Dupree's Resolve

by Micheal Maxwell

  Elaine and Potter leaned forward.

  “I’ll report that you snuck in using the code. Slept in the pool house, and ate stuff you brought. When we arrived, you were working on the yard. You will get in trouble, but not much. I don’t think you’ll go to jail. The story is just too weird. You’ll get fired. And you may get in trouble with child protection. It’s going to take some time to straighten this mess out. Stick with the story. We’ll do our part, right Clifford?”

  “I guess so.” This turn of events left Clifford nearly speechless.

  “Do you understand?”

  “Yes sir, thank you,” Elaine said.

  “I’m not done yet. I want you to swear by Jesus Christ, the apostles, the angels in heaven and your son’s eternal soul you will never break another law as long as you live.”

  “Agreed?”

  “Yes, sir.

  “I swear.”

  “And you will keep your mouth shut,” Duncan said to Clifford.

  “Who am I to argue with a crazy man?” Clifford shrugged.

  * * *

  Dupree signed a suit for sexual harassment with an uncharacteristic flair. He glanced over the document one last time and slipped it into an envelope. He repeated his signature on the second copy.

  “Tomi, when you get the chance, can you please bring me two 9X11 envelopes?”

  Dupree heard the opening and closing of a desk drawer. Before he knew it, Tomi was standing at his desk, envelopes in hand. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you. Please block out a half-hour or so this afternoon to run this over to the courthouse and file it.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s another little surprise for our friends at Kanaal.”

  “I don’t remember typing anything up for them.” Tomi looked quizzically at Dupree.

  “You didn’t, I did this one all by myself. Dupree placed the signed documents into the envelopes and tucked in the flap. This copy is for Marsh to hand-deliver to the head of Kanaal.”

  Tomi started to undo the flap and slip the document out.

  “No peeking.”

  “Don’t you want me to proofread it?”

  “Why, Tomi French. What a hurtful thing to say.” Dupree gave her a big grin. “I do believe that I am fully capable of typing up a document on my own.”

  “Okay, fine. This one to the courthouse, and this one for Marsh to deliver to Kanaal. Got it.”

  Dupree’s cellphone buzzed on his desk and moved ever so slightly. He looked down at the screen. There was a single word, Diane. Dupree was in no mood to deal with his ex-wife’s foolishness. He reached over and pressed the red reject button.

  CHAPTER 17

  There was a light knock on the outside door of the office. As it opened a young man leaned into the office. “Good morning.” The voice didn’t seem sure of itself.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Is this Mr. Dupree’s office?”

  “Just like it says on the door.” Tomi was cheerful and slightly teasing. The phone interrupted. “Law offices. I believe so. I’ll put you right through.” The click of a button on the phone signaled the transfer of the call and announced, “Mr. Bruntnell.”

  “Dupree. Yes, good morning.” Dupree waved the young man at the desk into the office.

  “Here you are, please sign here.” The young man handed Dupree a large, thick manila envelope and indicated the X on the document attached to the clipboard he presented.

  Dupree signed, nodded and smiled at the young man and confirmed with Bruntnell, “Package received.”

  Bruntnell spoke without emotion, “Before we discuss today’s matters, I need to inform you that the agreed-upon funds in the case of Mr. Weston have been deposited per his instructions, satisfying our part of the previously agreed-upon settlement.

  “That’s great. Thank you. I’ll let him know.”

  Dupree slipped a letter opener under the flap of the package and broke the seal. He slipped out the stack of documents. “What have we here?”

  “You have what we believe is a reasonable and generous attempt to put this mess behind us.” Bruntnell sounded disgusted and tired. “Let’s cut the crap here, Dupree. I spoke with Martin Hutchinson at your former firm. We are neither prepared or, frankly, willing to engage in what you are capable of putting us through. Your former partner Mr. Hutchinson explained his willingness to throw the full resources of Atherton, Miller, and Chase behind your efforts.”

