the truth in the courtroom, and I want you to hear every word of it, no matter how painful it may be.”
Without hesitation she responded, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Eli.” She smiled.
Eli and Anna spent the better part of an hour together as he gathered the necessary details regarding Tag’s arrest and the charges against him. He decided that the final preparation for the afternoon deposition could wait awhile longer.
When he and Anna finished talking, Eli escorted her to the elevator in the lobby and stopped by Barbara’s workstation on his return to his office.
“Will you see if Jill is in the building? If so, ask her to come to my office, please.”
“She’s here,” Barbara replied. “I saw her a few minutes ago. I’ll see if I can find her.”
While Barbara went to get Jill, Eli retrieved a putter and four golf balls from the closet in his office. He could think better that way. He began putting at a plastic cup lying on the floor, across the room.
Five minutes later Jill Baker appeared in the doorway to Eli’s office. Jill was four years removed from law school. After she had worked a year as a law clerk for Judge David Sawyer, senior judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Eli had hired her as his associate. He had only employed one other associate over the years, and that employment relationship had ended less than amicably. Eli admitted he was demanding, and almost anyone would have a difficult time working for him. But he liked Jill. She was intelligent, quick on her feet, and deceptively demure. She was unmarried, unattached, and worked long hours for him with no complaints. Many who met her for the first time made the mistake of underestimating her. When Eli had interviewed her, he’d seen what he was looking for in an associate. Beneath her soft black hair and behind those hazel eyes was an intelligent, resourceful, and zealous lawyer. Another quality that he found enduring was that she liked the Atlanta Braves baseball team.
“Did you summon me?” Jill asked.
Eli tapped one of the balls toward the plastic cup and chuckled at the bad pun. He glanced up at Jill and back down at the floor. Using the head of the putter, he rolled another ball into his stance.
“ Summon isn’t exactly the right word,” he replied. “But I do need you. Come in and sit down.”
Jill obeyed and sat on the sofa against the back wall of Eli’s office. She was safely off the makeshift putting green.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“I just agreed to represent a doctor accused of murder over in Nashville, and I need your help on the file.”
“Murder? I thought you weren’t taking any more criminal cases.”
Eli retrieved the golf balls again. All four had missed the cup, to the left. He walked and talked.
“I know, but I couldn’t turn this one down. His wife is related to an old client of mine,” Eli replied, masking the real reason he’d decided to take the case. “Anyway, I’ve decided to take the case, and you’ll need to do a lot of the legwork on this file.”
“What’s the guy’s name, and where do we start?”
“His name is Todd Allen Grissom. His wife calls him Tag. He’s a cardiologist in Brentwood. The first thing we need to do is hire Jimmy English—he’s the best private eye I know. Tell him to find out everything he can about our client. We need to know the good, the bad, and everything in between. I’m sure the DA is doing the same thing.”
Jill feverishly scribbled on the yellow legal pad she’d brought with her to Eli’s office. She completed writing the last word from Eli and looked up, ready for the remainder of the assignment. “What else?”
Eli struck the fourth ball and propped himself on the putter to give her further instructions. “You’ll need to go to Nashville in the morning and pull the court file. Get a copy of the warrant and anything else in the court jacket. Have Barbara prepare a notice of appearance
Without hesitation she responded, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Eli.” She smiled.
Eli and Anna spent the better part of an hour together as he gathered the necessary details regarding Tag’s arrest and the charges against him. He decided that the final preparation for the afternoon deposition could wait awhile longer.
When he and Anna finished talking, Eli escorted her to the elevator in the lobby and stopped by Barbara’s workstation on his return to his office.
“Will you see if Jill is in the building? If so, ask her to come to my office, please.”
“She’s here,” Barbara replied. “I saw her a few minutes ago. I’ll see if I can find her.”
While Barbara went to get Jill, Eli retrieved a putter and four golf balls from the closet in his office. He could think better that way. He began putting at a plastic cup lying on the floor, across the room.
Five minutes later Jill Baker appeared in the doorway to Eli’s office. Jill was four years removed from law school. After she had worked a year as a law clerk for Judge David Sawyer, senior judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Eli had hired her as his associate. He had only employed one other associate over the years, and that employment relationship had ended less than amicably. Eli admitted he was demanding, and almost anyone would have a difficult time working for him. But he liked Jill. She was intelligent, quick on her feet, and deceptively demure. She was unmarried, unattached, and worked long hours for him with no complaints. Many who met her for the first time made the mistake of underestimating her. When Eli had interviewed her, he’d seen what he was looking for in an associate. Beneath her soft black hair and behind those hazel eyes was an intelligent, resourceful, and zealous lawyer. Another quality that he found enduring was that she liked the Atlanta Braves baseball team.
“Did you summon me?” Jill asked.
Eli tapped one of the balls toward the plastic cup and chuckled at the bad pun. He glanced up at Jill and back down at the floor. Using the head of the putter, he rolled another ball into his stance.
“ Summon isn’t exactly the right word,” he replied. “But I do need you. Come in and sit down.”
Jill obeyed and sat on the sofa against the back wall of Eli’s office. She was safely off the makeshift putting green.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“I just agreed to represent a doctor accused of murder over in Nashville, and I need your help on the file.”
“Murder? I thought you weren’t taking any more criminal cases.”
Eli retrieved the golf balls again. All four had missed the cup, to the left. He walked and talked.
“I know, but I couldn’t turn this one down. His wife is related to an old client of mine,” Eli replied, masking the real reason he’d decided to take the case. “Anyway, I’ve decided to take the case, and you’ll need to do a lot of the legwork on this file.”
“What’s the guy’s name, and where do we start?”
“His name is Todd Allen Grissom. His wife calls him Tag. He’s a cardiologist in Brentwood. The first thing we need to do is hire Jimmy English—he’s the best private eye I know. Tell him to find out everything he can about our client. We need to know the good, the bad, and everything in between. I’m sure the DA is doing the same thing.”
Jill feverishly scribbled on the yellow legal pad she’d brought with her to Eli’s office. She completed writing the last word from Eli and looked up, ready for the remainder of the assignment. “What else?”
Eli struck the fourth ball and propped himself on the putter to give her further instructions. “You’ll need to go to Nashville in the morning and pull the court file. Get a copy of the warrant and anything else in the court jacket. Have Barbara prepare a notice of appearance
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