“Your turn.”
Vince selected the file on the left and opened it.
“State v. Brown,” he said. “Operation of a motor vehicle at excessive speed while racing and improper muffler.”
“A racer!” one of the lawyers called out. “Where was he arrested?”
“At 10746 Abercorn Street.”
“That’s near the new mall,” the lawyer replied. “He and his buddies were probably dragging between stoplights.”
Mr. Carpenter spoke. “Russell, since you’re such an expert on street racing in Chatham County, I want you to work with Vince.”
“Do I get to drive his BMW?” the lawyer asked.
“Only with proper adult supervision,” Mr. Carpenter replied.
Several people laughed. Mr. Carpenter looked at me.
“That leaves you, Ms. Taylor.”
“Without a choice or a chance!” one lawyer called out.
I took the file from the managing partner and opened it. There were multiple sheets of paper filled with charges. The number of counts was overwhelming. At first, I suspected that I’d gotten some kind of serial criminal by mistake. But as I read the charges, I realized each count was identical except as to location of the offense.
“State v. Jones,” I said, quickly turning the pages until I reached the final one. “Twenty-four counts of trespassing. Mr. Jones illegally tied up his boat for the night at twenty-four private docks.”
“Allegedly,” Mr. Carpenter said. “Not necessarily illegally.”
“Yes sir,” I replied, although it seemed hard to imagine twenty-four instances of honest mistake or sudden emergency.
“Who would be a suitable mentor?” Mr. Carpenter asked as he looked around the room. No one raised his hand. I glanced at Zach, whose eyes were lowered like a schoolboy trying to avoid the teacher’s gaze.
“Sounds like a first cousin to an admiralty case,” Mr. Carpenter said. “A lower-level type of piracy on the high seas. Mr. Mays, I want you to help Ms. Taylor.”
Zach raised his head, and I studied his reaction. He had a fixed expression that appeared to be a cross between a forced smile and a grimace. I returned to my seat. General conversation resumed in the room.
“Thanks for helping,” I said to Zach.
“I’m a man under authority,” he replied.
Mr. Appleby left the table. I leaned forward. “Are you upset with me for mentioning your homeschool background?” I asked in a whisper. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
Zach shook his head. “No, there’s just a lot of pressure with my workload. I didn’t need another project on my desk.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t ask for much help.”
I left the table and went to the restroom. No one else was there. I stood in front of the mirror. Challenges surfaced by the minute at the law firm. I wasn’t convinced that I hadn’t embarrassed Zach Mays. I washed my hands and lightly touched a wet paper towel to my cheeks and forehead.
When I returned to the dining room, everyone was getting ready to leave. Zach and Mr. Appleby were near the door. I started to go to them, but heard Julie call my name.
“Tami!”
I turned around as she came up to me.
“Your case sounds like a lot of work,” she said. “Do you think you’ll have to interview the owners of every dock where your client tied up his boat?”
“I haven’t thought about it,” I replied.
“I’d subpoena every one of them,” Julie said. “Rich folks don’t want to show up in court, and if they don’t testify it will knock out a count.”
I held up the folder in my hand. “I suspect at least a few of these people would make an appearance, and the punishment for two counts probably wouldn’t be much different than for twenty-four.” “But you may be able to wear down the prosecutor and get your client a good deal.”
I wasn’t interested in a strategy session, but when I looked back to the door Mr. Appleby and Zach were gone.
“Ned says we may raise a Halloween defense for my client,” Julie continued. “We could claim he was delusional and believed every day is Halloween. The water-meter outfit was his costume of the day.”
“You haven’t talked to the client yet.”
Julie laughed. “I’m kidding. I wouldn’t ask him to lie, but Ned has a great sense of humor. This firm isn’t nearly as stuffy as I thought it would be.”
Several more lawyers came over and introduced themselves. Julie received most of the attention.
“Is there a firm directory?” Julie asked as the crowd thinned. “I won’t be able to remember everyone’s name.”