Lauren's Law

Lauren’s Law

It’s Monday morning, and it’s rush hour in the city, a young man seated in the train is heading to work reading the newspaper, his briefcase by his feet. “Spare change” a young women ask as she walks along the car, “no sorry” he replies politely. The young man sees an elderly man standing, he quickly offers him his seat, “excuse me sir, please take a seat” he says, “Thank you son” he replies in a soft comforting tone. The Train soon comes to a stop, the young man steps off and walks out of the train station towards a busy high street, he arrives at a small unknown Solicitors firm Anderson & Jeffers Law, for an early appointment with Mr Anderson’s, he is their best trial Attorney.

Receptionist – Good morning, Mr Cline, Mr Anderson is expecting you.

Lauren had changed his second name to Cline, since moving to the United States from England, his identity and his past remains a secret.

Mr Anderson’s – Lauren come in, please take a seat.

Lauren takes his raincoat off, unbuttons his blazer and makes himself comfortable in a worn-out leather seat. The office is basic, little light comes in from behind a dark grey curtain, the furniture is old, the carpet unchanged for years, cigarette burns can be seen on the carpet. Behind a heavily cluttered desk with files, pens, coffee cups and left over sandwiches, a bearded old man in a brown suit is seated.

Lauren – How are you Mr Anderson, you said it’s urgent.

Mr Anderson – Yes, I did, Lauren how many years have you been providing us with advocacy assistance.

Lauren – It must be nearing ten years, I guess.

Mr Anderson – Well, last week a Mrs Jackson came into my office looking for you, she said it was very important and that you’re the only Lawyer that could help her, that she must see you as soon as possible.

Lauren – Sounds reasonable, I’ve had many clients, maybe I’ve built a good reputation.

Mr Anderson – As you know this is slightly un-usual because we have no record of her, but nevertheless, I told her to be at our office today by nine thirty A.M.

Lauren – Any hint as to what she wants to see me about.

Mr Anderson – non-what-so-ever.

Lauren looks a little puzzled by the situation, asks politely for a morning coffee, pulls out his diary and makes a note of this new client’s name. The clock behind the desk reads nine fifteen, the minute hand moves to nine thirty, the office phone rings, Mr Anderson answers “ok call her into my office”, Mr Anderson puts out his cigarette.

Mr Anderson – Mrs Jackson, welcome, this is Lauren our trial Barrister.

Mrs Jackson – Nice to meet you.

Lauren gets up from his seat, politely greets Mrs Jackson, asks her whether she’d like any tea to drink and makes polite conversation with her, “did you find us ok” looking genuinely concerned for her wellbeing, “yes I did” she replies, her eyes looked sad, as though she had been crying recently.

Mr Anderson – Please tell us what we can do for you.

Mrs Jackson – It is regarding my husband, Mr Jackson, can I tell my story to both of you.

Lauren – You may, unless you wish it to remain confidential, we have a client attorney privilege, in which case we’ll go next door.

Mrs Jackson – Yes, I think that would be best.

Lauren – Of course, Mr Anderson, if you can please excuse us, I think we’ll need the conference room next door.

Mr Anderson rises from his seat, escorts Mrs Jackson into the conference room, “please you can be assured you will have all the privacy you need at our firm” he says with a tone of confidence and assurance.

Mrs Jackson – My case is very complicated, it’s my husband, he was arrested and charged last month, for taking money out of a clients account, thirty million dollars. He is an Attorney; I know he is innocent Mr Cline. The Client Mr Omar Abo Shake, is shareholder of a large petroleum company in Saudi Arabia, he is being represented by a firm called Acheron Gabriel & Co.

Lauren begins to sweat a little, it’s a firm he no longer wishes to remember, he reaches for a glass of water and has a sip of it, “please go on”.

Mrs Jackson – Since losing his case, we’ve not been able to appeal the courts ruling and no firm will agree to take on my husband’s case, he will remain behind bars for the rest of his life, Mr Cline.

Lauren gets up from his chair, shuts the curtain, checks that no one can listen into the conversation, “how did you find me” he whispers.

