CHAPTER 62: PRECINCT BLUES CHAPTER 4: GOTCHA! OH, AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE OLD ADAGE CONCERNING DESPERATION...

DARIS:

Is it wrong to feel a hard-on right now? Not because of any attraction whatsoever, but for the amazing thrill to watch all of the accused on the verge of being punished? And yet there is so much more to come!

After Brandon arrived at the precinct, I had the distinct pleasure of coming upon his conversation with Carl and Joanne, who I have to say have been most diligent in their handling of this case- or should I say cases- so far. Sometimes even I get overwhelmed by the way they all cross at some point, and that’s just when receiving all of the information they have compiled. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for them to actually take each piece of information, no matter how minute, and arranging it precisely in order to give me the big picture. But that’s why they are both the best qualified to handle this situation, thereby making my job much easier than it could have been. So back to the conversation with Brandon… as he’s explaining everything, including the most mundane details, he emails Carl the pictures he took with the camera on his phone.

Then amazingly enough, he has a sound clip of the entire exchange between Gardner Vance and his two plants within Kinnetik. At first, as I listen in, the details seem to not contain too much relevant information. But then he relays his conversation with Emmett Honeycutt, which sparks something of the utmost interest to me. Interrupting, I say, “So what in that conversation do you think justifies an Interstate search warrant, Brandon?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it made me think of something Emmett said.”

“Which was?”

“That if there was something more to be hidden, it’s the only place that Novotny had left to hide something he didn’t want to be found. It reminded me of a businessman in a sense. In my opinion, they tend to want partners- or a Board of Directors- to spread the risk, so that if anything illegal is happening within their company that they had knowledge of, they can’t be directly blamed. I know that it seems a little convoluted but…”

“No. I think you make a good point in this case,” I reassure him, before looking at both Joanne and Carl. “What’s the one connection that Vance and Novotny would have beyond Brian Kinney?”

At first, they each look puzzled until Joanne smiles slowly. “That would be the former chief Stockwell.”

“Exactly!” I concur. “But so far we were only able to find one tape of a conversation between Vance and Novotny. I’m almost willing to bet that with the type of showboating sonofabitch Novotny is, he would have eventually wanted to come clean to Brian about the lengths he had gone to rescue Brian from his work life so that he could become a man of leisure.”

Brandon nods. “It makes sense, and sounds exactly like something Michael would do. We call him the C.O.A. for a reason.”

“C.O.A.?” Joanne asks.

“Yes. It’s an acronym for center of attention. His tantrums when he isn’t are legendary along Liberty Avenue,” I answer, much to Brandon’s surprise.

“How do you know that?” he asks me, and I can’t help but smile at the trepidation which has suddenly entered his eyes.

I laugh. “I do have gay friends, you know? And more than the token one everyone seems to have nowadays to prove just how liberal they are. The guys and I have been friends since our undergrad years. Unfortunately, they are still trying their best to set me up with their sister, cousin, or even the aunt who’s a bonafide cougar that wants to put me in short pants and spank me.” I mock-shiver, and he laughs. “So don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Brandon. Your nocturnal secrets are safe with me, since you’ve never indulged in those antics while on the clock. Although, if I’m honest, I haven’t seen you running amok in the last two months. So I guess that means things with you and Honeycutt have been going well?”

He blushes, but nods anyway. “Surprisingly so. Amazingly enough, Em and I share a lot in common, including having the attention span of a gnat when it comes to relationships. But he and I are far from bored with each other.”

“That’s a good thing. Real good actually. Brandon, I may not be gay but I still can recognize a quality man when I see one. Emmett Honeycutt is such a person, and very fascinating to watch from the sidelines. Like Brian and Justin, he lives his life by a certain code of ethics. It may not be wholly moral to some, but it’s rock solid and he’s sure of who he is. I can respect that,” I say before addressing the cases once again. “So I’m going to call a few of my contacts to see if we can get that warrant. Something tells me that you and Emmett are onto something, regarding Novotny’s penchant for bragging. The only stipulation I’ll have is that I be included in the search.”

“Carver and I would like to accompany you as well, DA Linton,” Horvath tells me.

“I don’t have a problem with it, providing nothing else of immediate import crosses your desks before I set all of these wheels in motion. Should that happen, I need the two of you to be here to address it as soon as possible. Either way, I'll keep you informed along the way.”

Brandon clears his throat then. “You might want to let Brian and Justin know asap, Sir. They have an interview tonight, but they were planning to leave for California immediately afterwards. I know Emmett and a few of the others were planning to meet them there in a few days. Honestly, they all need a break from being in the center of this mess.”

I nod, acknowledging the truth of his words. Not only are their lives now under a microscope, but the safety net they have come to rely on with Debbie Novotny at the center of it has been all but destroyed because of her son. That has to have shaken the foundation of who each of the men have grown to be. “Let me make the call to my major contact first, and then we all can plan accordingly.”

I came back to my office and called a person that I don’t speak to nearly enough. I called my mom. “Hey, pretty lady. How are things out there in the Golden state?”

“Just fine, Daris. But I know that tone. Why are you calling?” she asks, but I can hear the smirk in her voice.

“Do I have to have a reason to call my favorite woman?”

She laughs outright then. “Absolutely! And don't think that I don't know at the moment that I'm your only woman. your friends' moms have been more than a little forthcoming with that little bit of information. So what do you want, son?” I snicker at my other mothers tattle-telling tactics before getting to the business of my call.

To say that ‘law’ runs in my family would be an understatement. My mother descends from a long line of cops, but none have reached the heights she has. Annabelle Linton-Masters exceeded the expectations of everyone by beginning her career as a clerk within the police department here in Pittsburgh. Then within the next ten years, she rose to the ranks of assistant District Attorney before meeting and marrying my stepfather and relocating to Anaheim, California to be with him. It wasn’t long before she became a district court judge, and now is one of the counties toughest judges.

Many say that I should follow her example, but I’m content trying criminal cases for now. But I think if I tried to switch gears at this point in time, I would just end up pining for the life I have at this very moment. Sure, it doesn’t leave me much time to date. But my career also doesn’t leave me time to think about any potential moments of loneliness either. There just isn't time for that when you have people, like Brian and Justin, depending on you for the restoration of their collective peace of mind.

Coming out of my thoughts, I explain to Mom what I’m working on right now. “I need an interstate search warrant... or at the very least, your cooperation in obtaining one, Judge Linton-Masters. It turns out that I have several cases which are commingling, and it turns out that one of the defendants has a house there.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with your case?"

"Cases, Mother..."

"And don’t think I didn’t notice the use of my official title, before you gave me this incredibly short synopsis of what you want. You may have everyone else fooled, but you’ve never been able to out-slick a can of oil with me, Daris Trayvon Linton. And don’t you forget that! So give me the whole story now, and I’ll think about what it is you’re asking me.”

I sigh, and begin telling her everything thus far, but I only get as far as the name ‘Stockwell’ before she interrupts me again. “That sonofabitch! I knew his father, you know? From what I’ve heard so far, and now what you’re telling me, it’s obvious that the man’s testicles should have been ripped out at birth so he could never reproduce! Do you know who’s riding shotgun on the case so far, Daris?”

“As far as I know, no one has yet been assigned officially even though there have been a few arraignment hearings for some of the defendants thus far. I know that Judge Harold Stone is trying his best to see these cases tried fairly, and quickly. Apparently, he may know something the rest of us don’t.”

I could hear the ‘hmph’ in my mother’s voice as she says, “I don’t doubt that at all, Daris. You would do well to listen to him if he should want to impart some information. So as I’m to understand it, these defendants have been conspiring against these two men for many years? And the main culprit purports himself to be Brian Kinney’s best friend?”

“That’s right. It’s extremely convoluted and the more evidence that’s revealed, the more is coming to the light. This is the one time that the big picture has the potential to be about as big as the screens in an IMAX theater. It’s why we need that search warrant immediately. If there is any way to push these trials up, I want to do that. But more importantly, I want the Taylor-Kinneys and their extended family to finally have some closure to all the bullshit going on around them. Lesser men would have given up and probably laid down and died by now, but not Brian and Justin. Instead they keep fighting; they remind me of you and dad before he died and you married Paul.”

“He’s not a bad sort, you know?” she asks me, quietly. It’s no secret between us that I had a hard time accepting Paul in the beginning.

“I know, and he’s proven himself over the years, Mom. It’s still hard though. I miss Dad.”

“I know you do, Sugar. Me too, but I knew that man better than most. If I had laid there pining for him, he would have figured out a way to turn the bed over and demanded that I get back to fucking living by any means necessary. Of course, I would have tried to slap the Holy fire into him…”

I laugh. Mom and Dad’s fights were legendary from the time they met in Kindergarten. They wouldn’t take crap from anyone, including each other. My grandparents used to say they were destined to end up together because no one else could survive my mom and dad. I suppose that’s true since even I had a hard time surviving them sometimes.

“Have Harold call me, Daris,” she tells me. “In the meantime, let me know what time your flight is going to get in.”

“How did you know I was planning on coming?”

“I didn’t just meet you yesterday, you know. Besides, it’s what both your father and I would have done should we have had a case like this. Micromanaging is in your blood, son. Love you.”

She hangs up before I had a chance to say it back, as she so often does since Dad died. Those were his final words to her before he went into the courtroom, only to be accidentally shot when the plaintiff in a rape case thought the judge was about to let her financially well-off attacker go free. The young woman was beyond distraught when she realized she not only killed her attacker, but my dad who was the prosecuting attorney at the time. It turned out that she was right to take matters into her own hands that day since here it is years later, we are finding out that the State of Pennsylvania vs. Sean Seville was one of the first cases that Judge Roy Russo was bribed to handle the way he had. I still visit Casey Sutton even today after she did the five years she was given.

Originally, Russo had wanted to give her life in prison without the possibility of parole. But my mother and I weren’t having that! Judge Stone was only a defense attorney back then, and pointed out the extenuating circumstances surrounding the case, which the sympathetic judge was more than willing to allow for. Due to that, Casey was sentenced to eight years, but only ended up serving five of those, which was still too much to me. But unfortunately, it was the way the law worked at the time.

Of course Russo, and the Seville family weren’t happy with the verdict. But there wasn’t anything they could publicly do about it, without exposing their own deal at the time. They still tried to make Casey’s life a living hell, both behind bars and once she got out. But again, Mom and I weren’t having any of that shit!

I think the thing that really surprised them was the support Casey had from just about everyone, especially those lofty families within the country club set, who were in the courtroom the day of the shooting. They were just as appalled at the verdict, as the rest of the common public. I don’t think Russo and the Seville family were prepared to be shunned because of their dead son’s actions, while Casey’s family- and later Casey herself- were still welcomed with all the rights and privileges as if the incident never happened. So it will be my absolute pleasure to bring this case before the judiciary board to have Russo’s career stricken from him, before turning him over for Federal prosecution.

