Spider Web

by Danielle James

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Boston, Massachusetts

  Jules’s first day at Marcus-Drake-Westinghouse was a dreary one. The cold December air was completely saturated with moisture. The rain fell in a mist so thick it was almost like trying to walk through a solid wall of water. She wondered if it would change to snow. That would be different from the weather she had been accustomed to in Nevada. It rarely rained, and Jules had never seen it snow there.

  She jumped from her cab and rushed up the walk to the building on Twenty Fifth Street with her head down, for fear if she looked up and was breathing at the same time, drowning would be imminent. When she arrived at the tall glass doors, Jules pushed through them easily and into the lobby. The walls were a light tan color, accented by the darker tan carpet. She carefully stomped her feet on the maroon entryway rug, hoping to dry them, then stepped carefully on the tiled floor in an effort not to fall on her face. Wouldn’t that be a perfect way to start her new job? Drenched and humiliated. Jules much preferred sneakers to pumps and she was a bit unsteady. As much as she hated heels though, she thought professional attire would be best today. She hoped that soon she would be able to retire her pantsuits and skirts for more casual clothes. If not, she could handle the business dress code. It wasn’t like she had never worn them; she just didn’t like it. At least she would be getting paid, that will be a nice change of pace.

  A short red haired woman stood waiting behind a large mahogany desk. As Jules walked in, the woman surveyed her with the greenest eyes Jules had ever seen. Jules smiled at her and introduced herself. “I am Julia Martin. I’m here to see Harold Marcus.”

  The red head smiled back at her. She was very pretty and petite. Her hair was barely the length of her slender neck, straight and sleek. Her green eyes looked up at Jules from behind thick, black lashes, the kind of lashes that every woman envied. “Mr. Marcus is expecting you. I am Anita, the office assistant. Welcome to Marcus-Drake-Westinghouse. If I can do anything to make your day easier, just let me know. I think you will find everyone here is very amiable.” She took Jules’s hand for a quick and formal handshake, and then motioned for her to follow.

  Jules walked about two paces behind Anita; partly because she didn’t know where she was going, and partly because she still felt a little unsteady in heels. “Mr. Marcus?” she asked at the doorway of an open office, “Mrs. Julia Martin is here.”

  “Well send her in!” his voice boomed in the otherwise quiet office. A large man stood up from behind the desk and walked over to meet Jules. He was tall and muscular. His brown hair was cut short and gelled into a tousled look. He held his hand out to Jules and she took it.

  “Welcome, Julia. I am Harold Marcus. You can call me Harry. Everyone else does.”

  “Thank you Mr., uh, Harry. You can call me Jules, everyone else does,” Jules tried to sound humorous and flashed her best smile, but she feared it came out as nervous as she felt.

  The returning wide smile of perfect teeth told her it was as bad as she feared but that it was all right. “O.K. then Jules, let me show you around,” he said, offering his arm. They walked side by side down the short hallway to another office. This one was painted lime green with paintings hung on each of the walls. “This is Billy’s office. William Drake. He is another one of our partners. I believe he is in court this morning, but I expect he will be back by lunch time.” The tour continued. Jules met Thurman Westinghouse, an older gentleman who was probably older than her father had been. He had short grey hair and was tall and lanky. He seemed friendly enough, but a part of Jules was terrified by him. Something about him made her believe he was not one to mess with. The head honcho, as Harry had put it. She met the other attorneys one by one. Everyone welcomed her with large smiles and friendly words and Jules began to feel more at ease. Maybe this would be easier than she had expected.

  When they came to the last office, Jules stopped short. The office was smaller than all the others, with no elaborate decorations or paintings or pictures. There was a man sitting behind the desk who stared back at Jules with bright green eyes. His blonde hair was probably curly, but he had it tied back behind his neck. Only the slightest hint of waves escaped the rubber band holding it back. “And this, is Nicholas,” Harry told her. Nicholas pulled his lips back into a smile, revealing a mouthful of brilliant white teeth. His features were almost chiseled, looking more like he belonged on the cover of one of those cheesy romance novels. Jules’s gut tightened and flipped over just at the sight of him.

  “Uh, It’s… very nice... to meet you,” she stammered, feeling disgusted with herself for doing so but couldn’t seem to stop. She did not react like this to people, even if they were very attractive. “I’m Jules,” she stammered again. The blood rushed to her face and Jules realized how truly pathetic she must have looked to him.

  “Hello Jules. As Harry said, I’m Nicholas, but please, call me Nick. If there is anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask,” His voice reminded her of crushed velvet, deep and sultry. He turned to Harry and asked, “Did you explain my position to her yet?”

  “No, I was just getting to that. Nick is an attorney here, but he doesn’t try cases. He is our secret weapon,” he gave Nick a playful jab with his elbow, “No one is better at gathering information than Nick, if there is a loop hole, he will find it. If you need a law researched, a case precedent, anything, Nick is your man. He’s a freakin’ legal encyclopedia. A real bull dog. I can’t begin to tell you what an asset Nick is to the firm. We have tried to promote him several times, but he always turns us down.”