Mrs Jackson – A lady by the name of Tania contacted me, she said she is a former employee of Acheron Gabriel & Co, and that she read about the case in the papers. She gave me your work contact number and said you would be able to help.

Lauren – Did she tell you anything else.

Mrs Jackson – She did, she told me you escaped, that you were their trial Barrister.

Lauren – Listen to me very carefully, no one knows about my past, certainly no one around here.

Mrs Jackson – Well, Mr Lauren will you be able to help me.

Lauren – Are you out of your mind, I can’t press charges against Gabriel or Acheron they would have me killed.

Mrs Jackson – How come they haven’t done that yet, you know, killed you.

Lauren – You think I don’t have trouble sleeping at night, they can find me, but they have no reason to fear me, if I go to the police, what do you think is going to happen.

Mrs Jackson – No I don’t, what will happen.

Lauren – I’ll never be able to practice Law again, and I’ll most likely end up sharing a cell with your husband, and for too many years.

Mrs Jackson – Can’t you at least investigate it, I’m helpless without you.

Lauren – No, that is out of the question, this conversation is over.

Mrs Jackson -Here is my contact detail, please call me if you change your mind.

Lauren reaches out for her business card, he puts both hands in his trouser pocket and stares at the ground for a few seconds, “I think you should leave, and not a word to anyone” he tells her this while looking straight into her eyes. Lauren opens the door for her and escorts her to the reception area. On his way back home in the evening, Lauren has flashbacks, he has trouble looking at people as he is nervous, and certain faces remind him of people he’d battled with in the past. He reaches his front door, unlocks the door and is greeted by Ophelia.

Ophelia – You’re back early, dinner isn’t ready yet, but if you’re hungry I can make you a sandwich.

Lauren – No I’m fine, I’ll just have an orange juice.

Ophelia passed her Bar exam but decided to pursue a career in teaching Law at night school. She is now married to Lauren, for a little over five years, and they’ve just settled into their new home.

Ophelia – What is the matter honey, something is on your mind, I can tell that it’s troubling you.

Lauren – I spoke to a woman, a Mrs Jackson she asked me to help her husband, he’s behind bars for life.

Ophelia – It’s your job isn’t it.

Lauren – She wants me to go up against Acheron Gabriel & Co, I can’t tell you any more than that, it’s privileged information.

Ophelia – How did she find you.

Lauren – It’s a long story and I’m tired I just need to get some rest; I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.

The following week, Lauren receives a letter from Mrs Jackson, the letter informs Lauren that Mr Jackson had committed suicide in his cell, and that a couple of days before his alleged suicide he wrote her a letter. Mrs Jackson asks to speak in private with Lauren, she writes her mobile phone number on the letter, and suggests that they arrange to meet soon.

Lauren – Hello, Mrs Jackson, I received your letter, maybe we should talk.

Lauren is seated in a small caffe, there aren’t many people about, he looks around making sure no one recognises him or followed him into the caffe. The time reads 11:55 a.m. he’s expecting Mrs Jackson at twelve.

Lauren – You’re on time, take a seat, can I buy you a drink.

Mrs Jackson – Please, we’ll look suspicious otherwise.

Lauren – Tell me about the content of the letter.

Mrs Jackson – He wrote that he was being monitored, that they were plotting against him, and that he doesn’t know how much time he has left, that’s how I know it wasn’t suicide Mr Cline. Here, you can read it yourself, I have the letter with me.

Lauren, takes a moment, puts on his reading glasses and starts reading the letter.

