'You have a point,' Julie admitted with a nod of her head. 'Once again, I underestimated you. I didn't think you had the guts to force a trial.'
As Julie drove away, I wasn't sure I had more guts than an eightpound chicken.
INSIDE THE HOUSE, I greeted Flip, whose excitement at my arrival seemed to increase each afternoon. Mrs. Fairmont was asleep in her chair with the television blaring. I gently touched her on the shoulder. She didn't respond. I shook her harder. To my relief she stirred and opened her eyes.
'How do you feel?' I asked.
'Who are you?' she asked as she glanced up at me with bleary eyes.
'Tami Taylor. I'm staying at your house this summer while I work for Samuel Braddock's law firm.'
'Samuel Braddock?'
'Yes ma'am.'
It was the first time Mrs. Fairmont's memory for people she'd known for years was fuzzy.
'Are you hungry?' I asked. 'I'd be happy to fix your supper.'
Mrs. Fairmont closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them. 'Yes, that would be nice.'
Gracie hadn't come that day, but there were leftovers in the refrigerator. I quickly prepared two plates of food and began warming one up in the microwave. After the stress that threatened to crush me at the office, the normalcy of fixing supper was therapeutic.
I returned to the den and found Mrs. Fairmont sitting in the chair with her eyes closed. It was a sad sight that made me ache over the ravages of aging. I heated up the other plate of food and placed them on the dining room table. Flip, smelling the meal, took up his position beside Mrs. Fairmont's chair. I returned to the den and roused her again. At first I thought I might have to assist her to the table, but once on her feet, she walked without any problems to the dining room.
Mrs. Fairmont seemed to enjoy her supper but didn't respond to my attempts at conversation beyond a single word or two. I was just getting to know her and didn't want to see her slip away permanently into a pit of mental confusion.
'Lord, please don't let this be the time,' I prayed softly.
Mrs. Fairmont glanced over and gave me a sweet smile. 'You're a nice young woman,' she said. 'Would you like to stay for a cup of after-dinner coffee?'
'Yes ma'am. I'll fix it for you.'
I brought coffee to the table along with a cup of tea for myself. We drank in silence. Mrs. Fairmont touched a napkin to her lips.
'I should invite Samuel and Eloise Braddock over for dinner,' she said. 'They are such a gracious couple, and we have many good memories together.'
'It would be best if I'm not here that evening,' I said.
'Why?'
'So you can discuss good memories.'
I LAY AWAKE THAT NIGHT. Most of the challenges I'd faced in my life seemed theoretical compared to the sober reality facing Moses Jones. My responsibility to the old man rested on my chest like a great weight and reduced me to one of the simplest prayers.
'Help me,' I prayed over and over and over.
I finally drifted off to sleep with the words lingering on my lips.
I AWOKE IN THE MORNING and enjoyed a five-second stretch before reality returned. I sighed and reluctantly resumed my burden. During my morning run, I took a new route away from the historic district into the modern part of the city. I needed new scenery.
Mrs. Fairmont wasn't downstairs when I returned, but she responded when I pressed the Call button on the intercom.
'How are you feeling this morning?' I asked.
'Fine. I'm going to call Christine and tell her to take me to lunch. Have a nice day.'
I walked as resolutely as I could to the office and went directly to the library. Julie hadn't arrived, and there weren't any notes from Zach or Vince. One of my main goals for the day was to avoid contact with either one of them. I checked my law firm e-mail account. I'd received another project from Bob Kettleson. I grimaced. One consequence of my leaving the firm would be increased work for the senior associate. Julie burst through the door.
'Wow, what a night,' she said. 'I met the most awesome guy. He lives on my street, and we met while he was walking his dog, a cute little thing with pointy white ears. Joel graduated a few years ago from the design school here and opened his own studio. He's a photographer, and some of his shots were the most amazing things I've ever seen. He asked me out to dinner on the spot and took me to the neatest French restaurant in a house on West Oglethorpe Street.'
'I know the place,' I said.
'He lived in Paris for a year after graduation. And get this, he's Jewish without being over the top about it. Just like me. We had so much fun. I haven't laughed so hard in months. His work is so good that I've got to get my father to buy a few prints for my mother. He invited me to synagogue Friday night, then to the beach on Saturday. My mother will flip when she finds out. Maybe we can do something clean and wholesome one evening with you and either Vinny or Zach.'
Julie stopped and laughed. 'That sounds strange, doesn't it?'
'Yes.'
The library phone buzzed, and I picked it up. It was the front desk receptionist.
'This is Tami.'
'You have a call from Ms. Smith at the district attorney's office. She asked for Zach, but he's not here.'
'I'll take it,' I said after a moment's hesitation.
Maggie Smith wasted no time on pleasantries once I took the call. 'I spoke with Zach yesterday, and I was able to reassign the Jones case to Judge Howell's docket. I ran the plea bargain past the judge, and she's fine with it-release Jones for time served and a year on probation with no monetary fine. It's specially set on her calendar this afternoon at two o'clock. I sent Zach an e-mail confirmation.'
'I'm not sure my client-' I began, and then stopped.
Moses had not withdrawn his agreement to the plea, and I couldn't tell her otherwise.
'What about your client?' Smith asked.
'I need to let him know about the hearing.'
'Fine, but the prisoner request list went over to the jail first thing this morning. He'll be there and released in time for a cornbread supper. See you this afternoon.'
I hung up the phone.
'Good or bad news?' Julie asked.
'It depends. We're going in front of another judge with the plea bargain in the Jones case. The assistant DA thinks it will go through.'
There was no avoiding Zach now. No matter how cooperative Judge Howell might be, she wouldn't allow me to appear in court without a supervising attorney. I buzzed back to the receptionist.
'Please let me know when Zach Mays arrives.'
'He walked in the door right after I transferred the phone call.'
There was no use putting off the inevitable. I slowly set the phone receiver back in the cradle.
'Does Joel have any photos of the river marshes?' I asked Julie.
'Yeah, at all times of the day. They're gorgeous.'
'If you want to buy me a going-away present, that would be a good choice.'
I left Julie with a puzzled expression on her face and went upstairs to Zachs office. He turned around when I entered.
'Maggie Smith called,' I said. 'The case-'
'Is on for two o'clock this afternoon. I read her e-mail.'
I turned to leave.
'One other thing,' Zach said. 'Mr. Carpenter is going to be there.'
I spun around. 'Who invited him?'
