Love Story: In The Web of Life

by Ken Renshaw

  "I'll get my briefcase, and we can go into town to wait for the verdict."

  "It's now OK for you to drive yourself in the SUV. Burton has called off the bodyguard detail. But, I'd like to go with you. After sitting through the trial, I am eager to see how it turned out."

  ****

  In the courthouse, I joined Elizabeth and the Sodastroms in a conference room.

  Ed Sodastrom asked meekly, "If we win the trial, we will get some money, right?"

  "Yes, but the case might get appealed, and that could take years before you get paid."

  "Well, Ann and I have been talking. We don't really need money. We would like to create some sort of memorial or scholarship fund for the children of Rocky Butte."

  "That's a wonderful, loving idea! Our law firm will keep you posted on how the appeals process is progressing. When we get closer to a final judgment, please contact me personally and I will be happy to set up any trusts or take care of any agreements that are necessary, pro bono...at no charge to you.

  "You and Ann might as well go wait at home–we have no idea how long the jury will be out. You are only a few minutes away; we can call you when the jury comes back. Be ready to come on a moments notice. Elizabeth will call you if the jury doesn't reach a verdict today and goes home for the night."

  "Thank you," said Ann. "I think Ed and I need some rest." They left, not walking as slowly and looking so forlorn as they did at the start of the trial.

  I thought to myself, 'I have really changed–caring about clients. I must be becoming human.'

  There was a knock on the door, I answered and saw Buster as I stepped outside.

  Buster grinned, "Sofia called and asked whether the girls could come into town and have lunch with us."

  "It's a great idea. I think the bailiff is taking the jury to Bob's Cafe so we can't go there. I'm not sure I trust the food at the other restaurant. There is also the Tasty Freeze."

  Buster frowned so I added, "Tell them to bring a picnic lunch and we can have it in Pioneer Park here in Courthouse Square. "I'll ask Elizabeth to join us." The bailiff showed me a way to out the back trough the new building that we can use to avoid the media.

  Buster listened to music, and Elizabeth and I read for a while until my cell phone rang. I answered and said, "Thank you."

  "The jury is going to lunch."

  Elizabeth scurried from the room and said, "I'm going to read the jury. I'll catch up with you at the park."

  "No tampering," I warned and Elizabeth simply stared coldly at me.

  Buster and I snuck out the back of the county building. At the park we saw Tina and Sofia sitting at a table, with five plates and a picnic laid out, having a glass of wine. They were both again wearing gingham dresses with bows in the back: Sofia had come with a whole trunk of costumes from movies.

  Buster joked, "You girls could get arrested for drinking in a public park."

  They looked at me with a puzzled expression and I said, "It's OK, I know the Sheriff."

  Tina faked a guilty expression and hid her glass under the table and then said, "We don't want to run afoul of the Rocky Butte law. Georgia, put the wine bottle back in the paper sack. We will pass it around, taking turns."

  Elizabeth walked up and said, "The jury is in a good mood. Everybody's smiling. They have agreed on something. I sensed they might be thinking about the penalty now."

  Tina made a motion like she was going to pass the wine bottle in the sack to Elizabeth and then stopped and said, "No we will use wine glasses, risk it!"

  As we were eating, I asked Buster, "What are you going to do next?"

  "The ranch is rented until the end of the next week so we will stay here and do some day hiking. I've got to get back in shape after sitting in a courtroom all week. You are welcome to stay with or without our supervision. Then, we will drive back to LA. Our agent called and said we both have a gig on a movie in the Colorado Mountains for most of September. How about you?"

  "Does that SUV we have been using have to get back to LA?"

  Buster replied, "Yes, it is rented from a movie prop house. No hurry in getting it back, it is rented for the month."

  "Tina and I decided we would like to drive back through the gold country. Neither of us has ever been there. Maybe we will go through Yosemite. Then, we will stop at CrystalAire for a few days and I'll see whether my sailplane still works."

  My cell phone rang. It was the court clerk saying the jury was back from lunch and was continuing deliberation.

