Unwanted tears burned my eyes. “I know. Thanks. I’m doing okay. Promise.” I opened the door.
She kissed my cheek. “Thank you, Bailey. I’m gonna make you proud one day. You’ll see.”
Once outside, I was depressed and worn out. Seeing Belinda and hearing her stories of woe always put me in a lousy mood. On the car ride home, a text from Keston popped up to see if I was interested in finishing what we’d started. I was in no frame of mind to see anyone and told him no, figuring that would be that with him. It was for the best. I had enough on my plate dealing with my family.
And I didn’t need anyone. That was the lie I’d keep repeating until I believed it.
**
“Good morning, Bailey,” Lincoln, my receptionist, chirped at me when I walked into the office. I rented a small suite in a building on Broadway near the courts, occupied mainly by other lawyers. Maybe if I didn’t have unexpected expenses and joined a firm, I could afford better. Every few months, I’d field calls from headhunters looking to see if I’d be interested in merging with boutique firms, but I spurned them all. I liked being my own boss. “How was the weekend?”
Eternally cheerful, Lincoln was a gem of a worker and person. He put up with me and my inability to function until I poured a gallon of coffee down my throat. “Great,” I grunted, then remembered to ask about him. “And yours?”
“Terrific. Thanks. Alan and I decided we were going to experience everything the city has to offer. We went to three museums, then walked through the park. Yesterday we had brunch, walked the High Line and the Brooklyn Bridge. My feet are killing me.”
I winced. “I’m tired just listening to you.”
Lincoln chuckled. “I know it’s a lot, but I’ve been living here for more than a year, and I feel like I barely know the city.”
“Well, news flash. I’ve lived here my whole life, still haven’t done it all, and I probably won’t.”
“Oh, don’t say that.” Lincoln waved me off. “Did you do anything fun?”
I did. Keston. And sadly, our third time was probably the charm and that was it for us.
“Yeah, it was fine.”
“Come on. No date or hot sexy times?”
“I didn’t say that.” I winked. “I have to take care of something, and then we’ll go over the calendar for the week.”
In my office, I drank the rest of my coffee, picked up the phone, and contacted Belinda’s precinct.
“Hello, this is Bailey Marks. Belinda Rayburn’s attorney. I believe she reported her ex-boyfriend, Jonas Thomas, violated the order of protection against her. Am I correct?”
“Hold, please.”
It took two full minutes before someone came on again. “Hello? This is Sergeant Mulligan.”
“Yes, hello. I’m waiting for confirmation that an order of protection was violated. I’d like to know what steps have been taken.”
“Lemme see. It says that the report came in around six thirty p.m. We tried to visit the ex, but he wasn’t home.”
“And? What about yesterday? Today?”
“Nothing yet.”
It took all my strength not to raise my voice and instead play nice. “Jonas Thomas is probably at the piers in downtown Brooklyn. He’s a longshoreman. He verbally threatened his ex-girlfriend Saturday night and pounded on her door in an attempt to get inside.”
“But he didn’t hurt her.”
“No, is that supposed to happen for you to do anything?”
I must’ve come off a little too sarcastic, because Mulligan snapped right back at me.
“No, Counselor. I said we’ll look into it, and we will. Is there anything else?”
“No, thanks.”