  The confused expression on her face was not lost on Nick. “I just don’t like the stress of people depending on me with their life. I would rather enjoy victory from the sidelines. Not much of a public person.”

  “Oh, I see.” Why the hell could she not gather up an intelligent response? She decided to get away, and do it quickly. “Well, I look forward to working with you,” she said, trying to give herself an out, and Harry picked up on it. He took her by the arm, like a gentleman would walk with his date back in the twenties, and escorted her out.

  When they were out of earshot, Harry chuckled under his breath. “Don’t sweat it, Jules, everyone has trouble the first time they meet Nick. I think you did exceptionally well. Poor Anita, she still trips over herself around him, and she has been here for five years!”

  “Great,” she murmured. Then she saw what was to be her office. “A corner office?”

  “Yes ma’am. It used to be Nick’s, but he said he didn’t like all the openness. I don’t think I’ll ever understand him.” The office was easily the size of Jules’s old living room and kitchen together. There were large windows on either wall, allowing in as much light as possible. On sunny days, she would have no need to turn the lights on. A wide oak desk was centered in the room, a fern plant on either side. The walls were painted eggshell with a flower border just below the ceiling. “Wow’” was all she could say.

  “Well, I guess that’s all now. Get settled in, and let me know if you need any help.” Harry turned and walked briskly out of the room. Jules sat at her desk, deliberating on what to do first. Being the new guy was starting off very slowly. She let the new people she had met circle in her mind. Harry and Anita seemed nice, although they gave her a strange feeling. She couldn’t quite decide what it was. It was no matter, though, she had never been good with meeting new people. She was to meet Billy later, though she was told he was ok, as was Thurman, once you got past the king of the office feeling. Nick was strange. He was quite attractive, no doubt about that, but there was something else, something she couldn’t put her finger on. It was like there was something he deliberately wasn’t saying. Jules was twirling round and round in her big, cushy office chair thinking about all of this and when she stopped, Anita was standing in the doorway.

  Jules felt the blood rushing to her face as she quickly straightened and tried to pretend she wasn’t just now spinning in her chair. Anita giggled and as
ked to come in. With a slight motion of the hand Jules told her to come on. “I brought your first case,” she said with a wide smile, almost skipping to the desk. “It’s a divorce. Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.”

  “Uh, thanks. Sorry about that, I…”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she interrupted. “You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve seen. That was mild. So did you get the grand tour?” Something in her eyes and that devilish smile reminded Jules of Kelly and her friends. Yes, it was definitely the look of teenagers that were up to no good.

  “Yeah, I did. You were right. Everyone seems very nice.”

  “Did you meet Nick?” she asked with a sheepish expression.

  “He seemed, nice,” she puzzled over her expression until she realized Anita was waiting for her opinion. “What’s his deal, anyway?”

  “No one knows. I mean really, outside of his brilliant legal mind, nobody here has any clue about his life. He never talks about family or friends. He’s always the first here, and the last to leave. I don’t think he has any family. I tried to get him to go out for drinks once, but he only said he wasn’t interested.” Anita looked almost pained by the memory of the rejection. “I didn’t try again after that. Anyhoo, I just wanted to deliver this case, and make sure you had everything you needed.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate everything,” Jules watched her twirl out of the room. She was a little jealous of her happiness. It showed in the way she carried herself, the way she almost danced when she walked. Jules silently hoped that one day, she could feel that way again.

  With a huge sigh Jules trained her attention to the case Anita had left behind. The file in front of her was thick with personal information about the soon to be divorced couple. The wife was the plaintiff. She ascertained from the initial interview notes that she believed her estranged husband was unfaithful, but had no solid proof. There were other reasons cited, such as indifference, she claimed he was a workaholic, distant, etc. Normally this would be straightforward case, except there was a prenuptial agreement in place. Again Jules thought of Joe. How lucky she was to find someone she could trust so completely. She had been truly blessed to have had fifteen years with him. Her heart began to ache and she quickly threw herself back into the case at hand. Family law was her specialty. If she was going to make it in this new firm, she was going to have to get a grip. Jules had always hated criminal cases, mostly because she had an uncanny knack for knowing when people are lying. It was difficult to defend someone that she truly believed was guilty. It was like setting the rabid dog free after he bit someone. Things like that left a bad after taste that Jules didn’t care for.

  She wondered if there was any way to prove infidelity. Judges usually declared pre-nups void if there was any proof one party or the other deliberately sabotaged the marriage. She sifted through page after page of information. A list of mutual as well as personal friends and business associates, tax returns and real estate holdings. A lot of tedious details all stuffed in a manila folder, completely and utterly unorganized.

  She was interrupted by a low beeping from the phone on her desk. “Jules, it’s lunch time. There’s take-out in the lounge if you want some.” Anita had such a pleasant voice, almost childlike.

  “Thanks,” she replied into the phone. She realized she was hungry. She had spent all morning reading and organizing. The thought of food hadn’t even crossed her mind. She hoisted herself out of the chair and headed for the lounge. At least, she thought she was headed for the lounge, but the office was like a maze.

