they were high dollar cases.
Mr. Griffith’s office itself was elegant to say the least. His desk was oak and had a huge top with leather sections. His chair was leather as were the two client’s chairs placed in front of the desk. An executive couch with two additional chairs was across the room from the desk. Exquisite paintings hung on two of the office walls and an elaborate bookshelf covered another wall. Several photographs of Mr. Griffith’s wife and two children were on the shelves. One could tell from his office that Charles Griffith cared as much about his family as about his practice. The remaining wall contained huge glass panels with a view of the city as breathtaking as the office itself.
Charles Griffith met Janice at his office door and escorted her inside. Janice sat down in one of the large client’s chairs as he rounded the desk and took his seat. Her small frame seemed to be swallowed by the chair. “What can I do for you, Ms. Whittington?” Mr. Griffith stated in a voice that commanded attention. Janice looked up at him and began explaining Elizabeth’s situation. Charles Griffith began taking notes even though he already knew about the Mary Michaels case. In fact he probably knew more than most others about Elizabeth Blaine, secretary to banking executive Harrison Michaels. He had spoken with the personnel in the clerk of court’s office shortly after Elizabeth’s arrest. Any good attorney knows the most important people at the courthouses are not the judges but the workers in the clerk’s office. They are the ones who truly know what is going on. The employees in the clerk’s office, or deputy clerks as they are known, work hard in the trenches every day. All the paperwork on any case goes through the clerk’s office. Mr. Griffith learned as a young attorney how nice and helpful the clerks could be. It seemed the newly licensed Mr. Griffith had arrived at the courthouse to file some documents and discovered he failed to make the requisite number of copies. He was about to turn around and head back to his office when one of the clerks volunteered to make the copies he needed. It was at that moment Mr. Griffith learned how much the clerks were under appreciated by many of the attorneys. His relationship with them from then on was one of admiration and respect.
When Janice finished telling Mr. Griffith about Elizabeth and what she wanted from him she sat silently for what seemed like an eternity. Mr. Griffith turned his chair slightly toward the window. Getting up from his seat, he walked over to the window and stared at the city. “So Elizabeth Blaine wants to hire me as her attorney.” He spoke aloud but not directly to Janice. Mr. Griffith stood staring out the window until a sly smile came across his face. “Well, I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Jeffrey Taylor in a while.” Smiling again he turned and walked over to Janice. He sat on the edge of his desk and told her he would go to the jail and meet with Elizabeth. Janice looked at Mr. Griffith with relief. She did not want to go through this again at another attorney’s office.
After drafting the necessary power of attorney, Charles Griffith exited his office. The drive from his office to the jail was a short one and on the way Charles Griffith tried to imagine what Elizabeth Blaine would be like. He had represented a lot of rich people in his career but this case would be different. Elizabeth was not rich. She was a secretary. While she obviously made more than most secretaries Elizabeth would be nowhere near rich. This case would be rich, however, and with exposure came money. Charles Griffith liked nothing more than high profile cases with plenty of media coverage. He did understand the problems with agreeing to represent Elizabeth Blaine. Many of his other clients were rich powerful people. Charles Griffith knew some of them would not like his representing someone accused of killing someone from their social circle. He might even lose a few as clients. Yes Elizabeth Blaine would have to be exceptional before he would agree to become her attorney.
Walking
