Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“Hey,” I said.
He looked up from a stack of papers, and his eyes focused. “How did court go?”
I shut the door.
“That well, huh?” He sat back in his chair and rolled his shoulders.
“That well,” I confirmed, walking forward and dropping into one of his two leather guest chairs. He’d found them at a garage sale in Spokane, and they were very comfortable and looked new, even though they were more of a 1970s style.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
I took a deep breath and studied my law partner. He was as new as I was but probably had more trial experience. Plus, he was smart, logical, and rational. Today, he wore a white button-down shirt with jeans and looked smart, capable, and oddly relaxed. His brown eyes shone with intelligence. He’d shaved his head, leaving it bald, which made him look a little tougher than usual. His skin was dark and contrasted nicely with the shirt.
“Nick Basanelli might be charged with murder,” I said without preamble.
Clark stilled. “Whoa. What?”
I gave him the entire story. When I wound down, Clark remained quiet for a moment. “Do you think he or his brothers did it?”
It wasn’t a question lawyers normally asked, but we were within the law firm, and, of course, Clark was curious.
“I really don’t,” I said. “I haven’t talked to their mother yet, but I don’t think Nick would lie. He’s a lawyer and understands that we need to know everything about the case.”
Clark dropped his pen onto the pile of papers. “Do you think Detective Pierce has more information than he gave?”
“Definitely. Pierce was fishing while also trying to give Nick somewhat of a heads-up.” I had no doubt Pierce would toss Nick and his brothers’ asses in jail within a second if he thought they’d truly killed their father, but at the moment, he was just gathering evidence.
Clark whistled. “They did a good job of keeping this quiet for nearly a week. I would’ve thought that impossible in this town.”
I nodded. “Hence, sending the bodies to Boise for the autopsies.”
“That was a smart move,” Clark admitted. “What’s your first step?”
“Our first step,” I corrected. “We’ll need two on this. Do you mind second-chairing?”
“Not at all,” Clark said. “Although my docket’s a little full right now.”
I’d need him in trial if it got that far. “That’s all right. We’re a ways away from any trial situation. I’ll do the preliminary interviews and see what I can dig up, but I just wanted you on alert that this was happening.”
“Does the news media have it yet?”
I shook my head. “No, but this is Timber City, so it shouldn’t take long.”
He sighed. “What else do you have going on?”
I gave him a rundown of my current cases and then told him about Violet.
He scratched his chin. “That’s odd. Sometimes, believing things can work out when they haven’t for you before is hard.”
“I know. I’m going to give her a call in a little while.”
He nodded. “I like the judge’s idea of attending his basketball game. Maybe we should grab Pauley and Oliver and make an event out of it.”
“I’d like that,” I said. “I’ll double-check with Pauley because he isn’t really into basketball and crowds sometimes bother him, but I’m sure Oliver would love to make a night of it.”
I made a mental note to make sure I sat between Oliver and Violet. Their flirting was cute, but again, the small age gap included one person being a minor. However, I had other things to worry about with Violet.
Clark’s phone rang, and he glanced at it. “I have to get this.”
“All right. I’ll talk to you later.” I stood and left, noting the empty conference room before walking toward my office. Pauley’s door was shut, so I knocked.
“Enter,” he said regally.
I opened it and poked my head in. “Hey, P, how’s it going?”
He looked up, his hair perfectly brushed, and his blue and white shirt expertly ironed. “It is going excellent. I am organized. You are organized. That means Clark is organized. The entire office is organized. You need to recheck your calendar.”
I smiled. “Thank you for your help.”
“You’re very welcome. Shut my door.”
I closed it before continuing on to my office. I didn’t know how I’d ended up lucky enough to have Pauley working for us, but he brightened my day.
Hunger pangs hit me, and I paused, turning into the kitchen and hoping for a decent sandwich. Clark had found our colorful refrigerator and table at an ice cream store’s going-out-of-business sale, so they were green and cheerful, even in the dismal winter.
Holding my breath, I opened the old-fashioned fridge to see a nicely labeled turkey sandwich. Thank goodness. I grabbed it and a sparkling water before heading back to my office. Hanging up my coat, I walked around to sit in my chair and kicked off my shoes, scrunching my feet in the little rug I’d placed beneath my desk and unwrapping the sandwich before hitting speed dial on my phone.