“I can work with this.”
“Docket number 20 1 0005 9, the State of Washington v. Grady Chamberlain. One count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, possession of a narcotic, driving without a valid driver’s license, registration, and insurance,” the bailiff read aloud.
“Mr. Chamberlain, how do you plead?” the judge asked.
“Renee Wallace for the defendant, Your Honor. We plead not guilty and request a trial date.”
“No prelim?” the judge asked.
“No, Your Honor.”
“How’s the state feel, Ms. Martell?”
“The state agrees to move to trial but requests Mr. Chamberlain be remanded to PAR for extensive rehabilitation as outlined by Dr. Field.” Kate handed her copy of the letter to the bailiff. Rennie was on pins and needles, anxious for the outcome they needed.
“Ms. Wallace, I do believe this is your first time in my court. Welcome.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Your client is willing to enter rehab?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Very well, ninety days at PAR. The court will set a trial date for then. Adjourned.”
The escort returned for Grady. Rennie told him she would be up to see him soon and that they could speak over the phone if necessary. She went to Graham and his parents and suggested they go over to the center to be there when Grady arrived.
Graham walked Rennie to her car. “I owe you,” he told her.
Rennie smiled and set her bag down. “You don’t, and neither does your family. I’m happy I can help, and I’m so glad Grady is finally getting the medical attention he needs. I think this is going to be a good thing for you and your family.”
His hand jutted out and rested on her hip, only for him to pull it back. Rennie wanted his hand to stay there and chided herself for wanting something from Graham when she had Theo to think about. “You’ve already made a difference in my family, Ren. My dad . . .” Graham paused and pulled Rennie into his arms. “He’s a better dad because of this, and you were instrumental in making my family stronger. Thank you.”
“I’d do anything for you, Graham.” The words she spoke were true. There were very few people she would do anything for, and Graham was one of them.
Once she was in her car, she headed toward the highway, eager to get back to the office. Traffic was going to be a nightmare, but she had already taken one day of personal time to be in Port Angeles and wasn’t keen on rocking the boat with Lex. Rennie phoned Ester as soon as she was out of town and asked her to set up a call with Kate Martell, to call the court and get a copy of the transcript, and to touch base with the rehab facility to make sure Grady settled in.
By the time Rennie reached Seattle, it was close to the end of the day. She planned to put a couple hours of work in at the office before going home and crawling into bed. When Rennie reached her office, she found Ester putting dinner on her desk. “What’s this?” she asked as she set her bags down.
“My way of making your day better.”
“Oh, Ester, you’re a godsend. Thank you.” Rennie opened the to-go box, and her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten much of anything all day and was famished.
“It’s not much,” Ester said.
“It’s a delicious sandwich and perfect,” Rennie told her in between bites. “How did everything go yesterday?”
“Great. No issues. Donna’s looking for you, though.”
Rennie sighed heavily. She had suspected as much. Ester went back to her desk, only to ring Rennie’s intercom. “Donna’s on her way.”
“Thanks for the warning.” She secretly loved how close the other assistants were with each other, although it backfired a time or two.
“Knock, knock.” Even though Donna said the words, she knocked on the door as well. She entered and closed the door behind her. “We missed you yesterday—and today, for that matter.”
“I took some personal time.”
“Oh, aren’t you going on vacation soon?”
In all her years at the firm, no one had ever questioned her time off until now, and Rennie didn’t like it. “What can I do for you?” Donna Pere was Rennie’s mentor. Rennie respected her, but the level of respect had gone down the past few weeks.
Donna sat in the chair across from Rennie and smiled. It was evil, condescending, and Rennie expected something was about to be said that she wasn’t going to like. “How’s your pet project?”
Rennie hated the term pet project. She felt it demeaned anything she or another lawyer chose to work on. Pro bono work wasn’t a project; it was helping people who needed a good attorney to represent them. Donna had taught her as much over the years.
“It’s great, actually. We had court this morning; everything went as planned.”
“Who is it, if you don’t mind me asking?” Donna kept her ankles crossed and leaned onto the armrest. The red suit she wore was a designer label, no doubt Ralph Lauren or someone equally as talented.
She had nothing to hide. “Grady Chamberlain. We grew up together.”
“Chamberlain . . . sounds familiar,” Donna said.
“Doubt it. Family from up north, Cape Harbor.”
Donna snapped her fingers and pointed. “That’s right—Cape Harbor. Graham Chamberlain, right? He owns some whale bar?”
“Uh-huh.” Rennie was on edge. She didn’t like where Donna was going with this. Rennie had never brought Graham up to her, not even when they lived in California and not since she’d been in contact with him.
“You have to drop the case.”
“Excuse me?”
“No biggie . . . just that in my civil suit, they’re suing Graham.” Donna dropped the bombshell, as if it was an everyday occurrence for Graham to get sued.
“I’m sorry, what?” Renee could barely get the words out without choking.
“Oh, I thought you knew. Graham served alcohol to a minor, let her leave the bar without a ride, and now she’s paralyzed. We discussed it last month.”
“No,” Renee said sharply. “You told us about the case, not who you were suing. How come Graham doesn’t know this?”
“We haven’t filed yet, but now that we know his brother is an alcoholic, it bolsters our case. Clearly, your friend has a penchant for serving alcohol when he shouldn’t.”
Renee couldn’t believe her ears. “You can’t use what you learned in our conference room against my client.”
Donna’s laughter stopped, and she turned stone cold. “Drop your case, Renee. It’s in direct conflict, and I will use it.”
“I’m not dropping my case, Donna. Graham is my client and has been for years. I’m sorry, but your civil suit has to go elsewhere.” In the trash was where Rennie wanted to tell her to put it.
Donna stood, straightened her skirt, and set her hands down onto Renee’s desk. Her mentor’s gaze was menacing, terrifying. “Lex agrees—drop the case.”
“I won’t,” Renee fired back.
The senior partner smirked as she stood and walked out of the room. Even though she hadn’t slammed the office door, Renee still jumped nonetheless. A lawsuit was the last thing Graham needed right now.