  Dupree nearly choked. He spoke with Marty Hutchinson, but didn’t ask for, or expect, any help. What an incredible bluff by his old friend.

  “We can save a lot of time, energy, and money if we could go over the documents we have prepared. All they require is your approval and signature. You will find a response and settlement offer for each of your five actions against Kanaal. There are summations and settlement figures on each packet. Would you like some time or can we proceed?

  Dupree was flipping through the documents as Bruntnell spoke. He was finding it difficult to concentrate on what Bruntnell was saying. His head was spinning from the zeros in the dollar numbers they were offering.

  “To the unfortunate matter of Mr. Carlson and Associates. We are prepared to provide a four-year scholarship for each of the young men impacted by this affair. We will further provide for housing and food during any post-graduate work, with, of course, the stipulation they are full-time students in good standing. Should they decide to not continue with an advanced degree, we will pay for an accredited trade school. Should they choose to not continue their education, an amount of 50% of the scholarship will be placed in a trust account until they reach the age of twenty-five. Is this satisfactory?”

  “It seems adequate. Nothing can buy back innocence. But this is fair.”

  “Good. On to the matter of Ms. Peggy Grimes.”

  “Done. Fair. And reasonable.”

  “As the former legal counsel for Kanaal, I’m sure you are fully aware of the abominable behavior of some of our upper management. The arrest and subsequent incarceration of Mr. Carlson and two of his cohorts will solve part of the problem. We have offered reinstatement of several of the women in your suit, with double back-pay as compensation. Two of the women, Miss French and Ms. Alvarez, will receive a cash settlement as you see on the cover letter. Will your clients agree to this amount?”

  “I believe they will. This shows a deep understanding of the depth of the problem at Kanaal. Thank you on their behalf.”

  It took almost another half hour to conclude the business with Mr. Bruntnell.

  “I will have these papers sent right over to you.” Dupree tried his best not to sound thrilled. He was sure he failed.

  “Don’t bother. The young man who delivered the packet has been waiting outside your office. I was sure you would see the value of our agreement.”

  “The moment I have the signed documents I will release the funds and checks will be delivered to you. You should have them within the next hour or so.”

  The call ended with two seasoned, professional litigators wishing each other well, and with promises of lunch should they be in the same town at the same time. Dupree knew it would never happen, but it was a gesture of respect from both parties.

  Dupree hung up the phone and gave the top of his desk a drum roll. There was a sense of relief combined with astonishment that exploded from him in an exuberant “Wahoo!”

  Moments later Tomi was standing in the doorway with a quizzical grin. Dupree was not the sort to show emotion and to bang on his desk and do a rebel yell. It was a bit hard for her to process.

  “Have a seat. Have a seat.” Dupree stood and waved her toward a chair.

  Tomi took a chair but still didn’t speak.

  “I have some news, pretty wonderful news, actually. I just got off the phone with the head of counsel for Kanaal.”

  “Mr. Bruntnell.”

  “Yes, Bruntnell. They settled on all cases. All of our hard work paid off. All five suits were met with basically a
surrender.”

  Dupree took a pen from his top drawer. “With this mighty sword, I have slain the dragon!” He began signing next to the yellow plastic tabs and flipping the little red ones to the next page requiring his signature. “Mrs. Grimes, all claims removed on her property, and a cash settlement.” He turned the first packet of papers over and signed in three more places before starting the next.

  On the fourth group of documents Dupree stopped and looked up at Tomi. “This one is special. He signed the first page and flipped it over. He signed twice more and slid it across the desk to Tomi. “Have a look.”

  Tomi gave him a faint unknowing smile and looked down at the document before her. “What is this?” She looked up at Dupree with a look of disbelief. “What does it mean?”

  “It means, Miss French, that Kanaal settled the sexual harassment suit on behalf of you and the other women listed for the amounts shown.”

  “But I, I didn’t ask you, I didn’t know you…”

  “That’s right. Because if you had, you wouldn’t have let me add your name to it.”

