Mountain Top(247)

Zach pushed a button and changed the computer screen from a calendar to his mailbox.

“Right,” he said. “I appreciate the pressure you’re under. We’ll consider the offer and discuss it with Mr. Jones.”

Zach hung up the phone. “Good morning,” he said.

“I’m not sure,” I replied. “That conversation didn’t sound like a good way to start the day or the week.”

“Don’t worry; we’ll sort through it in a minute. Did you talk to your parents?”

“Uh, just my mother.” I tried to put a hopeful look on my face. “I told her how nice you’ve been to me and that we had a lot in common. I mentioned your homeschool background and that you’re well respected in the firm.” I stopped. “It’s very awkward repeating this to you.”

“I’m not trying to embarrass you. I respect you.”

“I told her that too.” I sighed. “She’s going to talk to my father, but she thinks we shouldn’t take any steps toward a personal relationship until they have a chance to meet you.”

“Did you make it sound more serious than I intended?”

I stared at Zach for a second, not sure whether to cry or run out of the room. My face must have revealed my feelings.

“No, that was wrong,” he added. “Can you forget that last sentence and back up to the part about me respecting you?”

“I’ll try.”

“Thanks. Would it be okay for me to talk to them?”

“I wondered about that,” I admitted. “But not until I hear from my father. I don’t want to manipulate them.”

“Of course, they taught you to appeal to authority, not rebel against it.”

“Exactly,” I replied in surprise.

“It’s good training for becoming a lawyer. Including the case of State v. Moses Jones,” Zach replied, tapping a folder on his desk. “That was Ms. Smith, the assistant DA. Her call was routed to me instead of you. The bottom line is that she wants to fast-track State v. Jones and bump it up the trial calendar. Several of the complaining homeowners are going to leave town for the summer and don’t want to be held hostage as witnesses for a trial. I guess they have homes in the mountains so they can escape the malaria on the coast.”

“Malaria? Are you serious?”

“A hundred years ago, it was a big problem.”

“Whether a few people are here or not shouldn’t matter,” I said. “There are twenty-four counts. It would still be a minority.”

Zach flipped open the folder on his desk. “How closely did you read the charges?”

“What did I miss?”

Zach ran his finger down the sheets of paper in front of him while I fidgeted.

“There are twenty-four counts but only five different physical locations,” he said after a minute. “Think about it. Jones was looking for a convenient hookup for his boat, not a change in scenery. He wouldn’t have sought out a different dock every night.”

“I missed that.”

“And I’m no criminal law expert, but the first rule of an admiralty case is to carefully read the documents. It’s the same for any area of the law. Check out the paperwork.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just learn the lesson.”

“What did Ms. Smith say about a plea bargain?”

“I’m getting to that. A few of the rich folks on the river want Jones removed from polite society. Each count carries a sentence of up to twelve months plus a one-thousand-dollar fine. If you laid those end to end, Moses Jones could be in jail the rest of his life.”

My jaw dropped.

“But no judge would lock him up and throw away the key,” Zach added. “The DA’s initial offer is six months in jail followed by three years on probation with no monetary fine.”

I thought about Moses sitting in the interview room breathing through his few remaining teeth. In spite of my mother’s fears, he didn’t seem to be a huge threat to society.

“That sounds harsh. I mean, he didn’t steal or damage anything.”

“And that’s her first offer. You can make a counterproposal.”

“Me?”

“Remember, it’s your case. I’ll help, just like I promised. However, we need to meet with him as soon as possible. The case is set for Judge Cannon’s arraignment calendar tomorrow afternoon. If we work out a deal, it could all be taken care of at that time.”

I took a deep breath. “That sounds great.”

Zach glanced at a clock on the corner of his desk. “We can run over to the jail, discuss options with the client, and grab a late lunch on the way back. All in the context of business.”