Chapter 8
This is Going to Be Tough
Back at the office, Becca was going through the piles of information that the crown attorney had provided to the defense during discovery. As she was examining all of the documents, it became clear that the crown had a very compelling case that was going to be difficult to refute.
For instance, his secretary said that Scott left the office at around 7:00 PM. This fact was confirmed by a copy of the Highway 407 Express Toll Road bill which recorded that his car entered the highway closest to the park at 7:11 PM and exited at 7:30 PM. The interesting part was that there was another entry on the bill which showed a highway entry at 10:46 PM and an exit 11:07 PM going towards the park, and a 1:22 AM entry and 1:40 AM exit going away from the park that night as well. Attached to the bill was a sticky note saying that the police surmise from this that Scott must have returned later that night to either get something or do some more work.
The next pieces of evidence confirmed what Elijah and Becca had already suspected. Bank records turned over to the crown show that the dummy corporation known as 'Just in Time Supplies' did in fact transfer almost one million dollars into 2 accounts registered to Ivan Tory and Sal Aria. Both accounts had an E.T. Ravenwood as signing authority. Even though Elliot denies opening these accounts, signed documents and valid eye witnesses prove otherwise. This was going to make it difficult to show the jury that someone else had in fact stolen the money and set up the accounts in Elliot's name. This evidence is the type of evidence that the crown will say speaks for itself.
The most damning piece of evidence though was the acetylene torch and the ride's missing bolts that were found in the trunk of Elliot's car. Although there were no fingerprints on the torch itself, the tank could be traced to a dealer that has a record signed by Elliot Ravenwood at the time that the torch was sold.
Just as Becca decided to take a break from reading, for she felt the onset of one of her usual afternoon headaches, Elijah walked in from the rain. As he came into the main office, he leaned the umbrella in the stand, and tossed Becca's pink coat at her.
"Thanks for the coat sis. Not only did I look ridiculous in it, but everyone on the bus was pointing, staring and laughing at me," Elijah said in disgust.
"Pointing, staring and laughing?" Becca replied in disbelief.
"Well maybe I made up the pointing and laughing part, but they were certainly staring! I can only imagine what they were thinking: 'Hey look at that successful lawyer. What, couldn't he afford a better looking jacket than that'" Elijah said snidely as he changed his voice to imitate what he thought the other people would sound like.
"First of all, you're too full of yourself to think that people recognized you," she said as she hung the coat up in the closet, "and second of all, who cares what others thought of you, you're dry and your suit is in one piece, that's the important part."
"No it isn't! You don't understand! When people are looking for a lawyer they don't just look at the legal mind, they look at the outward appearance. One hair being out of place, or button missing off the jacket could be the deciding factor for someone to hire or not hire you as their attorney," Elijah said as he sat down behind his desk.
"I assure you, people accused of crimes are concerned about one thing and one thing only: being acquitted. They don't care if your shoes are scuffed, or your tie is crooked, they want the best defense possible, and for you to prove to a jury that the police have got the wrong person. I'm not saying the other things don't matter, but in the grand scheme of things, appearance should be at the bottom of the list, not the top. You are one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the country, people are lined up to have you defend them. Is it because they like the way you dress? Of course not! It's because you go into the courtroom, fight for your clients, and almost always convince the jury to acquit," Becca said as she sat down in front of the desk.
"Well I couldn't be as successful as I am without an excellent partner who behind the scenes bails her brother out more often than not. Don't get me wrong, I think you're completely off target when it comes to outward appearance, but that's an argument we can have at another time. What have you learned about this case so far?"
"I learned that unless we're really good magicians, Elliot Ravenwood is going to spend the next 25 years in prison. I mean the crown has the torch in his trunk, the financial records of the park, the dummy corporation and private bank accounts all of which show that $1 million was funneled out of the park and into accounts that Elliot had control of. That, combined with the fact that Elliot was at the park, seen near the ride when the cars had to have been tampered with; it appears that you have an open and shut case. I can completely understand why Gerard wanted to plead out this case; I would given the evidence," Becca said.
