At three o’clock, I closed the door on the debriefing room, reluctantly leaving Perry in charge. I collected my things and hurried down the hallway to the elevator. My heart raced a little as I thought ahead to the meeting. A client like Mr. Mackenzie could be the steppingstone for elevating my career to the next phase. Perhaps with this experience under my belt, I could begin to practice law on my own. If, in fact, he did have something to do with Leung Yang’s death then it would be the trial of the decade.
I wanted to give a good first impression but knew I was already late. I hated to be late. It was unprofessional of me and not the way I wanted to begin an attorney-client relationship. On the sixth floor, I turned the corner and saw two large men—they looked like football players—in black suits standing on either side of the meeting room door. “Ms. Robert.” It wasn’t a question. The men wore communication devices in their ears. I assumed they wore pistols in shoulder holsters under their jackets. They looked like Secret Service for POTUS. “Yes,” I said. “Mr. Mackenzie is expecting you.” One of them opened the door for me. Seated at the far end of the conference room at the head of the long table, Mr. Mackenzie pushed back his chair and stood as I approached.“Ms. Robert.” “I’m sorry I’m late, I was in another meeting.” I masked embarrassment by standing a little taller.“Please sit down.” He pulled out the chair next to his and then we both sat at the table. In person, he looked younger. He wore black tailored slacks and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top with no tie. I adjusted my skirt and said, “I won’t delay you further, let’s get right to business. Why did you call?” I set my note pad down and reached for the pen holder in the center of the table. I drew out one of a dozen black ball points labeled with the firm’s logo.“An employee of my company has been murdered.” Mackenzie’s flat tone was casual, as if he were telling me that Leung Yang had gotten a haircut, or her nails done. “It’s become clear that I’m a person of interest in the case.” The true color of his eyes was light steely blue, the color of the sky after a storm. I found myself drawn into them for some reason, and when he suddenly made eye contact, it put me off guard. My eyelids fluttered of their own will. I dropped my gaze to my tablet and the words I’d written, Person of interest. I said, “I saw the news this morning, and I assumed that was the case. How can I help you, Mr. Mackenzie?” “Leung was my assistant . . . and more. It’s understandable that I’m suspected in her murder, but I would never have killed her. I’m not a murderer. I’m proactively seeking representation in case someone is framing me.”“But you’re not a suspect.”“Technically, no. But I’ve met with the police investigators, and their line of questioning leads me to believe they’re suspicious. I have enemies, Ms. Robert. Some—I do not doubt—are capable of murder.”That explained the bodyguards. “Were you and your assistant close?”“Not as close as you might think. We had a professional relationship.” I recalled that Mackenzie had hired her on the spot. These days a job like hers wouldn’t come without an extensive resume. Either he saw something in her, or he knew what she was capable of. I wrote this on my notepad. He said, “I saw what you did for the Senator; you are skilled in the courtroom, Ms. Robert. Are you available?” he asked.“Yes, I’m currently available,” I blurted out before realizing that, though inadvertent, his question had a double meaning. He, too, must have noticed the double entendre, and his mouth twitched just slightly. “In the professional sense,” I added with a coy grin.“In the professional sense,” he reiterated with the hint of a smile on his perfect mouth. He checked the time on his Rolex. “Thank you, Ms. Robert. I’ll be in touch.” When he stood to leave, he reached across the table to shake my hand. Is he leaving? Already?My intentions and plans for this meeting had vanished. I stood and extended my arm to return the gesture. “Mr. Mackenzie. I had wished to discuss the nature of our contract and get a better sense of what you need.” Indeed, I wanted to make assessments about him and determine his nature. “I was under the impression that this was my interview.”“On the contrary, it was mine. Please write up an engagement contract for me to review.”“Mr. Mackenzie, I haven’t decided if I’ll represent you.”