After putting in the call to Judge Stone’s clerk requesting that he call me asap, I give orders to one of the officers to bring up one of the prisoners recently brought in. I let him sit for hours in the bowels of the precinct; a true measure of vindictiveness on my part. But I can't indulge any further because now it’s time for him to talk, since his attorney has finally gotten here. If he’s smart, he’ll tell me everything I want to know, even with the man present. But based on his involvement in this entire mess, when could he have ever been considered intelligent?

Christopher Hobbs has proven himself to not only be stupid, but greedy as well. I’m wondering if appealing to his innate need for self-preservation will get me the results I need.

JENNIFER:

I don’t understand exactly what I’m doing here. However, when Glenn called and asked me to meet him at the precinct instead of his office, I figured it must have had something to do with Craig. I nod slightly at Carl and Joanne, before approaching the Desk Sergeant. I wait as patiently as I can before he finally looks up from the file he was writing in. When he does, he smiles apologetically at me, so I can forgive him for the wait, I suppose.

I smile back out of courtesy before addressing him. “Excuse me, Officer. I don’t mean to intrude, but I’m Jennifer Taylor. I was asked to meet Glenn Davis here. Has he arrived yet?”

Before he could answer, I hear the man in question calling my name. “Jennifer, I’m so sorry for the short notice, but I’m due in court soon and it would have taken me forever to get back down here for the arraignment this evening.”

“It’s okay, Glenn, although I am a bit puzzled why you are so anxious to see me. As far as I know, all of Craig’s arraignments have happened already. Am I mistaken?”

“Not to my knowledge, thus far. But follow me into the interrogation room, and I’ll explain everything.”

I do as he asks, feeling the urgency pouring off of him for whatever reason. Something tells me that whatever news he has to impart is not something to be taken lightly at all. I can’t imagine what bullshit Craig has done now which would involve me, or either one of my children. All I know is that it can’t possibly be good. I take the seat he’s pulled out for me to sit in, before he takes measured steps to seat himself.

Looking at him expectantly, I’m quite amazed at the words that suddenly come out of his mouth. “Jennifer, there is no easy way to tell you this, but considering the fact that Roy Russo’s cases are currently under judicial review, I have to.” He sighs, and the feeling of dread sinks into me just that tiny bit deeper to cause me some real alarm. “The first thing I want you to know is that I had no knowledge of this until a couple of weeks ago. I decided to do a little research into matters after my last phone call with Craig. He was trying to find a way for me to force Justin to help him with his failing business…”

“I’m aware of that. Justin was meeting with Jared Thorne over dinner to discuss the possibility of Kinnetik acquiring their account. According to Justin, Craig tried to play the doting father who had just had a minor skirmish with his son. But what has that got to do…”

“I’m getting to that.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I kept trying to figure out what the urgency of the matter really was. He kept citing that it was Molly’s inheritance, but portions of that were ringing untrue. So I decided to check into matters using my contacts within the city’s Commerce department. Apparently, Craig had put Taylor Electronics in Justin’s name, right before he started siphoning off of the trust your father left for your son.”

I don’t know how many people have seen the movie Kill Bill, but I always thought the red Uma Thurman saw and the sirens sounding, which Quentin Tarantino used to convey her rage to the audience were just a clever gimmick… Until now! I find myself wishing for her samurai sword so that I can drive to the federal prison currently housing at least four people, who I want nothing more than to destroy right now, beginning with Russo, and ending with Craig. Drawing on every ounce of my upbringing I can, I ask the most pertinent question that comes to mind right now. “So basically what you’re telling me is that Craig was trying to cover his tracks by making it look like Justin was embezzling from the business?”

He nods, sadly. “Jennifer, I had no knowledge of this.”

“Knowing Craig as I do, I can believe that you didn’t. But the fact is that you sat there, while that fucker tried to crucify me and my son in court during the divorce proceedings. You did your job so well that you allowed the asshole, who should have NEVER been allowed to procreate, to essentially try to leave me and my children homeless while you filed every injunction you could to keep me from finding out and protecting us from his vindictive fallout! Now you fucking sit here and expect me to absolve you of your complacence in his duplicitous behavior. From where I’m sitting, you’re just as responsible!” I say, my voice rising with each word.  

“You’re entitled to your feelings, Jennifer; I won’t deny that. But understand that you can’t possibly hold me any more responsible than I hold myself.”

I calm down again, marginally. I’m still so fucked off that I’m actually considering carrying my own jar of Vaseline in my purse. I close my eyes, trying to calm my nerves, which are spoiling for a major fight right now. But I have to think of Justin right now. He’s finally in a good place, both in his own life and his life with Brian. A past he didn’t have a hand in creating for himself shouldn’t be allowed to bite him in the ass.

“So what do you plan to do about this shitstorm Craig has created?” I ask, so that I know what kind of Charles-control I may have to engage when he finds all of this out.

And he will. My brother has been itching to pay a visit to the Federal prison since earlier today. Just like I want to run people through with a sword right now, my partner-in-crime will likely pay someone to strangle the bastards in their sleep with a sheet. Charles doesn't like to get his hands dirty unless he absolutely has to.

“There are lawsuits being threatened…”

“Lawsuits? For what?”

“Faulty equipment, unfulfilled contracts- things of that nature,” he answers.

“Legally, Justin can’t be held responsible for them, can he? He wasn’t even aware that he was the owner of the business… Hell, he still isn’t as of right this moment!”

“I know that, and if I have your permission, I could bring that point up to the potential litigants…”

I shake my head. “Oh no.”

“Jennifer…”

“NO!” I yell, before taking another calming breath. “You have to understand, Glenn, there is so much more at stake now than just Justin’s good name being dragged through the mud. He and Brian Kinney are legal domestic partners as well as business partners- a fact that I can assure you Craig has been made aware of. So whatever affects Justin, will also affect Brian and Kinnetik Enterprises as a whole. They are currently forming a conglomerate.”

His eyes widen, and then narrow at the implication. “I wasn’t aware of that. Did they enter their partnership before or after Craig approached Justin for his help?”

“Before. I don’t know how soon afterwards Craig was made aware, except that I know Justin mentioned it to him at the restaurant during his meeting with Jared Thorne.”

“What do you mean by soon afterwards?”

I roll my eyes. “Surely, you are aware that Craig’s mistress, Claire Townsend, is Brian Kinney’s sister?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Indeed, Glenn, and the fact is that they have been involved for YEARS. You can also factor in Lindsay Peterson, and a host of others that made up Craig’s harem over the years.”

“Lindsay Peterson? But hasn’t she been married to Melanie Marcus for over ten years?”

“Yes, she was. But her involvement with Craig predates her attendance to Penn State. It was even before you became his attorney.”

“But I have been Craig’s attorney for over twenty… Oh my God, that would mean…”

I can see the moment he realizes just what that means, and I can’t help but smile evilly at him. “Your assumption is correct, Glenn. In fact, Lindsay was Craig’s first mistress that we know of. Just how much do you know about Craig’s incarceration at the moment?”

“Not much, since I told him to find a new attorney a few days ago. He wanted… he wanted me to do something that I couldn’t do in good conscience.”

“Which was?”

“He wanted me to contact Samuel Hobbs and tell him to get rid of some emails. He said that they implicated him in an attempted murder case, which was really not his intent.”

“He’s lying. That attempted murder case just happens to be the bashing of one Justin Cole Taylor on the night of his prom.”

“Justin?”

“Yes. Craig and Lindsay planned to set up Brian Kinney for the deed. But it just so happens that Brian was inside the building, dancing at the prom with Justin. Lindsay sent up the red flag to Craig, and therefore Samuel Hobbs, who Craig must have promised something for his son to be involved. They later used Ron Peterson’s name and contacts to get Lindsay’s car towed back to her house from the parking garage the next day.”

He sits there with shock written all over his face… and then anger. “No.”

“No?”

“No, Craig didn’t promise Samuel anything. If the rumors that were floating around back then have any truth to them, Craig had something on Samuel regarding one of his sons.”

“Christian.”

He nods. “Yes. Something regarding Christian… you know what it is, don’t you?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but I suspect Justin does. He was good friends with Christian although they kept their association low key. Something about running in different circles, since Justin was an artist and Christian was an athlete. So what was it about these rumors that has you looking so angry?” I ask, because if there is any way to get Justin out of the mess Craig was trying to land him in, I need all of the ammunition I can get.

“Just that it was rumored that Christian was gay…”

“Which is the truth, but go on.”

“Well… as I said, I don’t know how much truth there is to the innuendos, but apparently an incident happened between Christian and his father before his disappearance.”

“What kind of…” and suddenly, I feel sick to my stomach. “You don’t mean…”

He looks at me warily before replying. “That’s exactly what I mean. It’s part of the reason Perkins no longer has his job as Headmaster of St. James Academy. The other reason is that after the bashing, a bunch of the parents got together and demanded his termination. It turns out that several students were aware of the blatant bigotry and chronic harassment of Justin during his senior year. They were threatened if they said anything, and probably would have stayed silent since high school was over for them. But then Justin was injured and…”

“Even I never thought it would come to that, Glenn. None of us could have imagined that horror,” I say, as I remember getting the call from Brian.

The strength of character and will that it must have taken him to make that phone call to me. I can still hear the tears and trembling in his voice, the fear and guilt that was oozing through it even then as he told me exactly what had happened. And oh my God, how I treated him when I knew even then how much he cared about Justin… I close my eyes, willing the tears not to fall when I think of how I blamed him, all because he wanted to make Justin’s senior prom a night he would never forget. And then Justin did.

I shake myself out of my reverie to address Glenn again. “So will you be passing all of your new knowledge to the judicial review board? It’s the least you can do.”

“I will, even if the ethics committee has a problem with it.”

“Will it really come to that?” I ask, knowing how much Glenn’s career means to him, and how many people depend on him for support.

“It can, since while all of this was going on, Craig was still my retained client. In fact, he still was even after I found all of this out. Attorney-client privilege can be a slippery slope when it comes to things like this, especially when it involves criminal cases. Although my cloud seems a bit dark at the moment, there does seem to be silver lining for this case. A special kind of justice I guess it can be called.”

“And that is?” I ask, because this is certainly not a when life hands you lemons, make lemonade kind of situation.

“All of Craig’s assets have been frozen, which means that he will have to go with a legal aid attorney. Well, at least until they can determine exactly what’s owed to Justin. Legal aid is not known for actually defending the client; only their right to due process under the law and the negotiation of jail time.” He smiles a bit wider at me then. “We all know that Craig is going to do time- hard time- but his court appointed attorney is not going to put up much of a fight about where and how much.”

