“Did you save the box?”
“Why would I do that?”
“The box should have a SKU number on it,” Marvin said. “That SKU number can be matched up with Home Depot’s store records and can confirm you were shopping when you said you were.”
“I may still have it. I’ll look.”
“You know, I do handle criminal defense cases, not just estate planning and family law.”
“Well, let’s plan on my
Marvin studied Tom and seemed to take notice of his physical conditioning. “Thinking I might waive my usual fee in exchange for some personal training,” Marvin said, patting his ample midsection. Marvin’s rumpled suit suggested that he might have slept in it, an assessment confirmed by the attorney’s bleary eyes.
“Coaching high school soccer has made me fret off the pounds,” said Tom.
“State champs three years in a row now. Pretty impressive.”
“Thanks. The girls put in a huge effort.”
“Well, Jill’s been a rising star for the Wildcats, from what I’ve read in the
“That’s a great shot, Marvin.”
“Yours or mine?” Marvin said with a slight laugh.
“We lost that game, if I remember,” Tom said, thinking of the hours he’d spent in the coach’s room, watching game tape and going over every mistake he’d made on the pitch.
“We did, but as I recall, both teams were pretty evenly matched,” Marvin said. “Did you know that if two teams are equally matched, seventy-two percent of the time it’s randomness that makes one of them lose, not real skill difference? So that loss wasn’t your fault. It was just a random outcome.”
Tom shrugged. “Doesn’t make me feel any better. Though I admit, that’s one soccer stat I’ve never heard before,” he said.
Marvin gestured to other sports pictures that adorned his office walls. “Well, I was never a great athlete,” he said, “but I am a freak for sports stats. I can tell you the stat that goes with every picture on my wall.”
“You weren’t that bad an athlete, Marvin,” Tom said.
“That’s kind of you to say, but completely untrue,” Marvin corrected him. “I got cut every year I tried out for the soccer team.”
“But at least you tried.”
“And you were one of maybe three other guys who didn’t laugh at me whenever I did. Besides, there are approximately seventeen thousand professional athletes in the United States. That gave me a point zero zero five percent chance of becoming one myself. The law seemed a far more surefire way to financial security.”
“By the looks of it, you’re doing well,” Tom said.
By all appearances, it was true. The cozy office inside the well-kept Victorian home was smartly furnished with several dark bookcases stocked with legal tomes. A richly colored Oriental rug lay over a pale wide-plank hardwood floor. The meeting area within Marvin’s high-ceilinged office had an unmarked whiteboard, similar to the type Tom used to map out soccer plays; a large black-lacquered conference table; and a set of six plush leather chairs.
“Business keeps growing,” Marvin said. “I might not be scoring goals, but I am helping people, and that feels good. So, you ready to get started?”
Tom tapped Jill on the shoulder. She pulled the buds from her ears and followed Tom over to the meeting area. Tom sat first, and Jill sat on his side of the table, but two seats away. Marvin sat across from them.
Marvin began by addressing Jill. “So, Jill, we’re here today to talk about your future.”
“Okay,” she said.
“I spoke with your dad, and he told me to be very candid during this session,” he said. “As the attorney for your mother’s estate, I’m most familiar with her affairs. I’m afraid the news about your mother’s finances isn’t good.”
“What’s ‘not good’ mean?” Jill asked Marvin, her sweet voice edged with concern.
“Your mother had no savings. No life insurance. Really, no provisions at all for your care. On top of that, your house has two mortgages, which she was already behind on, and the bank is threatening to take it to foreclosure.”
“What does that mean?” Jill asked.
“It means we need to talk about where you’re going to live,” Tom said.
“I’ll live with Lindsey,” Jill said, refusing even to glance at her father. “They already offered.”
“Jill, I’m not going to allow that. Not with what happened last night.”
“But it’s my life!”
Tom cleared his throat. “I believe I have custody now.”
Marvin nodded. “That’s correct,” he said. “Until Jill is an adult, you become the custodial parent.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying to come and live with me in Westbrook.”
“What? No! My life is here in Shilo. I don’t want to just leave it behind. Especially now. I need my friends more than ever.”
“Jill, you were there. You saw what happened. It’s not safe, and I’m not going to take any chances.”
“I can take care of myself,” Jill snapped. “You think Mom was looking out for me? She could barely look out for herself.”
“Look, I’m not going to trust your friends to keep you safe.”
Marvin cleared his throat, his way of clearing the air. He said, “Well, you’re within your parental rights to have Jill come live with you, Tom. Westbrook is a nice town, Jill. Great schools, from what I hear.”
“Don’t do this to me,” Jill pleaded. “If you love me, like you say you do, then just let me live with Lindsey. Let me stay here. Please.”
Tom thought. Then he asked, “Marvin, what if I moved to Shilo? Took over Kelly’s mortgage?”
“Remember, the bank is coming after the house,” Marvin warned. “But all the bank is interested in is money. If we can get the mortgage caught up and show proof that you can continue making payments, I’m sure they would be satisfied.”
“I’ve got my job with the Shilo public schools, and I can sell my place in Westbrook,” Tom said. “Whatever it takes to make this work, I’ll do it.” He felt absolutely confident about a plan he’d spent all of ten seconds concocting.
“You would do that?” Jill stammered. “You’d move here so I could stay?”
Tom nodded. “I’m your father, Jill,” he said. “I’m going to do what’s best for you.”
Jill’s downcast face brightened. Tom smiled too.
The next hour passed in a blur. Papers needed to be signed. Forms to be filled out. Each completed check- box item made Tom feel one step closer to his goal: to be thought of as Jill’s father again.
But he had other concerns that needed resolution.
Who was the man in the woods?
Where was Kip Lange?
Could Tom realistically keep them both safe?
When they were finished for the afternoon, Tom escorted Jill back into the waiting room. “Hang here a second, kiddo,” he said. “There’s something I forgot to ask Marvin.”
Jill’s iPod earbuds went back into place before Tom reopened Marvin’s office door.
“Forget something?” Marvin asked.
“Marvin, do you do any investigative work?” Tom asked, keeping the door slightly ajar so that he could keep an eye on Jill. “You seem pretty good at digging up esoteric sports stats. I’m guessing you’re good at finding out a lot of things.”
Marvin’s eyes narrowed on Tom. “Is this about Kelly’s killer? Because I don’t do PI work.”
“If the guy I fought in the woods is who I think it was, then his name is Kip Lange.”
