Chapter 36: Christmas Surprise GuestEarly Christmas morning, Maggie was up checking on the turkey in the refrigerator. She'd dressed in a long black and white striped sweater over black leggings, slippers on her feet. She had the table linens ironed and ready, waiting in the bedroom for the time to put up the tables in the living room. She plugged in the lights on her small tree in the front window, for the millionth time adjusting the decorations, many of which came from her childhood tree. A glance out the window told her that snow was still peppering down. A massive storm had hit the northeast the day before, dumping the white stuff in feet rather than inches. Thankfully, Casey and John were safely ensconced in their hotel room, having taken the train into the city the day before the storm hit. Most transportation had been shut down since early Christmas Eve.Maggie had braved the snowstorm on foot yesterday to get the final items she needed for today's big dinner. She wou
Chapter 37: Happy New YearHis charter from the city had taken him to Norfolk, Virginia, where he'd caught a commercial flight to St. Bart's. He'd arrived more than a day later than he'd expected, and Jana had been none too pleased that he didn't land in St. Bart's until 9:00 Christmas night. She'd been there since Christmas Eve and had spent most of the day alone. At least as far as he knew. Maybe she'd hooked up with some guy before he arrived. She'd been somewhat mollified by his Christmas gift to her.They'd enjoyed a late locally-sourced seafood dinner from room service and he'd given her the earrings. She'd thanked him but hadn't seemed that thrilled with them. On the other hand, her gift to him had been a blow job. "Just what I've always wanted," he'd joked.He loved it when Jana went down on him. It was, perhaps, her one true talent. She had a way of working him with her tongue and she could take all of him without gagging. Michael watched as her blonde head bobbed o
Chapter 38: What's Good for the GooseOne afternoon in late January, Maggie's office phone rang. "Maggie Flynn," she answered."Hi, this is Joe. Joe Santiago?"Maggie frowned. The name was familiar. Who is this again?When she hesitated, he continued, "I teach history at Kennedy High. You and Mr. Rannigan were kind enough to come and speak to my students?""Oh! Joe. I knew I recognized your name. How are you?" Maggie asked"I'm good. Did you have a nice holiday?"Maggie rolled her eyes. What do you need Joe? I'm kind of busy. "I did, it was great. So what can we do for you? Do you need another speaker?"Joe laughed nervously. "No, nothing like that. It's just… Well, I was wondering. Someone gave me two tickets to a new play and I wondered if you'd like to go with me."Maggie sat blinking, her jaw hanging slack. Did he just ask me out? "Uh, wow…I don't know. When is the play?""It's this Friday night. It's supposed to be really good. I know we only met that once,
Chapter 39: Being PettyShe and Joe left shortly after that. The theatre was a short cab ride from the pub. They quickly found their seats and began to scan the Playbill. The play was a modern avant-garde sort of thing, not really Maggie's cup of tea, but she was always up for a live performance. There were brief breaks in the performance, allowing her and Joe a chance to engage in small-talk.Out on the sidewalk after the play, Joe turned to Maggie. "Are you hungry? Would you like to get something to eat? Or drink? Or both?" he asked, laughing at his awkwardness.She smiled. "Sure, that sounds great." They ended up seated in a booth at a cafe not far from Doc's. Over pie and coffee, Maggie answered his questions. She'd grown up in North Carolina, she'd graduated from NYU Law School, she'd worked with Murphy, Rannigan since graduation.He told her that he'd been raised in upstate New York. She learned that he'd been teaching for about eight years, since his graduation from
Chapter 40: Curiosity Killed the CatMichael arrived at the office early on Monday morning. He was anxious to see Maggie and ask about her weekend. He'd briefly toyed with the idea of Snapchatting her on Sunday but then thought better of it. He was standing by Karen's desk perusing some documents when Maggie stepped off the elevator. "Howdy, Mags. Good morning."Maggie was juggling her purse, her case, and a huge coat she'd apparently removed in the elevator. "Hey, Michael. Happy Monday."He followed her to her office, holding open the door so she could enter with her arms full. She put down her purse and case on her desk and hung up her coat in the small closet near the door. Casually, one ankle crossed over the opposite knee, Michael leaned back on the sofa across from her desk. "So how was your weekend?" He aimed for nonchalance.Maggie turned and smiled radiantly. "It was great!" She returned to her desk and locked her purse in the bottom drawer, placing the case on th
Chapter 41: I Just Hate Feeling StupidIn the following weeks and months, with Dan as their third, they found their groove again, working cases, searching for precedents, poring over documents, interviewing clients and witnesses. In court they worked together flawlessly, winning most of their cases, occasionally losing, but always ready for appeal.Maggie went out with Joe several times over the next few months, sometimes to a movie or to dinner, but it always seemed to Maggie that it was just an excuse for them to get together to have sex. She knew she didn't love him, wasn't really attracted to him beyond the physical if she was perfectly honest, but she rationalized it to herself. If it's good enough for Michael… It was mid-April when she realized that it had been a while since Joe had called. I haven't heard from him in about a month, she mused. She didn't waste time or energy worrying about it. He's probably busy with school.One Saturday morning, she and Michael met at th
Chapter 42: Maggie in Court"I feel like shit," Michael groaned. It was halfway into the fifteen-minute recess the judge had granted at his request. In the privacy of the courthouse's lawyers' lounge, Maggie touched the underside of her wrist to his forehead."You look like shit. Your eyes are all glassy and you're warm," she said, shaking her head. "You should be home in bed. Ask for a continuance."That morning he'd come to the office with a slight headache which he had ignored. Now his head seemed ready to explode and he felt both cold and hot at the same time. His body ached, and he felt shaky."I don't want to do that. This little shit has taken up enough of my time. Our time." In the eighteen months that Maggie had been with Murphy, Rannigan, this was the third time Nathan Menzel, errant son of Councilman Robert Menzel, had been arrested for criminal stupidity. The last time, the charge had been trespassing and mischief at the home of a former girlfriend. This was hi
Chapter 43: House CallWhen they reached his apartment, Michael sank onto the living room couch, resting his head on an overstuffed throw pillow and automatically clicking on television sports. Maggie stood uncertainly. Now that he'd made it home, she could probably leave him to himself. He'd refused to go to an urgent care doctor, instead calling his own physician, who made house calls. "Would you like a blanket while you're waiting, Michael?" she asked him."That'd be great, Mags," he said. "There's a linen closet down the hall past my bedroom." He pointed vaguely without sitting up. Maggie looked to her left. She'd seen a hallway when they first entered the apartment. She moved in that direction, passing a huge bedroom, and found the linen closet a bit further down the hall. Choosing a white cotton blanket from the shelf, she couldn't resist peeking in the other rooms before returning to the living room. She counted three large bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroo