Harry tells us, okay? And we'll go through Wendell's documents. When he comes for the kids, don't let him spend more than a minute. Just hi, Wendell, here are the kids, be sure to bring them back on time. The best thing is to have a friend there when he comes by. If he has any comments, he can call his lawyer, and his lawyer will call me. It has to be that way. Jamie?"
Her voice was so tight it came out as a squeak. "I'm so tired of this I could die."
"I know. I've been through a divorce myself, and it's hard. You've got to be brave. If you let him come back, it's going to be even worse. Come on, Jamie. Don't give up now. You're going to be just fine."
Gail murmured more assurances, and finally Jamie promised to tell Wendell that her lawyer had ordered her not to talk to him. Gail hung up. "Some clients," she said. "You just feel like screaming at them. Wake up!"
"She wants to take him back?" Lynn stood up from one of the chairs opposite Gail's desk.
Gail turned around to her computer. "No. What Jamie Sweet wants is for this to be over, and in the past that's how she made problems go away. She did what he told her." The Sweet file came up on the monitor. Gail typed a short memo, then hit the code for phone conf w/client. Two-tenths of an hour. It would show up on the next bill. "Fat chance I collect any of this," she muttered.
"If they do get back together," Lynn said, "I bet he won't pay the attorney's fees. You'll have to sue him."
"Afraid so. I've got over twenty thousand dollars in this. Wendell thinks a hundred bucks is too much to pay. People have no idea how hard they make us work, then they complain about the fees." She made a pistol of her thumb and forefinger. "Stay away from my client, you varmint, my rent is overdue." Gail looked at Lynn. "That was another joke."
"I figured that." Lynn passed her the last check, waited till she signed it, then stacked them all neatly together. Her nails were short and unpolished, her hands adorned only by a wedding band and an inexpensive watch. She wore plain slacks and pullovers to work, and blond hair hung straight around her face. Her only makeup was a touch of color on high, almost Slavic cheekbones. Two months ago, when Miriam had met her in the cafeteria, Lynn had been working for a temp agency, and Gail had needed some extra help. The extra wages were starting to bite.
Lynn asked, "Gail? If it's no trouble, could I come in Thursday instead of Friday? Tommy's camp counselor said they need some parents to go along on a field trip to MetroZoo."
"Check the schedule," Gail said. "It should be all right." Lynn worked three days, but occasionally traded them around if something came up. That would not have been permitted at Hartwell Black and Robineau, where schedules were maintained and rules were enforced, lest the staff become spoiled.
"You'll have to bring the boys by sometime. I'd love to meet them."
"I should do that. They're a handful, though."
"Lynn, wait." She turned around at the door. "Have there been any strange phone calls lately, any hangups? People who call the office and don't leave a name?"
Her eyes widened. "No. Did you get a call like that?"
Gail shrugged. "Not here. I got a couple of crank calls at home." Last night she had seen it again: PAY PHONEon the caller-ID. She had not picked it up. She had ordered Karen not to answer the phone under any circumstances. Anthony had called once from his grandparents' house, and her mother had phoned. Otherwise the night had been quiet.
"What did they say?"
"Well . . . nothing worth repeating. I think it must have been kids. I suppose I should ignore it."
"Oh, don't do that. People are crazy, especially in Miami. Someone might be stalking you. Tom doesn't like me to go out after dark, and he's always checking to make sure the doors are locked. We had a woman in our neighborhood stabbed in her own house by a man who had followed her home. You should call the police."
Gail nodded. Whatever one might say,
Her voice was so tight it came out as a squeak. "I'm so tired of this I could die."
"I know. I've been through a divorce myself, and it's hard. You've got to be brave. If you let him come back, it's going to be even worse. Come on, Jamie. Don't give up now. You're going to be just fine."
Gail murmured more assurances, and finally Jamie promised to tell Wendell that her lawyer had ordered her not to talk to him. Gail hung up. "Some clients," she said. "You just feel like screaming at them. Wake up!"
"She wants to take him back?" Lynn stood up from one of the chairs opposite Gail's desk.
Gail turned around to her computer. "No. What Jamie Sweet wants is for this to be over, and in the past that's how she made problems go away. She did what he told her." The Sweet file came up on the monitor. Gail typed a short memo, then hit the code for phone conf w/client. Two-tenths of an hour. It would show up on the next bill. "Fat chance I collect any of this," she muttered.
"If they do get back together," Lynn said, "I bet he won't pay the attorney's fees. You'll have to sue him."
"Afraid so. I've got over twenty thousand dollars in this. Wendell thinks a hundred bucks is too much to pay. People have no idea how hard they make us work, then they complain about the fees." She made a pistol of her thumb and forefinger. "Stay away from my client, you varmint, my rent is overdue." Gail looked at Lynn. "That was another joke."
"I figured that." Lynn passed her the last check, waited till she signed it, then stacked them all neatly together. Her nails were short and unpolished, her hands adorned only by a wedding band and an inexpensive watch. She wore plain slacks and pullovers to work, and blond hair hung straight around her face. Her only makeup was a touch of color on high, almost Slavic cheekbones. Two months ago, when Miriam had met her in the cafeteria, Lynn had been working for a temp agency, and Gail had needed some extra help. The extra wages were starting to bite.
Lynn asked, "Gail? If it's no trouble, could I come in Thursday instead of Friday? Tommy's camp counselor said they need some parents to go along on a field trip to MetroZoo."
"Check the schedule," Gail said. "It should be all right." Lynn worked three days, but occasionally traded them around if something came up. That would not have been permitted at Hartwell Black and Robineau, where schedules were maintained and rules were enforced, lest the staff become spoiled.
"You'll have to bring the boys by sometime. I'd love to meet them."
"I should do that. They're a handful, though."
"Lynn, wait." She turned around at the door. "Have there been any strange phone calls lately, any hangups? People who call the office and don't leave a name?"
Her eyes widened. "No. Did you get a call like that?"
Gail shrugged. "Not here. I got a couple of crank calls at home." Last night she had seen it again: PAY PHONEon the caller-ID. She had not picked it up. She had ordered Karen not to answer the phone under any circumstances. Anthony had called once from his grandparents' house, and her mother had phoned. Otherwise the night had been quiet.
"What did they say?"
"Well . . . nothing worth repeating. I think it must have been kids. I suppose I should ignore it."
"Oh, don't do that. People are crazy, especially in Miami. Someone might be stalking you. Tom doesn't like me to go out after dark, and he's always checking to make sure the doors are locked. We had a woman in our neighborhood stabbed in her own house by a man who had followed her home. You should call the police."
Gail nodded. Whatever one might say,
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