Goldstein Johnson & Cole (2024 re-write) - 8. The Second Meeting

Isaac prepared for his meeting with Ian and Kevin by reviewing the file his secretary prepared. It was large and included all of the information and documents supplied by Manny. Although the preparations had been made, no application had been made due to Manny's sudden death. The complexity and size of the case required time to search for any detail that might prove valuable. Nothing in the case was straightforward; Joseph had no biological connection to Manny or the lads, and the existing paperwork was, at best, passable for local purposes. Isaac was trying to navigate these difficulties and find a satisfactory solution, but the road ahead would be challenging. Isaac needed to ask Ian and Kevin if they knew anything of the unknown contacts that Manny insisted had helped him in the past. Everything was starting to look hopeless and he was becoming desperate, bordering on being discouraged.

Isaac was unsure what could be done but hoped the lads could come up with something. Ben Cohen, one of his partners in the firm, had been helpful to him in the past by providing documents and information under seemingly impossible circumstances. Ben had many contacts that he did not discuss but had proved valuable to the firm. Maybe those contacts could help Isaac. He decided to speak to Ben later in the day to seek advice.

Jacob escorted Ian and Kevin to Isaac's office. Arriving at the reception, he told them to use the mobile phone he had given them to call him when their meeting was over as he had to attend a meeting with his boss. His employer's office was in the same building but on a different floor.

Jacob's employer, Associated Executive Car Services, was a front for a nameless independent organisation which specialised in business and personal security. The organisation was quite large, with worldwide reach. It operated in Israel, the Middle East and the surrounding regions. They had reciprocal arrangements with similar companies in other parts of the world. Although very large and successful, the organisation was known only to a few elite individuals.

When Jacob entered the office of Associated Executive Car Services, he recognised the two men seated in reception and nodded in acknowledgement. They had been part of a joint operation extracting a businessman from the Gaza Strip a couple of years ago. It was the same operation where Jacob's partner of six years was killed. The shorter of the two men received severe leg injuries but looked to have recovered well. Jacob gripped the door handle at the back of the reception area. This allowed a chip in his watch to activate a proximity sensor, unlocking the door. When he entered the office, he came face to face with his boss.

“Good morning, Jacob. I assume you recognised our guests out front?” Jacob’s boss was not one for formalities, and his tone of voice indicated a need to proceed quickly

“Yes, sir. Is there a big assignment coming up? I can not think of any other reason for Tom and Dick to be here.” Jacob used their previous code names to refer to the men in reception.

“No, there is no big operation. It is quite a low-grade but equally important operation, and you are already working on it.” Jacob was puzzled, and it showed on his face. “The men you are assigned to are connected to our British associates. They are family to Tom and Dick's old C.O. I am sure you already know of their plans. We are in debt to our associates, so as a courtesy, we agreed to keep an eye on your charges and give assistance if they need it. Have you passed on the prepared mobile phones to the clients?”

“Yes, sir. I just left them at their lawyer's office two floors down.” Jacob was intrigued as to why he had been selected for this operation.

“I can read that look. There are two reasons that you are on this assignment. One is I believe you are a good fit for these gentlemen.”

'You mean because they are gay.' Jacob thought.

“And two, because you will not take time off, a low-grade operation where you just might have some fun will be good for you. Let us get Tom and Dick in here. Then you will understand everything.”

Jacob's boss pressed a button on the desk intercom. “Would you bring our guests through, please.” releasing the button, he smiled at Jacob.

“I will bring them through right away, sir.” Came the reply.

The young man from the front desk brought the guests through. He could not resist checking out the huge Israeli giant. He blushed and rushed out when Jacob caught his roving eyes.

The guests spoke in unison. “Shalom Aleichem.”

Jacob and his boss replied in unison. “ Aleichem Shalom.”

Dick extended his hand. “It's good to see you again, Jacob. It looks like you have an admirer. He couldn't take his eyes off you as you walked through the reception area.”

Shaking Dick's hand, Jacob's coy smile belied his outgoing personality. “He can look, but I am on an active operation, so I am off limits.” Jacob turned to shake Tom's hand. “Tom, it is good to see you recovered from your injuries. How is your leg these days?”

“It's as good as it's ever going to be. For now, I'm only operating in the background. This is a rare trip into the field for me.” Tom had a diverse background in operations, with expertise in various areas, particularly computers and other technology-related fields. The extraction of the businessman was tough, but Tom’s expertise had hidden many ‘irregularities’ in Operation Vanish and provided the ‘legal’ documentation needed to enter and leave the country.

“Okay, gentlemen, now that you are reacquainted, let us get down to business. Mr Lehrer has already started the meeting. Our tech team is monitoring and has patched us into the meeting, hopefully, we will learn something useful and discover what help, if any, is needed. We can listen in from here.” Jacob's boss flicked a switch next to a speaker on the wall. They were listening in on a covert transmission from Kevin's mobile phone.

“So what you're telling us is that it's going to be almost impossible to adopt Joseph without the help of Manny's mysterious contacts. We don't know what contacts Manny had, so we haven't got a clue how to find or contact them!” The emotion in Kevin's voice was evident. He was very agitated and distressed.

