The Associate by Phillip Margolin

keep in touch. Joe Molinari invited him out to a bar. When Daniel said he was not in the mood to party Joe urged him to keep the faith. Daniel would not have minded talking to Kate Ross, but she did not call.
    Daniel slept late on Saturday then treated himself to an extravagant lunch at Wildwood. He knew it was foolish to spend so much money when he was heavily in debt with no prospects for employment and almost no savings, but the gesture felt important: he’d been fired, but not defeated. After lunch, Daniel wandered around the neighborhood, but it was hard being in a crowd of happy people. He envied them too much. The army had given him his first taste of self-confidence and the inkling of an idea that he could have a future. His college diploma was more than a piece of paper. It was proof that he could be somebody. The job with Reed, Briggs was beyond his wildest dreams. Now the job was gone, and with it his reputation. Daniel believed that he would always be known as the associate whose incompetence destroyed Geller pharmaceuticals.
    Sunday was hard to take. Since Reed, Briggs had hired him Daniel had spent most of his time, even weekends, in the office or thinking about things that he had to do at the office. Now there was nothing to dwell on except his failure. He killed the day by going for a long run and watching football. Shortly after six, he was preparing dinner when the telephone rang. The news was on but Daniel was not paying much attention to it.
    “Dan, it’s Kate.”
    “Oh, hi,” Daniel answered, involuntarily breaking into a smile.
    “Sorry I didn’t call yesterday. I was in Astoria investigating an oil spill the coast guard claims is from a ship one of our clients insures. Did everything go okay after I saw you?”
    “I gave the hard drive back and the cops didn’t break in my door, so I guess so.”
    “Well, cheer up. I may have something for you. Natalie Tasman, one of the paralegals at Jaffe, Katz, Lehane and Brindisi, is a friend. She told me that they’re going to be looking for an associate soon, so I talked to Amanda Jaffe about you. You should give them a call tomorrow.”
    “Isn’t Amanda Jaffe the lawyer who represented that doctor who was charged with those serial murders?”
    “The same. The firm is small—there are only seven or eight lawyers—but everyone is top-notch. They practice criminal defense and plaintiff’s litigation. I think you’ll fit in over there a hell of a lot better than you fit in at Reed, Briggs.”
    “Thanks, Kate. You’re a good friend.”
    “You’re a good lawyer.”
    Daniel was about to reply when something on the television caught his eye.
    “Hold on, Kate. There’s something on TV about the fire.”
    On the screen, a reporter from one of the local television stations was standing in front of the burned-out shell of the primate lab.
    “There is a bizarre twist in the multimillion-dollar litigation against Geller Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of the pregnancy drug Insufort,” the reporter said.
    “Kate, turn on Channel Four, quick.”
    “Late yesterday,” the reporter continued, “this station received copies of a study alleged to have been made on rhesus monkeys that were burned to death in the building behind me. According to the study, a significant percentage of the monkeys that were given Insufort during pregnancy gave birth to babies with birth defects.
    “Eyewitness News has learned that Dr. Sergey Kaidanov, the scientist alleged to have authored the study and an employee of Geller Pharmaceuticals, has disappeared. We have also learned that the remains of an unidentified male were found in this building, which was destroyed by arson. According to the police, the man was murdered.”
    The picture changed and Aaron Flynn’s face appeared on the screen.
    “Earlier today, reporter Angela Graham talked with Aaron Flynn, the lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the Insufort litigation.”
    “Mr. Flynn, what is your reaction to this new