“Trust me, you do want to be my lawyer. My assistant will contact you regarding our next meeting. Now if you’ll excuse me, Ms. Robert, I have a conference call to Japan in a few minutes.”He took my hand and held it firmly while staring directly into my eyes. We’d never met before, but I felt suddenly that we had. The intense expression on his face made me feel that he knew me. Really knew me. There was something so familiar, yet I couldn’t place him. It was unlike me to be flustered by anyone, but my internal response to his stare threw me. I pulled my hand away. “Good day,” he said. I held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked back down at the table. “Good day, Mr. Mackenzie.”I caught a glimpse of Mackenzie rubbing his fingers together, as if feeling silk, then he turned to go. The men flanking the door followed him down the hall, and then they were gone. What just happened? The question remained: why would he—or anyone—act preemptively and hire a criminal lawyer before charges were made? Part of me rationalized. Richard Mackenzie was a captain of industry with a multimillion-dollar business. He was probably worth more money than I could begin to fathom. So right. He would be interviewing me. And yet he did not. And now, the businesswoman in me felt completely disrespected by him, violated even, in some sexual way. Considering the #metoo movement, I knew a caressing handshake couldn’t qualify as sexual harassment. Yet, he was so—. For five years I’d worked at Dorman, Wallace, and Edwards. In all that time, it hadn’t occurred to me that my job would take a personal toll or that it would affect my relationship status. And even though in five years I hadn’t had a single date, fling, or one-night stand, the impulse to quit my job had begun when I started working for Peterson. Today, though, quitting was the last thing on my mind. As I sat back down in my chair and took a deep breath, Johnson Dorman appeared in the doorway. “Thought I’d just pop in to meet—Where is he? I thought you were meeting with the CEO. Is he late?” “He’s already gone,” I admitted.Johnson looked a bit panicked. “I don’t understand, Wil. Did you get the client?”I gave a tight, uncertain smile. “I believe so.”A new attitude boosted me out of bed the next day. Empowered, and wearing my black pencil skirt and red button-up shirt with a stiffly ironed collar, I arrived at work twenty minutes early. Mackenzie’s executive assistant called shortly after eight o’clock. “Hello, Ms. Robert. Mr. Mackenzie will meet with you today to discuss a contract. Be at Alinea at four o’clock sharp.” “Alinea?”“Will you need a car to pick you up from work?”“I’ll manage to get there on time. Thank you, Miss —?”“Mrs. Hellenberg. I’ll tell Mr. Mackenzie that you’ll be there. Have a good day.” Now I had work to do. After Dad moved us to Normal, Illinois, he had kept in touch with Jeff Lohmann, our friend at CPD Violent Crimes Division. Jeff’s children were about the same ages as my brothers and me, so we’d gone on fishing trips and shared vacations together. They were my second family, but lately I felt closer to Jeff than my father. For one thing, he lived nearby.A few years earlier, when Jeff’s daughter Paul
Richard had initially called me the night before he became a person of interest in Leung Yang’s murder. Though I followed the news, only the method of her death had been gleaned by investigators. Leung overdosed on fentanyl—China Girl was the street term—shortly before she was found. Before that, she’d been missing for two weeks. All leads to the timeline between her disappearance and the discovery of her body were dead ends. Even after I did my research I couldn’t find anything to incriminate my client. I wondered if Mackenzie would hire an investigator. He certainly had the money for it.Friday night crept up on me like a stalker. When I looked at the clock and realized that almost everyone at the office had gone already, I packed up my weekend homework and left for the private gym. I bought my pricy membership last year during the trial of another sexual predator. Though I loved the size of the pool at the YMCA, this quieter gym had additional security. And now as always, I needed m
Mackenzie had gone through all the correct channels and returned the signed Engagement contract. After he wired the retainer fee in the full amount to the firm, Domie stopped by my office and offered his congratulations. He wore an ear-to-ear grin. “Look at you! Talk of the town!” I grimaced, not in the mood for his praise.“God, what I would give for a client like him!” “Domie, you don’t know what you’re saying.”“So? You’re famous now, Wil. This case is all over the news.” “If I could, I would give it all to you.” Especially, I thought, the guilt.“Want to join me for lunch?” Domie leaned on the frame of my office door. With his arms and feet crossed, he appeared to be posing for a photo.I desired to be alone, but I was hungry, and the idea of a stale sandwich from the vendor cart didn’t appeal. “Are you ready to go?” I asked with less civility than I intended.“Let me grab my phone.”Perry watched us, overly interested in our conversation. She had been spending an inordinate amo