Well that’s something, at least. I smile back thinking of the sour taste that’s going to be in Craig’s mouth upon hearing that.

MELANIE:

It’s a relief to see that his fifteen-day stint in County has left Harry no worse for the wear. He looks tired, but I suppose that’s to be expected. It can’t have been easy being in lockup as a lawyer, especially on a battery charge. Granted the judge showed leniency due to the mitigating circumstances, but to let Harry off completely would have set a bad precedent, especially among law enforcement officials. It helps that to date, Harry’s conduct and history of ethical behavior, both in the courtroom and out of it, is impeccable and well-known.

“Thanks for picking me up, Mel,” he tells me.

“It’s not a problem. Besides, I wanted to talk to you when it was just us, and no other ears around to hear us.” He looks at me puzzled, but waits for me to continue. “I need to know what you intend to do about Lance going forward.”

“Off the record?”

“If that’s possible. You have to know that none of us want to see you in this position again…” and there was no need to finish the statement, even as he sighs.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought that far ahead. Herkowitz came to visit me yesterday while I was still in jail…”

“Oh?”

“He’s thinking that I should take some time off until the end of the trial. He’s afraid of the potential backlash, both because of its public nature and my outburst.”

“But surely, he understands just why you reached the breaking point?”

“He might understand it, but he can’t publicly condone it. Considering the nature of the practice, I think he might be right.”

“Bullshit! That was a very private family dispute…”

“On a very public case. In all honesty, if Lance wanted to, he could call my law license into question.”

“You think he would do that?”

“No, but the fact that he could is what poses the biggest problem right now. My conduct has become a liability to the law firm.”

I can see his point, but still it was incredibly fucked up for Herkowitz to pull this shit. It’s an open secret that he’s been looking for a way to buy Donaldson out of the partnership for years, especially since Salzman retired just before Janean and I started our own. Ordinarily, that could be considered impossible, since it was Harry’s family which started the practice many years ago. But Harry’s behavior over what Lance has done could be just the ammunition Mark Herkowitz could use to force Harry out.

“What do you need me to do?”

“I don’t quite know yet.”

“Well… what do you want to do?” I ask, because I need to be able to help him through this. Because of Michael and Lance’s actions, a good man could stand to lose his livelihood all because he lost his temper ONE time in over twenty years.

“That’s another thing I’m not sure of. On one hand, if I sell my partnership to Mark, I know that this incident would never be held against the firm as a whole. But on the other hand, if I sell my partnership to Mark, he’ll be able to turn it into a criminal defense firm as well the corporate law, family law and civil litigation practice it is now. Changing the law we practice in house was the one stipulation my father put on the business when he handed over the reins of the firm to me. It’s not that we aren’t all well-versed in criminal law; it’s just too dangerous an area.”

“How so?”

“You have to understand, my grandfather and father had been growing the firm since the 1940s. Back in those days, the mob was running rampant, there were more criminal cases than there ever were before where that group of people was involved. One of the most popular gangsters of that era came to the firm asking how much it would be to get him off the hook regarding his court case. He was an enforcer within the organization with a body count of at least 115; several of which he’d never been caught for or even suspected of. He was certainly feared and revered within that community. The problem was when my father told him that the nature of his business was something they were not going to defend.”

“What happened?”

“Strangely enough, nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nope. Ironically the bosses were impressed with people who were willing to risk their very life and limb to hold on to their morals. It’s something that, even with their own questionable behavior, they understood.”

I hmph, thinking about that for a moment. “I imagine that code is a lot like how Brian and Justin live their lives. For the most part, something that the rest of us might view as morally wrong, Brian and Justin would just see it as a personal decision, and expect a person to act according to their own edicts.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. It’s why they were able to have an open relationship without a real issue. Sure there were moments of jealousy and misunderstandings, but ultimately, they talked about it, unlike Lindsay and me. Instead, Lindsay spent her time sneaking around while pretending everything was peachy keen between us at home…”

“And you?”

I sigh, thinking about my one major mistake. I don’t count Leda because Lindsay and I decided to fuck around with her together. “I had a one-night stand soon after Gus was born. Lindsay was trying to win Mom of the Year for whatever reason was in her head, and I just felt superfluous to it all. It was like I couldn’t do anything right or please anyone with my decisions. Quite honestly, I was going through a bit of an identity crisis of my own; I can admit that now. Anyway, I remember talking to Brian about it, thinking he would automatically condemn me for cheating on a person whom he considered one of his best friends. He told me to stop beating myself up about it, to acknowledge and accept that I had the right to get my needs met. Looking back on that episode of our lives, I can now sympathize with him, even as I can applaud the fact that he’d taken Justin back after he cheated with Ethan Gold.

“It wasn’t that Brian wasn’t hurt by the entire situation; he just realized that Justin needed something he couldn’t give him at the time. For someone like Brian, who is a fixer by nature, that realization must have been a hard pill to swallow. And whereas I was in Justin’s shoes when I slept with another woman, Lindsay was definitely not as understanding about it as Brian was. I feel like somehow I’d been continuously paying for my one mistake, even while she was out doing the same exact thing with multiple people.”

“You were,” he tells me simply. At my puzzled look, he says, “In all the years you and Lindsay were together, have you never noticed or understood how territorial she was? We all could see it, plain as the nose on your face, Mel. Every time someone took your attention away from her, the narrowing of her eyes spoke volumes, as did her subtle little tantrums. The clearly annoyed flick of hair over her shoulder, or the harsh huff of her breath while her nostrils puffed like a dragon, and the bitingly sarcastic remarks she would cover with a teasing note to her voice even though we all knew she meant every word, it all told us of the personality traits you were either immune to, or just refused to see. It’s why very few of the spouses or significant others of our co-workers would have almost nothing to say to her when we had an office party or were mingling at various conventions. She’s always been an off-putting harridan.”

“Wow! I never knew that.”

“No, and if not for this particular conversation, you probably still wouldn’t. None of us wanted to alienate you, but we couldn’t very well tell you to leave your pet viper at home without doing so. Therefore we took the high road, and kept our interactions with you in her presence down to a minimum.”

We lapse into silence for a few moments before I  steer the conversation back to the partnership. “So, Harry, let me ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“What would happen if you let Herkowitz buy you out of the firm?” At his look of horror, I say, “Hear me out first, okay?” He nods, and I smile reassuringly at him as I realize that there have been innumerable advantages to being a member of what has to be one of the most creatively stimulated households anywhere. Well it’s time to make Brian and Justin proud. “So, as you know, Kinnetik Advertising, aside from acquiring some pretty lucrative accounts before they took over Vanguard, have also decided to partner with other companies to form a conglomerate.”

“Really? That’s a great idea. It’s risky at this stage in their careers, but I’m learning that if anyone can make it work, Brian and Justin can. So are you and Janean joining the conglomerate?”

“We are, which is part of the reason I’m bringing this up to you.” I take a deep breath, realizing that what I’m proposing could go either way with Harry.

I understand his legacy, which isn’t all that different from my own in reference to our families. It’s like if you succeed, you’re expected to carry the hopes for an entire community, and not simply just because you worked your ass off for the benefits of success. Ironically, it was one of my talks with Daphne, which put it all into perspective for me, since she was experiencing the same kind of guilt from one of her family members. She’d finally told her relative to stick their entitlement issues up their ass and spin on it. Following her lead, I just had to tell my cousin, Rita, the same thing when she expected me to fund her next foray into matrimony. She called my mother and after I explained in succinct detail just why I would not do it, she let it go. Well, at least until the next time Big Bad Mel won’t do what’s supposedly expected of me for benefit of someone else’s happiness other than my own, my son’s, or my newfound family. And isn’t it just a little ironic that I consider Brian Kinney a major part of it? I could almost hear him cheering in my head as I told my mother where Rita could stick her demands.

Shaking myself out of that scary thought, I refocus on Harry. “There’s no question that Janean and I are going to join Brian and Justin in their endeavor, but we want you on board, too.” At his puzzled look, I ask him to hear me out again before continuing. “The one thing that Herkowitz never seemed to understand is that you are the heart and pulse of the firm. People respond to you, and they listen when you speak. You have a rapport with the clients, whose families have been willing patrons of yours for many more years than Mark Herkowitz can even begin to think of. That said, my suggestion is to let him have the firm. Sooner than later, he’ll realize that your clients would be willing to follow you wherever you go. As a result of allowing you to buy yourself out of the partnership, you pay into the conglomerate, but market yourself as not only an attorney with a stellar reputation, but as a consultant as well. Are you still assisting with the curriculum at Carnegie for Pre-law and Law students?”

“I didn’t know you knew about that.”

I smile at him. “There’s a lot about you that I know, but don’t say, Harry. You have hidden depths that people like Herkowitz are too self-absorbed to see. So in essence, you are indeed a consultant. Not only that, but you have served on the Ethics review board for twelve years before you willingly gave up your seat for someone else to occupy. All of that hasn’t gone unnoticed, you know.”

“I just wanted to do what I can, when I can, to further my grandfather’s and father’s legacies,” he says modestly, when it really was so much more than that.

“And you’ve done an admirable job, but it’s time to start building your own legacy. So let Herkowitz sink or swim on his own, without your good, strong name to back him up. Work with Janean and me, or better yet, start your own LLC under the Kinnetik umbrella. You have nothing left to lose, and everything to gain for yourself; don’t squander your chance to spread your wings.”

I can see that he is absorbing everything I’m saying, but he asks, “But if I do that, will you still work as a consultant for the firm?”

I shake my head. “No, Harry. Janean and I signed a consultation contract with you, not the Donaldson/Herkowitz firm. Our agreement to still consult on the cases that were pending is still being honored, but that was because YOU were in charge of the caseload. We just allowed the attorneys under him to ask questions of us because of our loyalty to you. We didn’t want the firm harmed because of their ineptitude, or by the arrogance of a person who really would benefit from some sensitivity training. So I think I can safely speak for myself and Janean- who really can’t stand him, by the way- Mark Herkowitz can stick his dick in a light socket and shock to death, because without you, we won’t work with him.”

I laugh at his wince during my spiel, and enjoy the small chuckle which escapes him. “You know, Mel, you can give the most uncomfortable imagery with your words sometimes.”

