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She ignores me but laces her hands with mine. This may be one of the best days of my life, not because my team is currently beating hers. No. It has everything to do with sharing it all with my girl.

CHAPTERTWENTY

“Ms. Atkins,” Caroline calls out through the intercom, “Mr. Lane is on line one for you.”

The moment his name is mentioned, the blood in my body boils. It’s an argument I won’t have with Luca. The case against De Santos Environmental is solid. With the testimony I’ve received concerning Keep it Greene Inc., I feel we have a good chance at the civil version of reasonable doubt. Plus, something fishy is going on over at the company. It’s an intuition I have but intuition won’t win me the case. Facts will, and my lead investigator, Tucker Owens, and I are on the same page.

“Thanks, Caroline.” I grab my office phone, hitting line one. “Mr. Lane. How can I help you?”

“Are you sitting down, Ms. Atkins? I just received a phone call from a Keep it Greene Inc. former employee. He has information to share with us. Two other workers have come forward. They’ve not felt right about their part, or so they say. I can’t get away, but they’re spooked and would like to meet with you for now. You’re better equipped to tell them the process than me, anyway.”

I don’t believe this. It’s something Tucker has investigated on his own. This is the first testimony from inside the company that we can use against Keep it Greene Inc. Maybe Harry isn’t as much of a screw-up as I’d thought. My best defense has been to point the finger at them because they’ve slandered Luca’s name for years. But again, like instinct, hearsay won’t win the case.

“Send me the address and I’ll be there.”

Harry clears his throat. “I understand you see Mr. De Santos quite often.” His tone, in the way he emphasizes the last couple words, is relatively passive-aggressive, but I ignore him. “If you could, let’s not mention this to him until we have credible proof.”

As far as business goes, Harry has a better read on Luca’s moods than me.

“Okay, but I won’t keep this from him for long, as his lawyer, and for no other reason.”

“Of course, as his lawyer. It’s what I meant. Let me email you the information.”

What an asshole. And to think I was about to take it easier on him. Not now.

I’ve never been as fully vested in a case as I am with this one. Though it’s on the tip of my tongue, I refrain from telling Harry to fuck off, and I end the call. This lead could make or break this case and ultimately prove Luca is innocent of all charges. It’s all that matters.

* * *

The meeting was set by Harry’s investigator for two p.m. No one wanted to meet near Keep it Greene Inc., and I pull up to the address I’d been given.

As per Harry’s description, a man with a backward Notre Dame hat enters the nondescript diner. I stick out like a sore thumb in my navy-blue Tom Ford pantsuit and my brown studded Valentino heels.

The gentleman with the ballcap is sitting with a young man in his mid-twenties and a woman in her late forties.

“Mr. Clampton?” I ask, approaching the table.

“Yes, Ms. Atkins, I presume.”

The woman scoots over in her seat in the booth, and I deposit myself next to her. She’s distinct, and as a born lawyer, I hope she never commits a crime because she’ll stick out like a sore thumb starting with her dyed red hair and her tight ringlets. She’s tiny, has to be under five feet tall. Her knuckles, along with her hands and her arms, are tattooed with bright ink.

“Thank you for meeting with me today,” I offer and pull out my recording device. Mr. Clampton’s eyes widen with shock. “I assume Mr. Lane told you I’d have to record you all.”

All three look at one another. Of course Harry hadn’t. How does Luca have so much confidence in the man?

I won’t continue without recording because it turns into a he-said-she-said sort of thing, and it can get messy.

“I reckon that’s okay,” Mr. Clampton answers for the other two.

“Great.” I place the device on the table and hit record.

“Please state your name,” I direct at all three of them, pointing to the youngest man first, then the woman and back to Mr. Clampton.

“Leonard Staley.”

“Tawny Shandy.”

“Arthur Clampton.”

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