Isaac Lehrer expressed his concern while trying to maintain a professional demeanour, "Unless we can find any additional evidence to support our case, then it is highly likely that you will not be able to adopt Joseph. Going for legal guardianship could be a better option, but it is also a long and complicated process. The primary issue is that there is no biological relationship between any of the parties involved, and Joseph's documents may not hold up under intense scrutiny. I promise I will do whatever I can, but it will not be easy. If we are unsuccessful Shamira and I will continue to look after Joseph, that I can guarantee." After saying this, Isaac sighed heavily.

The men upstairs, electronically eavesdropping, did not see Kevin nod to Ian, prompting Ian to speak about the idea they discussed last night. “What if we transferred part of our share of the business to Joseph? Would that show his valid connections to the UK and us as his business partners? We could even say that Manny left it to him in his will, as Joseph's name is Goldstein surely, that would carry some weight.”

“I appreciate the thought, but doing that could be very risky. With the existing paperwork being 'sketchy' at best, the case could easily be lost if the will was properly examined. You could be in serious legal trouble, possibly resulting in charges against you. As for Joseph, he would be absorbed into the Israeli system and, with no real means of identification, he would get lost in the system, and who knows what would happen to him then.” Isaac continued to explain the legal ramifications and tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

In the upstairs office, Tom jumped up. “These guys need some serious help, I have an idea if you're game. With the help of your tech guys, I could probably provide some very convincing paperwork. The problem is, how do we do that without raising questions?”

The cogs were rolling in everyone's mind when Jacob's boss spoke up. “So that is what Manny was up to, he contacted me and said he may need some help but didn't tell me anything and then we got the news of his passing. I can not guarantee anything yet, but there is one possibility. I know one of Mr Lehrer's partners. We have occasionally worked together in the past. Let me make a call.”

When the direct line in Ben Cohen's office rang, he answered it immediately. Calls on this line always received priority. Instantly, Ben knew the caller. They had, from time to time, been of assistance to each other. He paid close attention to all the details he was given and understood the caller’s intent to provide solutions for Ben’s business partner. He was curious as to how the caller knew about Isaac’s case.

“Okay, I can interrupt the meeting. What do you intend to do, or is it better that I don't know?” Ben listened some more. “Fair enough, I am happy to be kept in the dark. Let me go and see what I can do.” He ended the call and went directly to Isaac's office.

Tom, Dick, Jacob and his boss continued to listen to the meeting going on downstairs. The sound of a door being knocked and opened was heard.

“Isaac, I am sorry to interrupt your meeting. I know it is important, but this is urgent. Can I have a word?” Ben's voice was clear and sounded apologetic.

“Ian, Kevin, I am sorry about this interruption. It will only take a minute or two. Please help yourselves to the refreshments from the fridge.” The click of the door closing was heard as Ben and Isaac left the office.

The sound of drinks being removed from the fridge was heard. But disturbingly, Kevin's sobbing could also be heard. Just as fast as his excitement rose a month ago, his hopes were dashed, and he felt like his heart was being stamped on. They could neither hear nor see Ian holding his lover as he consoled Kevin.

Nobody could hear the conversation outside between Ben and Isaac. When Isaac returned to the office, it was clear how upset the lads were, especially Kevin. Isaac, however, sounded a lot more upbeat when he spoke.

“I am so sorry about upsetting you. That is something that I would never want to do. As it turns out, the interruption to our meeting could be for the best.”

“Why, what's happened?” Kevin was sniffling, trying to regain control.

“The interruption is because we have just received a phone call with information relating to Joseph and his circumstances. We do not have access to the full information yet. It could take a few days before we do. But...and it is a big but...this could be a game changer.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Ian sounded calm but very business-like.

“Honestly? At this stage. I do not know, and I will not know until I have the information and time to go through it, but I am very hopeful. I will let you know as soon as I have all the details, even if it means talking business with you both at home. It may be beneficial if can you delay your departure for a few days. It would also give you more time with Joseph.”

“I'll get in touch with the airline. Ian, hun, I'm sorry if I'm jumping the gun. We will need to call Sean and make arrangements. I'll let you speak to Sean first. If there are any problems, I'll stay here on my own. You're more important to the business than I am.”

“You're right, Kev. I'll call Sean when we are back at Isaac's. My phone is there.”

With the meeting over, Jacob's phone rang. “Hi, guys. I am just finishing with my boss, wait for me in the reception. I will be with you in a few minutes. I am just finishing off my expenses claim and the timesheet. I have to make sure I get paid. See you shortly.”

Jacob's boss raised an eyebrow. “You are laying it on thick, are you not?”

“I do not know what you mean, boss. I am just a lowly driver.” Jacob was laughing as he left the office. Once again, he was looked at closely by very interested eyes as he walked out of the office.

Later in the day, Ian and Kevin made calls to Manchester, not noticing Jacob, seemingly relaxed and lounging about, was intensely watching and listening. Elsewhere 'Tom' and 'Dick' were making plans and getting down to work with an Israeli tech team.