My dear Louise, I have been thinking about you every minute of the day every day, I don’t think I have much time left, I sense evil forces are at work and they wish me harm. Recently I was contacted by a Lawyer friend of mine, Howard Brown, he said that since my arrest he had been secretly investigation my case, and what he discovered shocked him profoundly. He believes that I’m the victim of a conspiracy, that there are many powerful and dangerous people involved. That Lawyers, politicians and cops have been secretly working with a Mr Omar Abo Shake in a major weapons exportation deal in exchange for oil. Since Saudi Arabia’s involvement in wars with Yemen, sanctions have been imposed, thereby creating a black market for people like Mr Omar Abo Shake to trade illegally with the United States and UK. Because of the complexity of the deals, Mr Shake had to pay huge sums of money to buy silence and service from senior politicians and lawyers in Britain and U.S. Their elaborate plan included, using various Law firms to hold million in their account for fictitious legal reasons, buying and selling business’s, it’s a long list. The millions held in these accounts would disappear and be wired to key people involved in this conspiracy. Everything was going to plan, as they expected, until I began looking into the mysterious transfer of clients’ money into unknown accounts, when I raised the red flag. Mr Omar Abo Shake hired a team of Lawyers from Acheron Gabriel & Co to have me indicted for theft, claiming that the money for their business venture was eventually located at an overseas account in Croatia. If I die before this letter reached you Louise, I want you to know that I love you very much.

Harry

Lauren appears tearful, he places his reading glasses on the coffee table and looks out into the street, dazed.

Lauren – I’m so sorry Mrs Jackson, I really don’t know what to say Mrs Jackson, I am really lost for words.

Mrs Jackson – What use is sorry, he’s dead now and I must live with all this pain.

Lauren and Mrs Jackson are seated in silence, Lauren hands her tissue to wipe her tears but she simply pushes his hand away and walks out of the coffee shop. Lauren is deeply disturbed by the truth of the matter, and he feels her sadness very much. He knows it’s too late and that he could not have done anything to prevent the suicide, but he still feels a sense of guilt. Lauren decides to go for a walk in the park, he finds a bench and spends some time seated there, trying to process the enormity of the case. Days and weeks go by, until he can no longer think straight, he decides to call Mrs Jackson to see if he can meet with Howard Brown. “Hello, it’s me Lauren, I hope I haven’t called at a bad time” Lauren is seated in his office late at night, there is only a table lamp switched on. “Mr Cline is that you” Mrs Jackson is lying in her bed, “Yes it’s me, do you have Mr Browns number, I’d like to have a word with him”. Mrs Jackson reaches for her husband’s phone book and finds the number that Lauren is looking for.

Mrs Jackson – Why do you ask for his number, you’ll only put yourself in danger,

Lauren – Let’s just say I have a conscious, and that I can’t do nothing, now that I know what I know about you husbands alleged suicide. An innocent Lawyer died, and I didn’t do anything to try and stop it, the least I can do, is find your husbands killer, Mrs Jackson.

Mrs Jackson – It’s not your fault, but I think you would be doing the right thing.

Lauren – I know, have a good night, and I’m sorry for calling you so late into the night.

Lauren hangs up the phone he places his head in the palms of his hand and whispers “what am I doing”. The following morning Lauren calls Mr Brown.

Lauren – Good morning, Mr Brown my name is Lauren I’m a Lawyer, I got your number from Mrs Jackson, Harry’s widowed wife, I know about your investigation into Mr Jackson’s suicide. I’d like to meet with you, I’m calling as a friend, you have nothing to worry about, you can call Mrs Jackson to get a confirmation.

Mr Brown – I don’t really know who you are, and I’m not interested in meeting with you it’s too risky I have a wife and two small children.

Lauren – Of course, I do understand, but a Lawyer was murdered, a colleague of yours, I think it would be wrong not to find who the killers were. I want to know where you got your information from, so I can investigate myself.

Mr Brown – Listen, I’m already uneasy with the idea of speaking to a stranger regarding Harry, a meeting with me is out of the question, have a good day.

Mr Brown hangs up the phone, he is visibly shaken, he drinks a glass of water, opens the window in his office and takes in a deep breath. A week later, Lauren is taking his usual root to work reading his newspaper, when he reads about the ongoing conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and the assassination of an American diplomat Konrad Barnes on one of his visits to Saudi Arabia. The news article states that a loan gunman opened fire on Mr Barnes for taking side with the Yemenis government, and for sympathising with their cause. Diplomatic relations between the U.S and Saudi Arabia reached an all time low, with promises to increase sanctions on Saudi Arabia. Once Lauren reached his office, he browses the net looking for the names of politicians that had put forward measures to stop the supply of weapons with Saudi Arabia. He finds several names, listed as democrats and he also finds Konrad Barnes listed as a Republican, Barnes was outspoken in his criticism of Saudi Arabia and had made great efforts, along with other Republican politicians to restore peace between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. A peace deal was within reach, and it was well known amongst White House officials. Mr Barnes was known for stating that he was going to clean up American politics, implicating various politician within the Democratic party for illegal trade deals with Saudi Arabia. Amongst those that were implicated was Roy Nixon, a hard line Republican responsible for foreign affairs and Jeff Evans responsible for national security and foreign security. Lauren suddenly receives a call from Mr Anderson asking him to make his way for a briefing on a burglary charge.

