Jackie was in her mid-fifties but looked more like she was hovering somewhere in her forties, even when sporting the flat expression. She was the sole attorney in a wildly successful one-woman shop bearing her name, although she did have a small support staff consisting of a paralegal and a part-time receptionist.
I’d heard rumors that she’d been offered partnerships in some rather prestigious local firms more than once but always declined in favor of the autonomy that allowed complete control over her caseload. I wasn’t at all surprised, because she wasn’t one for taking direction. Giving it, yes. Taking it, definitely not.
“Hey, I’m trying to help here,” I appealed, attempting to change my approach, though in a halfhearted sense.
“Well, you definitely aren’t. Helping, that is.”
My bid at toning down my temper didn’t last, and I snarled my reply. “Yeah, well you don’t appear to be helping all that much either.”
She tossed back a shock of platinum blonde hair and fixed me with her hard gaze once again. Physically, she was really closer to Felicity’s height than mine, but wearing her ever-present designer heels, she came right to eye level with me. The stature elevating shoes along with her reputation for relentlessly tearing apart cases-and even other attorneys if necessary-until she came out on top are what had garnered her the nickname “the pit bull in high heels.” She would instantly feign annoyance anytime she heard someone call her by the moniker, but secretly, I think she actually liked it.
After a pause she punctuated her cold stare with a calm but brutally caustic reply, “That’s because I’m out here dealing with an asshole instead of being allowed to do my job.”
“Listen, I…”
She cut me off before I could finish. “No. Just shut up and YOU listen for once. If that last comment had come out of any other client’s mouth, I would have packed my briefcase and headed home. But, I’ve known you way too long, and I know that you’re actually a pretty nice guy. I’m writing this all off to the stress you are under, but believe me, I’m only going to write off just so much.
“Besides, the reality of the situation is that I’m representing your wife right now, not you. So, I suggest you count yourself as damned lucky I’m still standing here.”
“Yeah, but…” I started.
“I’m not finished,” she spat, cutting me off. “Now, what you need to do is start listening to me and stop acting like some kind of maniac. You sure as hell aren’t making any friends right now, and you’re trying my patience to say the least.”
“But why can’t I see her?” I demanded, still trying to circumvent her tirade.
“That’s easy. I could have told you that on the phone if you’d bothered to ask. The short list is A: She’s under arrest for two, and quite possibly three counts of first degree murder; B: You aren’t her attorney, I am; and C: Right now you’re acting irrationally and the police have some genuine concerns for your mental stability, as do I.”
“Bullshit. I’m fine.”
“Then like I said, start acting like it and listen to me for a change. Go home. Sit on your hands. Don’t talk to anyone, especially not the press, and just wait for me to call you. End of discussion. Is that clear?”
I shook my head. “I can’t, Jackie. Not right now. Not after what they did to the house.”
“What they…What did they do to your house?”
“It’s trashed. They totally wrecked the place.”
Now it was her turn to do the head shaking. “Did they destroy anything?”
“No…I don’t think so…Not that I could see, anyway, but it looks like a tornado went through it.”
“Did you happen to notice what they took?”
“Some of Felicity’s clothes, my handgun, and some of my books on Voodoo for sure,” I rattled off my own short list. “I tried to tell them the books were mine…”
“Are they?”
“Yes. I just bought them. And, checked some out from the library.”
“The books from the library shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll just have to contact the branch where you checked them out, and that should be enough to get them disallowed. What about the books you purchased? Do you have proof of when you bought them?”
“Yes. I have the receipts.”
“Then don’t worry about it, they won’t be an issue. Anything else?”
I nodded. “I know there was other stuff, but I can’t remember what. They gave me a voucher, but I haven’t really gone over it…”
“Great…Okay, fine. We’ll address that later. Have you got your cell phone with you?”
I rummaged in my pocket to check then nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay, why don’t you go find someplace to get a cup of coffee, and I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
“Are you…”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she interrupted, finishing the query for me. “Now just go and let me do what you’re paying me for.”
“Yeah, okay,” I answered with a nod.
Her enumerated reasons for keeping me out of the loop had effectively shut me down for the time being. On top of that, my befuddled emotions were now batting me back into depression territory. I knew I was probably shifting back and forth between sounding insane and coming off like a frightened child, just like she said I was, but I couldn’t help it. I was still trying to get a handle on what was happening, but that handle kept staying just out of my grasp.
“You’ll call the minute you know something, right?” I asked, desperate for reassurance. In fact, my voice had an almost pleading tone to it.
“Yes, I’ll call. Now go.”
I gave her another nod then turned and started toward the front door of the building.
“Rowan,” she suddenly called after me.
I stopped and turned back to face her with a questioning look.
“Just coffee, no booze, okay?”
I involuntarily screwed my face into a confused expression then said, “You know, it’s not like I have a drinking problem or something.”
“I didn’t say you did, but I know you, and in your present state, if you drink you’re definitely going to be a problem. Trust me. No alcohol, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” I gave her a nod then started to turn back toward the door but stopped myself. “Wait, Jackie…”
“What?” she asked, her voice sounding strained as she tried to hide her obvious aggravation.
“I forgot to tell you. My father-in-law is taking it upon himself to send his own attorney down here with orders to take over the case.”
“Do you know who the attorney is?”
“Sorry, no.”
“Do you want his attorney to take over?”
“No.”
“Then as long as Felicity is of the same opinion, don’t worry about it. Just let me handle it.”
“It’s possible Shamus, her father, might show up himself.”
“He’s not going to get any farther than you have, so like I said: Don’t worry, just let me handle it.”
“Okay…And, Jackie…Thanks.”
“Yeah,” she replied as she turned, calling over her shoulder, ”You know the old line about the bill, right?”
I watched her disappear into the elevator then continued on my way through the front doors then out onto the sidewalk. The wind was picking up, whipping along the street as it cut its way between the buildings. I could feel the encroaching cold as a burning sting against my cheeks, but even so, I didn’t bother to zip up my coat, simply leaving it wide open to the wintry chill.
I knew I had to do what Jackie said, but I couldn’t get excited about climbing into my truck and putting any more distance between Felicity and me than there already was. While I’m certain “the pit bull” would have been
