“I accept your apology, but let’s not talk,” I answered.
“I’m sorry, but it can’t wait.”
Vince shifted on his feet. He was unbelievably persistent about spending time with me.
“All right,” I sighed. “But I’m only going to listen. Don’t expect me to respond.”
26
“IS THE SANDWICH SHOP NEAR THE RIVER OKAY?” VINCE ASKED as we passed through the reception area.
“I don’t care. I’m not hungry.”
We rode in silence. Vince had to park a block away from the deli. As we walked on the uneven cobblestones, the sights and sounds of the people along the waterfront seemed out of touch with reality. The deli was crowded. Vince ordered a ham sandwich. I picked up a bottle of water.
“Thanks for coming,” Vince said as we sat down. “Where did you go after we talked this morning?”
“That’s a question, not an apology.”
“I’ll get right to it. You were right that your investigation into Lisa Prescott’s disappearance shouldn’t be common knowledge at the firm.”
Vince paused as a waitress brought his sandwich. I took a sip of water.
“At ten thirty I was supposed to go over a research memo with Mr. Braddock in the conference room. He wasn’t there so I went to his office but had to wait because he was in a meeting with Mr. Carpenter. The office door was cracked open. I couldn’t hear Mr. Braddock’s voice because he’s so soft-spoken, but I caught some of Mr. Carpenter’s side of the conversation. He told Mr. Braddock that you had sent him a memo on Tuesday to update him on the Jones matter and he should be hearing from you again soon. Then he said ‘stronger pressure should have been applied to Moses Jones a long time ago.’”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but it doesn’t sound good. Mr. Braddock must have talked for a while; then Mr. Carpenter said, ‘As soon as Ms. Taylor is out of the picture, we’ll get to him before it’s too late.’ It was quiet while Mr. Braddock talked, and then Mr. Carpenter came barreling out of the office. I almost fell out of the chair.”
“Did he realize you were eavesdropping?”
“I hope not. He was in such a hurry to leave the office that I don’t think he paid any attention to me.”
Vince took a bite from his sandwich. I glanced past his shoulder at the people lined up at the counter. Two women were pointing at items in the display case as they discussed what to eat. My decision was much more serious—how much to tell Vince about my morning discovery.
“Your intuition or discernment or whatever you want to call it was correct,” Vince said between bites. “I thought about going back to Julie and warning her to keep her mouth shut, but that would probably make her more likely to talk.”
“Yes.”
Vince pushed his plate away from him and covered his sandwich with a paper napkin.
“I’m not hungry either,” he said. “It was so bizarre hearing two respected attorneys talk like gangsters that I didn’t know what to think.”
Vince’s dilemma mirrored my own. “I completely understand,” I said slowly. “Only this morning I was reading about a forty-year-old conversation between two different men named Carpenter and Braddock.”
Vince listened to my story, then spoke. “If I hadn’t read the memo and overheard today’s conversation, I wouldn’t think that the current Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Braddock had done anything wrong,” he said. “Now, I don’t know. Mr. Braddock was just beginning to practice law with his father when all this happened, and Joe Carpenter was in high school or about to enter college. Maybe they were pulled in somehow.”
“I’m not sure I want to know. The immediate crisis is what to do about Moses Jones. Even if he did something wrong a long time ago, he should only be punished by the proper authorities. Do I have a greater obligation to protect him from ‘stronger pressure,’ or should I just keep quiet and represent him in the trespassing case? Would it be unethical to tell the assistant district attorney that he needs to be kept in jail for his own safety?” My voice trembled slightly. “What if he gets out of jail and something bad happens to him?”
“What does Zach think? Have you talked to him?”
“No! From the beginning, he’s been reluctant to help and argues with me about everything. I think it’s time to draw a circle around us and agree that we’re the only ones who need to know what’s going on.”
Vince leaned back in his chair. “Okay. But while you’re thinking about Zach and Mr. Jones, you need to decide what you’re going to tell Mr. Carpenter. He’s expecting to hear from you.”