A Game of Inches

by Webb Hubbell

  I looked at Micki, who I knew would refuse. Constance turned to address her directly.

  “Ms. Lawrence, I know you have no reason to trust me at this point. The FBI has compromised my office. If I were you I’d be very protective of those two women, but I hope you will check my record: I’ve been fighting the sex trade my entire career. I know what those two women must be going through right now. I’ll let you call the shots. Why don’t just the two of us meet this afternoon? I won’t let the FBI come close to those two women. If you’re satisfied, the DC police have special housing for women who need protective custody. The living quarters are quite nice, and they are bound to need medical care.”

  Micki was a tough nut to crack. “Two o’clock at your offices. I’ll probably bring Jack’s daughter with me.”

  At that point, Peggy announced the meeting was over.

  Calhoun and Barry left quickly. Marshall walked directly up to the Attorney General, and before long they left together. Maggie, Constance, and Micki started talking about documents, so I approached my friend Peggy Fortson.

  She smiled. “You know one of these days I’m going to learn not to take your calls. The FBI and a major contractor providing call girls to a Senator and no telling what else. What a mess you’ve handed me.”

  She was quick to interpret my silence. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “When Constance gets our documents she’ll see that Logan was not Nadia’s only client. She will also receive more information on L&A. You need to receive your own copies. As a friend told me once, “I’ve not handed you a mess; I’ve handed you a hornet’s nest.”

  69

  WE HAD WON, at least for now. Many questions remained unanswered, but Billy would be a free man. It’s almost as hard to get someone released from jail as it is from the hospital. We finally walked out into the fading sunshine around five o’clock. Thank God, the press hadn’t been tipped off. Billy Hopper was soon enjoying a quiet dinner with Marshall, Grace, and his newly discovered grandmother, Anna. The Hay-Adams had been happy to provide a private room for their meal, as well as a room for the night. Billy said he never wanted to set foot in the Mayflower again. Who could blame him?

  Micki and Beth spent the whole afternoon with Constance working on a plan to turn over custody of Mary and Ruth to the DC police. Martin was called in, and by the early evening things had been resolved. Beth would coordinate the transition. She had become close to the two women, and I could think of no one better. She wouldn’t return to New Orleans until Sunday, so she and I would finally have some time together.

  Beth and Micki had a long talk about what was eating at Micki. Beth later told me, “Everything’s cool,” but refused to give me any details. I later asked Maggie if she knew what was going on. She smiled and said the two of them needed to clear the air about me. When I pressed her she shrugged me off saying, “You wouldn’t understand.”

  I heard almost immediately from Red. He was tickled pink to have his wide receiver back and claimed that it was Lucy who had come up with the plan to hire me. She knew that once involved and intrigued, I couldn’t walk away from Billy. I didn’t know I was that predictable. She even told him that she had always doubted Billy’s guilt. Same old Lucy—she always had perfect hindsight.

  Red insisted that my representation of Billy had always been secondary to him—he really did want me to represent the team’s interests. In fact, he gave me an added responsibility, for which he was happy to pay extra—make sure the NFL reinstated Billy, and quickly. The job wouldn’t be as easy as one might think. The NFL would want to do its own investigation, and Constance would not be inclined to be cooperative while she was trying to find the real perpetrator. Red also warned that other NFL owners would privately encourage the commissioner to slow walk a decision. They’d be much happier if Billy weren’t running amok in their backfields.

  I still had reservations about working for an NFL team given my concern about the increased violence and injuries, let alone fantasy sports. Typical Red—when I told him about my reservations, he said he had the same concerns, and we would work on them together. We were certainly strange bedfellows. He went on to tell me how Billy was a key element in his desire to change the face of football from violence to one of purely skill and speed. Getting Billy reinstated was key.

  Of course, the press, especially the sports press, was caught totally off-guard. We agreed that it would look better if Micki took the lead in dealing with the press. Her presence before the cameras as Billy’s lawyer might soften the hearts of those who were still convinced that Billy was capable of violence against women. Micki was great at the initial press conference and during a series of TV interviews scheduled by the Lobos. I could tell she was enjoying herself. She was so good Red tried to hire her, but she demurred. She and Larry were ready to get back to Little Rock.

  I read in the Post a few days later that Felix Calhoun had resigned from the FBI to work in the private sector. The Attorney General and the FBI director announced that the FBI would undertake a management restructuring process. I didn’t read anything about agent Barry, but I suspected he had been reassigned to Alaska—maybe he could see Russia from his new outpost. Senator Boudreaux surprised a lot of folks by announcing he’d decided not to seek reelection this fall. Who is in line to take his seat on the appropriations committee? You guessed it—Senator Lucy Robinson.

  Clovis reported that PS Trading had closed their offices. The attorney for Logan calls me at least once a day asking when I’m going to withdraw my subpoena. He gets very frustrated with my repeated response: “I have to check with Constance Montgomery.”

  I dreaded the call from Novak, but he seemed to understand that no one knew for sure yet who had actually killed Nadia. He said it was unfortunate that I was no longer involved, but he thought he might have an idea or two that could help. I gave him Constance’s number; my job had ended when Billy was exonerated. He told me “off the record” that Nadia’s money had found its way to her parents. I think that made him a little more willing to mourn rather than seek revenge.

