yesterday. It establishes proof of her financial responsibility.”

  liz had also insisted that we buy the old pick-up, and she was able

  to get it for two thousand dollars in record time.

  The gallery grew restive as they waited for the papers to be signed.

  Maroney finally looked up, and you could feel the tension grow.

  “The next lot includes Dr. Stewart’s computers, his research, his

  files, as well as his patents and patent applications.”

  I noticed that Dub and all his deputies now sat literally on the edge

  of their chairs—why bother to conceal their interest at this point in

  the game? Poor coaching.

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 311

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  312

  w e b b h u b b e l l

  “Do I have an opening bid of, say, five thousand dollars?”

  A balding man sitting in the front row stood up and bid one hun-

  dred thousand dollars. Almost immediately a man sitting on the

  second row stood up and called out two hundred thousand. A third

  sitting in the back offered three hundred thousand. I couldn’t tell

  who was conducting this performance, but you could hear a pin drop.

  Both the judge and Cheryl were paying rapt attention.

  Bids continued to bounce back and forth for a while. Maroney

  didn’t need to ask for a raise until the bidding stopped abruptly at two

  million from the man in back. I noticed Dub trying to stifle a grin. I

  decided to find out who the man was.

  “Marshal, on behalf of Dr. Stewart I’d like to know who offered the

  last bid and whether he has the where-with-all to bid such an amount.”

  Bullock jumped up quickly, almost as if a spring had propelled him

  forward.

  “Marshal, my understanding is that only a competing bidder may

  make such an inquiry.”

  Maroney looked at me and said, “I’m afraid that’s correct, Mr.

  Patterson.”

  “No problem. I bid two million, one hundred thousand dollars. I

  now request to know the identity of my opponent.”

  Pushing back his chair as he rose, Dub said gravely. “Your Honor,

  Mr. Patterson is playing games. He doesn’t have that kind of money.

  He can’t bid just to force someone to disclose his identity.” The gallery

  tittered as Judge Houston rolled his eyes.

  All eyes turned to me.

  “I repeat my bid: two million, one hundred thousand dollars. I also

  repeat my request regarding the previous bidder.”

  Dub looked like a bump on a pickle. Apparently he couldn’t figure

  out what to say. The three bidders looked at each other. I had taken

  them off script. I watched as the well-dressed man in the second row

  scowled at the man next to him, and raised a finger slightly. He was

  the same man we had seen in the courtroom the other day. Clovis had

  learned his identity: ed Thompson, a senior vP at Akron Drugs. The

  other—I supposed he was an assistant—nodded to the man in the back.

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 312

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  g i n g e r s n a p s

  313

  “Two million, two hundred thousand dollars.” He raised the bid

  and sat down quickly.

  “Marshal, I am a legitimate bidder, and I demand to know the iden-

  tity of the man bidding and whether he came prepared to present the

  proper security,” I said sternly.

  Fortunately, Micki had let Maroney know this might happen, so he

  said. “Sir, I must ask you to identify yourself and present the security

  for your bid.”

  “What about Patterson, where’s his security?” Dub said loudly.

  Maroney smiled blandly. “As you previously pointed out, Mr.

  Blanchard, only a bidder may make such a request.” Dub sat down

  with a thud.

  The bidder walked to the front and said. “My name is Robert

  Mangum. I’m a vice-president of Akron Drug Company. Here’s my

  letter of credit.”

  Maroney looked it over carefully and announced, “Mr. Mangum’s

  security is adequate to secure his bid.”

  Dub relaxed, that is, until I spoke.

  “Thank you, Mr. Mangum. I bid three million dollars.”

  That brought a murmur from the gallery loud enough for the

  judge to instinctively bang down his gavel and bring Dub back to his

  feet. Thompson, clearly Mangum’s senior, pulled out his cell phone,

  but Maroney was ready.

  “Sir, no cell phones are allowed in the courtroom. Please turn it off,

  or I’ll have to excuse you.”

  Thompson scowled.

  Mangum was of cooler stock. “Marshal, I’d like to know if Mr. Pat-

  terson brought security adequate for his bid.”

  I rose and handed my letter to the marshal. He took his time and

  then looked up with a slight smile.

  “Mr. Patterson’s security is adequate to secure his bid.”

  Dub almost blew a gasket. “How high can he bid?”

  The marshal said calmly. “Mr. Blanchard, that information is clearly

  confidential. You’ll note I have not disclosed Mr. Mangum’s informa-

  tion either. Mr. Mangum, do you have another bid?”

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 313

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  314

  w e b b h u b b e l l

  Dub wasn’t satisfied. “Your Honor, Mr. Patterson is making a mockery

  of this auction. I don’t know what he handed the marshal, but there’s

  no way he could come up with such an amount.”

  Judge Houston said serenely. “Mr. Blanchard, the marshal knows

  what he’s doing. What’s your problem? The higher the bid, the more

  the government recovers.”