  “And I will get that amount?” She put her finger on the paper and turned it toward Dupree.

  “Only if your name is Tomara French.”

  “I don’t know what to say. That will pay off our house!”

  “Or you could go back to school and finish your degree.”

  “Oh, Mr. Dupree…” Tomi threw her hands up to her face. Her shoulders began to shake and she began to cry.

  A moment later the outside office door opened. “Anybody home?” It was the courier.

  “I’ll be right there.” Dupree scooped up the stack of documents, the envelope they arrived in and his pen, and headed for the front desk. As he moved passed Tomi, he patted her shoulder. “Enjoy the moment.”

  “Alright young man, I need to sign two more and they are all yours.”

  “I’m seeing a lot of you today.”

  Dupree signed the last few places, slid the documents in the envelope and handed them to the courier. “I guess I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  “Yes, sir.” The courier gave Dupree the clipboard and pointed at the appropriate line. “See you in a while.”

  “I’ll be here.” With that Dupree returned to his office.

  Tomi sniffed a couple of times and dried her eyes with her sleeve as Dupree returned to his office.

  “I know it is unprofessional to make personal calls on office time, but do you suppose I could call my mother and tell her the news?”

  Dupree gave her a big smile. “I guess this once would be alright.”

  Tomi stood and without a word threw her arms around him. “Thank you.” She turned and scurried back to her desk.

  “Quite a day.” Dupree smiled and took his seat behind the desk.

  Now, a call he dreaded. It was seldom, if ever, that the news of a settlement was a source of embarrassment and humiliation. Mid-six-figure payments were not unusual, but this was a case that Dupree was shocked to have won. Indeed, he hadn’t.

  His sleep was interrupted nightly with the thought of his client going to prison for what would probably be the rest of his life, along with Dupree’s dilemma of representing a man he didn’t like, and who he thought was guilty.

  The new world of cell phones, web pages, the dark web, and the ability of a ruthless few, to twist, distort and abuse the purpose of the internet, proved to be an education beyond anything Dupree expected.

  Tomi running downstairs for staples, and the chance meeting with a troubled Melinda, who was struggling with the proper way to report the evidence that would acquit his client, was the stuff of John Grisham novels. Yet, the reality of that serendipitous meeting set David Weston free, in a way that Dupree could never have done on his own.

  By all legal and ethical standards as Weston’s attorney, Dupree was entitled and would get one third the amount of the settlement. In this case, the average American’s income for ten years. Somehow it didn’t seem right. In his previous incarnation at Atherton, Miller, and Chase there would have been an office-wide celebration, complete with champagne and a large bonus for Dupree.

  Today, Dupree sits in a second-story office above a stationery store with a staff of one. The fight for justice is just as real, just as hard-fought, and when providence smiles on his little firm, they win. So it was with the boys of Mountain Valley High School, Peggy Grimes, the women of Kanaal, and David Weston.

  Dupree looked down at the large desk pad calendar and the phone number circled in red. Dupree dialed David Weston. He picked up on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Mr. Weston, Dupree here.”

  “Yes, Mr. Dupree.”

  “Good news. I just got off the phone with Kanaal’s lead council. The settlement payment has been deposited into your designated account, less my fee. That takes care of Kanaal’s legal obligation and gives you quite a tidy sum. What will you do now?”

  “I want you to sue the school district for wrongful termination.”

  “In this particular instance that would be all but impossible to prove. The police acted in good faith on the evidence they had. I think we can agree it was quite damning. The school, in all fairness, acted upon the advice of the police, the district attorney, and their legal counsel. I think it would be in your best interest to drop the matter. You have more than enough money to live comfortably. You’re still entitled to your teacher’s retirement. Frankly, it would be wasted money to pursue any further legal action against the school.”

  “I see.” It was obvious from the silence that Weston was not satisfied with Dupree’s answer. “Then I want you to sue Carlsson and the others.”