Mr Anderson – Good morning, Lauren, we have a client with us, he has been charged with burglary and assault, I need you to take the case.

Lauren – Sure, no problem I’ll make my way as soon as I can.

As Lauren hangs up the phone, he notices a missed call and a message, from Mr Brown. “Mr Cline, I spoke to Mrs Jackson earlier today, I got the confirmation I needed, Harry was a good friend of mine. I’ve had a careful think about our earlier conversation. I think I should do the right thing and let you know a little more on what I’ve discovered about the conspirators”. “I’m not sure how safe we’re going to be if we go through with this, but any meeting between us must remain top secret, how about we talk”. “The best time and place for me are out of office hours, I catch the train home late at night, the train is usually empty at 9 p.m. you’ll find me at the Strand station at 9 p.m. on the dot, no one will suspect anything”. “Be there tomorrow, I’ll be wearing a grey raincoat and carrying a red umbrella”. Lauren keeps to his plan, he makes his way to the strand station, he sees a man in a grey raincoat carrying a red umbrella, casually walks over and introduces himself, “Good evening, it’s me Lauren”. The train soon arrives, and they hop on, and take a seat in an empty carriage.

Lauren – What is it you wanted to speak to me about, what more do you know.

Mr Brown – You hear about the assassination of Konrad Barnes.

Lauren – As a matter of fact I did.

Mr Brown – You still think the Yemenis were behind that, the gunman hasn’t been found, he escaped on foot, and no one is going to find him. His name is Yousuff Aziz, a thirty-year-old man, served in the Yemenis military, lost his right eye in war. He was recruited by the CIA, he has done work for them in the past, mostly spying on diplomats and on members of the Democratic party working in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Lauren – I fail to see the connection between the assassination and Mr Jackson’s suicide.

Mr brown pauses for a while, waiting for the passing trains to go by, before he can speak and be heard again.

Mr Brown – I want you to look at these photos I’ve brought with me, they were taken just after the sanctions were introduced.

Lauren takes hold of the collection of photos, the photo is of a large boat, seemingly normal, a party of some sort, many people drinking, dancing and having a good time.

Mr Brown – The man seated at the table, the one I’ve circled in red, is Mr Omar Abo Shake, the two men seated next to him are, Roy Nixon and Jeff Evans.

Lauren – Ok you’ve already explained the trade deal, why are we going over this.

Mr Brown – Because Mr Omar Abo Shake rarely met with Roy Nixon and Jeff Evans, all correspondence was done through a third party, their Lawyers. These photos were taken, days before the indictment of Harry. Now look at these set of photos, there he is seated at a horse race with Roy Nixon and Jeff Evans, days before Harrys alleged suicide.

Lauren – What does it prove?

Mr Brown – It proves that they knew each other, or at the very least, crossed path, you see, their political interference with the investigation of the thirty-million-dollar disappearance from their client account, resulted in the indictment of my friend Harry. Mr Shake’s Lawyers were a team of Lawyers from Acheron Gabriel & Co, now I don’t care how brilliant they are as Lawyers, but they needed Roy Nixon and Jeff Evans to put pressure on the judiciary and influence the outcome of the case. All the evidence that indicted Harry was manufactured, all of Mr Shake’s dealing with Democrats was covered up. They protected Mr Shake to save their own lives.

Lauren – And now that he is a client of Acheron Gabriel & Co, he’s never going to leave them alive.

Mr Brown – Exactly, they can charge Mr Shake, however much they want, and if he tries to buy himself out, they will kill him. It’s a trap, and they’ve trapped many clients that way, with no way out.