  Dub had no answer. The judge was right. Dub should be overjoyed

  by how much the assets he had seized would fatten the U.S. Treasury.

  I glanced at Peggy. She clearly didn’t know what to think.

  We waited in silence until Thompson in the second row nodded to

  Mangum, and I heard, “Five million dollars.”

  “Six million,” I came back quickly. Micki grabbed my arm and said

  “Jack . . ." I turned to her and whispered, “Trust me.”

  Mangum asked. “Marshal, is that bid secured?”

  “Yes, Mr. Patterson’s bid is secured.”

  last night Walter had pulled me aside and given me an envelope.

  “The opposition may have to bid a little higher than five million,”

  he’d said with a grin.

  “What’s this?” I’d asked.

  “A letter of credit in the amount of fifty million dollars. You can

  go as high as half a billion dollars for Doug’s research and patents.”

  Maggie walked up quietly and put her arm around him.

  “If Doug has discovered even the basis for a cure, our foundation

  will be honored to own his patents and put him back to work. I have

  no idea if you can pull this off, Jack, but we didn’t want you going up

  against a Sherman tank with a popgun. At least you know you can

  draw them out.”

  I was dumbfounded. “Walter, what can I say? You’re taking a hell of

  a risk.”

  “No, I’m not. There’s no way the government is going to let us

  own that research, but we are damn well going to scare the hell out

  of somebody, maybe expose a few bastards. That letter of credit is

  real, but it will never be called on. You and I know that, but nobody

  else does. on the other hand, if the one in a million shot does come

  home, we’ll be able to change the world. Isn’t that why I started our

  foundation in the first place?”

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 314

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  g i n g e r s n a p s

  315

  “one in a million—not very good odds.” I smiled, again impressed

  by the foresight and intelligence of the man I worked for.

  Now we had met the enemy.

  Mangum looked at his boss, who again nodded.

  “Seven million,” he said clearly. No pins dropped, but the air was

  thick with anticipation. I paused for a minute until the marshal turned

  to me. “Mr. Patterson?”

  I faced him squarely. “Ten million dollars.”

  Now I could hear liz gasp. Dub’s table was in full whisper, and

  Mangum seemed lost. Thompson’s face wore a furious scowl.

  “Marshal, is that bid secured?” Mangum sounded less sure of him-

  self this time.

  “Yes, sir, it is.” Maroney was having fun.

  Mangum asked for a minute, and Maroney said, “one minute.”

  Magnum walked over to Thompson, and they began a heated con-

  versation in whispers. I signaled to Cheryl, and she had the camera

  zoom in on the two men talking. They caught sight of the cameras

  and turned away. Maroney began to gather his papers, but Mangum

  slowly straightened.

  “Twenty-five million dollars,” His voice was barely above a whisper.

  I was ready with “twenty-six,” but Maroney said in a firm voice. “I’m

  sorry, Mr. Mangum. Your letter of credit doesn’t entitle you to make

  such a bid. Do you have a different letter?” He turned to me. “I know

  you wanted to bid again, but until we clear up Mr. Mangum’s bid, you

  still have the high bid at ten. You don’t have to bid against yourself,

  Mr. Patterson.”

  everyone now knew that I was prepared to go higher and had the

  security. Dub was beside himself, Mangum seemed lost, and Thompson

  sat in stony silence. Their well-laid plans had gone haywire.

  “Well, Mr. Mangum, do you have additional security for your bid?”

  “If we can postpone this auction for a day, I’ll present whatever col-

  lateral you require.”

  Maroney shook his head. “I’m sorry, that’s not permitted. Unless I

  hear another secure bid, I will award the assets to Mr. Patterson.”

  Dub’s voice rose. “You can’t do that. I’ll vouch for this man’s ability

  to bid up to any amount he wants.”

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 315

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  316

  w e b b h u b b e l l

  The marshal said, “Thank you, Mr. Blanchard, but, again, your, uh,

  ‘voucher’ does not fall within the rules of our agreed upon proce-

  dure. Mr. Patterson, I . . ."

  Dub interrupted. “I am the legal representative of the United

  States Government, and on its behalf, I demand that you accept this

  man’s bid.”

  Maroney was in his element. “I too am a legal representative of

  the U.S. Government, Mr. Blanchard, and I will not accept an unse-

  cured bid.”

  Dub was beside himself. Thompson glared at him, drawing his hand

  across his neck. The implication was clear.

  Dub almost shouted, “on behalf of the United States Government,

  I cancel this auction. I will immediately open an investigation into

  whatever fraud Mr. Patterson is trying to perpetrate in these proceed-

  ings. He’s attempting to make a mockery of this Court and American

  Justice. Your Honor, I hereby ask you to convene a grand jury and to

  dissolve any agreements we may have reached with counsel in this

  matter.”

  Proud of himself and his outrage, Dub turned to face the camera

  and smiled broadly.

  How could such an incompetent jerk be so cocky?

  I rose to my feet. My turn.