  "When will they come back with a verdict?" Tina asked.

  Elizabeth volunteered, "It's Friday afternoon. Some of the jurors play on the Rocky Butte Claim Jumpers' softball team. It has an important league game tomorrow morning. There will be a verdict today."

  Tina and Sofia said they were going to tour the Pioneer Museum and then see the sights of town.

  Elizabeth, Buster, and I snuck back to the secret passage to the courthouse. In the conference room, Buster sat in one of the antique captains chairs, rocked back, put in his ear buds, pushed his Stetson down over his face and had a nap. Elizabeth and I read. At four o'clock, the clerk called and said she had seen the bailiff come out of the jury room and get some of the formal papers that the jury had to fill out. They would have a verdict soon.

  Inside the courtroom, tension filled the air. All the spectator seats were filled. Reporters had their laptops open and were talking to each other.

  The Sodastroms joined us in the courtroom and soon Judge Cartright appeared and banged his gavel. Hush fell over the court.

  The jurors filed in not smiling.

  Judge Cartright asked, "Has the jury elected a foreman?"

  "Yes, sir," Said juror number five.

  "Have you reached a verdict?"

  "Yes sir," said the foreman as he handed a piece of paper to the bailiff.

  The Judge put on his eyeglasses and read the slip of paper. He paused with a look that could have betrayed disagreement, and handed the paper back to the bailiff.

  "Read the verdict," commanded the judge.

  The foreman paused and glanced at the other jurors. They all looked timid or almost embarrassed.

  "We find in favor of the plaintiff."

  Noise filled the courtroom.

  Judge Cartright stood and banged his gavel and called, "Order! Or, I will clear this court."

  We all held our breath.

  The jury foreman said in a loud voice, "We award the plaintiff twenty–million dollars."

  Chaos erupted in the court, Reporters were pushing to leave the courtroom.

  Judge Cartright again stood and banged his gavel and called, "Order! Order!"

  As the judged was thanking the jury, I heard a gasp and tuned around to see Ed catching Ann.

  "I'm OK." she said. "My knees just went weak."

  The gavel banged. "This court is adjourned."

  Elizabeth gave me a hug as I stood there stunned, and cried, "We did it boss!"

  Ed and Ann's Sodastrom cried as they shook our hands and said, "Thank you! Thank you!"

  Normal color had returned to Ed and Ann's faces for the first time since I had known them. I tried to say goodbye to opposing counsel, Dean Buttress, but he was gone.

  I motioned to the bailiff to come over. I said, "Will you take the Sodastroms out the back entrance of the county facility to avoid the media?"

  He agreed.

  Ann gave Elizabeth and I a tearful hug. "Thank you!' she reiterated as Ed led her off following the bailiff.

  Elizabeth and I gathered up our briefcases. Buster led the way, nudging reporters out of the way as we left the courthouse. On the steps, several reporters, and two TV crews pushed microphones in front of us. "Mr. Willard: Carol Tipton from the NBC: Congratulations! Do you have any comment on the verdict?"

  "I congratulate the jury on reaching a fair verdict. No amount of money will bring Lucy back, end the Sodastrom's grief, or restore their health.

  "This verdict has created one lasting
memorial to Lucy: this verdict will put all California counties and sheriffs on notice that it is negligent to ignore any reasonable person who claims to have knowledge of where a missing person is, even if they claim to have psychic powers."

  "Thank you," said Carol.

  As we continued down the steps, dodging reporters and microphones, Elizabeth quipped, "A press conference after a verdict already: this is more like it."

  ****

  Back to the lodge, Sofia, who had poured each of us glasses of champagne, greeted us at the door. Tina, still dressed in her red gingham dress, ran over and gave me a big kiss and hug. Everyone was jubilant.

  After a few congratulatory minutes, Tina and I sat down at the table with Sofia who was still dressed in her light blue gingham dress. Tina and Sofia were snickering about something, and I sensed it was not about the verdict. I noticed that Tina was resting her hand on an ice pack.

  Sofia laughed and said, "We might have a new client for you: an assault and battery case."

