asking me questions. We lost because of you.''
They heard the toilette flush and the stall door opened just as Louise wrapped up.
'' Baby, all was lost long before that little broad showed up. You look good in your own way, but get you out there in the ring and they KO you without lifting a finger. You don't have style. You don't have a mouth on you. You're not even quick on your feet. Your arguments sounded like a grocery list. You got all quiet when you should have stood up for me. I had to try and save myself in there. So I'll just go on back to Gerry, tell him he takes this thing on or I take my business somewhere else. I believe in this. I need an attorney who does, too.''
'' It has nothing to do with faith. What I needed was a case with merit,'' Kathleen muttered.
'' A good lawyer doesn't need merit. They need brains and you had enough time before this hearing to use yours. Gerry didn't need to know about that woman to get me the insurance policy; you shouldn't have needed to know about her to get me the benefits. Admit it, that mouse doesn't mean anything.''
Louise was wrong, Kathleen was sure, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Kathleen turned on her heel, pretending nature called, and walked into a stall. She locked the door and sat down on the stool, fully dressed, to think.
When the answer came to her, Kathleen flung open the door triumphantly, forgetting to pretend she had gone into the stall for any other reason than to hide.
'' Of course it's important. She wants to give. . .'' Kathleen looked right, ''. . .you,'' she looked left, ''. . .everything.'' Triumph turned to defeat. Louise Booker was gone. Resigned, Kathleen hitched her briefcase and followed her client. ''The woman wants to hand over the estate. We probably wouldn't even be here if we knew that.''
In the hall Kathleen didn't see Louise but she spied the second Mrs. Booker halfway down the very, very long hall. Kathleen started toward Lionel's lady who seemed to be trying to argue with Lionel's brother. Her tiny hands moved quickly: his expression was earnest and frustrated. No matter how benevolent her opponent, the woman was obviously loosing the battle.
Kathleen's steps quickened when the argument suddenly intensified. The man was angry and Alice in Wonderland was hanging her head, poking desperately at the elevator button as she cried. Kathleen's pace quickened along with her pulse. That poor woman was agitated to the point of physical distress. She was - fearful. Yes, fear. That meant there was more here than met the eye. High emotion had no place in a simple disposition of an insignificant estate.
Kathleen almost ran as the elevator doors started to open. The blond haired woman turned. The man took her arm only to release it when she shrunk from him in horror. Lionel's brother backed away. One hand went to his brow, the other to his hip, his arm akimbo. The regular Joe was back and he wasn't as intimidating as Kathleen had imagined a moment ago. Mrs. Booker's body was now framed by the closing steel. With the thrill of optical illusion, it seemed as if those doors were pushing her tiny body together, compressing her until soon there would be nothing left. If that happened, Kathleen would never know what there was in this estate that was worth a threat, a fight and a great deal of fear.
'' Wait!''
Kathleen's arm was raised and her breath was tight in her chest. She sprinted the last few steps but she was too late. The door closed. The woman was gone. She turned to Lionel's brother who was simultaneously turning away from her.
'' I needed to talk to her.'' Kathleen said to his back. She scooted around so that she came parallel with him. ''Is she all right?''
He stopped, hands in his pockets. His jacket didn't fit well. It wasn't expensive. His face was long, his nose a bit too short to balance the eyes and lips. He looked at Kathleen with little interest. He'd been around lawyers too long now to really believe she was worried.
'' She's
They heard the toilette flush and the stall door opened just as Louise wrapped up.
'' Baby, all was lost long before that little broad showed up. You look good in your own way, but get you out there in the ring and they KO you without lifting a finger. You don't have style. You don't have a mouth on you. You're not even quick on your feet. Your arguments sounded like a grocery list. You got all quiet when you should have stood up for me. I had to try and save myself in there. So I'll just go on back to Gerry, tell him he takes this thing on or I take my business somewhere else. I believe in this. I need an attorney who does, too.''
'' It has nothing to do with faith. What I needed was a case with merit,'' Kathleen muttered.
'' A good lawyer doesn't need merit. They need brains and you had enough time before this hearing to use yours. Gerry didn't need to know about that woman to get me the insurance policy; you shouldn't have needed to know about her to get me the benefits. Admit it, that mouse doesn't mean anything.''
Louise was wrong, Kathleen was sure, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Kathleen turned on her heel, pretending nature called, and walked into a stall. She locked the door and sat down on the stool, fully dressed, to think.
When the answer came to her, Kathleen flung open the door triumphantly, forgetting to pretend she had gone into the stall for any other reason than to hide.
'' Of course it's important. She wants to give. . .'' Kathleen looked right, ''. . .you,'' she looked left, ''. . .everything.'' Triumph turned to defeat. Louise Booker was gone. Resigned, Kathleen hitched her briefcase and followed her client. ''The woman wants to hand over the estate. We probably wouldn't even be here if we knew that.''
In the hall Kathleen didn't see Louise but she spied the second Mrs. Booker halfway down the very, very long hall. Kathleen started toward Lionel's lady who seemed to be trying to argue with Lionel's brother. Her tiny hands moved quickly: his expression was earnest and frustrated. No matter how benevolent her opponent, the woman was obviously loosing the battle.
Kathleen's steps quickened when the argument suddenly intensified. The man was angry and Alice in Wonderland was hanging her head, poking desperately at the elevator button as she cried. Kathleen's pace quickened along with her pulse. That poor woman was agitated to the point of physical distress. She was - fearful. Yes, fear. That meant there was more here than met the eye. High emotion had no place in a simple disposition of an insignificant estate.
Kathleen almost ran as the elevator doors started to open. The blond haired woman turned. The man took her arm only to release it when she shrunk from him in horror. Lionel's brother backed away. One hand went to his brow, the other to his hip, his arm akimbo. The regular Joe was back and he wasn't as intimidating as Kathleen had imagined a moment ago. Mrs. Booker's body was now framed by the closing steel. With the thrill of optical illusion, it seemed as if those doors were pushing her tiny body together, compressing her until soon there would be nothing left. If that happened, Kathleen would never know what there was in this estate that was worth a threat, a fight and a great deal of fear.
'' Wait!''
Kathleen's arm was raised and her breath was tight in her chest. She sprinted the last few steps but she was too late. The door closed. The woman was gone. She turned to Lionel's brother who was simultaneously turning away from her.
'' I needed to talk to her.'' Kathleen said to his back. She scooted around so that she came parallel with him. ''Is she all right?''
He stopped, hands in his pockets. His jacket didn't fit well. It wasn't expensive. His face was long, his nose a bit too short to balance the eyes and lips. He looked at Kathleen with little interest. He'd been around lawyers too long now to really believe she was worried.
'' She's
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