"Yeah, but Elliot denies everything that the crown is presenting against him. He denies stealing the money, he denies opening the dummy corporation or personal checking account, and he denies buying the torch. I know that he could be lying about all of those things, but I don't believe he is. Just from talking to him, I don't believe he is smart enough to set up an embezzlement scheme as elaborate and complicated as the one we have here. I also don't believe that he has the knowledge to use a blow torch precisely enough to damage the ride to the extent that it wouldn't break on its first test run. That takes immense brain power and skill, and to tell you the truth, I believe Elliot is severely lacking in both departments."
"Why do you say that?" asked Becca.
"First of all, assuming he's innocent, how as CFO, do you not spot a weekly payment of over $45,000 going to the same company over a five month period. He says that that kind of money is not unusual because of the amount of money spent on inventory each week, but come on. I've looked at various companies financial records over the years, and if there's one thing that is consistent with all of them, it is that no expenditure, no matter how frequent is for exactly the same amount. Elliot must have been lazy at his job, or incompetent not to realize that someone was stealing from the company. As for the skill, I just observed his hands. Even though his appearance has deteriorated while in jail, his hands show no wrinkles from years of hard labor. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say he's never worked a day of manual labor in his life. Whether that's because of a lack of skills or just plain old luck, I don't know, but if I was forced to give my opinion, I'd say that it's because of a lack of skills. Seeing that's the case, I don't know how he could operate an acetylene torch without burning himself. I took Chemistry in university while studying for my law degree, and there wasn't a lab that went by where I didn't burn myself on the Bunsen burner or hotplate. That's what a lack of skills does for you; it means that you can very easily get hurt when using dangerous equipment. Seeing as how Elliot didn't burn himself, or come away looking dirty, I just don't see how he could have possibly operated that torch."
"Then who do you think did it?" asked Becca.
"That's the problem. I don't know," said Elijah as his intercom buzzer rang. "Yes what is it Mrs. Smartz?"
"There's a gentleman here named Cameron Mills to see you," she said.
"Cameron who?" asked Elijah.
"Cameron Mills, he says he's here to talk to you about a job. He says you're expecting him," she said.
"OK, send him in," Elijah responded, having no earthly idea who this gentleman was.
Coming through the door was definitely not who Elijah expected. At 6'7", with an offensive lineman's physique, Cameron Mills was not a guy you'd want to mess with. He had a dark complexion, full beard and short black hair. As he walked into the office, he quickly walked over to Elijah to introduce himself. When Cameron said 'Hello', it almost scared Elijah half out of his wits to hear such a booming, deep voice.
"Do sit down Mr. Mills. As you know, I am Elijah Deville and this is my partner Rebecca Deville," he said, sounding a little intimidated. Standing off to the side, all Becca could do was smile,
for she had never seen her brother scared of anyone before.
"Please, my friends call me Cameron, and trust me you'd rather be my friend than my enemy," Cameron said with a chuckle.
"Certainly, Cameron," Elijah said clearing his throat and loosening his collar, "What can I do for you?"
"Remember when you gave a lecture on "The Difference between the Canadian and American Legal System at Queen's University last year," said Cameron.
"Sure I do," responded Elijah as he sat up straighter in his chair.
"Well I was there, and I enjoyed your lecture immensely."
"So you're a law student then."
"Well not at the time, but being inspired by your talk, I applied and was accepted to a law school in Buffalo, New York. I work as a private investigator on the side so that I can pay the bills."
"Well I'm glad that I had this kind of effect on you, but what can I do for you today Mr. Mills?" asked a puzzled Elijah.
"Well I met you after the lecture, and you told me that I'd make a good private investigator, because of my stature and eye for detail. If you recall, I was the one who answered a few of your questions correctly, unlike some of the actual law students. Anyway, you said that if I was ever in Toronto to look you up," responded Cameron.
