Chapter Twenty-five
“Guys, you’re not going to believe what happened in our deposition!” Allegra raced off to meet Bennie and Mary, who turned to her.
“What?” Mary asked with an interested smile.
“Judy scared that lawyer away, and the witness too! They were lying, and she called them out on it, and they bounced!” Allegra’s words poured out in a rush, and as Judy came up from behind her, she could see Mary’s smile freeze in place.
Bennie stiffened. “Carrier, they ended the deposition?” she asked, checking her watch. “It’s ten o’clock. You weren’t even in there an hour. How could—”
“Bennie, it was amazing!” Allegra interrupted. “It was Dark Judy! I so want to be a lawyer! I can’t even wait!”
Mary said, “Dark Judy?”
Bennie frowned. “Carrier, what happened?”
“Nothing, really,” Judy answered, not wanting to justify herself to Bennie. She could see that Mary was already worried for her. “Aren’t you going to court?”
“Fill me in. We’re starting late today, and I have time.” Bennie set down her trial bag. “This was in Adler, wasn’t it? Whom did you depose today, Morrell or Govinda?”
“Govinda.”
Allegra chirped up, “Every question Judy asked the witness, he didn’t want to answer, so she told him she was going to get him at trial—”
Bennie’s eyes flared an incredulous blue. “Carrier, you told him what?”
Allegra answered, “And she told him—”
“Allegra,” Bennie snapped. “Let Judy tell the story.”
“But she’s too modest,” Allegra insisted. “She doesn’t want to brag about herself. You know how she is—”
Judy put a hand on Allegra’s shoulder, moving her out of the crossfire. “Bennie, if you remember the details of the case, the statement was made that ‘there’s no room—’”
“I remember the statement. So what happened? You asked him if Morrell made the statement and he denied it?”
“Of course.” Judy felt a renewed flicker of anger. “So I pressed him, as I should.”
“You had to do more than press him for them to get up and walk out.”
“I pressed him hard.” Judy bristled. “I challenged him.”
“How much did you challenge him?” Bennie recoiled. “You can’t challenge him so much they walk out. You crossed the line.”
“No I didn’t.” Judy knew she had crossed the line, but she shouldn’t be called on the carpet for it, on her own case. She couldn’t bear to look at Mary. It was just like what had happened last night, only worse.
“You had to have crossed the line, and it’s a dumb thing to do with Rick Kelin. I’ve known him for twenty years, and he’s one of the biggest jerks around. What did you do?”
“My job.”
“How do you figure that?”
“It’s strategy.” Judy thought on her feet. “Govinda is the weak link, and I want him to worry, tell Morrell that he won’t lie for him or at least that they won’t get away with it, and that will provoke a settlement.”
“That’s quite a gamble.” Bennie pursed her lips. “You need to know what Govinda will say at trial and you won’t get a second bite at the apple. That was your shot.”
“I know what he’ll say at trial. I intend to beat him before we get there. He’s wound too tight, and the anticipation of being embarrassed and humiliated will eat away at him, I can tell.”
“So you intimidated him.”
“I destabilized him.”
Bennie blinked. “Dark Judy, indeed.”
Judy held her tongue. “Even if we don’t settle, he’ll be a wreck on the stand. I won’t have to break him down at trial, he’ll break himself down before then.”
“Still there’s other things you could’ve explored.”
“I didn’t need anything else from him. The case is the statement. I got what I needed for the case. Bennie, whatever the strategy is, it’s my strategy.”
“But it’s my case. Linda Adler is my client.”
“And you assigned the case to me as soon as the complaint came in.”
“I’m the billing partner.”
“But I interviewed her on intake, sent out interrogatories and document requests, and defended her deposition. I’m working the case.”
“If you’re working the case, I don’t expect a call from the client. She called me because you didn’t return her call.”
Judy felt herself redden. “I told you, the call fell through the cracks this weekend, but I’m working the case like I always do.”
“You’re not working it like you always do.” Bennie picked up the trial bag. “All of a sudden, you’re not getting along with anyone. Fighting in depositions, giving me pushback on Bendaflex. And now, this? It’s not like you. What’s gotten into you?”
