by Debra Jupe
“Explains how cat the ripper got in.”
He moved to the entrance to push it shut. Lock securely twisted, he stared outside. Is this the feline from the murder scene yesterday? He assumed animal control had captured the cat and would take it in for DNA testing. He stepped closer to the glass. A shadowed outline appeared on the other side.
Jack jumped away, then bent forward, and squinted. “Shit.” His chest tightened, not prepared for more bad news. With a heavy sigh, he grasped the knob and twisted. “I didn’t agree to pay for house calls,” Jack said in a gruff voice. “This visit better be pro bono.”
Cruz Zapata strolled inside, coming to a halt a step beyond the threshold. A frown played at his lips. “I like what you’ve done with the place.” He raked a stern gaze over Jack. “You’re looking well too.”
“Thanks,” Jack replied with an equal bite of irony.
Cruz moved further in and without an invitation took a seat on the sofa. Jack fell into an opposite chair to wait for another anvil to drop. His personal attorney wouldn’t come by this early to brag about his golf game.
“I’m assuming tee time was pushed back because of the cooler weather. What do I owe this pleasure?”
“Courtesy call.” Cruz sat erect with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes. “We’ve come across a discovery that might interest you.”
“The only thing that’d grab my attention would be you telling me this nightmare is over, and my life is back to normal.”
An instant vision of Jack’s former existence paraded through his mind. His thriving career, the beautiful women he’d dated, the small but comfortable home overlooking the lake…golf on Saturdays.
“I’m afraid those days are on hold.” Cruz almost smiled. “At least for now.”
Jack released a sardonic chuckle, and fidgeted in his chair. “Nice way to put “you fucked up, dude.”
“If we were out having a beer, that’s exactly what I’d tell you. Since I’m calling on in a professional capacity, I’m keeping my language clean.”
“Speaking of beer, you want one?”
“Did I not just say this is a professional visit?” Cruz fell against the sofa back and glanced at his wrist. “Dude, it’s barely eleven.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t drink when you schmooze clients, no matter the hour. Although I’m not practicing, I’m still in your profession. I know the drill.” Jack pushed out of his seat. “Besides, time doesn’t exist for the unemployed.”
“Save the pity party. Don’t buy it. You start to work for Aaron on Monday. You’re not jobless.”
“Sitting in a cubical at a computer performing background checks as opposed to advising insurance companies about the legality of transactions, and protect them from gratuitous actions? Not the same, my friend.” He walked into the mini-kitchen. “While I’m grateful to Aaron for the offer of employment, I could do this job in a coma. Not even a minute challenge.”
Cruz straightened and opened his mouth. He seemed about to argue then clamped his lips together. “Regardless, you look like you’ve had more than your share of booze, schmoozing or otherwise.”
Jack chuckled as he retrieved two beers from the fridge and returned to the living area.
“Your effect on me is scary.” Cruz took the bottle handed to him. “Whenever I’m around you, I revert to our partying days.”
“You were the influential one back then. I owe you.” Jack fell into his chair. “What’s this intriguing news that motivated you to make a personal visit on a Saturday morning?” He twisted the cap off his drink. “Did I mention I’m not paying for this?”
Cruz opened his beer and took a long swallow. “Your former client has pulled this stunt before.”
Jack stopped in mid-drink. His stomach constricted as he digested his old friends and counselor’s words. “Say that again.”
“Jenna Collin-Sheppard’s insurance company sued another law firm, and the attorney representing her for malpractice. Nearly ten years ago and in different state. She won a sizeable settlement. We’ll dig deeper. I bet we’ll find she makes a habit of doing this kind of thing. She’s a serial suer.”
“Like the jargon. Should include it in the Law Dictionary.” Jack raked his fingers hand through his too long, uncombed hair. “Damn. I knew she was calculating, but I had no clue about her shrewdness.”
“Your investigators didn’t do a background check on her, did they?”
“She was a client. We don’t normally look into patrons credentials.”
