“Get off my chair.” Sandra threw her pen at Erma, but even as slow as Erma was, she managed to catch the missile.
“So what’s stuck in your craw, Missy? That you didn’t get Kitty off? That you didn’t have a big, public trial that would make you famous? That you didn’t figure it out until it was almost too late?” Erma leaned on the edge of Sandra’s desk as she hurled those words.
“Is the verdict in that asbestosis case going to get thrown out? It’d be a shame after a two-month jury trial.”
Erma shrugged. “They’ll have to have a hearing. The judge’ll call each juror in. They’ll be questioned. Raymond is the only one left of the three of them who was involved in the trial. He’ll probably be the lead attorney, if it has to be retried quickly.”
“Huh. Raymond’s big break. He deserves it. He’s a good kid.”
“Not much of a kid anymore. He’s dried-up behind the ears. Pretty soon he’ll be married, with a couple of children to support and a beautiful, albeit rather dumb, wife.”
“It’s only right that Kitty be happy. What a beginning she had,” Sandra said.
“Sandra, forgive Phillip.” Erma came around Sandra’s desk and lifted up her chin. “Kitty has.”
Erma’s motherly touch released a dam of tears. Tough women don’t cry. Sandra had already done it once that week when she’d had to identify Lizzie’s body. Erma clutched Sandra to her bosom as Sandra ranted and raved about how she’d almost died the night before, after she’d slept with a drug- and gambling-addicted murderer. As her grief subsided, Sandra wept some more. “I realized last night, as I was running from Stuart, that if he killed me the one thing I would miss out on would be seeing Melinda grow up.” Lifting her head, she stared at Erma. “Do you think that’s dumb?” Erma shook her head and stroked Sandra’s hair.
“I swore to myself that if I lived, I’d make everything up to her. Melinda is the most precious thing in the world.”
Erma chuckled.
Sandra pushed her away, wet blouse and all, and reached for some tissues to wipe her runny nose. “What’s so damn funny?” she asked, as she got up to examine her red eyes in the mirror.
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. I’ve hired a young girl to work here in the office a couple of hours a day. She’ll get school credit and it’ll help her decide if she wants to be a lawyer like her mother and grandmother.”
“No, you didn’t!” Sandra said so loudly that her voice echoed back at her.
“I did! I did! I really did!” Erma danced around in a little circle like an evil elf.
“You didn’t! You couldn’t have! Not without consulting me.” Sandra glared at Erma. “We are partners, after all. You wouldn’t have made that decision all by yourself.”
“Yes, she did! She did! She really did!” Dressed in a light blue pantsuit and carrying a shiny briefcase, Melinda waltzed into Sandra’s office and gave her the beauty-queen wave. “Yes, I’m going to be working here from now on. So get used it, Sandra.”
THE END
Thank you for reading Death of a Prince. If you enjoyed the read, please log on to Amazon and leave a review. For a free copy of another of Susan’s books, go to her website at http://www.susanpbaker.com. Please LIKE Susan’s page at www.Facebook.com/susanpbaker/legalwriter
Books by Susan P. Baker
My First Murder
The Sweet Scent of Murder
Suggestion of Death
LEDBETTER STREET
Murdered Judges of the 20th Century
Heart of Divorce—Advice from a Judge
Death of a Prince
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About the Author
Susan P. Baker is the author of five novels and two nonfiction books, which all have a legal angle due to her career in the justice system dealing with murder, kidnapping, incest, stalking, child support, child custody, and divorce. A retired Texas judge from Galveston, for twelve years Susan heard family violence, child abuse, juvenile delinquency (including murder), child custody battles, and other family cases. She also practiced law for nine years spending much of her time in the courtroom in the trial of criminal and family cases. While in law school, she worked as a probation officer in which her worst experiences, besides driving on I-45 from Galveston to Houston for classes several times a week, were making home visits to some scary neighborhoods.
Susan’s father was a lawyer and a judge. She remembers him parking the family outside the old county jail while he went in and made bail bonds. She'd stare out the window at the broken glass lining the tops of the walls to prevent escapes and wonder what the jail was like inside. Later, she became quite familiar with the inside of the jail, but luckily she could leave whenever she wanted.
Susan is a member of Women Fiction Writers Association, Authors Guild, Sisters in Crime, Writers League of Texas, and Galveston Novel and Short Story Writers.
She is married, has two children, eight grandchildren, and lives in Texas and Mexico. She loves dark chocolate, especially with raspberries, and traveling around the world. An anglophile, her favorite country is England where she likes to visit relatives--her mother was a British war bride--Roman ruins, anything Shakespeare, and just about everything else she comes across.
Follow her @Susanpbaker.
https://www.facebook.com/legalwriter/.
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Death of a Prince Page 27