Page 98 of Maddy's Justice

“Have we ever stiffed you before?”

“No, but you damn near got me killed a couple of times. There was the time I had to leave town for a year.”

“Shut up, Conrad,” Maddy said. “You’re not going to scam us into extra pay.”

Conrad looked at Maddy who tilted her head slightly to the side and stared back wide-eyed. She knew the affect it would have on him.

“Okay, I’m in,” he said. “The lawyer? Really?”

THIRTY-ONE

Marc and Connie Mickleson were sitting in courtroom 1450 in the Hennepin County Government Center. It was 1:58P.M. and Lori Quinn had still not arrived for the two o’clock hearing.

Connie had rolled her chair back to the railing to chat with Melanie Stewart and Clifford Spenser. Marc rearranged his papers on the table for the third time. He heard the exterior door open and turned expecting to see Lori Quinn come in. Instead, it was someone Marc definitely did not want to see.

“Hey, Marc,” he heard the annoying Star Tribune reporter, Philo Anson say while hurrying up the center aisle. “How’s your case coming?”

“Philo! How nice to see you again. I heard you were dead. We even had a little party in your honor.”

“Very funny…” Philo started to say. He stopped when the judge’s clerk came into the courtroom.

“Ms. Mickelson, Mr. Kadella, Lori Quinn called. She’s going to be a few minutes late.”

“Thank you,” Marc and Connie said almost in unison.

“Is it true about you and Maddy? You’re engaged?” Philo asked.

“You missed your shot, Philo. She was waiting for you to make the move and finally gave up,” Connie said.

“Go sit down, Philo,” Marc said, “I’m not talking to you.”

“After?” Philo asked.

“Maybe, we’ll see,” Marc answered.

“You’re Melanie Stewart and Clifford Spenser,” Philo said to the Stafford lawyers, a statement not a question. “Can I …”

“No,” Melanie said.

“No,” Cliff repeated.

“Philo, sit down,” Marc repeated.

“Haven’t you people heard of the First Amendment? Free press and all that?”

“I vaguely remember hearing something about it in law school, but it’s been a while,” Marc answered.

At that moment, a sharply dressed woman with the look of a predatory hawk in her eyes came through the door. She took one look at Philo and said, “Nice to see you, Philo. We’ll get a drink later.”

This statement explained Philo’s presence and the stories being printed in the paper. Quinn came through the gate and marched up to Marc, hand extended.

“Marc Kadella,” she said. “We meet at last.”

Prior to today’s hearing Marc had let Connie, with Jeff Modell’s help, handle all the preliminaries. Connie had insisted it was time for him to at least show up to see for himself what they were up against.

Marc stood up, a bit surprised to see that Quinn was an inch or two taller than him, shook her hand and replied, “Nice to meet you, Lori.”

“Be a doll and tell Jacobson I’m here,” she said to Marc. “I’ll get set up.”

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