  Tina giggled and said, "It was self defense, perfectly acceptable conduct in the Wild West."

  Sofia continued, "After we had seen the sights of Rocky Butte we decided we couldn't leave Rocky Butte without a little honky-tonkin, so we stopped by the Claim Jumper to have a beer, cowboy-style. We were sitting alone at a table, minding our own business, enjoying glasses of Claim Jumper Pale Draft Beer when Tina excused herself to go to the Ladies Room. I heard a little commotion and saw a big cowboy sliding down the wall, bent over in pain, holding his bloody nose. I saw Tina disappearing down the hall to the Ladies Room. Some of his buddies took him away. I heard a lot of groaning. In a couple of minutes Tina reappeared from the hall walking demurely, as though nothing had happened. The cowboys gave her a lots of room to pass."

  Tina laughed and said, "He groped me. I hit him reflexively. I didn't even know I did it until I saw his nose and felt my knee in his crotch."

  I said, "Sofia, you might have created a monster."

  She replied, "You should have seen that room full of cowboys. Casting directors can't assemble a group as ugly as that. For an instant, I thought the two of us were going to have to fight our way out, back-to-back, doing karate kicks. I was saying to myself, 'Where is my fight choreographer when I need him?' Tina, have you ever thought you would like to be in the movies?"

  She looked at her swollen hand and said, I think I would rather deal with Beverly Hills High juniors than make a living doing that."

  We all laughed and drank more champagne.

  Buster's cell phone rang, and he walked outside on the porch to take the call. Without saying anything, he went down the steps and drove the SUV down the hill toward the lake and airstrip.

  Steve and Georgia drove up to the lodge and joined the celebration. Steve was beaming. "I knew it would be a win, but not that big. I hope that nobody else will ever have to tell my sad story."

  Georgia then added "Steve said your dark-complexion lady with reddish hair is here. I'd like to meet her."

  I replied "Yes, come meet her." I led Georgia over to the table where Tina was sitting. She arose and introduced her. They seemed to form an instant connection and were soon chatting about metaphysical activities in LA. I noticed Georgia was giving Tina the stare that meant she was reading her pictures. Suddenly, Georgia broke into a big smile and continued on with the conversation.

  I went to Steve and said, "I was a little tense during your court demonstration. You seemed so calm. Weren't you nervous about performing on–command in that environment?"

  Steve said, "I sort of cheated. I went into meditation the night before and traveled in time to the demonstration. I perceived where each of them would all be hiding and what they would be doing. The only thing I didn't know before the court performance was the names of the children. I was able to recheck my conclusions during my testimony."

  I replied, "Oh, I guess I should have known that. Excuse me for thinking so linearly."

  I noticed a vehicle making dust coming down the road from the entrance to the ranch. It was some sort of white delivery vehicle. Sofia walked out of the lodge, talked to the driver, and directed him to the back kitchen door. She came back in, disappeared into the kitchen, and came back into the living room with a fresh bottle of champagne. She said, "The caterers have arrived."

  "From Rocky Butte? That was fast!"

  Sofia smiled, "From Sacramento, I placed the order this morning."

  "How did you know....?" I asked.

  She smiled and turned her head inquisitively and said, "I called Steve. He said the verdict would come back in early afternoon, and it would be cause for celebration. You of all people seem to doubt his predictions."

  Two minutes later a man and a woman dressed in black uniforms appeared from the kitchen carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres.

  Then, to my great surprise, Buster drove up in the SUV. Vince Colson and Dore got out, wearing business suits.

  I greeted them at the door and received vigorous handshakes and congratulations.

  "How did you time getting here now?" I asked Vince.

  Vince grinned and said, "Steve had alerted them that the trial would be over this afternoon. We timed our flight from a business meeting in LA to Palo Alto so that it could be diverted here when final word came. We selected the particular jet for the trip to LA so that our pilots would be comfortable landing here at the ranch airstrip.

