'You know I've never worked with a woman?'
'Justice Sherzer told me.'
'What special gifts do you think you'll bring to this job as a woman?'
'None, Mr. Reynolds. But I'll bring several as a lawyer. I'll bring an exceptional ability to analyze legal issues and total dedication to my work. Justice Forbes knows my work. He wouldn't have told you to talk to me if he didn't think I could cut it. If you hire me, you won't have to worry about the quality of the words I write or speak.'
'We'll see,' Reynolds said. He sat up. 'When can you start?'
Chapter SEVEN
Tracy Cavanaugh was sitting on the floor in jeans and a faded Yale Athletic Department tee shirt taking law books out of a carton and putting them on bookshelves when she heard someone behind her. Standing in the doorway of her new office was a lean man with a dark complexion, curly black hair and a wide grin. To her surprise, Tracy felt an immediate attraction to him, and she hoped her deep tan was hiding the blush that warmed her cheeks.
'You must be the new associate. I'm Barry Frame, Matt's investigator.'
Frame was a little over six feet with wide shoulders and a tapered waist. He was wearing a blue work shirt and khaki slacks.
The sleeves of his shirt were rolled back to the elbow, revealing hairy forearms that were corded with muscle. Tracy stood up and wiped her hand on her jeans before offering it to Frame. His grip was gentle.
'Getting settled in okay?' Frame asked, looking at the cardboard cartons.
'Oh, sure.'
'Can I help?'
'Thanks, but I don't have that much stuff.'
'Have you found a place to stay?'
'Yeah. I've got a nice apartment down by the river. I found it just before I moved up.'
'You were living in Salem, right?'
Tracy nodded. 'I was clerking for the Supreme Court.'
'Which justice?'
'Alice Sherzer.'
'I clerked for Justice Lefcourt five years ago.'
Tracy was confused. She was certain Frame had said he was an investigator. Frame laughed.
'You're wondering why I'm not practicing, right?'
'Well, I . . .' Tracy started, embarrassed that she was so transparent.
'It's okay. I'm used to getting that look from lawyers. And no, I didn't flunk the bar exam. After the clerkship with Justice Lefcourt, Matt hired me as an attorney, but I liked being a detective more than I liked practicing law. When his investigator quit, I asked for the job.
I don't get paid as much, but I'm not stuck behind a desk and I don't have to wear a tie.'
'Does Mr. Reynolds have you do any legal work?'
'Not if I can help it, although I did fill in while we were waiting for you to come on board. The last associate left precipitously.'
'Why did he go?'
'Burnout. Matt expects a lot from people and some of his requests are above and beyond the call of duty.'
'For instance . . . ?' Tracy asked, hoping Frame would tell her examples of the horror stories others had hinted at when talking about the demands Reynolds put on his associates, so she could prepare herself for the worst.
'Well, Matt handles cases all over the country. Sometimes he'll expect an associate to become an expert on another state's law.'
'That doesn't sound unreasonable.'
'I've seen him give that type of assignment to some poor slob a week before trial.'
'You're kidding?'
'Absolutely not.'
'Boy, that would be tough,' Tracy answered, a bit worried.
The work at the Supreme Court was demanding, but Justice Sherzer always emphasized that good scholarship was more important than speed. Tracy hoped she wasn't in over her head.
'Do you think you could do it?' Frame asked.
'I'm a quick study, but that's asking a lot. I guess I could in a pinch, if the area was narrow enough.'
'Good,' Frame said, grinning broadly, 'because you leave for Atlanta next Monday.'
'What!'
'Did I mention that Matt also uses me to bear grim tidings?
No? Well, I'm frequently the messenger that everyone wants to kill.'
'What am I supposed to do in Atlanta?' Tracy asked incredulously. 'I'm not even unpacked.'
'You'll be second-chairing the Livingstone case. The file is in the library. You'll want to get to it as soon as you get your stuff put away. It's pretty thick.'
'What kind of case is it?'
'A death penalty case. Matt rarely handles any other kind.
The legal issues are tricky, but you can get up to speed if you work all week. There's a good place for Chinese takeout a few blocks from here.
They stay open late.'
'Mr. Reynolds wants me to become an expert on Georgia law and learn everything I can about this case in five days?' Tracy asked with an expression that said she was certain this was some bizarre practical joke.
Frame threw his head back and laughed. 'There's nothing I enjoy more than that look. But cheer up. I hear Atlanta is lovely in August. A hundred twenty in the shade with one hundred percent humidity.'
Frame cracked up again. Tracy could hear him laughing long after he was out of sight. She sat back down on the floor and stared at the boxes that still had to be unpacked. She had planned on running after squaring away her office, but that was not possible now. It looked like the only exercise she would get in the near future would be from lifting law books.
'Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,' MatthewReynolds said as Abigail Griffen ushered him into her office, three weeks after their argument at the Supreme Court.
'I don't have much choice,' Abbie answered, flicking her hand toward the slip-sheet opinion in the State ex rel. Franklin case. 'The court bought your due process argument. When can your people go into Mrs.
Franklin's house?'
'I phoned California. The criminologist I'm working with can be here Tuesday. My Portland people are on call.'
'I'll tell Mrs. Franklin you'll be there sometime Tuesday. She doesn't want to see you. There'll be a policeman at the house with a key to let you in.'
'I'll be in Atlanta for a few weeks trying a case. Barry Frame, my investigator, will work with the forensic experts.'
'I'll be out of the office myself.'
'Oh?'
'Nothing as exotic as Atlanta. I'm taking a week of R. and R. at my cabin on the coast. Dennis Haggard can handle any problems while I'm away. I'll brief him.'
'Can we have a set of the crime-scene photographs and the diagrams your forensic people drew?' 'Of course.
Abbie buzzed her trial assistant on the intercom and asked her to bring what Reynolds had requested. While she talked, Reynolds took in the line of Abbie's chin and her smooth skin.
She was wearing a black pantsuit and a yellow shirt that highlighted her tan. A narrow gold necklace circled her slender neck.
A diamond in the center of the necklace matched her diamond earrings.
Abbie turned and caught Reynolds staring. He blushed and looked away.