“Maybe you should start. Then the proverbial dropped ball wouldn’t have smacked you in the ass.”
“No reason to suspect she was playing us.”
“Play you she did. She set you up to take a career ending fail.” Silence fell between them, the men lost in their thoughts. Cruz finally spoke again. “Hopefully once we show her attorneys what we’ve discovered, we can get the lawsuits suspended against you and the firm.”
“If the judge will allow you to submit the documents,” Jack commented dully.
“We’re anticipating we’ll never see the insides of a courtroom after we present her lawyers with our findings.”
“That would be a relief.”
Relief was a minor description. The tightness in his chest may loosen. He might be able to inhale and not wonder if he were having a heart attack.
“No doubt, but this only gets you half off the hook,” Cruz warned.
“Better half off than attached to the whole damn thing.” Jack’s gut squeezed and twisted, wishing life would allow do-overs. His existence had never been simple, and he fought for every step. Tough as things were, he wouldn’t change one second. Until his encounter with this, this woman. He’d gladly give up everything to turn back the clock. “You clear me of malpractice, and I’ll find a way to get free from the rest of this shit.”
“I hope you can, brother.”
“I will.” Jack stated with such conviction that he almost believed it. “My representation abilities were right on. The reason we lost the case is because her company owed her former client compensation. I explained to her we stood a good chance of losing before I ever took her on.”
“Yes, but winning wasn’t her intention.”
Obviously not. The woman attack Jack’s professional behavior and, she also pounced on his personal character. She’d cried foul on so many levels, and her claims were taken seriously. Her aim was for financial gain from Jack and his law offices.
“We can expect these new discoveries to lessen her credibility. That should up the chances in the personal case too.”
Jack snorted.
“You better hope so. May I remind you that your license to practice law is suspended, along with your current attorney position?”
“No reminders required. I live with it every day.”
“If your career survives this, you’ll need to work your butt off to repair your reputation. It’s going to take many years before people forget, and even exonerated, you won’t find things easy on a personal level. You’re tainted, cleared or not.”
“That’s fine. Nothing’s been easy for me.” The ever-present lump inside Jack’s stomach swelled. “No matter what she says, I didn’t do anything illegal. Workwise or personally. She knew the stakes.”
“Right. A no strings deal.”
“Strings?” Jack laughed. The woman resorted to using thick, nylon ropes, and she’d banded them around his life, coming after him at full force. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Ah, women. Can’t let ’em live, or something like that. How does the cliché go?”
“You don’t need to worry about platitudes over the opposite sex. You should fixate on getting out of this crap.”
“I am.”
Cruz eyed him shrewdly. “So what have you been doing to keep yourself occupied? Besides keeping the stocks in your beer company sky high.”
“Hmmm…found a corpse yesterday.”
Cruz’s brow rose.
“A murdered one.”
<
br /> His friend’s mouth plummeted.
“I was jogging and came upon Hazel Nutt’s mutilated body. I suppose you’ve seen the story on the news?”
Cruz nodded. “Sketchy.”
“Well, if you witnessed an ass running away from the television cameras, it was mine.”
Cruz laughed then his face turned serious. “Aaron’s younger sister works for her.”
“Worked,” Jack corrected. “The Nutty lady fired her the day before she was killed. Makes Katie a viable suspect.”
“Shame on many levels. She’s phenomenal at her job. She coordinated mine and Daphne’s wedding and reception.” He looked at Jack. “How’d you find out about Katie’s involvement? Aaron fill you in?”
“Aaron’s been MIA for several days. Katie-or Katherine as she prefers to go by nowadays, showed up at my door yesterday looking for her brother. Somehow the conversation turned to her story, that, plus what I’d discovered at the crime scene gave me the keys to put things together. Apparently a former co-worker seems intent on making sure the authorities look at her long and hard.”
