“No, of course I don’t.” Bennie swallowed hard. She didn’t want to get swept into some emotional tailspin, but emotional tailspins were Judy’s and Mary’s favorite things.
“I just can’t believe that it would come to this. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I understand her position completely, and I guess it can’t be helped, and I know she hasn’t really made her decision yet, and I know that’s hard on you too.”
“And I know it’s hard on you,” Bennie said, trying to stay patient and go with the flow.
“It is, so hard, it really is because I love her and I want her to be happy and I understand why she wants to take the case, why she has to help Simon, but I can’t help it, I have to tell you it feels like you guys are getting divorced, that we’re breaking up something that we’ve had together for so long—”
“I understand,” Bennie interrupted, realizing that she wasn’t as patient as she thought. Or maybe she didn’t trust her own emotions if they went any further down that road. “But I’m calling you about your position with the firm.”
“Mine?”
“Yes, I know that you and Mary are best friends and you might be thinking about going with her. I wanted to touch base with you and persuade you to stay at the firm. You know I think you’re a terrific lawyer and you’ve become my right-hand man, er, woman.” Bennie felt so awkward. “Anyway, you’re irreplaceable to me, and I’m hoping that you will stay.”
“That’s so nice of you to say, and I really appreciate it.” Judy sounded surprised, if troubled. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I am trying to decide what to do, to tell you the truth.”
“Well, do you want to hash it out? We can hash it out together. I don’t blame you, I totally get it. But I’d like to try to discuss it with you.”
“Really?”
“Sure. There’s no reason for anybody to be secretive. We care about each other and we want to make the best decision. It may feel like a divorce, but it’s a friendly one.” Bennie caught Declan’s eye, and he winked.
“Sure, that would be great.” Judy sounded relieved. “I mean, I guess it’s okay if I tell you that Mary did ask me to go with her, and I told her that I had to think about it.”
“Of course, I get that she would do that.” Bennie hoped she hadn’t lost any advantage by not talking to Judy first. She’d just been too thrown for a loop, even an old warhorse like her.
“And you know Mary and I are super close and I love her, and we’ve always practiced together. But I really love working for you, Bennie, and I love your cases. I think your practice and her practice are really two different things.”
“That’s true.” Bennie took heart, straightening up in bed, and Declan took his smartphone from the night table and started tapping away.
“And like I told Mary, I really do love to work on your cases and I would lose that if I went to her. She totally understands that, too.”
“Right, she can’t give you that kind of work. And you and I have things worked out so well together, with me getting that work and bringing it in and you working on it, am I right?”
“Right, we do have it worked out but still, I feel really caught in the middle. Like that’s already happening with the Dumbarton cases. I love working on those cases. I’ve gotten really friendly with Suzanne and Tom from MetalLabs, and they’re a really great group. I never knew metal fabricators could be so nice, and they have really interesting issues. Now I’m in a tug-of-war, with Mary representing OpenSpace and you and me representing Dumbarton.”
Bennie cringed inwardly. She considered not telling Judy that they’d been fired by Dumbarton, but it would be a material omission, which was lawyer speak for dishonest. “Judy, I do have some bad news. We’re not going to be working on Dumbarton anymore.”
“What? What the hell is going on?”
“They fired us, and I sent back all my files. You will have to too, when you get a chance.”
“Just like that? But I’m in the middle of, like, five active matters.”
“I know, but it’s over.” Bennie worried the conversation wasn’t going the way she’d wanted.
“Why did they fire us? When did this happen?”
“This morning.” Bennie didn’t want to dwell on it. “Nate wanted me to represent OpenSpace against Mary, and I wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh no.” Judy groaned. “So he pulled all his work?”
“Yes, but I have plenty of other clients, as you well know, and I don’t want this blown out of proportion. And especially, you should not tell Mary.”
“Why not? You did such a nice thing for her. She should know. She’d feel terrible.”
“And that’s why.” Bennie switched tacks. “And besides, you and I both agree that there’s a conflict of interest, even if she disagrees. There can’t be any further talk to her about our relationship to Dumbarton. It’s divulging confidential client information, and we have to be a lot more observant of these boundaries, especially now.”
“Oh man.”
“It’s even in her best interest. If Nate really goes forward with those disciplinary charges, the less Mary knows about Dumbarton, the better. Understood?”
“Yes, but this sucks,” Judy said after a moment. “And I know she’ll feel even worse, leaving the firm after you did that.”
“Again, not a word.”
“Not a word.”
“Good.” Bennie wanted to return to the subject. “So I hope you’ll stay with the firm.”
“I just need to think about it and try to make a decision. You don’t mind if I take some time to think, do you?”
“No, of course not, you can take all the time you need to decide. You know the players and the practice, and you know what I have to offer you.” Bennie felt Declan tap her on the arm and looked over to see him holding up his phone. He had written on it: sweeten the deal. offer her something.
Judy was saying, “That’s really sweet of you, Bennie. I do appreciate it. I know this can’t be easy for you.”