  He told me the Louisiana syndicate was searching for the man who ordered the hit on Beth. He apparently had failed to show the syndicate “proper respect.” He told me to not to worry about Beth or Jeff while they were in New Orleans. I wasn’t sure how I felt about my daughter being under the protective umbrella of the mob, but I thanked him anyway.

  I had intended my association with Novak to end after the Stewart case, but I was glad it hadn’t. While a lot of people congratulated me on being such a good lawyer, I knew I’d been very lucky, so had Billy. If the dead woman had been anyone else but Novak’s niece this case would have never been solved, and Billy likely would have been convicted despite all the holes in the prosecution’s case.

  That reality made me think about all the people who die every year and are never identified and their families never notified. I decided to have the Foundation do some research into this to determine the magnitude of the problem and how it could be addressed. In this day and time of information no one should live or die in total obscurity.

  We all went out for dinner at Cantler’s before half the team returned to Little Rock. Jeff came up for the occasion, and I thought he might try to corner me to ask for Beth’s hand in marriage, but it didn’t happen. Apparently their time schedule is between them, or so Beth told me. Next year Jeff is headed to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis to further his residency. No surprise, Beth is moving to St. Louis as well. She’d been thinking for some time about getting her Masters in social work at Washington University. Her work with Mary and Ruth had convinced her that the decision was the right one.

  I finally met Larry. I kind of liked him. He clearly adored Micki, talked very little unless someone asked him about wood or cabinetry. She seemed to be back in good spirits, but I made it a point to ask Maggie again about what had been eating her.

  “Jack, for a smart guy, you can sometimes be clueless,” she said bluntly. “You and
Micki had quite the romance years ago. She thinks her feelings toward you contributed to the breakup with Eric. She doesn’t want to lose Larry, too. You’re obviously head-over-heels about Carol Madison which complicates things further—no wonder she’s been irritable these last couple of weeks. Frankly, I’m surprised she agreed to come at all.”

  I decided to leave it alone. Micki was happy and that’s what mattered.

  Maggie told me that Walter’s company had made Stella one hell of an offer to run the Matthews companies’ IT operation. The offer allowed her to live in Little Rock, and continue to run her gym, but it would involve a lot more travel to DC and to the data center in Charlotte, North Carolina. I could tell they were both torn because they were quieter than usual. I pulled Clovis aside and asked if he wanted to talk. He asked if I could come to Arkansas and go fishing next month. We would talk then. He didn’t need to twist my arm.

  It took over a week to deal with all the details of closing up the case. I did learn one thing of interest. When Marshall joined a New York firm as a young lawyer, his first case involved a ticklish personal matter for the family that had owned the Hay-Adams for many years. He brought the matter to a successful conclusion without the matter getting into the press, and even convinced his firm not to charge them a red cent. The ownership of the hotel has changed, be he is still allowed to stay there for almost nothing whenever he wants. He, of course, has never abused their generosity and still keeps in touch with the family when he’s in town.

  Billy and his grandmother are almost inseparable. He has arranged for all her belongings to be shipped out to his home in LA. He doesn’t want her to ever return to Bibb, nor does he care to meet his biological father. Who could blame him? He hired a new agent, a former ball player who has an excellent reputation with both management and the NFL Player’s union. Red told me he hopes to lock Billy into a long-term deal if I would just do “my job” and get the NFL “off their ass.” Working for Red was going to be a challenge.

  Maggie and Walter were on their way to a wedding in Cannon Beach, Oregon. They’d decided to leave a little early to enjoy the many wineries and incredible scenery between Portland and the coast. They invited me to join them, but I declined. Instead, I called Pat and asked for Carol’s phone number. He told me, “not to bother.” My heart sunk before he laughed.

  “Carol has been calling every day asking if you’ve called. Don’t bother calling her, she’s already arranged for Red’s plane to be on stand-by to fly you to where she is. Be at the Lobos’ hanger this afternoon at four o’clock.”

  “Should I be ready for sun or snow? I asked.

  “She said to bring your bathing suit.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I PLAYED FOOTBALL in High School and for the Arkansas Razorbacks. My teammates remain some of my best and closest friends to this day. There is something about the sport that bonds you with your teammates and when one hears of a teammate in trouble you come to his aid without reservation or judgment. I know about this firsthand. My thanks to every single teammate for your unwavering support and encouragement.

  Terry, Walter, and Caroline read the early drafts, giving me valuable insight. Once again, my wife Suzy spent endless hours reading and editing every draft. My children and their spouses gave me input and encouragement. My Charlotte, DC, and Arkansas friends continue to be my biggest supporters and cheerleaders.

  My son, Walter offered advice and tremendous insight into the world of fantasy football. My sister Terry keeps me straight when it comes to medical issues. My friends Sonya and David gave me tremendous advice with the issues surrounding the representation of a high-profile client and pre-trial issues.

  Beaufort Books has once again my deepest thanks and appreciation. Publisher Eric Kampmann believed in me from day one. Megan Trank, Michael Short, and Felicia Minerva have given me invaluable help in editing, cover design, and publicity. No author has a better or more patient team.

  Every day I remain eternally grateful to George and his family.