lunch permanently, as he often had stomach aches in the afternoon. Nevertheless, within several days’ time Carley found herself a check signer who was responsible for a great deal of the firm’s financial affairs—but with no further pay increase.
Carley shortly got all his accounts in order and Rick thanked her by buying her a bouquet of flowers. When he left the office for the weekend, Carley threw the flowers in the trash bin in the alley behind the building.
Flowers. She remembered the flowers he brought Alison several times during that fateful December a year and a half ago. It stirred up emotions, the kind Carley wanted nothing to do with. She walked three blocks in a light rain afterwards, raindrops mixing with her inexplicable tears. The last thing she wanted from Rick was flowers.
Carley couldn’t sleep that night. Something was bothering her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. The rest of the office staff had begun to get friendlier with her, and even invited her several to after-work get-togethers. Carley always had an excuse for not going. She didn’t want things to move in that direction with any of her coworkers. No attachments. No one to say goodbye to. She went straight home from work every evening and kept to herself nights and weekends. She even gave up clothes shopping. Outside of getting groceries, she was rarely seen out and about in Boston anymore.
One evening Carley realized what was upsetting her so much lately. She had come to absolutely despise Rick, and just didn’t want to be around him any longer. The more she got used to him, the more she hated herself for it. His habits made her nuts. He was sloppy about so many things and not at all the kind of person she first figured him for. Not slothful when it came to business, to be certain, but unforgivably careless over the important details which disinterested him.
Quite by accident one day, she learned that Rick and his wife were already separated. Carley had suspected as much, seeing as she never had the opportunity to even speak to her. Rick’s mother-in-law phoned the office and left a message that pretty much revealed his current personal situation. Rick said nothing to Carley about it when he read the message she left for him.
Carley knew the time had come to accelerate her plans. It was time to get out of that office and out of Rick’s life for good. She could do it now. She could go back to her old life feeling vindicated and satisfied, as long as she left Rick a little stinger in doing so—something to even the score.
That weekend, Carley devised a plan for bringing things to a close. She went over it again and again in her mind. Four months. That’s all she needed. Four months from now, she would bring it all to fruition. The timing was undeniable. In four months it would be one year since she became a blonde named Carley and moved to Boston.
CHAPTER EIGHT
It was Valentine’s Day when Carley first began transferring money from the client trust account to the firm’s general account. It seemed an appropriate day to begin. The other female staff members were getting flowers delivered and giggling over them. Carley received a small bouquet as well. It was from herself, with a card that simply read from Derek . Because she wasn’t too friendly with anyone in the office, she didn’t have to make up detailed stories other than it being from “a man she just started dating.”
Carley didn’t enter the bank transfers in the check register. She made a note to herself of the amount of money transferred and the names of the clients who would be affected. Rick never looked at the checkbooks or logged into the bank accounts online. He left all the bookkeeping to Carley, just as he had done with Anna. Big mistake. Lawyers are held legally responsible for the actions of their staff when it comes to the misappropriation of funds.
The American Bar Association's Model Rule 1.15 protects client funds,
Carley shortly got all his accounts in order and Rick thanked her by buying her a bouquet of flowers. When he left the office for the weekend, Carley threw the flowers in the trash bin in the alley behind the building.
Flowers. She remembered the flowers he brought Alison several times during that fateful December a year and a half ago. It stirred up emotions, the kind Carley wanted nothing to do with. She walked three blocks in a light rain afterwards, raindrops mixing with her inexplicable tears. The last thing she wanted from Rick was flowers.
Carley couldn’t sleep that night. Something was bothering her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. The rest of the office staff had begun to get friendlier with her, and even invited her several to after-work get-togethers. Carley always had an excuse for not going. She didn’t want things to move in that direction with any of her coworkers. No attachments. No one to say goodbye to. She went straight home from work every evening and kept to herself nights and weekends. She even gave up clothes shopping. Outside of getting groceries, she was rarely seen out and about in Boston anymore.
One evening Carley realized what was upsetting her so much lately. She had come to absolutely despise Rick, and just didn’t want to be around him any longer. The more she got used to him, the more she hated herself for it. His habits made her nuts. He was sloppy about so many things and not at all the kind of person she first figured him for. Not slothful when it came to business, to be certain, but unforgivably careless over the important details which disinterested him.
Quite by accident one day, she learned that Rick and his wife were already separated. Carley had suspected as much, seeing as she never had the opportunity to even speak to her. Rick’s mother-in-law phoned the office and left a message that pretty much revealed his current personal situation. Rick said nothing to Carley about it when he read the message she left for him.
Carley knew the time had come to accelerate her plans. It was time to get out of that office and out of Rick’s life for good. She could do it now. She could go back to her old life feeling vindicated and satisfied, as long as she left Rick a little stinger in doing so—something to even the score.
That weekend, Carley devised a plan for bringing things to a close. She went over it again and again in her mind. Four months. That’s all she needed. Four months from now, she would bring it all to fruition. The timing was undeniable. In four months it would be one year since she became a blonde named Carley and moved to Boston.
CHAPTER EIGHT
It was Valentine’s Day when Carley first began transferring money from the client trust account to the firm’s general account. It seemed an appropriate day to begin. The other female staff members were getting flowers delivered and giggling over them. Carley received a small bouquet as well. It was from herself, with a card that simply read from Derek . Because she wasn’t too friendly with anyone in the office, she didn’t have to make up detailed stories other than it being from “a man she just started dating.”
Carley didn’t enter the bank transfers in the check register. She made a note to herself of the amount of money transferred and the names of the clients who would be affected. Rick never looked at the checkbooks or logged into the bank accounts online. He left all the bookkeeping to Carley, just as he had done with Anna. Big mistake. Lawyers are held legally responsible for the actions of their staff when it comes to the misappropriation of funds.
The American Bar Association's Model Rule 1.15 protects client funds,
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