  Dupree considered the request and tried to derail Weston’s desire for a pound of flesh. “Look. I understand that you’re angry. I would be too. But, Carlsson is spending whatever money he has trying to mount a defense in a pretty much open and shut case. A fool’s errand, if you ask me.

  “Of the other two, one is facing serious jail time for being an accomplice in the whole affair. Bender, or whatever his name is, turned over state’s evidence in return for immunity. There is nothing to be gained in any action against them. Be satisfied they were all fired, two are going to prison for a long, long time, and the third’s reputation is soiled for the rest of his life.”

  Dupree waited for a response. None was forthcoming so he continued. “You, on the other hand, have been vindicated, kept your credential, and can teach again if you wish.”

  “Never!” Weston screamed into the phone. “They have ruined that relationship forever!”

  “I didn’t mean there exactly…”

  “My time and efforts were pearls before swine. I have decided to go to England and do research in English Literature for as long as it interests me. I never want to see that school, White Owl, or the State of Washington again.” Weston cleared his throat and with no small effort tried to regain control. “Thank you for your help in this matter. As little as you believed in me, I am through with you as well. You did what limited good you could and got well paid. I bid you a good day. Our business is concluded. I will add you to the list of people I never want to see again.”

  “I’m sorry…”

  The line went dead. If Dupree ever considered reducing his fee, no matter how briefly, there wasn’t the slightest possibility now.

  “I can’t reach Mrs. Grimes,” Tomi announced.

  “That’s OK. I’ll try later.” Dupree looked at the list of people to call and things to do. In the course of the morning, his workload had increased tenfold, and he didn’t mind a bit. He grinned in satisfaction. “What a day.”

  The phone rang in the outer office.

  “Yes, one moment please.” The sound of Tomi pushing buttons signaled a call for Dupree. “Line one. Rick Weider.”

  “Hey, stranger. I thought you were moving to Las Vegas?” Dupree was pleased to hear from his friend at Kanaal. “What’s going on?”

  “Almost. If you haven�
�t heard, I wanted to be the first. Your buddy the mayor has resigned and the head of the city council has taken over until the election.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope, Kanaal threw him under the bus. ‘We had no idea he was accepting bribes from our fired disgraced administrators.’ What a crock. Can’t you just hear it?”

  Dupree missed his friend. The only thing he missed about Kanaal. “I certainly can. So, before you leave, we should all get together, a farewell to White Owl dinner.”

  Char and the kids left yesterday. I’m watching the movers load up. If they finish on schedule, I’ll be gone first thing in the morning.” Weider paused; someone was asking a question in the background. “I just wanted to say good-bye and thank you for your friendship. You know, you said something the day you got the sack that really stuck with me. You remember?”

  “I say a lot of things. Very few worth remembering. What was it?”

  “You said to go before my kids got too old. Good advice. Thanks.”

  “You are very welcome. I hope we meet again.”

  “See ya, buddy.” With that Weider was gone.

  Dupree went out to the front office. “I bet you’d like to get home.”

  Tomi looked at her watch. “It’s only four o’clock.”

  “I’ve had all the good news I can take for one day. I say we get out of here before somebody comes with more money.”

  “You are the best boss ever.”

  Dupree looked at Tomi and wondered if he was ever that young, happy and grateful. He doubted it.

  “I’ll lock up. Have a nice evening.”

  “I have a feeling tomorrow will even be better!” Tomi grabbed her coat from the rack and she was out the door.

  CHAPTER 18

  “Tomi, we need to contact Ryan, Brandon and the other boys’ parents to set up a meeting to explain the terms of the settlement. I would like to meet with Sammy Falberg and his parents separately.”

  Dupree felt a special bond with Rick and Jill. Dara was very close to them. Rick was Mitch’s best friend and after his death, they took Dara under their wing. The two couples saw each other often for dinner and barbecues in the summer. They were responsible for bringing all the boys to his office after Weston was acquitted.