39
GEORGINA
Have you ever met some regular, nice person, and instantly connected with them in a genuine, easy way... only to find outlaterthat regular, nice person was actually a big wig? Someone who would have intimidated the heck out of you, if only you’d known? But by then it was too late to feel intimidated. The easy friendship was already formed. The connection made.
Well, that’s what happened when I met Reed’s longtime attorney, Leonard. When I encountered him backstage at the RCR concert last night, he was a sweet older dude in jeans and a Red Card Riot T-shirt who was geeking out over watching his teenage daughter and her friends meet the band. But now that I’m sitting across from Leonard in his sleek office, and I can see the impressive diplomas and framed magazine covers and awards on his walls, I’m realizing he’s actually a big wig. But it’s too late now for me to feel intimidated, because all I see when I look into his smiling face is the sweet, kind dude in jeans and a Red Card Riot T-shirt from last night.
It’s a lucky thing for me, actually. It’s meant I’ve been able to dive right into deftly interviewing Leonard about the legal services his firm provides Reed and Reed’s various businesses, without feeling hampered by nerves.
Unfortunately, though, all good things must come to an end. Whenthe expert witness Reed and Leonard have been waiting on finally arrives, apologizing profusely for her delay due to traffic, it’s time for me to head out and leave the trio to their meeting. She’s the same woman who moderated the panel discussion the other day, though—the dean of UCLA’s music school—so, before heading out the door, I mention I was in attendance at the panel and thoroughly enjoyed it.
“Oh, are you a music student?” she asks.
“No, I just graduated with a degree in journalism.”
Reed pipes in. “Georgie is interning forRock ‘n’ Roll.She’s been assigned to write an in-depth article about me, so she’s shadowing me this entire week. I’ve been told she’s a brilliant writer. One to watch.”
Goosebumps erupt on my skin, thanks to Reed’s amazing words about me, and his tone while saying them. Oh my gosh. Everything Reed just said makes me want to jump his bones the moment we walk through his front door later tonight!
The woman asks me some polite questions about my internship, which I answer, but, soon, it’s clear I should run along to let them get to work.
“If you’d like a quiet place to work while you wait for Reed, I can set you up in a conference room,” Leonard offers.
“No, thank you,” I say. “I think I’ll head to a coffee place nearby and plan to come back here . . .?”
“In a couple hours or so,” Leonard supplies.
“Perfect. Thank you for all the helpful information, Leonard. It was invaluable to me.”
“It was my genuine pleasure, Georgina. Your questions were thoughtful and full of insight.”
I blush. “Thank you. Please say hello to McKenzie and her adorable friends for me.”
“I will.”
I look at Reed and my heart skips a beat at the twinkle in his brown eyes. “Thank you for letting me tag along today. It’s been so helpful.”
“My pleasure, Georgina. I was also impressed with the questions you asked. CeeCee told me you’re one of the most promising newbies she’s ever had the pleasure to hire—if not the most promising. And I can see why.”
Biting back a massive smile, I grab my laptop, say my last goodbyes,and head out the door. But I’m not going to a coffee place, like I said. I’m heading straight to the courthouse a few blocks away to do a little research. From what Leonard just explained to me about Reed’s legal affairs, combined with something Reed said to me last night, I’ve got a strong hunch there’s a damned good story out there, waiting to be uncovered by the right journalist. I just have to be smart enough, and scrappy enough, to be the one to find it.
40
GEORGINA
While sitting on the courthouse steps with a fish taco, I read the lengthy printout I obtained a few minutes ago from a court clerk inside. Specifically, it’s a list of every lawsuit filed against Reed and his various companies over the past ten years.
The list includes the following basic information about each lawsuit, without providing any details about the facts or specific claims asserted: the plaintiff’s name, the defendants’ names, and the general nature of claims asserted—for example, personal injury, breach of contract, wrongful termination, copyright infringement, etcetera. And, finally, the printout notes the ultimate disposition of the case. For instance, sometimes, judgment was granted, or the case dismissed, by the judge on a motion filed by one of the parties. Occasionally, some of the cases went all the way to trial. And, in rare instances, a given case was dismissed after the parties had reached a confidential settlement.
Of course, it’s only the last category of cases that interest me, the ones Reed, or his particular company, settled, seeing as how Reed told me last night he only settles a case when he believes it has merit. Or, at least, when he thinks a jury would think so.
I pull a yellow highlighter from my computer bag and go down the “ultimate disposition” column, marking all the settled cases. But when I go back up to the top and begin going through my yellow markings, Irealize this isn’t the right approach. My search criteria was too broad, resulting in a list of crap I don’t care about in the slightest. A slip-and-fall lawsuit filed against one of Reed’s nightclubs, for instance. Another slip-and-fall against Reed’s real estate holding company, regarding one of his apartment buildings. A lawsuit filed by a guy against the partnership that owns a nightclub Reed co-owns, claiming the guy didn’t get paid his accrued overtime.
Snooze.
Frankly, I don’t know what I’m looking for here. But my gut tells me to keep looking . . .
I pull the cap off a green highlighter pen this time, and decide to go down a different column on the printout. This time, I look at only the yellow-marked cases—the ones Reed’s settled—but mark in green only the ones filed against River Records, specifically, as opposed to one of Reed’s many other businesses. And, lo and behold, when I reach the end of the list this time, and I look at the intersection of my yellow and green markings, I discover the entire universe of cases now only numbers three:
