Inner Truth (eBook)

Chapter One

In a one-room office above the surf shop

100 Hana Highway

Paia, Maui, Hawaii

Friday, December 3, 2005 2:33 p.m.

The windows needed a good cleaning, and the floor lay bare. Books spilled out of a couple of open boxes. And a sheet of paper taped to the door read, “Tyler B. Pierce, Attorney at Law.”

The woman standing in the doorway shook her head as she watched him dig through a box. Then she cleared her throat.

Tyler’s unexpected visitor was definitely not local. She was the epitome of elegant. She wore a cream linen suit with the skirt cut to just above her knee and a purple silk blouse that accentuated her slim figure. She had gold bangles piled on one slender wrist and wore a jade watch on the other. Her full lips needed no lipstick. She had done her black hair in a loose French twist with a large yellow plumeria blossom tucked behind her right ear.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Pierce. I am Chang Tao Lei.” She looked around, resting a manicured hand lightly on her hip. “May I sit down?”

The only other chair was buried in law books. Uncommon in the digital age Tyler preferred to do his research with books. He relished the chance to think as he flipped pages back and forth. He wasn’t ashamed about being old-fashioned.

“Of course. Please, Ms. Lei, have a seat.” He cleared off a chair, and when he placed it behind her, he caught a whiff of lilacs.

“Thank you.” As she sat, she coughed delicately into her hand. “But it’s not Ms. Lei. My family name is Chang.”

Chagrined at his faux pas, he wiped his palms on his trousers. He recognized a certain sensation, and it didn’t have anything to do with his faux pas or his appointment calendar.

“I beg your pardon, Ms. Chang.”

She accepted his apology with a slight nod. “Thank you for seeing me without an appointment. I am interested to know if you will represent my brother, Niko.”

Tyler was thrilled. He needed walk-in clients to succeed in solo practice. “How can I be of service?”

“My brother was arrested by the people at the airport for presenting a false passport. Have you ever handled one of those cases?”

“No, I’ve never had a false passport case before, but they are straightforward. And unlike most attorneys I know the criminal system because I worked in a prosecutor’s office. I know how to craft a good plea offer, not that I’m prejudging the merits of any defenses your brother may have. If a trial is called for, then a trial it will be. But with a less serious offense such as this, your brother only faces minor punishment. And mounting a defense might not be necessary.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Pierce, do you believe you’re the right attorney to handle my brother’s case?”

There was nothing on the walls. His undergraduate diploma leaned against a pile of books, and the few shelves left by the prior tenant were empty.

“Excuse the mess, but I’m just moving in. And I’m working on an important case.”

“If you working on an important case, Mr. Pierce, perhaps you do not have enough time for my brother’s case?”

“No, I’m sure I have enough time.”

“Forgive me for being frank, Mr. Pierce, but my younger brother is the dearest person in my life. I shall do anything and everything I can for him. Our family is counting on me to bring him home. Niko was wrong to use the false passport, but he is not a criminal. He was here on behalf of our family dry cleaning business. This is just a big mistake, and I must take him home.

“I am staying at the Kea Lani Resort, and I will not leave until I am sure he gets the right attorney. And please, Mr. Pierce, I would prefer you call me Lei.”

Lei smiled and held out her right hand, palm down. He cringed, scared stiff she expected him to kiss her hand. He had seen Arnold, his father and Mr. Debonair himself, kiss a woman’s hand, but he had never dared. He just shook her hand, relieved when she returned it.

“But,” she swept her arm across her body, “this is not what I expected. Perhaps we should hire another lawyer.”

He pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to lose this potential client. He needed to show his father he could succeed in his brand-new solo practice by signing up a client right out of the gate.

“Ms. Chang, I’m trying to help people who need help. Your brother’s case is straightforward, and I am confident I can help him.” He had not used her first name intentionally.

She nodded and squinted her raven eyes as she peered at his diploma. “I see you attended Washington University. I’ve never heard of it. Is it a good school?”

“Yes. It’s an excellent school.”

“Is that in the State of Washington or in Washington, D.C.?”

“Neither, actually. It’s in St. Louis.”

“So why do they call it Washington University?”

“It’s named after George Washington. But I don’t think that matters in the long run, do you? And if it will ease your mind, I went to Harvard Law School. You’ve heard of Harvard, haven’t you?” He didn’t try to soften his tone.

“I’m prepared to do everything possible for your brother, and don’t you agree that’s the important thing, Ms. Chang?”

“I agree. But I am not certain you are the one to work on this case, Mr. Pierce. Perhaps we should find someone else.”

“You’re wrong, Ms. Chang. I am exactly the right attorney to help your brother because I will do absolutely everything possible to help him. Do you believe a big shot attorney in a fancy office will do that in a simple false passport case? I don’t think so. He’ll just go through the motions. But I promise you I’ll leave no stone unturned in Niko’s case.” Looking directly at her, he added with all the gravity he could summon, “I give you my solemn word on that, Ms. Chang.”

A light flickered in her eyes. “Fine. I respect you for considering your pledge a matter of principle, Mr. Pierce. But do you understand although this might be a minor case to you, it’s the most important one in the world to me?”

“Yes, I do. It’s family. He’s your brother.”

“That’s right. Family. Please help him. He’s so upset he won’t even talk to me sometimes. Do you believe you might be able to have him released? Aren’t foreigners convicted of minor crimes just deported straight off?”

Her grasp of the situation was impressive. Smart women didn’t intimidate Tyler. To the contrary he found them stimulating.

“That’s right, Ms. Chang. Perhaps Niko’s problem can be resolved simply.”

Then he had a brainstorm. He had experienced this phenomenon before when a complete idea materialized in his conscious mind without any prior hint. He had learned by painful experience they were not always good ideas. But sometimes they were excellent ideas that worked out very well, and in his desperation he latched onto this one.

“Ms. Chang, why don’t I call the U.S. Attorney’s office right now and see what they think about a quick resolution? What name was on the passport?”

“Ming Hua Qiang.”

“I assume Niko can afford to pay a fine?”

“Of course. Money is not an issue.” She gave him a big smile. He was thrilled to see it. He needed to reel in a wealthy client to convince his father he could succeed.

Lei leaned forward and put her manicured fingers on the edge of his desk.

“Okay. Then let’s try calling them.” Tyler figured even if his proposal was rejected, it would at least show Lei he wanted the case. He dialed the number and put the call on speakerphone.

“This is attorney Tyler Pierce. May I please speak with the attorney assigned to detainee Ming Hua Qiang? He was recently arrested for a false passport.”

“One moment please.”

“David Hacker speaking.”

“Mr. Hacker, this is Tyler Pierce, I represent an alien, Ming Hua Qiang, arrested for presenting a false passport.” It was his first federal case, and he had never spoken with Hacker before. He wasn’t sure how this kind of minor case was handled in the federal system, but he assumed it was appropriate for him to open early plea discussions.

“How can I help you, Mr. Pierce?”

“I’m hoping we can reach an early resolution. I know you intend to deport my client, and we have no objection to that. We are prepared to pay a reasonable fine and court costs. But why keep him in the detention facility longer than necessary? Why not take my client’s guilty plea and expel him right away? Get him out of the lock-up and out of your hair.”

Pleased his proposition sounded so reasonable, Lei nodded
approvingly.

“Wait a minute, Mr. Pierce. I want to put you on the speaker to share your proposal with the other attorneys working on this case.” There was a pause. Then sounding differently over the speakerphone, Hacker continued, “Please tell my associates what you told me.”

Tyler wondered why more than one attorney would be interested in such a minor offense. Perhaps Hacker just wanted his associates to hear the...