Perched seemingly haphazardly on the edge of his desk, John Dale said seemingly into thin air, “Why are you calling me? Isn’t this type of deal handled through regular trade commissions? Why do you need a lawyer of international law?”
A responding voice filled the room, centering on the desk he leaned against. The accent was thick and obviously African. “I was referred by Astrocorp. Their CEO was quite impressed by the way you handled the Norwegian incident for them. This is why I called you.”
John drummed his fingers on the cherry wood top of his desk. “That’s just it, Mr. Amly; that incident required a navigation of three court systems. That’s what I specialize in. You just want me to broker a sale of wheat.”
“Mr. Dale, this…sale…as you put it requires a delicate touch. As you know, food is in short supply everywhere, particularly in the US right now. We need it, you need it, everyone needs it. Unfortunately, few could pay the price I am willing to pay. But you know as well as I do that once word gets out that a South African conglomerate bought up much of the wheat crop in the US, there is bound to be trouble.”
John snorted inwardly. “Trouble? It could start a war.”
“We know. But the influx of money into your country is also something you can’t afford to ignore either. The stimulus to your economy will more than balance out the crop shortage.”
“People have to eat,” John pointed out.
“And they will. The money will be there to see to it. Mr. Dale, we are willing to pay a lot of money to see to it that you smooth the legal issues out of the way and help prevent this from escalating into anything beyond a business deal.”
John pursed his lips. “How much?”
“We will pay you 2% of the purchase price.”
Dale did some quick calculations and then whistled. “That’s a lot of money.”
“Indeed. But we need the wheat. We will also like to put the money in trust through your company. We understand that you will need to show proof of funds to potential suppliers.”
“Right. Hold on a sec. Shannon! Get in here!”
A moment later a pretty redhead stepped into his office. “Mr. Dale, you don’t have to yell at me.”
“I know. Sorry. I just like stretching my voice.”
Shannon rolled her eyes. “What do you need?”
“Get William and Reese researching wheat suppliers. I want to know who controls what and what percentage of the market. Have them find out what wheat options are going for as well.”
“Going into agriculture?”
“Perhaps.” He waved her away. She nodded and left. “Mr. Amly, I will look into this and have a definite answer for you in two days.”
“Good. In the meantime, I will have a contract written up listing the details of this conversation…if that is quite all right with you.”
“That’ll work.”
“Very well. I will call in two days hence.”
They traded parting words and hung up. John shifted his position on the desk. This one deal could set him up nearly for life. Wheat prices were high, he knew, and no single individual owned a substantial portion of the market. However, a wheat consortium of sorts had recently sprung up made up of some of the big name wheat farmers. If he remembered correctly, they owned over fifty percent of the market share in the US. He would need to approach them privately and delicately. No doubt there were other interested buyers.
A buzzing sound interrupted his musings. He pushed a button on his desk and said, “Dale here.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” a musical voice responded. “We still up for dinner tonight?”
“Lorna! Good to hear your lovely voice. Of course, baby. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Great. See you at seven then.”
“Sounds perfect.”
He barely had time to shut off the phone when the door to his office door burst open, and William stood there with a computer tablet. He was sweating. “What’s wrong?” John asked.
“Someone has hijacked the Argentina delivery!”
John blinked, stunned. “What? When? Who?”
“We don’t have all the details yet, but it looks like a rogue government working out of Chili.” William licked his lips. “They claim the shipping container was carrying illegal contraband. They have confiscated everything—even the ship.”
“Okay. Start proceedings with Chili’s real government. We will file suit against this group. Contact our agent in Argentina and have him begin filing all the necessary protests and suites as well. We’ll need to bring so much international pressure to bear that they have no choice but to release the ship, crew, and cargo. Start circulating reports that equate what they did to piracy. If they are trying to legitimize themselves, they will need to fight a war of the press. That is where we’ll win.”
William nodded and bolted out the door.
Sighing, John grabbed briefcase. Well, nothing more to be done today. It was getting late. He might as well meet Lorna. At least with her, the only law that mattered was their feelings for each other.