Page 58 of The Beautiful Mess

Vinny clapped him on the back as the two of them followed Mabel down the hallway to the conference room at the very back. Two women were already in the room. One was the videographer setting up a camera to record the depositions, and the other was the court reporter unpacking her stenography equipment. Vinny introduced himself to both women, shook their hands, and gestured for Kerry to have a seat. He reviewed with him again what he could expect and the conduct he’d need to adhere to. Kerry figured this was mostly for show because Vinny had a devilish twinkle in his eye that spelled trouble. He figured it was code for “sit back and behave because I’ve got this under control.”

Two newcomers entered the conference room a few minutes later. The first man was tall, slender, with thick gray hair nearly the same color as his expensive suit. It took Kerry a second to recognize the second man, who somehow slouched while wearing a rigid back brace. The black device stood out against his untucked and wrinkled white dress shirt, which was likely the intended effect. Keith Bozeman raised his head and briefly met Kerry’s gaze, but it was enough to show off his sallow skin and bloodshot eyes. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed after a hard bender and threw on the first thing he could find.

“Roger,” Vinny said, extending his hand to the attorney.

“Good to see you again, Vinny.” Roger Ryker was cordial but tense. “Let’s take a seat so we can get started.”

Kerry didn’t look in Bozeman’s pitiful direction even once as the court reporter took control of the room and signaled for the videographer to record. She introduced herself as Selma Brown, then stated the date and time of the meeting before introducing the parties present, including the videographer.

“It looks like we’re missing the deponent named Charles Dahl and his legal counsel. Is anyone aware of the circumstances there?” Selma asked.

And that was the opening Vinny needed. “He’s being detained for driving under the influence, aggravated vandalism against my client’s commercial property, and assaulting a police officer.” Vinny turned a hard stare in Bozeman’s direction. “The events occurred on Saturday evening after Mr. Dahl met with Keith Bozeman to discuss their scam against my client.”

“Nonsense,” Roger Ryker yelled. “How dare you sully my client with your accusations?”

Vinny pulled out a small stack of photographs from a folder and slid them across the table. “I believe this is your client with Mr. Bozeman.”

“There’s no date stamp on this photograph.” Ryker looked over at his client and noticed the sweaty sheen on his pallid face. Bozeman kept his gaze down and didn’t acknowledge what Vinny said about him. The attorney sounded less confident when he added, “It could’ve been taken years ago.”

Vinny hit a button on his cell phone. Bar noises and angry male voices filled the room.

“You owe me, Chuck. I went to bat for you with my uncle and convinced him to invest in your company. If not for me, you wouldn’t have the fancy new service truck.” Keith Bozeman flinched when he heard his voice. “Lot of good that’s done for you with your stupid stunt on the bridge. I thought you would’ve learned a lesson.”

“Fuck you!” Chuck screamed. “I had everything under control, but those wimps weren’t brave enough to listen to me. They called in Kerry Fucking Hart to save the day. The asshole has ruined my career twice now.”

“This is no one’s fault but your own,” Bozeman yelled. “I did my part and got you the money you needed. Sober up and honor your part of the bargain on Monday.”

“I’m going to hit that fuck boy right where it hurts the most,” Chuck said. “His crew can’t answer emergency calls if they don’t have trucks to drive.”

Vinny stopped the recording and sat back. “That’s just the beginning of the damning evidence I have against you. Shall I continue?”

Keith Bozeman waved him off and then covered his face with both hands.

Ryker leaned toward his client. “I think it would be wise to drop the lawsuit, Keith. If you decide to continue, you’ll need to hire new representation. You might reconsider the offer from Mr. Hart’s insurance company.”

Bozeman hung his head but nodded. Ryker assured Vinny that he’d file the dismissal paperwork by the end of the day. With that, Kerry and Vinny left the office. The reality of the moment didn’t hit him until Keegan leaped to his feet upon seeing them.

“Well?”

The tension drained from Kerry’s body, and he smiled at Keegan. “It’s over.”

“Yes!” Keegan threw his arms around Kerry’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Now, we can celebrate with your family.”

Pressing his lips to Keegan’s ear, he said, “Or maybe we sneak off to someplace private.”

“I need to head out, Kerry,” Vinny said. The two men hugged, and Kerry thanked him profusely. “Are you kidding? Dom and Sven did most of the legwork. Let’s do dinner sometime soon. I don’t get to see you guys enough, and I’d like to get to know your guy.”

“I’ll talk to Mom and put something together.”

“Sounds good. Take care.” And then Vinny was off with his phone pressed to his ear.

Kerry hauled Keegan back into his arms. “About that celebration…” His voice drifted off when it sounded like a stampede of elephants, or possibly a zombie horde, was approaching the lawyer’s office. After some pushing and elbowing, Lucinda came through the door first. “Hello, Ma.”

“We saw Vinny leaving,” she said as she rushed forward. “He looked especially smug.”

“As he should be,” Kerry said. Accepting there was no way he could sneak off now, he looped an arm around Lucinda’s shoulders. “I’ll tell everyone about it over lunch.”

“To the Cheesecake Factory!” Lucinda called out in a near battle cry. “My treat.” That earned clapping and cheers.

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