“I laugh. “Hang around Brian long enough, and you’ll learn from the Master, too.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. So, first things first, as independent contractors, Janean and I will draw up the offer- a monetary amount for removing your name from the firm. The dissolution of the partnership will not include a non-competition clause, because of the way we are going to market you. Herkowitz will have no recourse should your ‘former’ clients choose to seek you out of their own volition. After all, you are not going into retirement, never even hinted at such a thing, but you are just choosing to redirect some of your talents. So if they are willing to pay your retainer fee, while disassociating themselves and their cases with Herkowitz, that’s their decision. In the meantime, when they call…”

“You mean if…”

“No, I meant what I said. When. Because they will surely miss you. Anyway, when they call, make sure to advise them that you need all of the paperwork they’ve handed over and whatever investigative notes that have been made on their files. Whereas, technically you will be starting from scratch, since you were the lead attorney on their case, obtaining the information should be relatively easy. However, having them request a copy of their entire file before officially leaving the firm will save time when it comes to picking up where you left off. The best part is that no part of the file, including whatever dockets accompany those files, can be withheld from the client. Since they paid the initial retainer fee, that information is theirs, since you were working on their behalf. If Herkowitz tries to deny them access to their records, that’s a potential lawsuit which is not something he would want, especially now that the partnership is being dissolved.”

He laughs. “You’re teaching me to run the fine line between morally right and questionable behavior, aren’t you?”

“Indeed, I am,” I smile back. “Besides, who’s really to say how we choose to handle your exit from the firm is really right or wrong? Surely, the ethics committee won’t have any complaints since you’re still operating within the law. You have no need to engage in espionage, or reputational sabotage considering how many people view Herkowitz. That includes those of us who have worked with him for years. You’ll come out of this smelling as sweet as a lily.”

“Not a rose?”

“Good God, no! Besides, Justin and I are allergic to roses, and trust me you’ll want us around. If you think I have a knack for subterfuge, you should watch him in action. He’s perfected the look of wholesome innocence of the moneyed population, even as he twists the metaphorical knife using razor-sharp words and rapier wit.”

“Ah, another master to learn from then?”

“Definitely.” I smile at him again before making the turn into his driveway. Janean and I felt a little guilty for taking Harry up on his suggestion that we split off and become our own firm. But now, we no longer have to. As I sit here in the car, waiting for him to get a shower and come back out to go to our house for the evening, I dial a very familiar number.”

“Yeah, Smelly Melly?”

“Kinney, I just called to tell you that you owe me a bonus.”

“Oh? For what?”

“I just landed Kinnetik Enterprises a whale of an account. Harry is splitting off from the partnership of the firm, and joining the conglomerate.”

I smile as I hear Justin whooping in the background. “I’m bringing him home with me so Janean and I can draw up the Dissolution papers. Maybe you guys can give him an idea about how to market himself. I told him that with his experience, we should market him as a consultant. Although I know all of the clients he works with now, and those of the past, are going to seek him out to be their retained representation again.”

“Good. Good job, Mel. I might make an ad exec out of you yet,” Brian jokes.

“Don’t bank on it, Brian. This one was a fairly easy sell, but still nerve-wrecking. I’ll take the comfort of hundred year old law tomes anyday.” I’m not lying. Watching Brian and Justin work these past many weeks has given me a new respect for the man who I just thought sold a bunch of shit no one needed.

I can feel Brian’s stunned silence through the phone, and am hard-pressed not to laugh. Off the wall, even-handed compliments have also been happening more frequently between him and I lately. I don’t think it’s that we’re mellowing; just acknowledging that character assassinations are no longer on the table. I hear him clear his throat, while he comes out of his stupor. “Tell him not to worry about the cost of the campaign…”

“The KICK ASS CAMPAIGN!” Justin yells in the background, causing both me and Brian to laugh.

“Well you heard, Sunshine. Tell him not to worry about the cost of the kick ass campaign we’re going to do for him. This one’s on us.”

“Why would you do that, Brian? We both know that Harry would be more than happy to pay your fee under Elite. He has a pretty hefty client base that I’m sure will walk the moment they realize Harry is no longer affiliated with the firm.”

“I don’t doubt it, but… well guess who Samuel Hobbs retained as his family’s attorney as of yesterday...”

And when he tells me, there’s no doubt in my mind that I realize the dissolution won’t wait- it can’t wait for twenty-four more hours. It needs to happen NOW, before Herkowitz’s greed and amoral associations causes some reputational damage on its own! “I need you to do me a huge favor, Brian. I need you to lay out all the rest of the details to Justin, and get him to call Janean. He’ll be able to tell her exactly what action she needs to take in reference to the contracts we all signed when we started with Donaldson’s firm.”

“Why would Justin know about that?”

“I let him have a look at the clauses in my contract with the firm when we were discussing how his and Michael’s should read. At the time, I remember Justin asking me about the lack of non-competition clause, but the introduction of a conflict of interests clause. It states that at no time should we represent someone who is in direct conflict with one of our clients. Since you both were clients of ours when the Hobbs trial came up, and technically as of this moment I still consult for Donaldson, Mark Herkowitz is in direct violation of the very specific wording in the clause. Based on whatever Justin decides to do, he can always file a civil suit since we are still within the statute of limitations. With the current misconduct investigation of Russo and Stockwell, alongside the almost guaranteed conviction of Chris Hobbs, his case can only be strengthened at this point.

“However, addressing that scenario is not the most pressing issue at the moment. We have to get Donaldson untangled from the firm before it becomes public knowledge that Herkowitz has picked up the fucking bastard, who is about to be tried for attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, as a client. If we don’t, not only will it sully Harry’s reputation, but also destroy any chance Justin would ever have of restitution against everyone involved in getting Christopher Hobbs released with a mere slap on the wrist for trying to… well, you know. So get on that and I’ll get Harry moving like he has a stick of dynamite up his ass, then we’ll be on our way to the house in a few minutes.”

I leave the car and run into the house as if the hounds of hell are nipping at my heels… well technically they are chomping at the bit to hurt, maim, or kill all of us, but Harry’s entire professional career is hanging in the balance right this second. Oh no, Mark Herkowitz, I WILL NOT let you fuck Harry over like this for your own gain! Instead Janean and I will fuck you… Better yet, Justin, me and Janean will and you WILL NOT enjoy it! And it’s then that I make the connection between Harry’s soon-to-be former business partner, and his client. OH, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!

WARDEN SHELIA MONTGOMERY

I know that right now I have to remain the absolute picture of calm, cool, and collected. I have to think of my job, and all of the responsibility that I have, instead of my feelings of disgust and rage right now. I have to think of my livelihood, and my legacy as only one of two female wardens in Pennsylvania, both at the state and federal levels, to stop myself from going postal right now. Rachel Talberti and I have worked our asses off to achieve the levels of respect and success that we now have within the judicial system. We’ve endured everything from the bawdy jokes and unreported incidents of sexual harassment, to having to be challenged for promotions that we were more than qualified to receive but often passed over for because we are women.

So looking at these two pathetic imbeciles before me, one of them being a fucking WOMAN, I am more than ready to either shoot them, or chuck them down the metal stairs outside my office, head first! “So let me get this straight: Not only are you two married to each other, but you had an affair with the prisoner, Lindsay Peterson, before you even left high school?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tara answers me, her voice low. My heart almost goes out to her, since she’s put herself in the same position many women have since the beginning of time. She’s guilty of doing anything to keep her man, even if it has gone against everything she’s ever wanted for herself.

However, at what point do you lower yourself to fuck with a conniving cunt like Lindsay Peterson? “So when did you decide to resume the affair? Or did it ever stop?” I ask, looking at Chase Andrews, who is so obviously trying to hide the smirk threatening to burst forth. I want to fucking smack him!

“It did stop for a little while, when we got married,” Tara answers.

“How long is a little while?”

“About six months.”

“And how long have you two been married?”

“Since just after graduation. We were in an arranged marriage, even though we dated most of high school anyway,” Chase answers.

I can’t even begin to curb my morbid fascination with this bullshit, so I don’t. “Out of curiosity, when did you start seeing Lindsay Peterson?”

“We weren’t seeing her. We were fucking her; there’s a big difference.” Chase smirks again.

I narrow my eyes at him. “My mistake. So when?”

“When what?”

“When did you two begin your sexual relationship with her?”

“Why is that important?” Tara asks me.

“Because it is for reasons that have far-reaching consequences, including that of your jobs.”

“Our jobs?!” They both yell, before Chase stands up.

“Look, lady…”

I stand up and get in his face, before he could even think to get in mine. “Sit your ass down!”

“Or what?” he sneers back, while Tara sits in her chair, looking like she is about to cry.

“You’ll be learning what ‘face down, ass up’ really means courtesy of Baby Jane,” I tell him, pulling my Desert Eagle from my waistband and placing it lovingly on my desk. I can’t help but relish the fear entering his eyes as he watches me caress the ivory inlay of the handle. “Now, you can either sit down and answer all of my questions so that I can come up with a suitable solution, or…”

“Or what?” He sneers, although the little sheen of sweat above his lips gives his fear away.

“Or I will happily shoot you and put you out of your wife’s misery. The choice is yours.” He stares at me, and I return it, blandly.

Part of me really hopes that he makes me shoot him, since I hate manipulative men like this asshole. I also hate weak-willed women, but I understand about the world that Tara Andrews grew up in, and the fact that her career is technically the antithesis of what she was always raised to believe. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me from punching her in the throat for making such a stupid decision right now. Chase sits down, snatching Tara’s hand to his own. I smirk, knowing he’s trying to calm his churning belly right now.

Good!

I retake my own seat, and continue with the conversation as if the threat to Chase's stupid ass never happened. “So what I want to know is when your congress with her began. We know that it was in high school, by your own admission. But you both never mentioned your ages.”

“Why are you asking?” Chase finally recovered his voice enough to rejoin the interrogation.

“Don’t worry. It’s not so that I can charge you with anything other than you being stupid to get involved with her in the first place. However, if word got out about your affair…”

“It wasn’t an affair!” Chase specifies again through gritted teeth, which I choose to ignore and go on as if he hadn’t spoken.

“...your credibility within your respective careers will be ruined.”

“God, I don’t think we even realized that could happen since we were involved with Lindsay off and on for many years prior to her arrest,” Tara says.

“When was the last time you two had sexual relations with her before she ended up in here?”

“Almost three weeks prior,” Chase confirms. “We ran into her at a party…”

“You mean an orgy?”

He drops his eyes at first, before meeting mine head on again. “Yes. We were at a swingers party. Which now that I think of it makes me wonder what she was doing there, since she didn’t have a partner… or so we thought at the time. Anyway, as we were fucking, she kept saying that what we were doing was going to the greater good, whatever that meant.”

Tara narrows her eyes at him, before saying, “I swear, sometimes it’s like you walk around with earmuffs on, Chase! Haven’t you been paying any attention to the rumors circulating around here? Lindsay’s big plan all this time was to force Justin to leave Brian! Or more accurately, it was to entrap Brian Taylor-Kinney into taking care of her and our baby.”