“Ah, Vanessa King. She’s become well-known in the area too. A huntress of sorts.” Cruz leaned forward, retrieved her card that she’d insisted Jack take, and held it up. “Watch this one.” He tossed it back onto the table.
Jack squinted, staring at the gold engraving etched across the cardstock. A flit of an alcohol induced memory swooped through his mind. He frowned and then he dismissed the image as an illusion.
Cruz drained his bottle and set it aside. “I can’t imagine Katie Drapier killing anyone.”
“Yeah, me either. The police aren’t so sure.”
“They’ll figure it out. Its common knowledge Hazel kept valuables in her home. Bet it was a robbery.”
“Doesn’t appear to be, but who knows?”
“The killer, perhaps,” Cruz stated, and then smiled. “Were you surprised when you saw Katie all grown up and looking so fine?”
“I didn’t notice.” Jack’s voice was tight and cool. The last thing he wanted to think about was edgy, opinionated, shoe loving knockout.
“Are you serious?” Cruz expression converted into skepticism. “I almost fell out of my chair when I saw her. I was with my fiancé, who I’m deeply in love with. But whoa-Katie, which I can still call her.” He stopped and whistled. “Grew from a cute, skinny tomboy into a real beauty.”
Jack merely lifted a shoulder as a tingle below his belt reminded him of how nicely she filled out her worn jeans. Eyes of gold, auburn hair, thick and silky, the long strands grazed right below her shoulders, and though it didn’t happen often, he liked the way her face lit up when she smiled.
Even so, the entire time they’d been together, he’d been either annoyed with her, or trying not to get too involved with her situation, which turned out to be laughable. Her cutting him off when he tried to apologize for his past transgression aggravated him too. Proved she remained his friend’s infuriating sister. He had his own troubles to deal with, anyway. Plus, her growing quandaries could end up doubling his.
Her draw concerned the trendy area where her loft was located. Popular restaurants, movie theaters, bars, and plenty of night life surrounded the region with a lot of refurbished buildings updated into apartments or condos. If he could resolve his disputes and find a small firm to take him on, he’d definitely consider moving into her neighborhood. Had nothing to do with her.
Right. Except she’d been on his mind more than a little bit since they’d parted, and thinking of her brought the object between his legs back to life, despite his situation.
At least it did until he became too inebriated to think.
“Either you’re made of stone or you’re on the road to monksville.” Cruz chuckled again. “The Jack Pharrell I know wouldn’t let a gorgeous lady like Katie Drapier get past him without making a move.”
“I discovered, the hard way, beautiful women are mere complications. Expensive too, sans her trust fund, or my present circumstances.”
“Yes, but your current state is your own doing,”
“So I’ve been told,” Jack replied dryly. “I place the blame on my material unit’s nurturing skills.”
“Your mommy’s issues are a shrink’s wet dream.”
Jack swallowed hard, tasting bitter bile in his throat. “Don’t need a psychiatrist to analyze my mother-son relationship.” He held up his beer. “I save a lot of money on self-diagnoses.”
“I bet you do.” Cruz paused. “Come to think of it, Katie isn’t your type at all. She’s a nice lady.”
“Nice? Katie Drapier was a major aggravation growing up, plus we’re talking about our friend’s sister,” Jack reminded. “Man rule. We don’t hit on our buddies relatives.”
Cruz rose. “If you’d followed any rules, then you wouldn’t be in the situation you’re in.”
“So close.” Jack put his bottle to his lips and emptied the contents. “You went,” he checked his watch, “almost five minutes without reminding me about my life in hell.”
Cruz walked to the door. “That’s what you’re paying me the big bucks for.”
“Ah, and remember. No bucks big or little for this particular hour. On the house.”
“As much as you’re going to owe me, I doubt forty minutes will affect my fee.”
“Reminder. I’m not getting a paycheck at this point, and most everything I have is tied up in investments. Can’t touch ’em. Hence,” he spread his arms out to his sides and smiled, “the reason I’m crashing free of charge.”
