“I’m here to see Maxine Roberts,” Malcolm said to the receptionist.
“Do you have an appointment, Sir?”
“No.”
She put down the phone handle with a polite smile, “I’m sorry, but Ms. Roberts doesn’t accept visitors without prior notice.”
“She’ll take me,” he said confidently.
She hesitated, “What was your name again, Sir?”
“Malcolm Blackwell,” he gave her his business card.
She read it briefly, “What is your visit about?”
“It’s regarding Ms. Amber Stewart, it’s urgent, please let her know that,” Malcolm ended the sentence with a smile.
She picked up the phone again in less than a minute, she let him through the coded locked door.
“Thank you,” he said as he passed through the door. He was escorted to Maxine’s office. Malcolm walked straight through without so much glancing at his surroundings. Shoulders up, chest forward, chin up. His towering height and broad shoulders was enough to turn heads on the 24th floor. He put on his poker face and turned up his advocate brain, he was on a mission.
Maxine was looking out the window when he entered. She was frowning. She put on a wide smile before she turned to greet her guest. “Mr. Blackwell … please come in, have a seat … my secretary mentioned you were here about Amber? It’s a sad time for all of us here, the mention of her name is warmly welcomed,” she shook his hand before he took his seat.
“Would you like something to drink?”
Malcolm shook his head, raised a palm, “No, thank you, I don’t drink while working.”
She tilted her head. She was aware Malcolm was a lawyer. “You are here for work? What can I do for you? she sat across from him.
Malcolm sat back, clasped his hands in front of him with a smile. “I’m glad you ask … there are a few things you can help me with, actually, I received an anonymous tip that you were involved in the death of Ms. Amber Stewart,” he went straight to the point and watched her face.
She laughed out loud, “That person must be deranged … Amber Stewart killed herself, she jumped out of an abandoned building.”
“She fell to her death … when she was quarreling with you … surely you remember this?” Malcolm pushed on.
Her face turned hard, nobody knew that besides herself, but she was weighing on the possibility that Malcolm was just fishing. “You don’t believe that do you? That’s preposterous … why on earth would I even be in a place like that? And what could I possibly be quarreling with her for?”
Malcolm leaned forward, folded his forearms on the desk, “For a tape,” his eyes glued to her. She didn’t respond. “Now that we can agree about the situation … we can discuss why I’m here.”
“What situation are we agreeing on, exactly, Mr. Blackwell? You’ve come here accusing me of something without any proof? But I am interested in why you are here, … why are you here other than to annoy me, Mr. Blackwell?”
Malcolm pulled out a tape recorder from his briefcase and put it on the desk. He pressed the play button. It was the conversation between her and Amber that was extracted from the video.
Maxine’s eyes turned cold, her face drooped.
“Ms. Roberts … I have a reputation to maintain, I do not go around accusing people with a bluff … when I tell you I have proof, it’s because I do, I have a video to back up that recording … and you are looking at a manslaughter verdict with a minimum of 5 years imprisonment without the possibility of parole … well … maybe 3 years given how corrupt the system is … but …”
“What do you want, Mr. Blackwell?” she cut him off.
Malcolm smiled, “I want the cancellation of all the contracts you made with the artists that you’ve been blackmailing all these years.” He pulled out some files from his briefcase and put them on the table.
“These are income reports from several of your talents that you stole from, these are just copies, I have the full report in my office … the video that I have will corroborate the fact that you have been milking them and blackmailed them too … all I need is to prove one case out of all these cases … and you’re done.”
Maxine took the files and read them, it was nothing new to her, she was just checking to see if he got it right. He did. Every one of them, including Thomas Raven’s report, her latest recruit. “How much do you want?” She slammed the files on the desk. “How much do you want for all these proof?”
Malcolm shook his head, “I told you what I want.”
“Who’s paying you to do this? I’ll double whatever they’re paying … and don’t tell me you’re doing this for the good … I know how lawyers work … you’ll get paid from both sides but I want to be the winning side … name your price,” she pushed a blank note to him.
Malcolm stood up, straightened his jacket. “You have one week to cancel all those contracts … call you lawyer, make it work, if it’s not done by then … I will go to the police with all I have and we’ll do it the right way.” He gathered his files and the tape recorder, tucked them all back in his briefcase. “I’m actually doing you a favor, I’m giving you the easy way out.”
Maxine scoffed, “You wanna know how you can do me a favor, Mr. Blackwell?”
Malcolm ignored her question.
“You can fuck off! Mind your own Goddamn business! I’ll find out who you work for, your career will be over before I have to comply with any of this bullshit!”
Malcolm was already at the door, he showed himself out. He turned to Maxine and gave her a salute, “I’ll be in touch.”
The soonest the door was closed, a mug flew off and crashed on the door. In all the years she was in business, this was the first time anyone tried to take her down without wanting anything in return. And he might just succeed.