“So you’ve decided you want the baby, then?” he asks, and suddenly I feel like I’m intruding on a very private moment between the two of them.

“I don’t know what I’m saying, only that he or she doesn’t deserve any of us as parents. However, it doesn’t mean that we can’t raise the baby well, or at the very least, see to their well-being no matter what we decide.”

“But you know there will be some controversy regarding the conception and subsequent birth…”

“Indeed, I do, Chase. But we’re already subject to the scrutiny by the small-minded anyway, so that’s nothing new for us. I just don’t know if I would want that kind of stigma to hang over an innocent child. No matter the nefarious purposes surrounding their existence, they still shouldn’t have to suffer for the idiocy we engaged in.”

I clear my throat to get their attention back to the matter at hand when they both appear lost in their thoughts and each other. “I have to wonder why did you both chose to work in law enforcement anyway? I mean, it’s not like you couldn’t choose to not work at all. You’re both part of high society, so why work when you don’t have to?”

Chase sighs, and sits back in his chair. He’s still holding onto Tara’s hand, caressing the inside of it with his thumb. It’s then that I notice, that although their relationship could be seen as questionable, the affection between them is actually genuine. I guess it would have to be for them to have conducted themselves as they have in reference to Lindsay Peterson and countless others and yet still be as together now as they have been since high school. It kind of reminds me of what I’ve heard about the Taylor-Kinneys.

“Ironically, it was the bashing of Justin Taylor that prompted us to pursue careers in law enforcement,” he says.

“Really? How so?”

“Although I was friends with Chris, I still didn’t agree with Chris’ plan to harm to Justin, nor how the case was handled following the incident. Tara didn’t either. In fact, we just thought it was all bullshit, the way Chris usually spouted his crap when something or someone pissed him off. We honestly didn’t take him seriously, even with all of the evidence to the contrary, but we should have. We- meaning all of the classmates who knew the real history of harassment stemming from Hobbs toward Taylor- were ordered to remain silent before, during, and after the investigation.”

“Who ordered you?”

“Our families,” Tara answers. “The most effective action they collectively took was to call for the termination of Mitchell Perkins as the Headmaster of Saint James Academy, which in the grand scheme of the entire situation wasn’t all that effective since the asshole who currently holds the seat is just as bigoted. But you want to know the most tragic thing about their mandate? It wasn’t because technically it didn’t involve us directly, or even because the event was too horrible to contemplate it happening to one of their own children. It was due to some misguided notion of solidarity among the elite. It was about the alliances they wanted to keep hidden, with no thought to how the incident left a lasting impression on all of us. In short, as long as their kids weren’t at the center of controversy, everything else could be overlooked as if a problem never existed. And said children were scared out of their minds, since the parents, or in some cases, whomever else it was that held the family’s coffers favorite method of control was to use what Craig Taylor did to Justin as a cautionary tale.

"They may have disagreed with everything that was done in reference to Chris’ city-wide violent streak. But God forbid they actually say something about it, and thereby go against one of the most powerful families within our sect! The funny thing is that they seemed to forget that Justin’s mother’s family was even more powerful than the Hobbs machine. I guess they will be scrambling to get back into the Alwin family’s good graces now that Hobbs, Senior and Chris are out of their collective orbit.”

“Yeah, and if they’re smart, they will oust Kevin Dixon at the end of the school year as well, before there’s another incident like the one which occurred at our Senior Prom. That fucker is even more of a loose canon than Chris Hobbs,” Chase adds.

I absorb what the two of them had to say. They are remarkably well-informed, but I suppose they would be since they were subject to it in some form or another everyday. It seems like the older generation is about to be scrambling in more ways than they bargained for if this new generation of the WASP nest get their way. “So basically you hated the injustice of it all?”

“Hell yeah, we did,” Chase says. “Tara and I don’t live our lives the way the elders think we ought, but we weren’t physically harmed because of it. That’s the most disturbing thing about it all; that Justin almost ended up dead because of the bigoted ideals of others, who had absolutely nothing to do with a his life choices. It’s fucking scary when you think about it, and a throwback to the incredibly wrong thinking of the world’s most notorious leaders, who turned their countries into killing fields! A different context and perhaps not as violent, to be sure, but it’s no less true. But what could we have done about it without losing everything? Sure, we knew the truth of things, but our inheritances were at stake.”

“In our corner of the world, you can’t fight to live the way you want without the financial means to do it. So we did the next best thing we could. We signed up for the police academy, and became corrections officers. Needless to say that our families aren’t happy that they can’t hold our inheritances over our heads like the proverbial anvil anymore, but they can’t make a move against us without looking like tyrants. Which although all of the elders are, in their minds none of them should be publicly perceived as such since it could affect their business dealings. If the institutionalized bigotry within our sect becomes public knowledge, no matter what form it takes, there’s no way for them to recover financially. It’s okay to be prejudiced as long as it’s spoken about behind closed doors,” Tara tells me.

Listening to them describe growing up with these people has my blood almost ready to boil. No doubt, I have experienced my own brand of hatred from various individuals; first because I’m black, and then because I’m an intelligent black woman. According to most of those kinds of assholes, I shouldn’t have been allowed an education or to become anything other than a welfare case barely surviving the ghetto life I was born into. It’s why I worked as hard as any man to obtain the position I have within these hallowed walls. My full ride scholarship to Spelman College in Georgia, and then my subsequent degree from Harvard Law School went a long way to dispelling the myth that my only value was between my legs.

It’s part of the reason why I abhor chicks like Lindsay Peterson. She’s intelligent and could have taken advantage of every opportunity to better herself, for herself, instead of wanting to be nothing more than a kept woman! I take a deep breath before deciding that I have enough to go on, for now. “Okay, so to wrap this up, I will submit my report and my review to the Disciplinary Committee. The one thing in your favor is that you both came to me first, before allowing this entire situation to snowball even more out of control than it already is. I can’t guarantee what they will do, but I can tell you that I won’t recommend that you lose your careers because of your blatant misconduct. However, should they decide to show you leniency, you will not work in this facility or any on this side of the state line.”

“But…” Tara starts to argue, but I hold up my hand.

“There are specific reasons for that, the first being what you told me about Peterson’s threat to you. If able, I have no doubt that she will continue to hang your past indiscretions over your heads, no matter that she was an instigator in them. Because of your position of power- both here and within your social set- she’ll come off looking like the victim she isn’t. Removing you both out of her reach is the only way to protect you, regardless of if you keep your jobs or not. The other thing is the matter that Hobbs and son have been arrested, and no doubt will be coming here, which means...” I am interrupted by the knock on the door. “Officer Mills, what can I do for you?”

“Peterson is being rushed to the infirmary,” she says without preamble. It’s one of the things I’ve always appreciated about her approach. She cuts through all the bullshit pleasantries to get directly to the point.

“Oh? Any specific reason why?”

“I caught her punching herself in the stomach.” I gasp at the implication, and steal a quick glance at Tara and Chase before turning back to Mills. “Honestly, I don’t think she meant to take it as far as she did. She was probably only thinking to get out of her appearance in court this afternoon.”

“Is the baby…” Tara begins but immediately falls silent, in shock, I suppose. I can’t say that I blame her.

“I can’t be sure, but there was a lot of blood. That’s all I know for right now.”

Coming out of my own stupor, I tell her, “Watch the situation carefully and report directly to me when you know something. I don’t have to ask why she would do something like this…”

“If it’s any indication, aside from trying to get out of going to court, she kept mumbling something about how her plans keep going awry. Based on the fact that they are in here, it doesn’t leave much doubt as to what she was referring to.”

“That, and no doubt she’s trying for an insanity plea now since nothing else she’s been trying is working. But why harm the child?”

Tara snickers, sadly. “If you know anything about Lindsay Peterson, you would understand that anything which doesn’t serve her purpose is considered expendable. That’s especially true when it comes to another human being. In Lindsay’s world, her associations with people are simply just a means to an end; sort of the way you would sacrifice your pawns on a chess board to become the reigning Queen. The only reason she would have children in the first place is if they could be used as bargaining chips. When that doesn’t work, it’s nothing to sacrifice their well-being in pursuit of her happiness, to which Brian Taylor-Kinney holds the key. Having Gus Taylor-Kinney didn’t work to bring Brian to heel, and neither would having this one.”

I nod in acknowledgement of Tara’s assessment of Peterson’s character. “Mills, keep me informed. Andrews and Johnson, you’re both placed on administrative leave, pending the findings of the Disciplinary committee. They’ll be in touch regarding your appointment, which should come up within the week. In the meantime, I’m going to contact the D.A. to inform him of this latest development in the ongoing saga of Lindsay Peterson. I’m sure that conversation will certainly not turn out the way she’s hoping it will. What was the hearing this afternoon about?”

“It’s supposed to be the preliminary hearing, naming her as a co-conspirator of the attempted murder of Justin Taylor. Craig Taylor should just be getting back to his cell right about now.”

“Sounds like another interesting day,” I say sardonically, before dismissing all of them. But instead of my first call being to Daris Linton, I opt to call Rachel Talberti. I heard a rumor of my own, and although I don’t yet know how true it is, it can’t hurt giving her a heads-up in case there is any truth to it.

“This is Warden Montgomery calling for Warden Talberti. Please put me through immediately.” I wait on the phone, listening to “Smooth Criminal”, thinking how none of the motley crew involved in these cases could even begin to measure up to the greatness of this song… or any other song except for fucking Humpty Dumpty. A bunch of broken-brained motherfu… “Oh hi, thanks. I’ll wait. In fact, just tell her I’m coming over there. I’ll arrive in about ten minutes,” I tell her secretary. I’ve just decided that is a conversation that needs to be had face-to face.

CRAIG:

Could this ordeal get any worse?! First, Glenn quits on me, so then I’m left to this insignificant pissant, who has the nerve to be arrogant. He works for Legal Aid; how effective an attorney could he be?! But I suppose it’s part of the whole right to due process bullshit they spout when you get arrested. I thought for sure they would delay, since Glenn was my attorney on file, but NO! They just informed me of the change yesterday, which was exactly two days after Glenn told me to get someone else to represent me. The problem came when I tried to follow his brilliant legal advice. The fucking bastard didn’t even bother to tell me that all of my assets were frozen! So much for friendship!

“Mr. Taylor, are you listening to me?” my new attorney, Mason Crawford, asks me. A more nerdy looking guy couldn’t possibly exist on the planet. He reminds me of fucking Woodsy the Owl.

“I heard you,” I reply, through gritted teeth.

