CHAPTER SIXTEEN
" morning, Alma!" I chirped as I walked through the front door and into the office. "Isn't it a lovely morning?"
"Good morning, Ms. Raines," Alma replied. "The forecast says we have a forty percent chance of rain today, so while this morning may be passable, this evening looks like it will be less than lovely."
"Thank you for the weather report, Alma," I said as I looked at her. The compact woman took everything we said quite literally. She could be maddening, but she was extremely functional and kept our office running like a well-oiled machine. Plus, I really liked her.
"What's going on this morning?" I asked as I looked down the hallway to see if Jordie or Roger were in yet.
"There have been several calls from news outlets, but they won't tell me what they want," she reported as she handed me my messages. "They keep asking for you. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Lee are in the conference room and told me to tell you to come in as soon as you get some coffee. I've made a fresh pot and your favorite mug is on your desk."
"Alma, you are worth your weight in gold," I said with a smile.
"Thank you, Ms. Raines, but I do not generally share my weight with anyone but my physician," she said with a serious look. The phone rang at that moment and provided me with a good excuse to head for my office. I wasn't sure what to make of Alma, but she certainly was entertaining.
I set my things down, hung up my coat, and grabbed my mug before heading down to the conference room. I wondered what the guys were working on and why they were there so much earlier than I was. Usually, I was the first one to arrive at the office and often had to wait to start business while they slowly oozed in after late nights out partying and hooking up with the newest starlet on the Hollywood circuit. This morning, I felt like I really shouldn't stand in judgment.
"Hey guys, what's up?" I called as I walked past the conference room toward the coffee pot.
"C'mere, Brooke! We may have found something we can use to generate some business!" Jordie said excitedly.
"Oh yeah? What do you have?" I asked.
"Well, last night they fished Lydia Banks out of the ocean," Roger began.
"I saw that on the news," I said. "It's so sad – and kind of scary."
"But it could mean that we could swoop in and pick up some of her clients," Jordie said as he handed me a list of names. About half were crossed off, but the rest had phone numbers and addresses listed next to them.
"What's this?"
"It's Lydia Banks’ client list," Roger said.
"How on earth do you have this?" I asked as I scanned the list. I recognized quite a few of the names on it, but one stood out like a sore thumb.
"You don't really want to know, do you?" Jordie asked.
"Is it going to make me an accessory to a crime that I didn't commit?" I asked.
"Possibly, but we'll swear that you knew nothing about it," he added.
"So, you'll commit perjury to help illegally build our client list?" I asked.
"Pretty much," Roger said as he circled a name on the list and made a note beside it. "Look, if we don't generate some paying clients soon, we're going to lose the firm anyway, so what's to lose?"
"Our reputations? Our licenses to practice law?" I said as Jordie grabbed the list out of my hand.
"Brooke, look, we're willing to do the dirty work to get the list up and ready for inquiries," he said as he gave me a pleading look. "You go do whatever it is you need to do and when we have something ready that's legitimate, we'll come get you. And then the three of us will figure out how to approach these people."
"I do not like how this sounds, guys," I said. "Why are you so willing to shoulder the responsibility for all of the crap work? I don't get it."
"We don't have as much to lose as you do," Roger said bluntly.
"What do you mean? What the hell do I have to lose? A condo? Hell, I don't even own a car!" I said.
"No, but you've got a really nice family who does really kind things for us, and we don't want to see them get drawn into this," Jordie said quietly. "We're willing to go to bat for you and for the firm, but when it's time to swing, Brooke, you're gonna have to hit it out of the park."
Suddenly, it dawned on me what they were doing. They were willing to hack into Lydia's system and get her client list and then break it down to the most viable converts, but I was going to have to sell the idea to the targets. I was the bait.
"You're going to send me into these peoples' place of business – and I use that term loosely," I said in a calm voice that hid the level of anger I was now feeling. "I'm the bait that will be used to lure these shady clients into our firm so we can practice law below the legal level."
"Brooke, that's not fair," Jordie said. "Sure, we want you to go in and sell the idea, but that's because you're smart and articulate and you know criminal law better than both Roger and I combined."
"And because I look hot in a skirt and a tight blouse," I added.
"Well, there's that..." Roger said as Jordie smacked him on the back of the head. "Ouch! What'd you do that for?"
"Idiot!" Jordie yelled at him. "I told you to shut the hell up about how she looks!"
"But it's true!" Roger shot back.
"Uh, hello? I'm still in the room," I said as I hid a smile. These two could be idiots, but they were well-intentioned idiots who truly wanted to save the firm from destruction.
"Okay, you two work on the list and when you're ready, come find me and we'll figure out our next step," I said as I walked out of the room. In the hallway, I ran into Alma who was returning from filling her coffee mug. "Alma, they're idiots," I said shaking my head.
"Yes, but they are well-intentioned idiots and that should not be discounted," she replied as she continued down the hall.
She was right.