Monday morning news reports filled my TV screen. Claire Russo spoke of the latest happenings in the Middle East while an alert scrolled across the bottom. Investigators were trying to link J. T. Mackenzie to Leung Yang’s murder. With the company’s CEO becoming a possible suspect in her murder, PPS stocks were declining, the newsfeed said. I took my usual route to work on the Robert Line. I owned a car, but it had been parked in the underground lot beneath my building for four months. I hadn’t secured a parking permit yet, and that was next on my to-do-list. The car was coated with a layer of grime. It needed a carwash. For now, riding the el to work seemed like less hassle. Once seated, a woman twice my size spilled into the seat next to me. Leaning my shoulder against the window, I called Bolman Underwood of Underwood Investigations. He had worked for me before, and though high strung, he was well connected and worked quickly and efficiently. “What can I do for you, Wil?”“Hi, Bolm
The morning of Fourth of July, my friends Roman and Jen and I went shopping on Michigan Ave. We meandered between dress racks and I dragged my fingers across a shirt here, a pair of slacks there. Unless I liked the feel of it I wouldn’t pull any garment off the rack. “How do you deal with it, Wil?” Jen referred to the media attention my job had lately gotten. Jen was a nurse in the pulmonary wing at Rush Hospital. She lived in the same building where Roman and I lived as roommates and that was how we’d gotten to know her. “I guess I ignore it.”“She compartmentalizes, like a serial killer.” Roman brushed past me with her eye on the upper racks. Roman and I had known each other longer. We met in college and our sisterly relationship had only grown stronger over the years.“Thanks!” I said sarcastically.“Teasing!” she retorted.Jen brushed her bangs to the side revealing a creased brow. She seemed broody. “All that attention would bother me. I’d never go out.” Very private, Jen hardl
Richard dismissed the cook and waitstaff after the fireworks display over the lake. Darren and Maddie left because she was tired, and the baby was kicking. Shortly after that, Jack and Whitney returned to their hotel room. With a glass of Chardonnay in my hand, I followed Richard to the patio. Lake Michigan’s dark edge was clearly delineated by twinkling lights along the waterfront. The boats’ red, white, and green running lights accented the abysmal dark farther away, like stars on the night water. I stood at the balcony rail overlooking the curved shore of Lake Michigan. On the table behind me, the flames of several pillar candles flickered.His voice was low. “Do you like the view?” he asked, gazing down at me. His black hair glistened in the candlelight.I took a deep breath. “It’s magnificent.” “I need to discuss the case with you. Mrs. Hellenberg texted me about an hour ago. Leung’s body was released to her family.” I returned my gaze to the black expanse of Lake Michigan. “
Early the next day, Jeff called me. I was to meet him with my client at the Chicago Violent Crimes Division. Jeff had come across the same emails that Richard spoke of. They had been cc’d to Leung.Chicago VCD was raucous with activity. In the hallway, two officers dragged a thin, handcuffed man who shouted about his rights. Richard and I passed a dozen or so tables cluttered with stacks of paper and coffee cups on our way to Jeff’s office. Detectives and officers hustled about. At one desk, a couple held hands and tears streamed down their faces as a detective solemnly read from a sheet of yellow paper. In the center of the maelstrom, a hysterical woman held her young son by the shoulders as she yelled something about statutory rape. To the right, a bored detective questioned three men who were more interested in a group of scantily clad women. Half-starved prostitutes with too much makeup on their young faces couldn’t care less. Jeff waved from across the busy room and met us halfw
In the days that followed, I worked on another client’s case. Though Jeff hadn’t called, I figured they were working hard at finding Leung’s killer. In the meantime, I looked for news of Leung’s funeral on the internet before turning to YouTube. There, I was lucky to find postings from Kanji Yang. In grief, he made announcements for the family and shared the family’s gratitude for the love and support from friends. While researching this, my phone rang.Richard sounded irritated. Unnerved. “Thena, early this the morning, around two AM, I got a call from an old girlfriend, Valerie Schakowsky. It was too much like Leung’s call the night before she was abducted. I’m afraid someone has taken Valerie too. I need to discuss this with you.” The news hit me like a cold splash of water. “Did you talk to Valerie? What makes you think she’s been abducted?”“Valerie sounded strange. Not like I expected. She was drugged, slurring her words. It’s not like her to get drunk, but I couldn’t understa