Lawyer for the Dog by Lee Robinson

Author:Lee Robinson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781466854031
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

A Real Bitch

“Well,” says Gina the next morning, “how did it go?”

“None of your business.”

“You’re mad that I gave him your address.”

“No.”

“You sound mad.”

“I’m not mad,” I say, not very convincingly. “I’m just not going to give you a report.”

“He was really insistent. The guy has the hots for you!”

“What makes you think that?”

“Maybe that he drives all the way into town to pick up an affidavit, then insists that he wants to talk to you in person?”

“He was trying to convince me to adopt a dog.”

“Yeah, right,” says Gina. “She’s a sweetheart, but that’s not what he wanted. He brought her in here, but he didn’t ask me if I wanted her. He was in too much of a hurry.”

“You should have called me to let me know he was coming.”

“He doesn’t seem like the dangerous type,” she says. “Not much of a womanizer.”

“What’s your evidence for that?”

“He wouldn’t even flirt.”

“Oh, so you tried, huh?”

“Not too hard, but like I say, I could tell he was really determined to see you, so I didn’t give it my total effort.” She smiles that mock-wicked smile of hers. “So, you’re not going to tell me how it went?”

I ignore the question, start down the hall toward my office. Gina calls after me: “Mrs. Carter called to say she’s running a few minutes late. You’ll need to leave by eleven so you can drive out to Sullivan’s Island for the interview with that girl who lives next to Mrs. Hart. Mindy something. And in case you don’t get back to the office afterward, remember about the motion hearing first thing in the morning—about the vet’s fees.”

* * *

“If I only take up half an hour of your time,” says Natalie Carter, who’s come in for an initial consultation, “will you cut the fee?” She’s agitated about the $300 charge for the hour and a half conference, during which I get the basic facts of the case, assess the situation, and give her my recommendations. Meanwhile, I can’t help noticing her baby blue purse and matching heels, which together probably cost at least twice that.

“I’m sure it will take at least an hour and a half, maybe longer, for me to get the basic information I need to evaluate your case.”

“What do you mean, ‘evaluate’? We have plenty of assets, if that’s what you’re interested in.”

I try not to show my irritation. “As I’m sure my secretary told you when she made the appointment, this first meeting is for me to gather some facts about your situation, then tell you what I think you ought to do. And of course you’ll want to ask questions. Then we’ll both need to decide if we’re a good fit. You may decide you don’t want to hire me.” I don’t say: And I may decide I don’t want to represent you.

“I’ve tried to find a lawyer in Beaufort, but no one will take the case because of who my husband is.” She looks out the window to the garden across the alley.

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