covering myself as best I could. I got up from the chair, crouched behind the desk. I started screaming. Screaming for Mr. Castleton.
“Then he reached out and grabbed me. Grabbed me by the wrist. He said, ‘The boss ain’t here today. It’s just you and me.’”
“What did you do?”
“I slapped him. Slugged him hard. That startled him and he let go. I ran to the closet to get my clothes. I just got the door open when he came up behind me, slammed it shut, tried to grab me again.”
“Then what?”
“I slapped him again. Tried to knee him in the balls. I missed, but he got the idea. His face changed. Before it was gloating. Now it was angry. He said, ‘You little bitch.’ He grabbed me by the arms and dragged me. I was screaming, crying. Before I knew what was happening, he’d jerked open the door and pushed me out of the office.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No. There I was in the hallway of the apartment. With this maniac grabbing me. I screamed for help, but there was no one there. I knew he had servants, a cook, a maid, what have you, but nobody came.
“I broke free, ran down the hall. He caught me in the foyer, right by the front door. He said, ‘Uppity bitch,’ and slammed me against the wall. Then he jerked the door open and pushed me out.”
Steve stared at her. “What?”
“That’s right.”
“He threw you out into the hall?”
“Yes.”
“Naked?”
“Yes.”
“And locked the door?”
“That’s right.”
Steve ran his hand over his head. “Good god.”
Kelly Blaine took a breath, calmed herself down. “Yes. So there I was in the hallway of this apartment building, and I couldn’t get back in and I couldn’t go out and I thought I was gonna die.”
“So what did you do?”
“I couldn’t just stand there. I had to hide somewhere. I went down the hallway, looking for help. I found the door to the stairs. So I went in there. The door closed behind me. It’s the type of door that’s locked from the inside. So there I was, trapped in the stairwell. I didn’t know what to do. I was almost hysterical. I went down the stairwell, trying all the doors. They were all locked. Even the one to the lobby. Not that I wanted to get out into the lobby, if you know what I mean.
“Anyway, there was another flight down. I took it. The door there was unlocked. It led into the basement. Thank god there wasn’t anyone around.
“I searched the place, found a storage closet.” She touched the fabric of the overcoat. “This coat was hanging in it. What a relief that was. I put this on, looked around for a way out. I found a back stairs that was unlocked. And I got out of there.
“So there I was, out on the street with no clothes, no money, nothing. I walked home. Twenty blocks. I didn’t have my keys, but the super would let me in. Only he wasn’t home. I didn’t know what to do. I was getting hysterical. I needed help.
“Then I thought of you. I remembered reading about you in the papers. A lawyer, yes, but not what you think of as a lawyer. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be insulting. I’m saying it badly. What I mean is, you’re not just concerned with legalities. You help people. I need help.”
She paused, took a breath, looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Can you help me?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Steve Winslow could see Tracy Garvin looking at him. From the look on her face, he knew that if he said no he would be in serious trouble.
Not that he had any intention of saying no.
“What is it you want?” he said.
She stared at him. What a stupid question. “Are you kidding? I want my clothes. I want my purse. With my keys in it, so I can get into my apartment.”
“I understand,” Steve said. “But it goes a little deeper than that. There are several legal ramifications here. On the one hand, you’ve been unjustly terminated from your job. You’ve been fired without cause and without notice. And you’ve been humiliated and forced out in the street with no wherewithal. All of which gives you a cause of action against your employer.
“On the other hand, you’ve been the victim of a sexual assault. Which means you could file criminal charges as well. When I say what do you want, I mean there are various avenues we could take on this, and we have to explore the possibilities.”
“I don’t give a damn about the legal ramifications. I’m sitting here in a goddamn overcoat. I want my clothes and I want my purse.”
“I understand. The question is how do we go about getting them back. Are we threatening to file criminal charges, a civil suit-”
“File?” she said. “What are you talking about, file? I don’t care about long legal procedures. I want my clothes back now.”
“And I’m going to try to get them,” Steve said. “But we have to consider possibilities. First off, I’m going to get your clothes back this afternoon. In the event that I don’t, the gentlemen in question will find they’ve bought themselves a great deal of trouble. If they do, we have to prepare for that contingency.
“Tracy, can you see about getting Miss Blaine some clothes?”
“Of course.”
“I want my own clothes.”
“I understand. But if they won’t give them up, we can’t have you running around naked. We’ll get you clothes. We’ll contact the super in your building and get you a new key. That’s just if worse comes to worst. Meanwhile, I’m going to put some pressure on these guys and see what I can do for you now. Before I do, I wanna know how you want to play this. Do you want to file criminal charges against this Phil Danby?”
“No.”
“That’s fine, but I don’t have to tell ’em that. I may have to threaten them with it to get your clothes. Now, with regard to the civil suit-”
“I don’t want to file a civil suit either.”
“Neither do I, but that’s not the point. This man is a millionaire. He’s done you irreparable harm. If I go in, talking civil suit, he’s apt to offer a compromise to avoid litigation. Particularly considering the circumstances of the case. It’s not the sort of thing he’d like to have made public. If he offers a settlement, how much would you be willing to take?”
“I don’t want a settlement.”
“Right,” Steve said, somewhat impatiently. “You want your clothes. You’re gonna get ‘em, but in addition they’re gonna compensate you for the humiliation you went through. From your point of view, how much would be enough?”
“I don’t care.”
“Maybe not, but I do. I’m a lawyer, not an errand boy. If I do this for you, I have to be paid.”
“I have money.”
“I wouldn’t touch it. If anybody pays me, it’s gonna be them. I’ll take your case, but only on a contingency basis. If they give us a settlement, I get a third. The rest goes to you.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“There’s one thing I want you to understand. To settle this, we have to release them from all damages. That’s why you should think about this. To accomplish anything, you’ll have to sign a release. That release will be legal and binding. Once you’ve signed it and they’ve accepted it, if you change your mind and want to sue them for damages, you can’t do it. You can’t go after them again. You understand that?”
“Of course. That’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Steve looked at her a few moments. “All right,” he said. “Tracy. I want you to type up a release for me. Have