  “Are you lost?” Jules froze in surprise to hear the deep voice from right behind her. It was without a doubt, Nick. It swept over her like a velvet mist before going through her and down her spine. She turned and saw him staring at her with those lovely green eyes again. It was like he could see right into her soul. When Jules finally tore her eyes from his, she looked over his body without permission from her brain. He was at least a whole head taller than her and she had to look up to meet his stare. The white button down shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned at the collar and just snug enough to show off the muscles underneath and tucked into nice fitting blue jeans. Jules felt the blood rushing to her cheeks again. What was she, fifteen? She was getting irritated with herself for blushing so much.

  “Um, I was just looking for the lounge. I was told there was food there, but I think I got turned around. I kinda feel like a mouse following the maze to get the cheese,” she chuckled in a sorry attempt to pretend she wasn’t just checking him out.

  “Shall we then? I’m going there myself and I would be happy to show you where. Come on, little Mouse,” he flashed his smile at her and motioned for her to follow.

  They made small talk on the way to lunch. He asked how she was getting along, and she lied and said everything was fine. Really, she had grown quite irritated with her divorce case. She just knew there was something she was missing. When they rounded the corner, an aroma that could only be Mexican drifted to meet her nose, causing her stomach to growl. She had not seen one Mexican or southwestern restaurant since arriving in Boston. Sea food was plentiful, but she was a southwestern girl. She made a mental note to find out where it came from, for future reference.

  Jules finally got to meet Billy at lunch. He was a short, portly man with thinning hair. He was only inches taller than Jules, so maybe about five foot seven or eight. She guessed he was in his forties. But he was quite friendly, as promised. Everyone welcomed Jules again and asked questions about her life in Nevada. It was only when Anita asked about the wedding band she wore did Jules become uncomfortable. She hadn’t told anyone here about Joe. She guessed Anita was curious because on all of her tax papers she claimed to be single. Reluctantly, Jules answered her question.

  “Um, my husband died, this past summer. I still wear the ring, well, because I guess I’m not done with that yet.” Jules spoke so softly, barely more than a whisper, her eyes glued to the floor. She wondered if anyone even heard her. But they had, because there were no further questions about that. In fact, everyone was silent for a moment, and then returned to conversing about the weather and other mundane things. Oh great, you’ve been here one day and already alienated everyone around you, she thought to herself. Seeing how everyone was now uncomfortable with her, Jules took her tacos and headed back to her office.

  After about an hour, her head was throbbing. She could no longer see the words she was typing on her laptop. She wasn’t about to leave early on her first day, so she simply turned her chair around to stare out the window. The city was blurred by the rain now falling at a steady pace outside. She had hoped for snow, a sight rarely seen in Nevada, but the temperature had come up just enough to ruin that. She was sure this would be an excellent view of the city on a pretty day. There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” she answered. It was Anita.

  “It really is a great view, when it’s not raining,” she said with a smile.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” Jules replied, turning to face her. “What can I do for you?”

  “I just brought you a couple more cases to review, but don’t get overwhelmed, ok? They aren’t due for a while.” She paused, looking at Jules intently. “Is everything all right? You look kinda upset. I swear I didn’t mean to upset you at lunch. I was just curious.”

  “Don’t, Anita,” Jules said. She had to stop her right there. “It’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m fine, really. Just a headache. My first case, and I’m racking my brain so hard, I gave myself a migraine.”

  “I have some Tylenol in my desk, if you would like some. You know that you can take this home with you. You don’t have to do all this here,” she said in such a sweet, motherly tone, it seemed almost wrong coming from someone at least ten years younger and with the pitch that sounded like a child. “What part are you having trouble with?”

  Jules accepted the Tylenol, and quickly run through the issues she was having with her case.

  “Why don’t you ask Nick f
or help? That’s what he does. He finds loop holes and evidence, things like that.”

  “How would he find evidence?” She was curious.

  “I’m not exactly sure. I think he may know some unscrupulous people. I just know that he has an uncanny ability to produce pictures, emails, or other incriminating documents. As far as I know, none of his ‘evidence’ has ever been disputed.”

  Well that’s just fabulous, now I have to ask for help. Jules pondered how she would go about that. Checking her calendar that was already filled out for her, she saw it would only be a week before she met with the wife to discuss her case against her husband. She would need all the help she could get on this one.

  “What’s that?” Anita’s eyes were on Jules neck. She noticed she had been absent mindedly turning the heart-shaped pendant with her fingers. “It’s pretty.”

  “Oh, um, it was a gift,” Jules responded, her tone was so that Anita immediately understood.

  “I’m sorry, again! I just can’t keep my foot out of my mouth today!” She smiled apologetically and stole out of the room, leaving Jules alone to work.

  Jules went over in her mind how to ask Nick for help on the way to his office. She still hadn’t figured it out by the time she reached the door. Well, head first, she guessed. She knocked lightly. “Come in,” his disembodied voice answered. Nick’s office was small. Files and papers piled on his desk, on the shelves, everywhere. Jules felt kind of claustrophobic in there. Why in the world would he trade the wonderful office she now occupied for this? She shook her head in confusion and stepped into the small office.