Everything, Judy wanted to say. But what she answered was: “I’m fine.”
“And what’s up with the fifty grand? Please tell me you’re getting it out of my safe.”
“It will be gone by the end of the day.” Judy would have to deal with it before she went to the hospital.
“Good, talk to Marshall when you’re ready to remove it. She has the combination. I have to go. Take care.”
“Good luck,” Judy said, catching Mary’s eye, then she noticed Allegra’s lower lip puckering.
“Judy,” Allegra said, “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”
“You didn’t.” Judy patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, cheer up. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m a big girl.”
“I never saw Bennie get that mad.”
“You haven’t been here that long,” Judy said, forcing a chuckle.
“Judy,” Mary said, frowning. “Can I talk with you a minute, alone?” She smiled at Allegra. “It’s not personal, but you can’t be there when I slap her around.”
“Okay,” Allegra said, with a shaky smile, but Judy was already in motion, heading for her office, plopping her files and laptop down on the desk, with Mary following her inside and closing the door behind them.
“So, are you okay?” she asked, when they were alone.
“I’m just so, arg.” Judy set her phone face-up on her desk, where she could see if a call was coming in. “Meanwhile, what is my mother’s problem? I’ve texted twice. She can’t return a text?”
“Come on, why don’t you tell Bennie about your aunt?”
“It’s not her business.” Judy started pacing, too agitated to sit down. Unfortunately she had a small office, so there wasn’t far to walk, plus the floor was a mess, which only bothered her more.
“Bennie asked you directly, and it explains what’s bugging you.”
“No it doesn’t. What’s bugging me—” Judy stopped pacing to try to figure out how to finish this sentence, but threw her hands up. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes it does.”
“I don’t agree with her, how about that?”
“Okay,” Mary said slowly. She cocked her head the way she always did when she listened carefully, and she folded her arms, in a dark charcoal pantsuit.
“And the fact that my aunt has cancer doesn’t have anything to do with my not agreeing with Bennie.” Judy couldn’t tell if she was thinking clearly or emotionally, or both.
“So tell her anyway. What’s the harm? She’ll understand. She’s another woman.”
“I don’t want to be cut slack because my aunt is ill.”
“Why not? Everybody needs a break sometime.”
“I don’t need a break, that’s not the problem.” Judy stopped pacing, caught up short with the realization. “The problem is that I’m starting to be really unhappy here, because the lines of authority are not clear.”
“What are you talking about?” Mary asked, her expression bewildered. “I didn’t know you were unhappy.”
“I didn’t know it, either. Not until recently.” Judy shrugged, pained. She was thinking aloud, which she had done with Mary for as long as they’d known each other. “I recognize that I’m only an associate, but don’t I have any autonomy at all?”
“Of course you do.”
“No I don’t. I’m not allowed to decide which cases I take. I’m not even allowed to make the decisions in cases I’m assigned to. Am I even a lawyer?”
“Aw, honey.” Mary moaned. “She didn’t mean it that way.”
“Yes she did. Since when is that the way we work, take it and shut up?” The more Judy thought about it, the more right she felt, which was something that happened to her often. “What about female empowerment and all that? Or does it only apply when men are bossing us around, not women?”
Suddenly Judy’s phone rang on her desk, and she leapt for it, her heart beginning to hammer. The iPhone screen showed it was Rick Kelin calling. “Oh crap, I should take this, it’s Rick. Give me a minute.”
“Go ahead, and make nice.”
Judy picked up the call. “Rick, hi.”
“Judy?” Rick said, in a huff. “What the hell was that about?”
“Come on, Rick, since when did you turn into such a baby?”
“You think I’m going to sit there while you harass my witness?”
“Oh will you stop using that word? There’s no jury around. The case turns on credibility, and I’m entitled to press him. How long have you been practicing law? You’ve never had a rough deposition? You’ve never thrown an elbow?”
“You tore into the guy!”
“The hell I did!” Judy raised her voice, though Mary was flashing her the peace sign.
“I’m calling because I expected you to apologize.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“I’m warning you, I’m not going to let you treat Morrell that way tomorrow. I’m not.”
