“Yes sir.”
Mr. Carpenter stood. “Keep those memos coming. You’re a good writer. Written and verbal communication skills are the main keys to success for an attorney.”
23
I WENT TO THE LIBRARY AND PICKED UP MY FOLDER CONTAINING the old newspaper clippings. Julie wasn’t there, but I needed a place to think without interruption. I’d not told Julie anything about Lisa Prescott and didn’t want to start now.
I went upstairs to Gerry Patrick’s office. The firm administrator’s door was open. She was on the phone but motioned me to come inside. I stood in front of her desk and waited until she finished the call.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“You’d mentioned the possibility of a cubicle where I could work. Is that still available?”
“Did you and Julie have another problem?” Ms. Patrick asked with an edge to her voice.
The fact that the previous day’s incident was common knowledge in the hierarchy of the firm worried me, but I knew interoffice communication only required a few computer keystrokes and the click of a mouse.
“No ma’am. Each of us met with Mr. Carpenter, and our relationship is better than ever. But I need to do some research without any distractions. Julie and I work well together, but we still take a few minutes here and there to talk.”
“What are you working on that requires that level of privacy? Julie is also an employee of the law firm.”
It was an insightful question that rendered me temporarily speechless.
“You’re right,” I said after an awkward pause. “There’s no good reason for me to set up in a second workstation.”
Ms. Patrick looked down at her desk. “Good. Have a nice day.”
I MADE COPIES of all the newspaper articles and put them in a separate folder. I had no option but to talk to Zach. His door was closed. I knocked lightly and opened it a crack before he answered. He was staring at his computer screen and tugging on his ponytail.
“Hey,” he said. “Did you get the dates for the trial calendars?”
“Not yet, but I will. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Yeah.”
I sat down next to the now familiar picture of Zach’s sister. “Do you promise not to get upset at me if I ask for some advice?”
Zach gave me a puzzled look. “Have I been that hard to work with? My only goal is to help you mature as a lawyer as quickly as possible. The best way for that to happen isn’t to coddle you, but to challenge you and keep you focused.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
“No. I’ve told my parents all about you.”
“What did you say?” I asked in surprise.
“The truth as best I know it.” Zach smiled. “They know how unusual it is to meet a woman with your faith and convictions. I’d like to meet your family.”
“Really?”
“Of course. How can we make that happen?”
“I’m still working on it,” I answered, perplexed. “But this case is all I can think about right now. I need your help. How can someone access the firm microfilm records?”
“Through Gerry Patrick. She has a key to the storage facility. It’s on Abercorn Road near the mall.”
“Would you mind asking her? Ms. Patrick doesn’t like me.”
“Why?”
“For some of the same reasons you think I’m a woman of faith and conviction. We’ve had misunderstandings that make her suspicious of anything I say.”
It was Zach’s turn to give me a puzzled look. “That makes no sense. Just tell her the name of the case, and the supervising attorney. She shouldn’t give you any problem.”
I grimaced. “You’re the supervising attorney. It has to do with State v. Jones.”
Zach sat up straighter in his chair. “Start talking.”
Thirty minutes later, I finished. Zach read a couple of the articles while I nervously fidgeted in my chair.
“Is that all?” he asked, looking up from the newspaper clippings.
“Pretty much. I don’t think I left out any important details.”
“And Mr. Carpenter isn’t aware of your suspicions?”
“I don’t think so.”
“He’s a smart man.”
“I know.”
“Do the partners know Vince is helping you?”
“No. I think he worked after hours.”
Zach frowned. “Have you thought this through to its logical conclusion?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve had this discussion before—Moses, a man named Floyd Carpenter, the shiny dollar, and Lisa Prescott’s body in the Ogeechee River. What changed?”
“Additional information makes it seem more plausible.”