“I’m not sure you did,” he replies in the same manner, surprisingly showing a backbone. “When we go in there, you are to plead guilty.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Uh, because you are,” he responds as if the answer should be obvious. “The fact is that the evidence in this case against you is overwhelming. If Hobbs has a chance to prove that the whole assault on your son…”

I explode, “I DON’T HAVE A SON!”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, well, biology says you do. So as I was saying, if Mr. Hobbs presents the argument that the collusion to assault Justin Taylor-Kinney was between him, his son, and yourself at your behest as payment for your silence about what he did to Christian Hobbs, you could get a lot more time. There is no question that you knew it was going to happen, and even had an outside accomplice feeding you information about the whereabouts of your son. But how much time you'll serve is entirely up to you. At this point, the D.A. might even be willing to offer you a deal in exchange for your testimony against Hobbs.”

“Why? Has he been arrested?”

Again with the eyeroll! “Why else would I be mentioning it if he hadn’t? Of course he has, alongside his son Christopher, who will no doubt burn you both when he is charged and actually tried for attempted murder as he should have been from the moment he was arrested. Since all of Russo’s cases are being reviewed because of his suspect rulings, it's going to override the rule of double jeopardy because of Stockwell's alleged misconduct. Beginning with the most recent rulings, The State versus Christopher Mark Hobbs should come up relatively soon, but they will probably wait for Russo and Stockwell's trials to be more than halfway through before the official start of the younger Hobbs. Although you’re going to plead guilty to show how remorseful, and benevolent you are by saving the taxpayers’ money, you still need to prepare an adequate defense against the allegations he’s sure to hurl at you in order to make you the fall guy.”

“How do you know so much about it?”

“The D.A. has to share information to give your defense counsel an adequate chance of defending you. It’s called professional courtesy.”

“So really the burden of proof is on the prosecution?”

“Yes, it is. But in this case, all they have to do is show up, present the evidence, and you go away for twenty years, just for this case alone. You still might do that amount of time anyway with the list of charges levied against you thus far, so why not give yourself a chance to have your sentence knocked down at least a little bit by cooperating? You can bet your ass that your friends- and I use that term loosely- are going to try to make their own deals by ratting you out. Do you want to become this year’s variation of sitting duck? I can assure you, it's not a good look.”

I hate this. And most of all, I hate that he’s right! I don’t have the political clout or money to back me the way Samuel Hobbs and his boy do; Jennifer and Justin are seeing to that. I can’t even justify my actions to myself anymore because none of it makes me look any better. I can’t say that this was all to protect Justin, when it couldn’t be further from the truth. If that was the case, I would never have put the business in his name on his thirteenth birthday with Russo’s help. Everything I’ve done in my quest for power among the elite is coming back to bite me in the ass.

Fuck! I can’t even blame Jennifer for any of it. I can’t blame Charles Alwin for protecting her, and therefore Justin and Molly. I just needed a little more time to transfer everything over to Peter, so that I would have a straight son to take over so I could retire in peace. But now, none of that is going to happen, because the son I wanted dead is still alive, well, breathing, and fucking happy. The question is: how do I make his hard-won happiness work to my advantage?

I sigh, not seeing any other option in the matter. “Fine, I’ll do what you said, but make sure the D.A. is willing to deal with me before I do.”

“I can’t guarantee he’ll want to deal on any of the other cases…”

“Let’s just deal with this one for now. And maybe someday I can restore the relationship with my son… actually both of them. I was a halfway decent father at one time.”

“Not from what I’ve heard, but you’re right. Maybe with time and distance you’ll finally become the father you should have been, beginning with screwing the people who would have happily stood by Justin’s casket while he was lowered into the ground.” And you too, was left unsaid, but I heard it anyway.

“The first thing you need to know is how all of this came about. It started with Christian and Christopher Hobbs…”

An hour, and a heavy question and answer period later Crawford leaves, and I’m being taken back to my cell, wondering if I did the right thing. As I settle down on my bunk, I remember Justin’s parting words to me not so long ago. ‘Only, the gay son you wanted erased from your family tree, didn’t die. The man she (Lindsay Peterson) wanted still isn’t into pussy. The man your lover (Claire Townsend) wanted bankrupt and cowered, is on his way to be richer than he’s ever been, as is the son you stole from. The man you used to keep tabs on Brian and me (Lance Freeman) is probably wishing he’d never met any of you. The best friend and whiny brat (Michael Novotny), who thought to finally be rid of me, will see me in his nightmares every single night as I go on happily with my life and my lover as if he’s never existed. And you all are now in jail with multiple charges, and facing years. Was it all worth it?’

Justin was right. It wasn’t worth it at all! I hold my head in my hands, and weep in the privacy of my cell, which will undoubtedly be the only home I’ll have for the foreseeable future.

WARDEN RACHEL TALBERTI

Shelia arrives, and I can tell she’s just itching to tell me something. She and I met when we first joined the police academy many moons ago. As the only two women in the sea of men, we just sort of bonded. Even as our assignments took us in different directions, we maintained the friendship. We had a standing girls night with a few others, but none of them are as close as Shelia and I are.

I suppose it’s because of the positions we hold within this male dominated society, where it was thought that men were the only ones capable enough to rule the roost with an iron fist. We know that the powers that be are constantly waiting for us to slip up so they can snatch the title of ‘warden’ back with gloating alacrity. But they can kiss my ass, and I’m sure Shelia feels the same. She would undoubtedly say they can kiss her ass way up there where it starts turning pink. Shelia has always had a way with words, where it causes you to laugh, all the while knowing she's dead serious.

We embrace, and she ask about Ralphie, telling me that I’d better be careful or she’ll steal him away, as she always does. I know she’s joking since when they’re together, they fight like brother and sister. It’s why she was his best girl at our wedding. She looks over to my companion questioningly. “What are you doing in here, Bubble? And what’s with the lime green hair?”

“My cellmate is ever fascinated with the Joker, so I thought I’d give him a taste of what it’s like to be trapped in a cell with him,” the smartass drawls, causing both of us to laugh.

“How’s that working out for you?”

“Pretty well since I managed to get a full-written confession out of him, and endless amounts of time to correct his stinking thinking.”

She raises her eyebrow, looking at me for an explanation. “I believe you know Bright’s roommate. He’s a whiny fucker by the name of Novotny.”

“Indeed I do,” she tells us. “In fact, he’s the reason I’ve come to see you. You know I have several of his good friends under my watch…”

“Russo, Taylor, Stockwell, and soon to be Hobbs, Senior.”

“Wait! Hobbs, Senior’s been arrested?”

“Just this afternoon. He should be just about ready to come out of processing.”

“In that case, I’ll make this quick.” It wasn’t hard to miss the gleam in her eyes at that tidbit of information. If there’s one thing she and I hate worse than lawbreakers, it’s lawbreakers who believe their money puts them above the law. I heard she’s been making Stockwell and Russo’s lives- such as they are- hell. “Peterson kept a diary…”

“Kept?”

“Yes, kept. It was confiscated during a regularly scheduled cell check. I wasn’t about to move it simply because she was in court on an Alienation of Affection lawsuit. Since it has nothing to do with the federal charges she’s facing, it was above board. However, in it she did mention a talk she had with Novotny sometime ago.”

“Oh? But then again, I would imagine they’ve had many talks since he’s here and she’s there.”

“Indeed they have, but this one involved a reporter friend they both share.”

“A reporter?”

“Yep. One with an axe to grind and a need for redemption…”

“Howard Bellweather,” Bubble interjects.

“Who?”

“Remember the supposed gay voice of Pittsburgh?” he asks.

“The one who lost his publishing contract because of the threat of a lawsuit?” I ask.

He smiles brightly. “That’s the asshole, alright. And the threat of litigation was from none other than Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor, and with good reason. It seems that his inside source into the their relationship imparted some rather salacious and slanderous information, which dear old Howie didn’t check out for himself. Once the protests about the libelous allegations against their beloved King of Liberty Avenue and the crowned Prince of Babylon got out, the publisher ordered the book pulled immediately and Bellweather had to pay back the advance he received for the book rights. They didn’t want it, and they didn’t want him. Word spread throughout the publishing industry that he was a high-risk, and so now if he puts out a book, he’ll have to publish and promote it himself.”

“What about the source?” I ask, because this is really fascinating.

“Well there were two of them, although Howie didn’t know that. The first one is sitting in a cell two floors down, probably plotting another attempt to ruin Justin. Just like all of his other plans so far, whatever new hairbrained scheme is hatching in the cobwebs where the gray matter should be, won’t work either. But the second source is now the manager of the McDonalds down on Fourth and Houston. Kip Thomas has never been the same after trying to entrap Brian Kinney into giving him a promotion he didn’t deserve, but vindication didn’t come at Brian’s hands; it was at Justin’s.”

“What?” Shelia and I ask at the same time.

“That’s right, girls. There is a reason that Brian and Justin Taylor-Kinney are well-suited. It isn’t just their sex drives and business acumen, which makes them that way. It’s also rapier wit, and even more, the cunning smarts that makes them the power couple they are. By all accounts that I’ve received from Kip, even though he didn’t notice I was there when he was talking to Howard, Justin, who was only three days shy of turning eighteen, shined the light of blackmail on Kip. He pretended to seduce him, then threatened him with the fact that he was under eighteen…”

“But the age of consent is sixteen,” Shelia states.

“Indeed it is, but Justin took a gamble that other than the occasional marketing book Kip needed for class, he didn’t read or research anything else. So he told Kip that he would tell his father, who had his last boyfriend arrested, unless he did something for him. That’s how the charge of sexual harassment was dropped and Brian got to keep his job at Vanguard. But being the bitter bitch he is, Kip told Howard a bunch of untruths about Brian, including how he was using Justin as a sex toy and luring unsuspecting underage boys. And that’s where Gay P.A. took offense. Firstly, because Brian and Justin are both open and honest about their sex lives. Secondly, because Justin doesn’t play with little boys. However, has turned some of the beefiest known-to-be exclusive tops into whimpering bottoms more apt to be left sucking their thumbs and calling for their mamas on and around the Avenue, without batting an eyelash. And yes, that young man is as talented as his lover when it comes to making a man beg before giving it to him good!

"As for the third reason, it’s because they know that Brian has a son of his own, and the way Bellweather made it sound was that Brian’s son was in danger from a sexual predator the more time he spent around his father. Strangely, I think that last might have been Lindsay Peterson’s input since, if she had her way, she and Brian would have been raising the baby together. I know that was her ultimate goal, but Brian and Justin were solid, even though they were just beginning. They had a whole lot in common and a mutual respect for each other- even if it seemed like a teacher/pupil vibe sometimes. But if there is one thing men- especially gay men- in this day and age will not tolerate, it’s the public believing that they are all so sex-starved that they have to go around trolling the schoolyards for ass, be it male or female. As gay men though, we have enough stigmas to dispel as it is so we won’t let some nitwit believe that just because we fuck men, we’re incapable of being good fathers. Sexuality has absolutely nothing to do with being a good parent, and to believe otherwise is just beyond ridiculous!”