“We’ll set you up on an easy payment plan.” Cruz tapped the doorknob with his fingertips. “I’m working on getting a meeting together with Jenna’s attorneys later this week. We’ll discuss the particulars after. I’m sure you’ll need to liquidate some of your funds, and you’ll shell out a bundle to make this go away. The good news is it won’t be as pricy as we once thought, and you may be able to return to being a practicing attorney sooner than we expected.”
“A nice reprieve.”
Cruz stepped past the threshold and outside before he turned back to Jack. “In the meantime, why don’t you do something constructive other than drink or stumble upon dead people? Like get a haircut or find a razor.”
Jack ran a hand over his chin stubble. “Shaved two days ago.”
“You’re a mess.”
“You’re going to miss your tee time.” Jack pushed out of his chair and strolled to where his friend stood.
Cruz stuck his head around the corner. “You can’t give up, Jack.”
A blast of cold air ripped across the manicured lawn, barreling through the opened door. The strong breeze lifted a folder lying on the entry table. Katie’s papers scattered about the floor in a disseminated mess.
Cruz pointed to the sewn sheets. “What’s all this?” He bent to pick up a page that landed at his feet. “Looks like lawyering stuff. You’re not doing anything off the map, are you? Could create problems if higher powers discover you’re fake practicing.”
“No worries.” He plucked the document from Cruz’s fingers and shrugged. “Just helping out,” he hesitated, “an acquaintance with legal issues. No tangibles, guidance only.”
He spun away from the clutter, not wanting to view it again. He’d been excited when she’d first given him the paperwork, the thrill of sifting through clauses and phrases got his blood warmed and flowing. Once he was alone, he couldn’t continue his study. His brief analysis made him realize how much he missed his work. Looking over those contracts depressed him, and he wished he’d never volunteered for several reasons even though he managed to complete the task. Now, he needed to call her, which led to an entirely different mixture of emotions he didn’t want to think about.
“Good. You need to do something for someone else. Builds character.”
“These past few months provided me with enough integrity development to last a lifetime. I’m ready to move forward.” Jack lifted his gaze and peered out the window.
“And I can’t.”
“Not yet.”
Jack continued to stare through the glass long after Cruz left. A gloomy haze swathed the mid-morning sky, signaling the threat of a stronger cold front blowing in. Trees quivered in the strong breeze, as several tenacious sprigs held on to the skeletal limbs for dear life. Out of the corner of his eye, a slight movement caught his attention. The gray cat sat beyond a hedge in a nest snapdragons and alyssum.
It returned his stare.
A small, beam of sunlight pierced the clouds casting an eerie radiance over the animal. They continued to look at each other. The shaft of light slowly dissipated as the sun faded into the gray swirls.
“You know,” Jack whispered, staring the cat. “You know who killed Hazel Nutt.”
The feline mouthed a meow, bolted, and disappeared.
Chapter 7
Katie rose in her bed, sheets snarled around her. She twirled and rolled to loosen the knotted mass. After several seconds of frantic kicking, and floundering, she finally broke free.
She pushed hair from her eyes and shook her head to drive away the wooziness. Resting upon her elbows, she stared at an exposed window trying to determine the time of day. The sun’s pattern glimmered across the floor, and arced onto the wall, telling her it was early afternoon. A burr sound came from the left side. It took a moment for her to brain to adjust, and then she realized her phone laid buzzing on her nightstand. The reason she’d awakened.
She stretched diagonally over the mattress and retrieved the device. “Hello?” she mumbled, slackening into a stack of pillows with a yawn.
“Katie,” came a deep voice on the other end. “Did I wake you?”
Her torso sprang upward, instantly rigid as her hand clutched the receiver. “A little.”
“How can you be a little asleep?”
“Easy.”
Jack chuckled. “Must be nice to snooze in the middle of the day.”
“Rough night. I guess I gave out.”
Lame. She should’ve thought of a better excuse for her lethargic tone.