Times were hard for ol' Miller. Another successful lawsuit, and this time no insurance company was going to be there to bail him out. The bank was sending foreclosure letters, the car was about to be repossessed, and Ruthie was starting to whine about how they couldn't afford membership in the country club. Hard times indeed. Seems like a day didn't go by without a dozen calls from bill collectors, and the last credit card was being cancelled. Miller phoned Sembler for help.
"I'd like to help, Miller, but this is getting out of hand. My lawyer says I shouldn't even be speaking to you until the Bradbury case gets settled. Tell you what, though. I'll talk to a friend of mine and see if he can help you out". Miller waited anxiously over the next few days, when he got a phone call.
"Hi, Miller, I'm a friend of Mel's. He said you are having some problems. Maybe I can help." He went on to give Miller an address in Tampa to meet him at on the following evening.
Miller borrowed a car from a sympathetic ex-Straightling and drove to the address in Tampa. It turned out to be a hotel specializing in meeting the needs of the business traveler. He parked the car, got out, went through the lobby to the elevator and took it up to the third floor. He found the door to the suite he was looking for and knocked on it.
The door was answered by a young asian man, who nodded politely and held the door open for Miller. "This way, please, sir", he said as he ushered Miller through the hall to an open room with a couch, coffee table, and a couple of leather upholstered chairs. "Wait here please, sir" said the asian , who then disappeared through one of the two doors in the far wall of the room. Miller sat and waited, looking over the decor of the room and feeling apprehensive about the meeting about to take place. He wondered who the friend of Sembler's was, and what would come from the meeting. At this point, facing the loss of everything, he was desperate. He sighed and continued to wait.
END OF PART ONE.