Just after Mr Brown utters the words “no way out” a screeching noise is heard from the train like that of a scream.

Lauren – I see, but I still fail to see the connection between the assassination of Konrad Barnes and the Republicans.

Mr Brown – It’s quite simple Lauren, if a peace deal is made possible, don’t you think that’ll be the end of the black market for people like Roy Nixon and Jeff Evans. This is my spot, I must get off the train, have a good evening, I’m sure we’ll meet again.

Lauren – Hold on a moment, how do you know all that?

Mr Brown briefly glances back at Lauren before he gets off the train, Lauren returns home late into the night, Ophelia is asleep. He walks into his living room pours himself a glass of red wine and has a long think about his conversation with Mr Brown. He figures the only way to get justice for Mr Jackson, is by indicting Mr Shake first, so he begins to write a letter to Mr Brown with an idea which may or may not work. “Dear Mr Brown, after our brief conversation I have thought through carefully a plan to indicte Mr Shake, it’s a long shot, but with our lack of evidence and lack of witness, we have little hope”. “The idea consists of finding Youseff Aziz, if we can do that, we can get a confession from him, we’ll leak his confession to the Republicans, that is after we’ve gathered enough evidence and witness”. “If all goes according to plan, the Republicans will use their most powerful Attorney’s to re-open the case, and if they convict Mr Shake, it will have a domino effect”. “You have to tell me everything you know about Youseff Aziz”. Lauren folds the paper and puts it into an envelop addressed to Mrs Jackson, with a request that she hands it to Mr Brown, that way, no one will be able to trace Lauren, or suspect anything. A few days go by and there is little news from either Mrs Jackson or Mr Brown.

Scene change.

Ophelia – You’ve been acting differently lately Lauren, you’re not here when you’re sitting with me, and the rest of the time you’re at the library. Care to let me into what is going on.

Lauren is seated with Ophelia in the Kitchen having breakfast, he pours himself a glass of orange juice, reaches for Ophelia’s hand and reassures her that everything is fine.

Lauren – I’ve been working a lot, and I’ve had a lot on my mind, mostly about Mrs Jackson and her husband.

Ophelia – It was suicide, there wasn’t anything you or anyone else could do.

Lauren – Well that’s just it, I don’t believe it was suicide and I certainly don’t believe Mr Jackson was guilty, we can pretend otherwise, but the thing won’t go away.

Ophelia – Ok, so why won’t you tell me about the Mr Jackson case.

Lauren – I wish I could, someday I will, just not now.

Ophelia looks upset, she throws her napkin on the table in frustration but doesn’t say anything, just looks across the kitchen.

Ophelia – before I forget, someone called yesterday, he didn’t give his name, but he said he appreciated your letter, and will certainly reconsider, he also said he’ll call your receptionist and arrange for a meeting.

Lauren – That would be Mr Brown, but keep his name a secret, he’s a lawyer.

Ophelia – I don’t like all this secrecy, are you in danger.

Lauren – The short answer to that is no, I must go now, I’ll be late coming home tonight.

Lauren arrives at his office, it’s on top of a grocery store, he has no receptionist, it’s a small office, with a few plant pots, a basic desk cluttered with files, and a foldable chair. He notices a post card, he opens it, “Mr Cline, I think we should meet again, you’ll find me at Open All Hours, on Boston Street, 34a, you can’t miss it, be there at 9 p.m. Tuesday night” Lauren sees a badly lit bar at the corner of the high street, he walks in, sees a few empty tables, a bar man and a few regulars having a drink, at the far end of the bar Mr Brown is seated with a cigarette and a large bottle of whisky, he appears to be intoxicated. “Take a seat” he says, slurring his words, half smiling, “you asked me the last time I saw you, how I know all that”, he blows cigarette smoke out of his nose and sips more whisky.

Lauren – Yes, I did.

Mr Brown - I was working for Mr Shake, I was also taking hush money from Roy and Jeff, God knows I’m not proud of it. I know what you’re thinking, ‘you son of a b*tch how could you do that’, right.

Lauren – Go on.

