Part 48 (2/2)
”Yeah. Who did you p.i.s.s off, Perry?”
d.a.m.ned if he knew. He literally couldn't think of a single person who'd want to do this -- someone had convinced the Disney company to clobber him like G.o.dzilla going after Tokyo. It just didn't make any sense.
”So what do we do?”
Kettlewell looked at him. ”I have no clue, Perry. You aren't a company. You aren't a network of companies. You aren't an industry a.s.sociation. No one can speak for you. You can't lobby or even field a spokesman. I mean, none of that stuff works for you -- and that's the only way I know to fight back in court.”
”I thought we were immune to this stuff. If there's no one to sue, how can they sue us?”
”If there's no one to sue, there's no one to show up in court and object, either.”
”Yeah.”
”I don't think we can incorporate you in time to make a difference,”
Kettlewell said. ”So we need to think of something else.”
Suzanne slid into the booth beside them. Her hair was tied back and her makeup was spare and severe. She had on European-cut trousers, high like a bolero-dancer's, and a loose, flowing white cotton over-s.h.i.+rt on top of a luminescent pink tank. Perry couldn't tell whether it was formal or informal, but it looked good and a little intimidatingly foreign. She didn't meet Perry's eye.
”Brief me,” she said. She held out her phone and put it in record mode.
Kettlewell ran it down quickly and she nodded, jotting notes.
”So what happens next?”
”Not much we can do,” Kettlewell said.
”The riders will be along shortly. Oh, and the merchants.” Perry still couldn't catch her eye.
”I'll go take some pictures,” she said.
”Be careful,” Perry said.
She mugged for him. ”Sweetie, I take pictures of the mafiyeh.” Then it was all right between them again, somehow.
”Right,” Kettlewell said. ”How's our time looking?”
”Got thirty minutes until the first of the merchants show up. An hour until the riders start turning up.”
”You don't have a lawyer, do you?”
Perry quirked his funny eyebrow.
”Stupid question. OK. Right, I'll make some more calls. Let's get some people out of bed.”
”What can I do?”
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