wasn't a coincidence that Moses mentioned the Prescott girl to me. And this morning, Mrs. Fairmont tells me information known only to the police and Prescott family.'
'So God sovereignly brought all this together?'
'Maybe.'
'Which still doesn't get you off the hook about making a choice. I've made my choice, and so should you. I think you should focus on what Judge Cannon appointed you to do-represent Moses in the trespassing case.'
I scrunched my eyes together but held my tongue.
'Make a face if you like,' Zach said, 'but I'm trying to teach you to be a professional. It's my job. Come back at nine o'clock, and we'll call Maggie Smith.'
He looked down at some papers on his desk. Steaming mad, I left his office and walked down the stairs to the first floor. My shoes clipped against the wooden floor. One choice was easy. My interest in getting to know Zach Mays better on a personal level was gone. Julie was in the library when I arrived.
'Good morning,' Julie announced brightly. 'My headache is gone. A bad one can hang around for a couple of days, but I'm feeling super.'
'That's great,' I managed.
'Uh-oh,' Julie responded. 'It's too early in the day to be depressed. Is the pressure of maintaining two boyfriends getting to you?'
'Shut up,' I said.
Julie's jaw dropped.
'I did it,' I said softly.
Tears rushed into my eyes, and I stumbled out of the room.
Right into the arms of Mr. Carpenter.
The older lawyer steadied me for a moment, then let go. Julie opened the door, saw Mr. Carpenter, and quickly closed it.
'What's going on here?' Mr. Carpenter asked.
I sniffled. 'It's been a rough morning,' I said.
'That's obvious. Come to my office.'
'Now?'
'Yes.'
As I walked down the hall I glanced back and saw the library door close again. My tears receded, but my eyes were still red as we passed the secretary's desk. She didn't pay any attention to me.
'Sit down,' Mr. Carpenter said.
I sat in a blue leather chair.
'Answer me directly,' the lawyer continued. 'Why were you crying in the office hallway at eight thirty in the morning?'
'It's a combination of things.'
'Tell me every one. As managing partner, I'm responsible for this office and the people who work here. It's better to address problems as soon as they surface instead of letting them fester.'
'I don't want to get Julie in trouble.'
'I appreciate your sentiment, but I don't know what took place. You might be the one in trouble.'
I hadn't considered that possibility. Confessing sin, even if I wasn't the primary guilty party, happened all the time in my family and wasn't a new concept to me.
'I told her to shut up,' I said. 'And I'm sorry. I'll apologize as soon as I can.'
Mr. Carpenter tilted his head to the side. 'Much worse things than that have been said in our partnership meetings. Why did you tell her to shut up?'
I realized Mr. Carpenter was going to ferret out every piece of information hidden in my brain, so, in a methodical manner, I told him about Julie's challenge. He listened without interruption.
'Anything else at the office upset you this morning?' he asked.
'Yes sir, I'm struggling with the best way to represent Mr. Moses Jones, my client in the misdemeanor criminal case. Zach Mays and I don't agree on the best way to proceed.'
'What did you say was the client's name?'
'Moses Jones.'
'Tell me about the client.'
'He's an African-American man in his early seventies. He had a prior criminal conviction many years ago, something to do with moonshine whiskey.'
'Been in Savannah a long time?'
'I think his whole life.'
Mr. Carpenter touched his fingers together in front of his chin. The phone on his desk buzzed. He picked it up.
'Tell Bob Groves that I'll be there in a couple of minutes. I'm almost finished with Ms. Taylor.'
I waited, not sure whether the next few minutes would be my last on the job. If I left, it would be with a clear conscience. Mr. Carpenter hung up the phone.
'I've received good reports from several sources about the way you and Ms. Feldman have been working together,' the lawyer said. 'The incident this morning is an opportunity for growth. Julie is probably scared that you're telling me a boatload of bad things about her. That may be punishment enough for baiting you. When you go back, I expect you to confront her actions in a gracious yet professional manner.'
'Yes sir.'
'I'll meet with her later today.' Mr. Carpenter paused. 'And keep me posted via weekly memos on the Jones case.'
'Yes sir.'
I left Mr. Carpenter's office. I still had a job. I looked at my watch. It was past time for the phone call to Maggie Smith at the district attorney's office. I turned to go upstairs, then remembered my obligation to Julie. I walked quickly to the library and opened the door. Julie looked up from a casebook.
'I'm sorry,' she said hurriedly. 'What's he going to do?'
'Mr. Carpenter thought you'd be worried.'
'Worried? I've been frantic! Trying to figure out how I was going to break the news to my parents if I lost this job.'
'He wants to talk to you later.'
'Am I going to get in trouble? What's he going to do to me?'
'Probably tell you to act more professional,' I said. 'That's what he said to me. He knows we've been working well together. He realizes this was a temporary blowup.'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes.'
'Okay. Anything else?'
I looked directly in her eyes. 'I'm sorry I told you to shut up. We can joke around but shouldn't be cruel.'
Julie looked down at the table. 'Sure, like I said, I'm sorry too.'
I WENT UPSTAIRS TO ZACH'S OFFICE, determined to act professional. The stack of papers on his desk was higher than before.
'Sorry I'm late. Mr. Carpenter called me into his office,' I said.
'You didn't miss anything. I just got off the phone with the DAs office. Smith won't want to commit to any modification of her plea offer without the judge getting involved. It's an extreme position for a misdemeanor case, but she wouldn't budge. We won't know anything else until we go to court this afternoon.'
'Okay.'
'Why were you talking to Mr. Carpenter?'
'He had some questions for me.'
Zach stared at me for a few seconds. I remained silent.
'Fine,' he said. 'We'll leave for the courthouse thirty minutes before the calendar call. The order of cases isn't released in advance. We could be first; we could be last.'
I nodded and left.