I nod, turning back to Shelia. “So you think Novotny is going to contact Bellweather?”

“No. I think Bellweather has already been contacted on Novotny’s behalf, but he didn’t have anything to do with it personally. I think we can thank Gardner Vance for that.”

“Vance? What’s he got to do with all of this?”

“Only that Novotny and Peterson were his stooges when keeping an eye on Kinney. Peterson would find out the information, and Novotny would run right to Vance or whomever else she wanted to get a message to without looking guilty herself,” Bubble tells us. “Novotny said that before he ended up in here, he’d been in touch with Vance for him to get ready to take his company back. That comes under the false reporting charge concerning Brian and Justin, and their lawyer friend who they share the child with. Her name is Melanie Marcus.”

“You’re remarkably well-informed, Bright,” Shelia tells him, smiling.

“What can I say? I’m damn fucking good at my job. Besides, when I’m not working with you all, I do have a life which is spent mostly on Liberty Avenue when I can find the time. I really can’t wait for this assignment to be over though.”

“Need to get laid?” I snicker.

“That, and seeing Novotny naked everyday is not my idea of inspiring. I’m just saying a pistachio nut has more meat.”

“Damn! That’s… that’s just… You know what, I think it’s time for me to get back,” Shelia stammers, wincing at the image Bubble has now placed in her head. “I’ll be in touch should I find out more.”

“And I’ll do the same. Christopher Hobbs is due here this evening sometime, but I’m not sure when. I think I’ll stick him into the cell with Bubba. That should be interesting.”

“It will be, but he’ll still do his job,” Bright tells me.

“Why is there any doubt about that?” Shelia asks.

“Because Bubba has a score to settle of his own, although Hobbs won’t recognize him after all these years.”

“Who is he?”

“Christian Hobbs’ ex-boyfriend, and the reason Samuel Hobbs abused him. I’ll go talk to him and explain how far he can go. In the meantime, is there anyway to head off Bellweather?”

“The only one allowed to see Novotny from this point on is his attorney, and only in the presence of a guard.”

“That’ll work, but make sure the attorney is searched thoroughly before entering the prison. That includes his briefcase. Novotny says that he likes to record their sessions.”

“Thanks for the tip, Bubble,” I say, before he disappears through the door and down the stairs. I turn to Shelia. “We’ll need to meet up, and soon.”

She places a weary hand to her brow. “Friday, seven, your place. Tell Ralphie I’ll need a gallon of the good stuff.”

I smile, and hug her. “Nothing good old Captain Morgan straight up won’t fix, right?”

“You better believe it,” she says, detaching from me. “Later, Babygirl.”

“Later, She-Ra.” I say, finishing our usual farewell.

Once I’m sure she made it downstairs safely, I head back to my desk. So Mr. Novotny thinks he can sneak a reporter in here, does he? I’m going to fix his and his attorney’s asses real quick. Picking up the phone, I call Daris Linton, and within minutes, all of Michael Novotny’s privileges have been revoked… indefinitely. I can’t help but smile at that. However, I think I’ll wait until tonight to tell him that since just after the live 20/20 interview of Brian and Justin, a V-Men marathon is supposed to come on. Note to self: Get Bubble a pair of earplugs. He’s going to need them.

JUSTIN:

Once Brian got off the phone with Mel, it was time for me to get to work. I think Brian is still a little in awe of how much I consider Business and Contract law fun. It’s not that it gives me a way to indulge my inner-nerd or dispel the stereotypes about blonds every chance I get… well, not entirely anyway. It’s that to the average person, some of the ins and outs of business make absolutely no sense. You receive a service, you pay for it- end of story.

But there’s so much more to it than that. For example, there was reason behind the fact that Harry had all of his attorneys sign a ‘conflict of interest’ clause as opposed to the standard non-competition clause. He didn’t have to worry about the non-comp clause because even if they went to another firm, they couldn’t disclose any information they’d come across without incurring a hefty lawsuit. However, the conflict of interest clause was much more binding since they couldn’t represent clients who were in direct opposition. It would have created a hostile working environment, and no employer wants that.

It’s why Harry detaching himself and taking our files with him, is the right thing to do. The only problem is that we have to know what Harry had left within his office at the time of his arrest. It would determine how this dissolvement contract and bill of sale needs to be written. Picking up my phone and dialing, I only have to wait mere seconds for the call to be connected.

“Hey, Mel. Is Harry with you?”

“Yes, Justin. Hold on. Let me put the phone on speaker.” She does, and his voice comes over the line.

“Hello, Justin,” he says. "I have to tell you that when Mel told me you would be working on this for me, I was surprised.”

I laugh. “I would imagine so. But it gives me chance to indulge a passionate hobby of mine, while remaining free of paint.”

“Justin, I told him what you did regarding the hostile takeover of Vanguard," Mel informs me. "We’re hoping you can do the same now.”

“Is that really what you want, or do you want to be free of it entirely, Harry?” That question also matters, because it puts a new spin on things.

If it’s just a matter of a hostile takeover, then we can oust Herkowitz immediately based on the conflict of interest clause alone. Since he’s apparently been in talks with the Hobbs family, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. However, if it’s that Harry wants to establish a new business entirely, it would mean leaving everything but his name behind, and waiting patiently for the fall out that will come of his not being there.

“What do you think is best at this point?” Mel asks me, knowing that I have already decided which one I would do.

“Honestly, I think Harry being able to carry on his family’s legacy by moving the practice to a new location entirely is the way to go. From an advertising point of view, it would be less messy since we already know that when word gets out, Harry’s current clients are going to jump ship. It’s a way for Harry’s image to stay clean…”

“Are you saying that yours and Brian’s has been sullied by the takeover of Vanguard?” Harry asks.

“Not at all. In fact, right now we’re golden, but the takeover was due to an entirely different set of circumstances. In this case, Mark Herkowitz has already violated the COI clause of his employment contract. It doesn't matter that he's a partner within the firm; not a simple case of do as I say, and not as I do. By reneging on the contract terms spelled out in plain English, it leaves the ball in your court of how you want to handle this. If it were me, I would make him pay me for my client list, even though we already know they are going to leave him when they find out you’re no longer there. The burden of informing the public that the name of the law firm has been officially changed to whatever Herkowitz’s chosen name is would be up to him. But he has to include the fact that you’re no longer there on the advertisement. Which brings me to ask you, where are my and Brian’s files?”

“On my hard drive at home. Once Mel and Janean started their own practice, I took those files off of the mainframe computer at the office,” he answers.

“So, there’s nothing left on the office database that would show the times Brian and I used Mel within the confines of the firm known as Donaldson, Herkowitz, Salzman?”

“Nothing, other than your names showing you are clients, but the files on the hard drive are empty. All of the notes about your cases are on the database at home. Before Salzman retired, he warned me against Herkowitz; told me not to give him a reason to try to get the firm. And what did I do? Instead of remembering his parting words, I allowed my anger at my nephew to spiral out of control,” he says, exasperated with himself.

“Hey, Harry, lighten up. If Melanie already hasn’t, ask her to tell you the story of mini-Rage. She and Brian still call me that. Anger is the one emotion you can’t hide from, nor can you control it fully, so don’t beat yourself up. Have you spoken to Salzman yet?”

“He came to see me while I was in jail. It seems that Herkowitz is the real reason he took an early retirement, not that he was just tired of it all.”

“Why would he give up the practice because of Herkowitz?”

“He was tired of dealing with the man, but wouldn’t do anything to buy him out of the partnership. The last thing either of us wanted was to add to the shark’s bank account. That said, I think I’ll go with your option, Justin. He wants the firm? Fine, well, and good, but he’s going to pay far more than he thinks, even if I have to wait for the return.”

“I’m glad you decided to do it this way, Harry. In the meantime, Janean and my mom arrived just a little while ago. How far are away are you both?”

“We’re just pulling up now,” Mel tells me, just before I hear the car shut off. “What’s Jenn doing here?”

“She said she has something to talk with the three of us about, but that it can wait until after we get Harry settled. Also, she said that the building the firm is sitting on is prime real estate. Harry owns the property, so it should be included in the dissolution price.”

Once inside, I go over the particulars with Harry. I show him the figures that Janean, Brian, and I have come up with. Since the mortgage is under my mom’s company now as opposed to the company she bought out, she was able to pull the building’s estimated value and add it into the amount Harry is going to demand to hand the company over.

“I’ve taken the liberty of calling Herkowitz, Harry,” Jenean tells him, handing him a cup of coffee. “I know that based on what Justin and I talked about, you want to have this done as soon as humanly possible. I’ve spoken with his assistant, Deidre, who in turn told me that he’s scheduled to be at the precinct within the next two hours. She’s not too thrilled with his newest clients, as you can imagine.”

“I wouldn’t be either,” he says.

“She and Marie are packing up your office as we speak, and wiping your hard drive clean. They are also making copies of your clients’ files, both past and current, just in case Herkowitz decides to be a spiteful child when they refuse to work with him. They are being extremely careful so that you can’t be accused of poaching after the sale goes through. By the time Herkowitz arrives back to the office this afternoon, your name will officially be off of any documentation, including all letterhead and the company marquee. But I suppose that will be the least of his worries.”

“Why?” Harry asks, shock at how fast things are moving written all over his face.

“Because he’ll be scrambling to retain most of his staff, including Marie and Deidre. They’ve already spread the word of what’s happening among the staff who’s trustworthy and loyal to you. So he will have about seventy-eight letters of resignation to look over when he reaches his desk. All of them are following you.”

“But…”

“No buts, Harry,” Mel cuts him off, smiling. “I told you what Herkowitz is like to work with directly. No self-respecting lawyer would willingly subject themselves to him when there is a much better option available to work for. The other twenty-six employees, who are not following the mass exodus out the door, are about to find that out the hard way. They are all too new to this career to know any better, and those that aren’t… well, they will learn quickly what it’s like not to have the buffer your presence provided for them.”

Brian hands me, Mel, and Harry the copies of the contracts to be signed. I look it over and I have to say that I am pleased with how I wrote it up. Even with the employees leaving the firm, Harry can’t be held responsible, or accused of nefarious business practices. The fact that he’s been out of the office for the last sixteen days- fifteen of which he’s spent in jail since he opted not to fight the charges- plays heavily in his favor here. Sure, some of them had gone by to see Harry. But the demand for his resignation by Herkowitz was not public knowledge, until a little over an hour ago.

In fact, the suggestion was put out there just after Hobbs had officially hired Herkowitz to represent him and his clone yesterday. I suspect that was in response to finding out that with Russo’s cases being reviewed, they could be in real trouble.