“He’s a liar, and I’ll do what I have to do.” Judy heard a click on the phone, which told her that another call was coming through. She checked the screen, and it was her mother calling from the hospital. She couldn’t let it go to voicemail. “Rick, hold on, I have to take this call.”
“We’re in the middle of a conversation!”
“It’s that emergency you couldn’t let me postpone for. I’m sorry, please hold, and I’ll be right back.” Judy pressed the screen to hold his call, then picked up on her mother. “Mom, how is she?”
“Judy, this is your mother.”
Judy felt like her head was going to explode. “Yes I know, I can tell from the phone screen. How’s Aunt Barb?”
“The nurse just came out to say she’s still in surgery, but that everything is going well.”
“Thank God.” Judy exhaled with relief. “Okay, Mom, let me call you right back, I’m on the other line.”
“The nurse said it’s going to take longer, but not to worry.”
“Why longer?” Judy was about to swap calls but stopped herself.
“I don’t know, dear.”
“Does it mean something went wrong?” Judy felt a tremor of fear for her aunt.
“She told me not to worry.”
“Did you ask what she meant?” Judy asked, her tone sharper than she intended.
“Don’t be so critical.”
“I wasn’t being critical. I just asked a question.”
“It’s your tone, dear. Your tone is very critical.”
“Mom, really?”
“What, ‘Mom, really?’” Her mother imitated her, which was something Judy hated, but she let it go. She glanced at the phone screen, but Rick had hung up.
“I’m sorry, I’m trying to get as much information as I possibly can, because if the surgery takes longer—”
“Please stop. You’re giving me a headache. This has been such a difficult morning. I’ve been updating your aunt’s friends. Colleen keeps calling. They mean well, but it’s a chore.” Her mother sighed. “Between you and your aunt, I’m caught in the middle, pulled in both directions.”
“No you’re not, Mom.” Judy exchanged a look with Mary, who got the message and let herself out of her office, which showed excellent judgment. “Look, I’m going to leave for the hospital. My deposition is over, so I’m going to pack some work and—”
“Why? There’s no reason for you to come yet. She’s still in surgery.”
“I want to be there. I can work from there.”
“Why go to the trouble?”
“It’s no trouble, and I can be there when she gets out of surgery.” Judy tried not to notice that her mother didn’t say they could keep each other company.
“By the way, your aunt keeps talking about Iris. She even started crying about her, right before she left for the operating room.”
“That’s understandable, isn’t it? They were friends.” Judy remembered it was a touchy subject, so she dialed it back. “And any loss is traumatic, especially coming after Uncle Steve.”
“Anyway, she wanted me to remind you to find out about the autopsy. She said the results were supposed to be in today.”
“Okay, I’ll follow up.” Judy realized that her mother wasn’t up to speed on Iris news. “Also I found out that Iris’s apartment was broken into last night and searched. Her roommates weren’t home, so nobody was hurt, but this confirms that the guy who hit me last night wasn’t random.”
“You keep saying that, dear, but I’m not sure you’re right. There’s a lot of crime in their neighborhoods.”
Judy shuddered. “Mom, that sounds racist.”
“No it’s not. It’s the truth. You told me that yourself. The police said robbery is rampant with the illegals.”
Judy let that go, too. She didn’t want to get into a political discussion. “Mom, I should hang up, okay? I’ll make a call about the autopsy and pack up.”
“Judy, there’s one last thing. I don’t think we should tell your aunt about this robbery business.”
“You mean the fact that Iris’s apartment was broken into?”
“Yes. I don’t think there’s any reason for her to know that right now.”
“Why not?”
“She has much too much going on. I’d like her to focus on herself. Why stress her more?”
Judy hesitated. “I don’t like keeping things from her.”
“It’s for her own good. I want her to take her mind off these morbid subjects, take care of herself, and get well. Trust me on this.”
“Okay,” Judy said, hearing the finality in her mother’s tone. “We can tell her another time.”
“That’s right, when she’s feeling better. Timing is everything.”
“See you soon.”
“Fine.”
“And text me if there’s anything—” Judy said, but her mother had already hung up.