Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
The judge set the white board down as Britney dutifully took her place behind the stenotype. “Not a problem at all, Quaid. Were they fighting about those creepy dolls Imogene kept? Or was it the cats?”
“It was the dolls. We have it all figured out now. Gwen is going to move back home so the dolls and the cats stay together,” Quaid explained.
“Excellent,” the judge said. “Now tell me what this case is about.”
“You didn’t read the suit I filed?” Jayna stood beside her sleeping client.
Geraldine was getting up in years. She needed her naps.
The judge held up the legal papers that had been given to him. “I glanced through it. Give me the short version.”
Jayna’s shoulders went back, her chin coming up. “My client’s quality of life was damaged when the defendant, Mr. Abbot, took down a tree that is clearly on her property. Mr. Abbot owns a gas station behind her home, and now the glare from the back lights flood her house every night. It keeps her awake, and quite frankly, my client doesn’t have the money to put up a tall enough fence to block out the light. I also believe the fact that you can now watch people pumping gas from my client’s backyard has eroded her property value. We ask for a judgment against the defendant of one hundred thousand dollars.”
“I don’t have a thousand dollars, much less a hundred thousand,” Abbot said, a faint whine in his voice.
It took all Quaid had not to roll his eyes. The city slicker was in town, and she thought she could roll over all the bumpkins. She was arrogant, and yet he still wanted to get to know her.
But first she needed to understand he wasn’t someone she could steamroll with her gorgeous looks and obvious intelligence. He pulled out his ace in the hole. “Your Honor, before Jimmy Abbot took down the tree, he informed Geraldine he was going to do it. Here is a copy of the letter my client sent along with an explanation and the proof that while the tree is partially on Geraldine’s property, the majority of the roots of the tree are on his. I measured it. The trunk and visible roots measure twelve feet around, and nine of those are clearly on the gas station property.”
“The tree was partially hers and shouldn’t have been taken down.” Jayna frowned his way before turning to the judge. “And if Mr. Abbot sent a letter, my client doesn’t remember. She’s elderly, and he’s taking advantage of her.”
“I bring her lunch every day,” Abbot argued. “I treat her like she’s my grandma. Those roots were starting to crack the pavement of the parking lot. Can’t she close the curtains?”
“She doesn’t have blackout drapes,” Jayna replied. “And honestly, she shouldn’t need them because she didn’t agree to the tree being taken down.”
“She doesn’t have to agree. This is decided law, Your Honor. As per Hollister v. Klein, whoever owns the majority of the base of the tree makes the final decisions about the tree,” Quaid explained. “You yourself made that judgment in 1995.”
The judge nodded solemnly. “Yes, I did, and it led to a feud that lasted twenty years.”
Abbot stood. “Geraldine don’t have twenty years left in her, and I won’t feud with any of her kin. I will pay for her blackout curtains. I’ll even take her to the Walmart and let her pick them out herself.”
“Ooo, can I get some new pillows, too?” Geraldine had magically awakened at this opportune moment. “And I need a few other things for around the house.”
Abbot sighed, a deeply relieved sound. “Of course. Miss Geraldine, you didn’t need to hire a lawyer. I would have worked this all out with you. I was shocked when I got served with that lawsuit.”
Geraldine stood, stretching and then patting down her helmet of steel gray hair. “Well, this young lady here seemed to need some work. I don’t know. She talked real fast, Jimmy, and I get lonely at times. But that light is terrible. It’s so very bright at all hours of the night.”
“Excellent. Then my judgment is for the defense.” The judge struck his gavel and stood. “Now, I’m going to hide, and we’ll say this took far longer than it did.”
Britney was right on top of that. “PawPaw, I can’t let you do that. I’m supposed to take you down to Lila’s. I’m way more afraid of MawMaw than I am you.”
The Brewer family started arguing while Geraldine made her way to Jimmy Abbot, already talking about what a magical place the Houma Walmart was. Jayna Cardet simply stared as though trying to process how her life had taken this turn.
“Hey, why don’t we go over to the café? I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you, but if you’re going to practice here in Papillon, we should probably talk.”