Legal Briefs

My heart started beating faster and my palms started to sweat. I stood still, listening attentively, but all I heard was my own breathing. I decided to try something. I took two steps, and stopped abruptly. The footfall in the next aisle over kept going, and suddenly a tall guy dressed in black, who I didn’t recognize, rounded the corner into my aisle. For a second, I thought it was just someone who hadn’t heard the closing call. Then I noticed the black leather gloves. Who wears gloves inside?

Adrenaline shot through my body and I shoved my book cart as hard as I could at the figure in black and took off running in the other direction. It slowed him down, but didn’t stop him. I screamed for Jane to call the police as I flew through the stacks, taking a circuitous route to try lose my pursuer. I could hear his footsteps behind me, getting closer, and I felt dizzy with fear. Think clearly, Lily! Okay, the stairs, I needed to get to the stairs.

I reached a central reading area and crouched down behind a bookcase, trying to control my rapid breathing so that the stranger wouldn’t hear me. Why did I not put the pepper spray in my pocket, and where in the hell was Jane? Oh God. Don’t think about that! The footsteps got closer and slowed down, as I tried desperately not to make a sound, my legs burning and blood rushing in my ears. They paused for a moment and I bit my lip so that I wouldn’t whimper with terror. Then they began again and passed by, heading for the stacks on the other side.

As quietly as I could, I crept out from my hiding place on shaky legs, and made a dash for the stairs, taking them two at a time. I could hear footsteps echoing behind me but I just kept moving. When I made it to the main level, one of my heels caught on a rug and my shoe came off. I threw the other one off quickly and shoved another cart toward the stairs. It overturned at the landing and books fell everywhere. Then I tore across the floor to the first door I came to. The law library was located in City Hall, which had a courtyard in the middle. The door I reached led there.

My hands were shaking like crazy, but somehow I managed to take my key out of my pocket and get the door open. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the figure in black make it to the main level and start climbing over the books in his way. I bolted out into the dark freezing rain and ran like hell, diving into a dark entranceway close by. I tried the door, but it was locked. Holy shit!

The rain was coming down in sheets, and I was getting soaked, even though I was under cover. I was about to make a run for the north archway to the street, when the figure in black made it to the courtyard. Why hadn’t I just locked the f**king door behind me?! I flattened my back against the locked door, praying he wouldn’t see me cowering in the shadows. I was in the middle of Center City Philadelphia but I felt completely isolated and vulnerable. I had never been more frightened in my entire life. I didn’t know what the guy chasing me wanted, but instinct told me it wasn’t to settle up his overdue book fines.

He stopped at the center of the courtyard and looked around as I stood trembling with cold and fear. Suddenly, another figure appeared at the north arch I had been considering as an escape route. I thought it was some random bystander, and I was about to call for help, but then the guy in black yelled out to him.

“Did she run that way?”

“No,” the figure in the arch called back. “She must have gone out the south exit.”

“Fuck!”

The guy who had been chasing me walked forward to meet the other guy and I couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore over the sound of the rain. After a few minutes the two of them walked off.

I waited for what felt a long time to be sure they were gone, and then I stumbled back toward the library door. When I made it inside, dripping wet, barefoot in torn stockings, I encountered a crowd that included some uniformed police officers, a couple of guys in suits, Jane, Mr. Jane, Adam, Jacob, and some guys who were probably FBI. How long had I been gone?

I was in the break room at the library with Adam and Jacob. I had already given my statement to the Philadelphia police and the FBI. With a blanket wrapped around me, I sat with a hot cup of tea, considering choices that might dramatically affect my life.

“I could put you under federal protection,” Jacob told me. “But it would mean being in another city for an indefinite amount of time. The good news is, the government would be paying your expenses, and so you would be able to write full-time if you wanted. The bad news is, the people close to you wouldn’t be able to contact you until further notice. Of course, it wouldn’t be forever, but trials can last several months.”

“So I couldn’t even talk on the phone …” I looked up at Adam. He just sat there, impassively.

“No, sorry,” Jacob answered. “You wouldn’t be completely alone, though. You would have federal agents guarding you. And, of course, you could talk to me whenever you wanted. I might even be able to visit if you wanted me to.” I saw Adam flinch but he wouldn’t look at me. I needed to know what he felt about this, but he wasn’t letting me know.

“What’s the alternative?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed and confused.

“You could accept a position with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. It wouldn’t be hard for us to arrange. It would really just be an inter-office transfer since you’re a county employee now. You’re a licensed attorney and you’re certainly up on the law. You would just need a little extra courtroom training. The advantage to that would be that both the DA’s office and the courthouse are very secure. There are metal detectors and you would be literally surrounded by law enforcement officers. Of course, you would be expected to do the job of a prosecutor, which would mean longer hours, more stress and a heavier workload.”

“And what about when I left work? Would you put an agent in my building or something to watch out for me?”

“We would be hesitant to actually put someone in the building ourselves,” Jacob said, suddenly very interested in the wall behind me. “We would have people watching the building from nearby.”

“But inside, where the hit man may be, I would be alone?”

“If you stayed put and say, maybe Roth there, came and stayed with you, you wouldn’t be alone,” Jacob said, sounding uncomfortable, and still talking to the wall. “And with a male present, it would be less likely that anyone would try to harm you.”

“Why don’t I just move somewhere more secure?” I still didn’t like the idea of Adam putting himself in danger for me, or for Jacob.