“For you either.” Bennie took Declan’s suggestion. “But let me mention something else for you to consider. You know how you and I have talked in the past, and we decided that you would probably be making partner next year.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, it occurred to me that we could accelerate that, if you wanted.” Bennie caught Declan’s eye again, and he grinned, shot her a thumbs-up, and went back to his ballgame.
“Really?” Judy said, sounding interested.
“Yes, to be perfectly transparent with you, I am probably going to have to downsize the offices if Mary goes. The overhead is too high for me to handle alone, given cash flow, but that’s not the end of the world.” Bennie put on a brave face, which was her version of makeup. “We’ll have to reconfigure everything about the firm. Start fresh. This might be the perfect time for you to become a partner.”
Judy fell silent a minute. “You don’t have to do that, Bennie.”
“I know, but I want to,” Bennie said, meaning it. There was no reason to delay Judy’s becoming a partner any longer, and Bennie knew it had been uncomfortable for Mary to become partner when her best friend had remained an associate.
“So what would that mean, financially?”
“It would mean that we split the profits. We’re fifty-fifty partners in the billings. Your name goes on the plaque and letterhead instead of Mary’s.”
“I don’t want that,” Judy said quickly. “I don’t need to be a named partner.”
“Why not?” Bennie asked, sensing she had said the wrong thing.
“I don’t want to replace Mary, nobody could replace Mary. I don’t want the credit anyway, and that’s really for people who want their name out there and want to get business. I don’t want my name out there. I’m happy just to keep it going the way it has been, with me in the background and you getting the business.”
“All right, that would be your choice. Whatever you want.” Bennie understood, knowing Judy.
Every lawyer in Creation wanted to be a named partner, but not Judy Carrier. She hated attention, even though she dyed her hair blue. It didn’t make sense, but Bennie loved her for her quirks. She couldn’t lose Judy, too.
“So I’ll think about that,” Judy said, brightening.
“Please do, and take your time. I want what’s best for all of us, I really mean that.”
“I know you do. Thanks a lot, and have a great weekend.”
“You too,” Bennie said, hanging up. She tried to rally, inhaling. “I hope that works. I’d hate to lose her. What if Anne and John went, too? I’d lose my whole law firm.”
“Don’t worry about it until you have to.”
“I have to now.”
“No, you don’t. It’s Friday. Come down here.” Declan patted the bed, and Bennie tried to put it out of her mind, shifting down.
“Thanks for the assist on the phone.”
“See? I’d make a great partner.” Declan smiled.
“I know that.” Bennie hoped he wasn’t hurt, but he tended to roll with the punches, like her. Usually.
“Anyway it’s a standing offer. You change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you, really,” Bennie said, kissing him on the cheek. She snuggled beside him and put her arm across his chest, which was broad and strong, with lean muscles earned from riding horses and pitching hay. She secretly liked his farmer’s tan, typical of his lack of vanity, and he had the perfect amount of chest hair, dark and shot through with silvery strands. Just holding him calmed her down.
“Damn. The game’s on rain delay.”
“Aw, too bad. It’s raining in Philly?”
“Yes, a big thunderstorm.”
“It was fine when I left.” Bennie glanced at the television, where the news was coming on, broadcast from Philadelphia. The lead story was weather, and she rested her head on his chest and watched the TV without really seeing it, replaying Judy’s conversation in her mind. Suddenly a photo on the TV drew her attention, and she did a double-take.
“Declan, turn the sound on,” Bennie said, getting up onto her elbow.
On the screen behind the anchorperson was a smiling photo of Todd Eddington from OpenSpace. A lurid red banner read LOCAL MAN FOUND STABBED TO DEATH.
Bennie reached for her phone.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mary’s cell phone started ringing on her desk, and she felt a tingle of nervousness when she checked the screen and saw it was Bennie calling. Bennie’s profile picture was a candid of her laughing, taken in happier days, and Mary felt a guilty wrench at the sight. She had been working all afternoon, drafting an answer to the defamation complaint and doing the research to see if she should move the case to federal court. The fact that she was leaving the firm, and the effect on Bennie and Judy, had been in the back of her mind the entire time.
She picked up the phone call. “Hi, Bennie, how—”
“Did you see the news? Are you near a TV or a laptop?”
“I’m at the office.” Mary felt startled at the alarm in Bennie’s voice. “What news?”
“Todd Eddington was murdered. I just saw it on TV.”
“Oh my God.” Mary got onto Google, typed in Todd’s name, and a news story came up, a single paragraph:
Local Man Found Dead
Horsham resident Todd Eddington, 38, was found stabbed to death in his car today, at approximately 7:15 p.m., in the parking lot of Tomahawk Country Club in Philadelphia. Eddington was a member of the club and was employed as a Sales Manager by OpenSpace, a cubicle manufacturer in Horsham. Authorities say that Eddington’s death was the result of a stab wound. It has not been determined at this time whether it was self-inflicted.
Mary couldn’t process it quickly enough. “This is terrible! This just happened? Didn’t you interview him just this morning?”
“Yes,” Bennie answered after a moment.
“Did he seem okay to you?” Mary’s mind raced, and she had a million questions at once. “Did he seem depressed or anything, like he’d want to kill himself? Do you think he killed himself because of the case?”