  “Your Honor, I’m not the one perpetrating a fraud—that honor

  goes to Mr. Blanchard.” off the board and into the deep end, I

  thought, gulping a little . Jail, here I come .

  Dub was livid, almost apoplectic with rage. The courtroom had let

  out a collective gasp and was about to erupt when the judge brought

  down his gavel.

  “Mr. Patterson, you’ve made a serious allegation against an officer

  of this court. I hope you’re prepared to back it up.”

  “I’m ready, your Honor, right here and right now.”

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 316

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  57

  D

  Had I let myself go too far? Probably, but it sure felt good. The suc-

  cess of the auction had gone to my head a bit, although not many

  would’ve considered it a success. What no one yet realized was that

  I had effectively put a cloud on the transfer of Doug’s research and

  patents to Akron Drug. I could tie up any further attempt to sell the

  research and patents for a good while by claiming I was the successful

  bidder. It would throw a monkey wrench in the works, but it wouldn’t

  further research into a cure for cancer or get Doug out of prison.

  Those results depended on what happened next.

  Dub was bursting at the seams and let it show.

  “Your Honor, Mr. Patterson has accused me of fraud. His allega-

  tions are as baseless as his bid for Dr. Stewart’s research. I demand he

  be held in contempt. He’s making us all look like fools.”

  Micki muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Well, you, for

  sure.” Maroney tried to hide a smile.

  Judge Houston wasn’t happy with anyone. He kept shifting his glare

  to Cheryl’s cameras, still recording every sound, every movement.

  “Mr. Patterson, were you serious when you said you could prove

  your allegations? I could be sympathetic if you merely spoke in the

  heat of the moment—after all, he said the same about you. Could you

  perhaps bring yourself to apologize to Mr. Blanchard?”

  I looked at Micki, expecting her to urge caution. Her eyes tele-

  graphed, “Go for it.” I turned to Maggie, normally the very soul of

  logic and reason. She mouthed, “Don’t hold back.”

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 317

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  318

  w e b b h u b b e l l

  “Judge, it pains me to say this about Mr. Blanchard,” I paused, “but

  I meant every word. I’m prepared to prove he’s involved in an uncon-

  scionable fraud of the American people.”

  The audience in the gallery couldn’t be contained. The judge rose

  and lowered his gavel, calling for order.

  “All right, all right. Marshal, under the circumstances, I hope you

  won’t mind if I take over here. You may consider your duties with

  regard to the auction to have been well performed and now absolved.

  By the way, the uncontested sales during the auction will remain in

  force. I think we should take a break for lunch. We probably all need

  to regroup a little. When we return, Mr. Blanchard, I will conduct an

  expedited hearing as to why Mr. Patterson should or should not be

  held in contempt. But I caution you to be careful what you ask for,

  because I intend to give Mr. Patterson some leeway.”

  I spoke before he could rap his gavel again. “Your Honor, in order to

  make my case, I ask that you subpoena Mr. Mangum and the other two

  men who bid on Dr. Stewart’s research, as well as Mr. Thompson, who

  has been signaling both Mr. Magnum and Mr. Blanchard throughout

  the auction. I intend to call them as witnesses.”

  Both Dub and Bullock began to speak, and panic appeared on the

  faces of the men I had singled out. I had noticed that all three were

  edging toward the door.

  Dub let Bullock take the lead. “Your Honor, these gentlemen are

  either bidders at an auction or merely observers. They couldn’t have

  any knowledge of Mr. Patterson’s allegations. once again, counsel is

  trying to create a circus, to the point of harassing ordinary citizens.

  His tactics have no place in your court.”

  “I’ll be the judge of what does or doesn’t have a place in my court.

  Mr. Patterson may be digging himself a deeper grave, but he’s entitled

  to subpoena witnesses. Since Mr. Blanchard wants immediate relief,

  I’ll not deny Mr. Patterson the opportunity to defend himself. Gen-

  tlemen, you’re all under subpoena. I expect you to appear in my court

  at one o’clock this afternoon. This . . . uh, auction, is adjourned.”

  I signaled our crew to leave quickly so Dub could confer with his

  people and the bidders in full view of Cheryl’s ever-rolling cameras. I

  figured they’d notice the cameras were on eventually. Clovis hung back.

  7714 Ginger SnapsCS6ejs [2P].indd 318

  3/10/15 2:08 PM

  g i n g e r s n a p s

  319

  We’d optimistically arranged for a conference room close to the

  courtroom.

  I looked at Maggie and Micki. “I thought you two were going to tell

  me to sit down and shut up.”

  “No way. Isn’t this what you wanted? Micki will either keep you out

  of jail or get you out.” Maggie answered.

  “I suppose it is, but . . ." My fool’s bravado was beginning to fade.

  Micki grinned at me. “I’m going to go work on getting you bail, just

  in case. Walter, I may need your checkbook. Can you come with me?”

  Walter rose, but before they left I said. “I may have to put you on

  the stand to authenticate the letter of credit. You ready?”

  He nodded curtly and left with Micki.