Page 114 of Maddy's Justice

“If you’re gonna dump this guy, maybe we could…” he started but found himself speaking to Maddy’s back as she quickly walked away.

When Maddy was out the door, the counter clerk’s supervisor came out. He had been watching on the ceiling mounted camera.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“The girl of my dreams was looking for her boyfriend. The guy who flew out with Labelle,” the young man replied.

“What?” the supervisor incredulously asked. “Why is she…”

“Says he’s cheating on her when he flies off with Labelle.”

Instead of responding, the supervisor, who had met Alan Dale, found the story hard to believe. Something was not right with this story. Alan Dale could not get a girl like her to say hello to him much less give him reason to cheat.

“What did you tell her?” he angrily asked.

“Um, nothing. I told her I didn’t know anything about where they went.”

“Okay,” the supervisor more calmly said.

A minute later he was back in his office with the surveillance equipment. He recalled the video and found that Maddy had kept her head down and did not look at the camera. He found the best shot he could and used it to get a print of her.

“They went up into Northern Wisconsin,” Maddy said while buckling her seat belt. She put on her ring as Carvelli started the engine.

“The best he had was somewhere up Northwest of Wausau.”

“To do what?” Carvelli asked as he pulled out of the parking space.

“He had no idea,” Maddy said. “Something about a private resort up there. We could check Google maps.”

Carvelli thought about this for a moment then said, “We could, but we don’t know why. We’ve been on this guy for a while and came up with nothing. Hell, they could be up there fishing, for all we know.”

“I don’t think so. He doesn’t have to take a private helicopter to go fishing. He could do that out on Lake Michigan. I trust Paxton. If she says he’s dirty, then he’s dirty. Somehow he’s tied in with Marc’s client.”

Maddy shifted around in her seat enough to face Carvelli and continued. “Stafford, Hughes has a senior partner here in Chicago who is a first cousin of a high up the ladder Sinaloa Cartel guy.”

“And Labelle is buddies with a Boy Scout named Sammy Costa,” Carvelli added. “What are we getting into here?”

THIRTY-SEVEN

Marc had been grinding away on the first plaintiff to be deposed for over four hours. He was also getting nowhere. In fact, what little defense they had was swirling down the bowl.

Marc and Connie had decided to depose Stephanie Chapple first. Hers was the strongest case since she was the one who had recorded Troy clearly making sexual favors a prerequisite for transfer to the Mass Torts Department. Not only was Stephanie holding up under Marc’s drilling, she looked calmer and more relaxed than he felt.

“Let me see if I understand you. You went to this meeting with a recording device to bait Troy into saying something you could sue him for,” Marc said.

This question was clearly objectionable the way it was framed but Lori Quinn did not bother to object. First of all, it was a deposition not an in-court question. The rules are much looser during a deposition. The more important reason she did not object was Marc had asked this question, or at least skirted around variations of it, several times. Stephanie could handle it. In fact, she laughed at the use of the word bait.

“Troy McGovern doesn’t need to be baited, Mr. Kadella. We’ve been over this. I was not dressed provocatively, and I certainly did not put words in his mouth.”

“Still, isn’t it true you went into his office hoping he would incriminate himself, didn’t you?”

“No! Again, I went into his office hoping he had changed his ways and I could get on the mass torts team without screwing him,” Stephanie answered. Except this time, Marc had struck a nerve. Stephanie was getting annoyed, maybe even a little angry.

“Enough,” Lori said. “We’ve been over the same ground. I have patiently waited for something new. Obviously, you’re trying to wear my client down by badgering her.”

“Me?” Marc asked trying to look innocent. Stephanie laughed louder than Connie and Lori.

“Do you have a different line of questioning?” Lori asked.

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