“I don’t know. I shouldn’t say more. We still have a conflict, and I don’t want to divulge privileged information. I shouldn’t have told you that I met with him.”
“But this isn’t about a case, this is about a person. He died, maybe by suicide. Or he could have been murdered.”
“I understand, but this doesn’t end our conflict. Whether it ends your lawsuit is up to you.”
“Right, that’s true.” Mary tried to collect her thoughts. “I wonder if they’ll continue the defamation case against Simon.”
“Pardon me?”
“The defamation case against Simon.” Mary repeated, her jittery gaze traveling over her desk, which was cluttered with Xeroxed cases on trade libel.
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“I didn’t think you did,” Mary said, relieved. “It’s retaliation, pure and simple, and I knew you wouldn’t sanction them serving papers on him in Children’s Hospital, especially when they know that he’s represented. That was shameful. I assume the orders came from Nate, and you should tell him that—”
“Mary, I should really go. I wanted to let you know as, uh, a friend.”
“Sure, right, thanks.” Mary heard the hitch in Bennie’s voice and realized she’d been about to say partner. That Bennie called her friend was enough. Mary tried to ignore the wound in her own chest, which was definitely self-inflicted. “Where are you?”
“Declan’s.”
“Good, that’s good.” Mary felt another wave of guilt. Declan usually came to Bennie because she was the busier of the two. Bennie must have been at an all-time low if she’d chucked work and made the drive out west.
“You okay?”
“Yes.” Mary felt tears come into her eyes. She had betrayed Bennie and she deserved to feel terrible. There was no penance for this sin. “How are you, though?”
“I’m really okay, Mary. Don’t feel bad about your decision. I understand. Take care. Stay well.” Bennie hung up, and Mary swallowed the hard knot around her Adam’s apple. It only made her feel worse that Bennie was being so nice, but Mary willed herself to get her head back in the game. She had to tell Simon what happened and he’d be beside himself. His talk about breaking points this morning worried her, and she knew he’d feel responsible for Todd’s suicide, if it had in fact been a suicide.
Mary pressed in his phone number, listened to the phone ring, but then it went to voicemail. She cleared her throat and left him a message: “Simon, please call me when you get a chance, it’s important.” She pressed End, concerned. It was hard to reach him in the hospital because he was always busy, so she texted, Please call when you get a chance. Important.
Mary set the phone down, hopped back on the computer, and started reading through the stories about Todd Eddington, hoping for more details. There weren’t many and none of them had any more details, since the big news was the thunderstorm raging outside. Rain pounded on the window behind her, and had been all afternoon. Still she would never understand why the weather got better coverage than human life, but that was a question for another day.
Mary rose, picking up her phone, and grabbing her purse and an umbrella before she left the office. She didn’t want to wait for Simon to call back and, on second thought, it was better to deliver the news in person. She just wanted to get the jump on telling him, so he didn’t find out on the TV, which was on all the time in Rachel’s hospital room, though was usually turned to Nickelodeon unless Feet was there, watching the Phillies game.
She hurried out of her office and down the hall, past the empty reception desk, since she was the last one still at work. She crossed to the elevator bank, pressed the button, and found herself turning to face the brass plaque in the lobby, which read Rosato & DiNunzio. She looked at it for a long time and didn’t turn away until the elevator finally came.
Mary hustled out o
f the building, opening the umbrella and hurrying to the curb to flag down a cab. Rain snarled the traffic, which was congested because it was rush hour, but she spotted a Yellow cab up the street and flagged him down. Businesspeople flowed around her on the sidewalk, their umbrellas bumping into one another as they hustled along, shouting on their phones to be heard above the downpour.
Mary waved at the cab frantically, and it flashed its lights at her, which calmed her down. She had to collect her thoughts because Simon would be full of questions about his lawsuits, once he got over the initial shock of Todd Eddington’s death. Its effect on the lawsuits wasn’t easy to figure out, and again, Mary felt the loss of not having somebody to bounce ideas off of. Not only didn’t she have Bennie, but she didn’t have Judy anymore, either, as a result of the conflict of interest. She was completely on her own, which was undoubtedly the shape of things to come.
Be careful what you wish, came immediately to mind, but Mary shooed that thought away. She jumped into the cab as soon as it arrived, closing the door behind her and calling and texting Simon again as they lurched off into traffic. She left the same phone messages and texts, but they weren’t returned even by the time the cab had reached Walnut Street and was heading west to the Penn campus.
The traffic lightened up once they left the expressway entrances behind, and Mary used the time to compose herself, focusing on the task at hand. Simon would need her to be calm, even if she felt inwardly jumbled. His problems were far worse than hers right now, and the only way she could lighten his load was to inspire trust in him. She squared her shoulders as she got out of the cab, hurrying under the canopy, keeping her umbrella closed.
She entered the hospital, which was even busier than usual, filled with families standing near the entrance waiting for rides, their babies in their arms, some with a child-sized plastic tube taped to their little cheeks. She hurried to the elevator bank, grabbed the first one, and had it mostly to herself, patting her hair into place and getting her act together as the elevator doors opened.