I fill her in. “So now we wait until Mike gets back to me. I’m going to go pick up Katie from school.”
My phone beeps with an incoming call.
Jerilyn.
“I need to go, sweetie. Jerilyn’s calling me on the other line.”
“Don’t you hang up for—”
“I’m going to take it inside in front of Mike.”
“Oh. Go. Call me back.”
Me and Lucas jump out of the car and rush back inside as I answer the call in speaker phone mode. Lucas already has his phone out and is filming when I answer.
“Yeah?” I say.
Mike is in his office and we hurry in there.
“Take it down, Nolan!” she screeches.
“Take what down, Jerilyn?” Because I’m being filmed, I keep a straight face, well aware the judge could ding me if I seem to be enjoying this too damn much.
“The video. Take it down.Now.”
“I didn’t post any video.”
“No, that littleshitof Zoey’s did.”
“You mean Lucas? The same kid you threatened to file a false police report against to try to ruin his life? Why would he post a video of you admitting all of that? FYI, you’re on speakerphone, being filmed, and I’m at my attorney’s office.”
Mike speaks up. “Good afternoon, Ms. Shasta. This is Mike Cambridge, Mr. Fisher’s attorney. Long time, no see. How are you this fine afternoon?”
“You’re going to get me fired, Nolan! You’re going toruinme!”
“Gee, Jerilyn,” I say. “Not like you were going to file a false police report against me, Lucas, Caine, and Arlo and try to ruinourlives or anything.”
“Take it down, or I’ll…I’llsueyou! I-I’ll sue you forslander! Myclientscan see that video!”
Mike jumps in again. “Sue my client? You were outside, in their front yard, and you made a direct, explicit, detailed threat to commit an illegal action against your ex-husband and his friends. The defense for slander is the truth, and that video is pretty compelling and self-explanatory. If anything, my clients already have the decent foundations of a defamation case againstyou. Oh, and I’m certain I can make a pretty strong case that what you were going to do veers into child abuse, too. Both for threatening to ruin Lucas’ and Caine’s lives, since they’re minors, and for how you were going to manipulate Katie. Then there’s filing a false police report, obstruction, extortion—”
“Whatdo I have to do to get thatfuckingthing takendown?” she screams.
Mike smiles at me. “I’m about to leave my office for the courthouse to file an emergency motion regarding this matter. If you can appearhere, in my office, in the next twenty minutes to sign a motion awarding Nolan full, sole custody,andadmitting to the threat you made, I’ll make sure the video is taken down immediately.”
“Think again, asshole. I’mnotgoing to do that! I’ll fucking fight you!”
Mike shakes his head. “Then I guess the video can stay up until a judge says otherwise, Ms. Shasta. Be advised, the longer it stays up, the greater the chance of people copying it and reposting it, making it impossible for it to be removed from the Internet. Maybe even hitting the media. That means unless the judge orders it taken down, it can stay up probably a couple of weeks, or longer, until we can schedule a full hearing to resolve this matter. Meanwhile, Katiewillbe staying with her father, and visitation with you is suspended, effective immediately.”
“And,” I add, “if you do thistoday, I won’t demand you pay me child support. If Mike files that motion and we go to court over this, I’m not only going after full custody, but I’m demanding full child support, too. Andeverythingwill be part of the record as towhy.”
She doesn’t say anything for a moment, but I can see the call hasn’t dropped.
I give her another couple of seconds. “Okay, Jerilyn,” I finally say. “Then I guess we’ll see you in cour—”
“Fine!” It sounds like she’s about to start crying. “I’ll sign the fucking papers, just take the goddamned video down!”
Mike nods to me.
