Chapter 22: That Awkward MomentMaggie arranged and rearranged baklava, croissants, and pear strudel in preparation for the morning meeting. The coffee was ready in three insulated dispensers. She'd been at the office over an hour. The conference room door opened, and her heart skipped a beat. "Hi, Maggie!" Dan said.She wasn't sure if she felt relieved or disappointed. "Hey, Dan, how are you?" she smiled."Great. How was your weekend?" he asked. How was her weekend? Let's see. I went to a fabulous party. I ended up drinking too much, dancing with the boss, oh, and then I kissed him. I was ready to fuck him right there on my kitchen counter but suddenly, he left. So, on a scale of 1-10… "Morning, Dan, Mags," Michael greeted them both."Good morning, Michael," Dan said cheerfully."Hi, Michael." Color rose in her cheeks as she finished shuffling the pastries."Listen, can I talk to you after the meeting?" Dan asked her quietly.Shit! Still smiling, "Sure." When she glan

Chapter 24: Victory Celebration?When court reconvened, Michael called Daryl Whittaker to the witness stand. He walked the bouncer through the events of the evening in question, and the man verified what he'd previously stated in his deposition. Rowdy was talking to some fans at a table on the far side of the establishment, far away from the bar where the fight began. At the exact moment the victim was punched, the tennis star had posed for a selfie with Whittaker. The photo with the time stamp was introduced into evidence. The prosecution wasn't happy, but Whittaker had been on the witness list all along. They hadn't bothered to call him because he didn't help their case.At 3:15 the jury began their deliberations and at 4:50 they returned a verdict of acquittal. John and Ellen left immediately after Rowdy was released. On the courthouse steps, Michael and Rowdy paused to address the reporters gathered there hoping for a sound bite in time for the six o'clock news. Michael di

Chapter 26: Defining Her DealHaving risen early for a Saturday, Maggie stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she reached for the bottle of ibuprofen. It was the day after Michael's date had met him at Doc's. The dark circles under her eyes weren't the only souvenirs of last night. Her head pounded, and the idea of eating anything caused her stomach to roil. She slammed a pair of the orange pills, washed them down with tap water, and padded into the living room.While she waited to feel human again, she flopped down on the couch and clicked on the television. A pretty blonde was giving the weekend weather forecast on the local news. It looked as though the temperatures would be mild for early October. When had they stopped showing cartoons on Saturday mornings?Following the weather update was a report about the Larson trial. Suddenly, there was a tight shot of Michael, giving his speech about appreciating the jurors and his client's wishes for the victim. Maggi

Chapter 28: Enough RopeThe following day, Michael called together the team working on the Phillips case. Maggie, John, and Ellen met at the conference table in his office. Joining them was Stan Hodges. "I wanted fresh eyes to look over everything," Michael explained as he welcomed Stan. They spent a good hour and a half going over witnesses and the order in which they would be called, evidence that would be introduced, and predicting the prosecution's strategies."Now, John looked over some documents for me. What did you find?" Michael asked.John slid him the folder. "I eliminated a lot of unnecessary stuff, Michael." He glanced at Maggie. "Sometimes it's hard to determine what's really important. With a little experience, you learn to weed out the extraneous, focus on the vital."Michael flipped through the folder which was considerably thinner than when he'd given it to John the previous day. He looked up at Maggie and saw her lips pressed together, a pink flush creeping

Chapter 30: FalloutMichael turned to John and Ellen, speaking in an impossibly calm voice. "Let me tell you how this is going to go. You two will resign, effective immediately. I already have the paperwork drawn up. All you have to do is sign. You will leave the building and never return."John smirked at Michael. "What makes you think we're going to sign anything? You have no idea what happened here. Your girl attacked me. Ellen can tell you." He looked at Ellen, who seemed less sure of herself."I know exactly what happened here. It's all recorded on security video. Smile for the cameras, John." He pointed to the corner. John looked momentarily surprised. Then he turned to Michael. "You recorded us without our knowledge? You know that's not admissible in court.""I have you on video threatening to rape your colleague. Do you think your wife will care if it's admissible in court?" He addressed the security guards. "Keep them here. I'll be right back."Michael ret