Page 44 of Maddy's Justice

“Is that necessary? Wouldn’t it be just as easy…?”

“Do what he wants,” Spenser said. “It’s his case.”

“No problem,” a thoroughly chastised Dalton Turner said.

Another uncomfortable minute or so passed before one of the others changed the subject. For the next hour they almost casually talked about clients and business they were handling. Marc was almost appalled by how careless they were discussing client business in such a public place. After a few minutes he realized what they were up to. When they got back to their office, each had to account for his time. Discussing clients and cases would allow them to bill for their lunch time at this expensive country club.

Eventually, having fulfilled their billing requirements, the conversation turned to Marc. At least a couple of them seemed genuinely interested in him and his career.

“Getting your name in the media for representing criminal defendants can have its drawbacks,” Marc said at one point when they asked about high-profile cases he had. “I’ve had death threats, clients who wanted to kill me, harassment by the cops, my office picketed and bugged and those are the glamourous highlights.”

Marc’s phone buzzed with a text message coming in. He quickly checked it and saw it was from Maddy.

“Excuse me,” he said looking around the table. “I know this is a bit rude, but I really need to check this.”

“No problem,” Spenser said. “Go ahead.”

The text was short and to the point. “Must meet ASAP.”

Perfect timing, Marc thought.

“Sorry, fellas, I ah, really have to get going,” he said.

“Something on our case,” Frank Byrne asked.

“I’m not sure, but likely, yes,” Marc said.

On his walk to his car, Marc realized that he could bill Stafford, Hughes for the lunch. He looked at his watch, made a mental note of the amount of time and smiled at the absurdity.

Having eaten a larger, more filling midday meal than he may have ever had, Marc slowly trudged up the back stairs. Instead of going back to the office, what he really wanted to do was lie down and loosen his belt.How do these guys eat like that?he wondered when he reached the top of the stairs.

Entering the suite of offices, he found Maddy already there. She was sitting in a client chair next to a pretty, younger woman. All the office personnel, including the lawyers, were hanging out in the common area, basically in a gabfest and every one of them completely ignored him.

“How was lunch?” Carolyn Lucas finally asked.

“Too much,” Marc answered. “I need a nap. Hi,” he said to Maddy.

“Hey,” Maddy said back.

The younger woman sitting with Maddy almost jumped up. She went right to Marc, right hand extended, and said, “Mr. Kadella, I’m Kellie Johnson, your new clerk. Thank you for this opportunity.”

She was prettier than Connie had described. While she introduced herself, Maddy watched with a sly look and a smirk on her lips.

Marc saw this and said to Maddy, “Very funny.”

To Kellie he said, “Please call me Marc and ignore whatever any of these people say about me. Especially her,” he added indicating Maddy.

“I just stopped to meet everyone,” Kellie said. “They all seem so nice. I hope I fit in.”

“Don’t let first impressions fool you,” Marc said. “They’re all mean, vicious, spiteful people. Connie’s the one who’s in charge. The rest of us try to stay out of her way.”

“And you’re not very good at staying out of my way,” Connie said. “Don’t listen to him, Kellie. He’s a criminal defense lawyer.”

“We need to talk,” Maddy said. She stood up and asked, “Office or conference room?”

“Conference room,” Marc said. “I called Tony, he’s on the way. Barry, if you’re not too busy, would you join us?” he said asking Barry Cline.

“Chris, you want to…?”

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