  "We wanted to be here to congratulate you and the whole team. I consider this an enormous win in our crusade to widen the scientific paradigm. My security consultants say that we are rid of that Skeptemos guy for good. You know, he put a bomb on one of our airplanes a couple of weeks ago. We have a good surveillance system at our hangar, mostly to know whether somebody places industrial espionage eavesdropping devices on our plane. It works for mad bombers too. Our video surveillance clearly shows it was your guy. That's how we got the FBI involved."

  Dore excused herself and went over and gave Georgia and then Steve a hug and then began chatting with them. I had never seen her enjoying herself before. She was usually all business.

  Dore made the party rounds, spending time taking to everyone. She seemed to already know everyone except Elizabeth and Tina. She spent quite a while talking to Tina. I could see that Tina had been fully assessed and that Dore seemed to like her.

  Vince joined Steve and Georgia. They talked animatedly like old friends.

  After about a half hour, Dore looked at her watch and then pulled Vince from a group conversation. They came over to me.

  Dore smiled approvingly and said, "Is there some place we can talk in private?"

  I led Vince and Dore to the TV room and closed the door. Dore turned to me with her fixed stare and said, "We would like to offer you a position as the CEO of the Colson Foundation, directing our further missionary efforts encouraging scientists embrace the eight-dimensional paradigm. Here is our formal offer."

  She handed me a letter that I opened and scanned. "This is very generous," I said. "I need to discuss this with Phil Bracken before I reply."

  "Of course," said Vince. "I have already talked to him as a courtesy. He said he would be reluctant to see you go but is amenable to the idea."

  I thought to myself, 'this is a win–win situation. I get a new job and Phil gets to tell Sam Perris of ChralMed that I am no longer with the law firm. Sam will think he won and got me fired.'

  Vince continued, "You can set up your office anywhere you like, as long as it is near an airport. The LA area is fine."

  Dore added, "You will report to me for most matters. The first effort will be establishing research grants to various universities, similar to that with Dr. Montgomery. You will have other legal responsibilities, but, as far as we know we don't have anymore trials like this one on the horizon."

  "We expect that your office will follow the general design of ours, with no private offices guarded by secretaries. I'll have our interior designer contact you later."

  Vince then said, "We c
an talk details later. Let's get back to the celebration," and led the way out to the living room.

  After a few minutes more of socializing, Dore nodded to Buster, gathered up Vince, and walked over to where Tina, Sofia, Elizabeth, and I were talking.

  She said, "I understand you are taking some well-deserved vacation. Don't worry about responding to that letter until you get back."

  Vince added, "Good luck with your soaring, I have always wanted to try that."

  After we all exchanged pleasantries, they left. I noticed that Dore's goodbyes to Tina were particularly warm. She had passed.

  Soon, the catered dinner was served. It was quite a party.

  ****

  The next morning, it seemed as though everyone was sleeping in. I woke Tina and told her that we needed to go into town for our last breakfast in Rocky Butte. There was one more thing I had to do.

  At Bob's Cafe we sat on stools at the counter, somewhat to Tina's surprise. Four rough looking cowboys, wearing their cowboy hats, sitting in a booth, told Agnes something while she was taking their orders. She shrugged her shoulders, came over to us, carefully looking Tina over, and said, "what’ll-ya-have."

  "Two scrambled eggs," I responded. Tina added, "The Denver Omelet."

  Agnes looked me straight in the eye and said, "Congratulations on creating Rocky Butte's first millionaires and putting the Sheriff in his place."

  "Thanks, but that is not exactly true. Their suit will be locked in appeals courts for years to come. The insurance companies will try to drag it out forever. The Sodastroms will not get a penny for years. People shouldn't try to hit them up for donations or grub stakes on mining ventures. They don't have any new money. Tell all the potential kidnappers of Ann and Ed that unless they want to hold captives for years, there will be no money for ransom."

  "Is that really true?" She sounded surprised.

  "And, our law firm doesn't get paid from the settlement until the Sodastroms do. I am not leaving here with a fat paycheck from the settlement. I did not come here and get rich off the Sodastroms' hard luck."