"Ah yes, I remember you now. It took me a minute because I couldn't quite place where I had met you before," said Elijah. "So you came looking for a job?"
"Yes!" Cameron responded with his booming voice.
"Becca, do we have any room on the payroll right now?"
"Well, on a trial basis, I'm sure we can throw a few cases Mr. Mills' way," Becca said.
"Oh, thank you Miss, thank you. You have no idea how happy you've made me," Cameron said as he stood up to hug Becca.
"Sit down, Mr. Mills!" Elijah chimed in, "We have a few things to discuss. First of all, that's my sister and that means you don't get to hug her," he said, noticing that Becca was rolling her eyes. "Second, this is not a full time position yet. It can turn into one if you do a good job, but for now, employment is on a case by case basis. As for your salary: you'll be paid $21.00/hr, with your time to be logged and handed in at the end of each week. We will also reimburse you for all fuel used for official business as long as you log all of your kilometers. I want a starting odometer reading and an ending odometer reading for each entry as well the locations you visited. Lastly, for every 8 hours you work, you will be granted a $20.00 food allowance. Are those terms acceptable?" asked Elijah.
"Very acceptable Mr. Deville. When do I start?" asked an excited Cameron.
"Funny you should ask. We have just taken on a case where a man is accused of killing his boss using a faulty rollercoaster. The motive for the crime is that allegedly, the accused was embezzling money from where he worked and killed his boss to avoid exposure. How the embezzlement worked was that Elliot Ravenwood, that's our client, supposedly set up a dummy corporation through which he funneled these funds. The crown has documents showing that Elliot owned the company, though he denies ever knowing of its existence.
The problem I have is that these documents are quite damning. Without something to prove that they are forged, we're dead in the water. Your job is to find out everything that you can about this company. I want to know when it was opened, who was present in the bank when it opened, who had signing authority on the company accounts, things like that. When it comes to this dummy corporation, I want you to leave no stone unturned," Elijah said.
"Oh and there's one other thing I forgot to tell you. I'm an honest lawyer who is known for integrity. Don't lie about who you are or what you're doing. That being said don't answer more than you're asked. Your job may require going undercover, but when push comes to shove, don't lie to protect your cover. Any information that you obtain must be acquired with a subpoena. Don't you dare steal anything. Basically I'm telling you to behave honestly and don't break the law. If you can do that, you'll go far with me," Elijah said.
"Consider it done Mr. Deville," Cameron said.
"Good then" Elijah responded as Cameron stood up. "Oh, and Cameron," Elijah continued, "I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that my friends call me Elijah, and in your position, you definitely want to be my friend!" Elijah and Cameron both laughed. "Now if you'll go into that office, Becca will be right with you," Elijah said, pointing to the adjoining room.
Cameron went into Becca's office to wait while she and Elijah talked a few things over.
"So you think he'll work out?" asked Becca.
"I hope so," Elijah said, looking at his watch. "It's almost 4:00. After you give Cameron the info he needs, if you hurry, you'll just be able to meet Mrs. Taylor as she arrives home from work. I want you to see if she can provide us with any new information, perhaps something that she thought unimportant at the time, so that we can find out who the real killer is. As for me, I have my first lecture in Evidence Law tonight- should be a fun one, I hope to be home around 7:30, but I may be out much later. If that is the case, don't wait up, for I'll rent a motel for the night and see you tomorrow. Above all, drive safe," Elijah said as he grabbed his suit jacket and left the office.
By now Becca noticed that it had stopped raining, so she did not pester Elijah to wear her jacket to class. After giving Cameron the address of the offices of 'Just in Time Supplies', Becca hopped on the subway to the stop in Northeastern Toronto where she always parked her car. She then began what she hoped would only be a 45 minute drive west to the Taylor residence, in the city Mississauga.
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