“I don’t have the time for this!” I snapped at her.
“Of course you don’t,” she said. “Why would you have the time for the office slut? Excuse me.”
She walked out, and in a fit of anger, I kicked the coffee table over, my mind racing. Everything was going wrong. Stella had appeared, and I had no choice but to do as she said because of the leverage she held over me. My firm was suffering, and someone was clearly behind this. And to top it all off, there was the guilt. Over hurting Hillary. I betrayed her and broke her trust again.
I felt as if I was caught in a spider web, and the more I struggled, the tighter it got. Someone was making this web around me, a hidden spider somewhere. Whoever he was, he had trapped me, and he was enjoying watching me squirm. I was completely tangled, and I could see no way out.
I was lost.
Chapter 8
The Avery’s Case
Hillary Beck
“Let me begin by saying that I am truly sorry for your loss,” Gale said, looking at the couple that sat in front of me.
“Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Fears,” Jim Avery, the father, said. My heart sank even more as I looked at him. He had aged years in the past few weeks. I remembered seeing the pictures of the happy family, and now, the couple sitting in front of me looked nothing like that small, cheery family. Kimmy Avery just sat there silently, staring into the distance.
“Mr. Avery,” Gale said softly. “You are aware that I want to take your case?”
“It’s a very kind offer, Mr. Fears,” he said, sounding broken. “But I am afraid I can’t accept it. We are poor people, you see. We are using our life savings to try to find justice for our girl. But I am afraid we can only do so much. So I must refuse you.”
“Mr. Avery, I will be taking your case pro bono,” Gale said. “Every year, our firm takes a wide variety of cases for those who don’t have the money to fight their cases. We offer them our services, free of charge. I hope you will accept our offer.”
The man looked up, his face filled with hope.
“Are you sure?” he stammered.
“Mr. Avery,” Gale said, “it will be my honor to fight this case for you and get justice for your little girl. Merrick will not get away with what he has done. I will do everything in my power to make sure that he is brought to justice. I can’t promise you I will win. The case is weak, and we have very little proof. But I will try my best, that I can promise.”
I listened to the conversation, my heart shaking as I heard the broken parents talking. It reminded me so much of my own parents and how desperate they were to protect me. How much they tried to help me when Joe was after me and what they went through. I knew this cycle of abuse and pain, and how it included more than just the victim.
“We never thought we could get so lucky,” Mr. Avery said. “We have been looking for a lawyer for days. No one would take the case. They all said there is no hope. Those who agreed asked for so much money. We thought we would never get justice. We could never put our daughter’s soul to rest. I can’t thank you enough. I really can’t.”
Mrs. Avery burst out weeping, and I looked away, tears threatening to fall from my eyes. It brought so many painful memories to my mind, and I suppressed a shudder. I looked up and saw Gale observing me, and I turned my gaze away.
The meeting finished, and I followed him to his office, my heart trembling with emotion and sorrow for the poor parents. I thought about the poor girl and the panic and fear she must have felt because of that monster. I knew how it all felt, and my heart quivered at the idea of the poor girl going through all that.
“I need Seth in my office,” he said. “Tell him to do his research before coming here. Get Heath for me too. I will take lead on the case, but I want them both working on this full time. Tell them to drop whatever cases they are handling. Arrange a meeting for me with the lead detective on the case. File whatever paperwork is necessary and draw up the contracts. Get the Averys to sign one so we can officially start defending them. File the case in court as soon as that is done. Send Merrick’s attorney an official letter, and let’s see if we can get a date with the court. And let’s pray that the judge appointed isn’t one of their pals.”
“Yes, Mr. Fears,” I said, noting everything down. “I will also get your coffee and bagel.”
“Call up Daniels and cancel my plans with him,” he said. “In fact, cancel all meetings not pertaining to the Avery case.”
“Yes, Mr. Fears,” I said.
“This is really bothering you, isn’t it?” he asked.
“It is none of your business,” I said coolly.
He looked at me for a minute; just frowning, I turned around and walked away, too angry to say anything. How dare he act like he was concerned about me when it was obvious that I was just entertainment for him? I had meant nothing to him, but now he had the audacity to act as if he cared?
“One more thing,” he said, and I stopped walking.
“Mr. Fears?” I said, walking into his office.
“I need files on the previous Merrick cases,” he said.