After Mel’s initial phone call, I had called Mom to ask her about expanding the office space on the other side of Mel and Janean’s immediately, for Harry’s use. Christian, who was there to discuss the terms and conditions of Hobbs Construction being retained under Kinnetik Enterprises, told us that a retainer check for Herkowitz had gone through. I’m even more happy now that we acquired the building next to Elite, and have decided to put in an all glass walkway between the two. With the influx of legal eagles about to descend, we’re going to need the space posthaste.

“So 4.8 million, huh? How did you arrive at that figure?” Harry asks us. I leave it to Janean to explain, even though I was the one who worked it out.

“First, the building itself is worth a million alone. It’s been upgraded and maintained well over the years, and is located downtown so it has tons of traffic. The big plus is that it has its own parking garage for the staff, which adds value because of the location. And that’s only concerning the law office itself, not the other businesses on your land who will continue to pay their rental fees to you. So whereas Herkowitz will own the building, you will still own the land it sits on, which is much more valuable. As for the purchase of your client list, that is worth 2.8 million since all of your associates are high end. The list does not include your contacts with Carnegie Mellon, or those on the Ethics Review Board, which I’m sure he’s hoping you will include. It strictly consists of those who had paid their retainer fees, prior to incident with Lance. The good thing is that should they ask for that fee back, you will not be held responsible to provide it since the practice is changing hands, not necessarily disbanding. That’s a major part of the contract, which Justin insisted be included.”

“Why?”

“It’s the same as with Kinnetik. We didn’t want to absorb Gardner’s debts for his mediocrity, and you shouldn’t have to either. You’re giving him a fair chance to retain the clients on his own merit under the firm your family started. Even without your name still on the marquee, he should be a lawyer worth his salt, and fight like hell to retain the additional client roster. Basically, if they are dissatisfied enough to leave, then he should eat the cost of their defection. It has nothing to do with you.”

He nods, and smiles. “Ah, the angelic beauty of the most delicate flower, but the one with the sharpest thorns. And yet, he looks so innocent…”

Brian laughs. “Finally someone is getting it! You’ve been in his presence all of a half an hour, and you’re already under his spell. I didn’t see the warning signs until much, much later.”

We all laugh as I elbow Brian playfully. “You’re just guilty of seeing what you wanted to see.”

“And I’m looking forward to seeing much more… later,” he whispers and raises an eyebrow seductively. I feel my breathing quicken.

“Alright, you two. Don’t make me get the hose,” Mel warns, but Brian doesn’t miss a beat.

“Sounds like fun.”

Before any of us have a chance to respond, the doorbell rings. As Mel situates everyone in the dining room overlooking the lake, I move towards the door with Brian hot on my heels. I take a deep breath before opening it, cloaking myself in WASP, instead of the anger I’m bound to feel at the bastard representing the Hobbs family. I know that everyone has a right to due process, but it’s hard not remember just how much Brian’s and my own civil rights have been violated by men like the one on the other side of the door. I feel Brian’s hand at the small of my back, and I know that I’m not alone in my thoughts as I watch him pull his face into the indifferent mask he’s known for. With a small nod of his head, I open the door.

“Hello. May I help you?” I say politely, while I feel anything but at the look of arrogance and entitlement on his face. He’s attractive with his dark hair and dark eyes; just the type of guy Brian and I might have made a play for fun in the not-too-distant past. But all I feel when I look at him is disgust and loathing. It intensifies when he opens his mouth.

“I’m Mark Herkowitz. I was told to meet Harold Donaldson here. Now be a good little boy and let me in.”

The urge to respond not by the hair on my chiny-chin-chin is strong, after all I am talking to a PIG who believes he's the real wolf of this scenario. So with that reasoning, it would be completely acceptable if I act as the boy he mistakenly called me, right? I inwardly sigh and suppress my inner-Brat... but not entirely. “Come on in, Mr. Hurtmydick.”

“That’s Herkowitz,” he responds haughtily, as he moves hastily passed me.

“Oh, my apologies. Brian, would you be a darling and announce Mr. YoureaDICK to those assembled in the dining room,” I say as I close the door.

“With pleasure. Come along, Dick.”

“It’s HERKOWITZ!”

“WitlessDickless? Yeah, we know,” Brian says, leading the way as I snicker, following behind them. Entering the dining room, Brian says with a bunch of false cheer, “Hey, everyone. Mr. HesADick is here.”

“Oh, for the love of God. Let’s just get this over with, Donaldson!” he exclaims, moving to take the empty seat at the head of the table.

“Excuse me, Dick, but that’s my seat. The one between Melanie and Janean is the one reserved for you.”

“Donaldson, I thought we were going to talk business, not trade insults with the hired help!”

“We are. And for the record, you’re meeting with part of my new business associates and public relations team.”

“New business associates? Public relations team? What for? And by the way, why are Mel and Janean here? They still work for the firm...”

“No, we don’t,” Mel answers. “As a professional courtesy to Harry, we stayed on as consultants. But now that he’s decided to allow you to buy him out of the firm, the association will be at an end.”

“No.”

“No? You have no say,” Janean says, forcefully.

“I have every say in the matter,” he counters. “I’m prepared to offer you more money, or if you don’t agree, I will sue you.”

Instead of the desired response of fear he was expecting, they laugh. Even Harry snickers at his bravado before sobering. “Mark, do yourself a favor and just sign this stack of papers, transferring ownership. Otherwise, I will be happy to fire you since you are in breach of your own contract.”

“You can’t fire me. I’m a partner in the firm!”

It’s Brian, who snickers then. “Whatcha think, Sunshine? At last look, that reasoning didn’t work out too well for Vance, considering we now own what used to be Vanguard. What are the odds that it will work for old DickIshouldKick right here?”

“Donaldson, I don’t appreciate having uninterested parties involved in our meeting!”

“And I really don’t care what you appreciate,” Harry says. “The bottom line is that you are in direct breach of the conflict of interest clause within your contract. As a partner, you should have known better than to sign the Hobbs family on as clients.”

He gasps. “How did you know about that?!”

“It doesn’t matter how I know, just that I do. So sign those papers, cut my check and you can go about your bullshit.”

He looks through the papers, his countenance getting more and more florid as he reads. “4.8 million? For what? I see nothing on here that warrants that kind of money.”

Janean answers him, detailing what he’ll actually be paying for and pointing it out. “As you can see, it’s all itemized here.”

“And yet the mortgage payments still come to you?”

“Yes, since I own the land the building sits on. And no, I’m not including it or anything else on that list, nor is the price negotiable.”

“But it looks like I’m absorbing all the risk,” he whines, reminding me of Michael. It’s not attractive in the least.

“You are, but that’s part of owning a business. I’m sure you’re familiar with that part of it since you ARE a corporate attorney and all, right?”

He huffs, and peruses the papers again. “I don’t see your contacts for Carnegie Mellon University on here or your seat on the Ethics Review Board included…”

“And they won’t be. CMU is a venture apart from the firm, and I resigned my seat to the the Ethics Committee earlier this year. Elias McDuffy now occupies the seat.”

“So all I’m getting out of this deal is the firm, the building, and parking garage, and your client list?”

“That’s all. Everything else I have going has always been separate and apart from the business.”

“So what are you going to be doing?”

“Mostly working as a consultant, the way I am now.”

“Will you be taking on clients?”

“As of right now, I have no plans to,” Harry answers the way he’s been coached to. He sounds really convincing, and judging by the gleam in Herkowitz’s eyes, he seems to think so as well.

“We would require an immediate reprinting of the ad you have in the yellow pages, and once you sign, the papers will be filed immediately,” I tell him.

“Fine. I bought a cashier’s check for a million upon receiving Janean’s call in anticipation of Harry seeing sense,” Herkowitz boasts.

“That’s fine, and I’ll take a personal check to be deposited and a copy filed immediately along with the bill of sale for the balance,” Janean tells him.

“Before we complete this transaction, I want some assurances.”

“And they are?” Harry asks, although we already know them.

“No poaching.”

“That’s a given. It’s why we’ve never had a non-compete clause in our contracts. That was explained to you when you asked about it after you fired your paralegal for not sucking your dick to keep her job. You should probably watch that kind of behavior now that you will be the sole proprietor of the law firm. Unfortunately for you, there won't be anyone there to talk your next victim out of either filing a lawsuit, or fucking with the spark plugs on that penis extender you call a car. She could have done both, you know? But back to your fear of poaching, I cannot control whatever decisions people make, and I won't blow smoke up your ass to make you believe I can for your peace of mind. All I can say is that I won’t actively seek anyone out for my own gain. Good enough?”

Herkowitz smiles, unwitting of what’s going on at his office right now. “I know that you are a man of your word, Donaldson.”

As they sit there, signing all of the documents with Mel indicating where their signatures are required and Mom notarizing every single one as soon as they do, Brian and I get to work. First we call Cynthia to get the new ad printed, while Janean calls Dale and Ted to tell them everything is a go, and to get the LLC set up posthaste. As Mom finishes her notary public duties, she calls Christian with the specs for the new office space, promising a big bonus if the work is completed by the close of business on Friday next week. I call Daphne to make sure she’s contacted Quinn at the bank. Instead, she tells me that she’s on the way there with the deposits from Brown Athletics for the new campaign, and Torso, which has just joined the conglomerate courtesy of Emmett. Looks like we’ll be paying out another sign-on bonus, but at least we’re keeping it all in the family.

Before Herkowitz hands over the check, I have Harry write down his account information, then take pictures of the check- both front and back- to be credited to his bank account immediately. I don’t trust the winning smile of the slimy sucker willingly signing every document, any more than I would trust a snake not shedding its skin in hot weather. With the routing and account numbers, Quinn can start the process of the transfer before he even has the paper checks in his hand. It’s something I doubt Herkowitz has even thought of, thinking he can just take the business and run. WRONG, fucker!

“Is everything done?” Brian asks, the room at large.

“Yes, Brian,” Harry answers, smiling. “Mark, good luck with your business venture. I hope it works out for you.”

Before Herkowitz has a chance to utter any falsehoods of well wishes in Harry’s direction, Brian brings the meeting to an end. “Well, now that this is all settled, I believe Mr. KissADick has some damage control to do on his new clients’ behalf. I would wish you good luck in dealing with the Hobbs family, but I don’t believe in sending greetings and salutations to assholes who have more value as roadkill, so… It’s time for you to get the fuck out of my house. Bye bye now.” He waves, already dismissing the presence of Herkowitz from his mind.

When my mother returns from ushering the idiotic attorney out of the house, she walks over to Brian, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Next time, Darling, compare them to a recurring case of gonorrhea. It leaves a much more lasting impression.”