After Office Hours by E Caroline Wilson

Author:E Caroline Wilson [Wilson, E Caroline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Devin had eyed Melanie Daniels with suspicion ever since Carla confided that she had designs on David, but she took pains to make sure she treated Melanie with the same cordiality she gave to everyone else in the office. It certainly wouldn’t do for anyone to sense her private feelings. She found herself carefully studying Melanie. She might only be a paralegal, but she dressed like an attorney, in expensive-looking suits and shoes in the latest styles. Her blond hair was fine in texture, wavy, and worn either pulled back or hanging loose around her shoulders. She looked like the type of woman who would perfectly fit in David’s world. Devin dressed well, but she only had a few separates that she mixed and matched, and even those had been newly purchased. Her work at JJ Demolition allowed her to dress in business casual attire, but Holt & Cotten required a more professional look. Her high rent didn’t leave much left over to spend on clothes, but she’d gone out and purchased some separates, knowing she could pay for them with her extra paychecks. The outfits plus shoes and handbags were pricey, but she considered it an investment in her future. She could hardly expect to work at a Madison or Park Avenue law firm in khakis and polo shirts.

Devin worked closely with the paralegal staff, and she listened intently to Melanie’s instructions as she gave her work. Her assignment was to enter the revisions on a hand-edited document, proofread it, and print a fresh copy.

“Oh!” Melanie said. “I almost forgot. There’s something special you have to do. Whenever there’s mention of the term ‘pCO2’, part of it has to be subscripted. I’ll show you…” With the document still facing Devin, Melanie flipped the page and laid her finger just above a lab value. “There it is. The ‘two’ at the end has to be put in subscript every time it appears.”

Devin stared at her in admiration. “You can read upside down?”

Melanie chuckled. “Somewhat slower than my normal speed, but yes, I can read upside down. They say everybody has a special skill, and I guess this is mine.” She smiled.

She seems nice, Devin thought. Under different circumstances I’d probably like her.

*****

Melanie’s chest swelled with pride as she put the finishing touches on the research material she’d gathered for David. He’d become suspicious about the behavior of the judge presiding over a recent civil trial, who had pretty much ignored all his objections while ruling in favor of virtually every objection made by opposing counsel. Not surprisingly, the defendant was exonerated of any wrongdoing, and the plaintiff—David’s client—lost the case. David found the rulings blatantly favoring the defendant and asked her to look into the judge, the defendant, and the defendant’s parents, who were in the judge’s age group, to see if there was some type of connection. He suspected there might have been some type of deal made. Melanie had managed to uncover that’s the judge and the defendant’s father were fraternity brothers at Brown back in the seventies.

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