Mr Brown – I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, I knew the figures didn’t add up, millions were being held in client accounts one moment and gone another, it was my responsibility to check the source of these account for money laundering purposes, I was the senior partner. One day I get an invitation, from Mr Shake to come to his boat party, a celebration. That’s where he introduced me to Roy Nixon and Jeff Evans both members of the Democrats, I had a great time, they came across as great guys, they wrote me a cheque for three million dollars, I asked them what it was for, they told me about their business in oil and weapons, and to keep quiet about the transfer of the thirty million dollars into various accounts. I was already involved, I couldn’t break the code of confidentiality. I took the money Lauren.

Mr Brown begins to cry a little, he is looking ashamed and feels responsible for his friend’s death. He drinks more whisky and by now is very intoxicated, “there is away around the legal loop whole” he whispers to Lauren.

Lauren – A way to indict Mr Shake and his cronies?

Mr Brown – I have all the documents, bank details, money transfer evidence, client Lawyer correspondence, the lot, enough information to land them all in jail for life.

Lauren – Of course you’d be disbarred for breaking the legal professional privilege, and you’d be jailed for being a co-conspirator.

Mr Brown – You think I don’t know; I’ve thought it through Lauren, I’m also a witness, I know people, people that would lead us to Yousuff Aziz, Roy and Jeff were talking about him and his involvement in assassination of Yemenis officials. If we get a warrant of arrest for Mr Aziz’s assassination of Konrad Barnes, I’m sure the Democrats will be interested in Knowing who were involved and why he was killed. You’ll get all the privileged material and procedural material I have on Mr Shake. It will open-up a can of worms, they will fall like dominos.

Lauren – Let me get it straight, you’re willing to hand over all you have on Mr Shake and get yourself killed in the process.

Mr Brown – No, not exactly, I have three million dollars in my account, I’ll be taking an early retirement, that means leaving my wife and kid behind, but what choice do I have. When the smoke settles, I’ll tell my wife about my situation and whereabout.

Lauren – Mr Shake has employed Acheron Gabriel & Co, I will remind you, they will put up a fight, Jury tampering, the Judge will be paid off, the police will be paid off, they play dirty. I did work for them at their firm in England, their U.S based firm I’m sure is no different.

Mr Brown – First you find Youseff Aziz, then you inform members of the Democrat’s, once they’ve arrested Mr Aziz, you present them with your case. Now I know there is bad blood between you and Acheron Gabriel & Co, but if you get the indictments you’re looking for, you’re a free man Mr Cline.

Lauren – When do we start work.

Mr Brown – I’ll let you know in good time, I think this meeting is over for now, have a good night, Lauren.

Mr Brown struggles out of his chair, puts on his raincoat, pays the barman on his way out and disappears into the night. Lauren hears a beep on his mobile phone, it’s a message from Ophelia, “honey where are you, it’s extremely late, someone was asking for you yesterday, but I haven’t had the chance to tell you, he said his name is Mr Brown, and that he’d like to speak with you”. Lauren appears a little confused by it. He calls her back immediately reassures her that he’ll be back soon then asks, “and what did you say when he introduced himself”, “I said are you an attorney, I remembered you telling me about a Mr Brown”. Lauren puts his coat own and leave the bar heading home.

Scene change

Ophelia – Finally you made it back home, you’ve broken your record, have you eaten, honey, there is food in the fridge.

Lauren – I’m not hungry, you said a Mr Brown came asking for me?

Ophelia – I told him I wasn’t sure where you were, I asked him if he’s a lawyer, I remember you telling me something about a Mr Brown.

Lauren – What did he say.

Ophelia – Not much, just yes mam, and that he’ll come back later.

Lauren – What did he look like.

Ophelia – He looked like a middle-aged man, slightly on the heavy side, kind of short, to be honest I didn’t think he sounded like a Lawyer, he had a very rough accent.

Lauren knows that Mr Brown is at least six feet tall, slim built. He is worried but decides to sleep on it.

Ophelia – Where were you honey; you don’t usually come home this late.

Lauren – I was at the library, research for a private equity case I have coming up.

Ophelia – Ok, well I’m really tired I’m going to bed.

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