I sipped my cola, the cold easing the slight burn left by the horseradish on the sandwich I had inhaled. “Not really.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I don’t want a run-of-the-mill practice representing rich SOBs and divorces all the time.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing for me?”
I studied her. “I don’t consider your case usual, or that you’re an SOB.”
She ignored me. “Even SOBs deserve a decent attorney. Being poor doesn’t give the exclusivity to being honest or decent.”
“I realize that.”
“You could accomplish more with an extra body. You could still choose your cases but do even more.”
“Trust would be an issue. I think having a partner would involve a lot of trust.”
She rewrapped her sandwich. “Right. And you trust few people.”
I narrowed my eyes, catching an undercurrent of anger in her tone. “Very few.”
She stood. “Sometimes, you have to offer trust to get trust, Halton.” She walked toward the door, and I was on my feet moving toward her before I could think. I caught her elbow, spinning her around.
“Hey. I do trust you.”
She tried to shake off my hold, but I refused to let her move. “You wouldn’t be here, working for me, if I didn’t trust you. I wouldn’t have had you stay in my home.”
She shut her eyes, then exhaled. “I know that. I simply mean you need help. There are lots of cases you could take on that you would believe in if you had someone else working with you.”
She meant more than that, but I let her go. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into the meaning of her words right now. I opened my mouth, but my private line rang, breaking the moment. I stepped back and smiled.
“I’ll give it some thought. Close the door when you leave, please.”
She walked past me, shutting the door. I grabbed my phone, already knowing who would be on the other end of the line. I had been waiting for this call all day, but I didn’t want Fee to overhear it.
“Mr. Smithers, this is Jonas Peters of Peters, Down, and Hadley. I’m representing Scott Hutchings.”
I had been wondering who he would choose. They were another firm I despised. Ambulance chasers, questionable practices, and unsavory divorces. I wasn’t surprised Hutchings had chosen them to represent him. His own firm couldn’t be involved. There would be a conflict of interest since part of the settlement could be their own firm.
Peters, Down, and Hadley had the same sort of scruples as Scott—in other words: none. They would be a natural choice for him. Luckily, I was much smarter than any lawyer in their firm. Scott simply hadn’t accepted that fact yet.
“I’ve been expecting your call.”
“I’d like to set up a meeting. My client is anxious to move things forward and to make this as easy as possible on all parties concerned. He was hoping we could settle all this between us without involving the courts.”
I counted to ten before replying.
“How considerate of him,” I responded, the sarcasm evident in my voice. “Was he thinking about making it easy on my client when he harassed her at her rented accommodations this past Friday and forced her to find another place to stay?”
“He regrets his actions. His only defense was that he became emotional when he saw the divorce papers. He overdrank and made a bad choice. We’ve all been there, right, Hal? I mean it was a blow to his ego. A male thing.”
I blinked, unsure if this asshole was being serious or not. Was he really pulling the “C’mon it’s a guy thing—you get it” shit on me?
“His ego,” I repeated.
“Yes.”
“So, if that was a blow to his ego, tell me, what did he think was going to happen after he kicked my client out of their marital home, took away her only mode of transportation, canceled her credit cards and access to their bank account, and dropped her off at a hotel like a second-rate hooker with a wave and a ‘see you later’? He thought they’d have drinks and solve everything between them?”
There was a pause.
“He gave her some money.”
“Again, I will refer to the second-rate hooker comment. Twenty grand for almost ten years of marriage? We both know, in Toronto, that wouldn’t even cover a deposit on a place to live, Jonas. Your client handled this badly.”
“He regrets his actions.”
“He is going to regret it a lot more when I get through with him.”
There was another pause.
“We would like to meet as soon as possible and move this forward.”
Time in the world of the law has a totally different meaning. Urgent means I’ll get to it when convenient. As soon as possible could be next week or next month. If a lawyer says he’ll “get right back to you,” grab a coffee. Maybe a sandwich. You’re going to wait a while.
But I wanted this done now. I glanced at my schedule and decided to move things along fast.
“Friday afternoon. Four o’clock. My office,” I snapped and hung up.
I was going to fry that bastard.
I sent a quick message to Fee telling her to move everything from three o’clock onward on Friday until next week. I sent Rene a text asking him to be here Friday afternoon. I picked up the phone and called Wyatt.
He answered after several rings, sounding distracted. In the background, I could hear a game playing. He was addicted to all that shit. Jobs like mine that paid well allowed him to spend more time playing than working. Add in pizza and beer, and his life was perfect. Normally, I found it amusing. Right now, I was annoyed.
“Put down your controller and turn off your fucking game. I need your attention.”
Silence fell.
“I need everything you can find on Scott Hutchings. Attorney.” I rattled off all the information I knew.
“You want finances?”
“I want it all. Finances. Where he is spending his money. Who he is spending it on. His cell phone records. I want to know what time he gets up in the morning, takes a crap, and how long he wanks off for in the shower.”
There was a long pause.
“I think that is more for a PI than a job for me.”
“Get me everything you can.”
“Okay, I’ll work on it.”
“Do it fast.”
“How fast? It’s gonna take—”
“Fucking fast or you’re fired. No more retainer. Got it?”
“Got it.”
I hung up.
My mood got worse as the week progressed.
Tuesday night, Fee stayed in her room all evening, and eventually, I gave up waiting for her and went to bed. I tossed and turned all night, not even getting an hour of sleep. My bed felt strange and cold—uncomfortable.
Maybe it was time for a new mattress. I would have to look into it.
We both looked tired on Wednesday morning, but neither of us addressed the elephant in the room. I decided I would sleep better once Fee was in her own place. Having someone in my space was disturbing me. I was used to being on my own. I kept telling myself that. My world would return to normal once Fee was gone.
I ignored the laughter in my head.
Wednesday afternoon, Aiden dropped by the office and gave Fee the keys to the apartment. He perched on the edge of her desk, talking to her. For some reason, it bothered me to see his massive frame looming over her. It bothered me even more that she laughed and talked to him like an old friend. I knew he was happily married. I knew he was a friendly guy and was simply being Aiden. I didn’t like it. When I heard him offer to take her to the place and show her around, I lost it.