his desk, wondering what to do next. News of his accident and Terry McGrath’s subsequent death had made the front page of both the Tribune and the Sun-Times that morning. The firm’s executive committee had convened an emergency closed-door meeting to discuss the subject, and Danny had just been advised of the outcome. He was being placed on an indefinite leave of absence, pending resolution of the criminal charges against him.
Danny felt paralyzed as he stared at the empty boxes on his desk. He didn’t know whether to take just the active files he was working on, so that he could arrange an orderly transition to a colleague for temporary assistance, or whether he should pack up all of his personal belongings, assuming he would never be coming back.
He looked down at the two newspapers in front of him. The harsh headlines had left him feeling physically stunned when they leapt off the pages at him earlier that morning. Now they lingered as a loud and painful reminder of his predicament, echoing the accusations of his own conscience. “Prominent Attorney Involved in Fatal Crash” was the headline splashed across the front page of the Tribune . “Drunken Lawyer Causes Fatal Accident—Kills Neighbor,” blared the Sun-Times .
Page 3 of the Sun-Times contained another article entitled “Rise and Fall: Careers of Well-Known Attorneys Move in Opposite Directions.” The article explained how, just a week earlier, Danny Moran and Blair Van Howe were considered two of the city’s most prominent attorneys, who were basking in the glory and acclaim resulting from the Champions HealthCare trial. Blair Van Howe seemed to be following a meteoric trajectory toward even greater renown and accomplishment, as his political career was off to an auspicious start. In stark contrast, Danny Moran’s distinguished career and promising future had been all but destroyed in the blink of an eye. The story made Danny out to be a despicable scoundrel, a wealthy, self-indulgent drunk whose reckless disregard for the law left two small children to face life without their father.
Danny’s eyes skimmed over the words again. Even his longtime partner appeared to have turned on him. “Drunk driving is a heinous offense,” the congressional candidate had said to the reporter. “This accident is a tragic and compelling illustration of the cost of such behavior. It causes countless deaths and injuries throughout this state, leaving ruined lives and broken families in its wake. I will do everything in my power to shine a bright spotlight on this problem. We need to make this a priority for law enforcement authorities and see that violators are dealt with severely and held accountable for their actions.”
Blair peered around the corner into Danny’s office. “Stop reading that shit, Dano. You know how the press is.”
Danny looked up as Blair walked in, closing the door behind him. “The thing is, I can’t argue with any of it, Blair. It’s harsh, and it hurts to read it, but I can’t argue with the truth. They’re not saying anything I’m not saying to myself.”
Blair sat down opposite Danny and pointed a finger at the newspaper article open in front of him. “Well, I want you to know that they quoted me out of context. Most of what I said to the reporter was about you—what a good and decent man you are, a great father, and a great friend to countless people, including me. That prick of a reporter left all the good stuff out.”
“There’s no need to explain, Blair. We both know how the media works. Besides, your comments were perfectly appropriate. That’s exactly what you should have said.”
“I heard about the executive committee’s decision. I’m really sorry.”
Danny shrugged and smiled weakly. “Again, they did exactly what they should have done. They don’t have much of a choice, do they?”
Blair leaned forward, folded his arms on Danny’s desk, and looked intently at his friend. “Listen, Dano, I know
Danny felt paralyzed as he stared at the empty boxes on his desk. He didn’t know whether to take just the active files he was working on, so that he could arrange an orderly transition to a colleague for temporary assistance, or whether he should pack up all of his personal belongings, assuming he would never be coming back.
He looked down at the two newspapers in front of him. The harsh headlines had left him feeling physically stunned when they leapt off the pages at him earlier that morning. Now they lingered as a loud and painful reminder of his predicament, echoing the accusations of his own conscience. “Prominent Attorney Involved in Fatal Crash” was the headline splashed across the front page of the Tribune . “Drunken Lawyer Causes Fatal Accident—Kills Neighbor,” blared the Sun-Times .
Page 3 of the Sun-Times contained another article entitled “Rise and Fall: Careers of Well-Known Attorneys Move in Opposite Directions.” The article explained how, just a week earlier, Danny Moran and Blair Van Howe were considered two of the city’s most prominent attorneys, who were basking in the glory and acclaim resulting from the Champions HealthCare trial. Blair Van Howe seemed to be following a meteoric trajectory toward even greater renown and accomplishment, as his political career was off to an auspicious start. In stark contrast, Danny Moran’s distinguished career and promising future had been all but destroyed in the blink of an eye. The story made Danny out to be a despicable scoundrel, a wealthy, self-indulgent drunk whose reckless disregard for the law left two small children to face life without their father.
Danny’s eyes skimmed over the words again. Even his longtime partner appeared to have turned on him. “Drunk driving is a heinous offense,” the congressional candidate had said to the reporter. “This accident is a tragic and compelling illustration of the cost of such behavior. It causes countless deaths and injuries throughout this state, leaving ruined lives and broken families in its wake. I will do everything in my power to shine a bright spotlight on this problem. We need to make this a priority for law enforcement authorities and see that violators are dealt with severely and held accountable for their actions.”
Blair peered around the corner into Danny’s office. “Stop reading that shit, Dano. You know how the press is.”
Danny looked up as Blair walked in, closing the door behind him. “The thing is, I can’t argue with any of it, Blair. It’s harsh, and it hurts to read it, but I can’t argue with the truth. They’re not saying anything I’m not saying to myself.”
Blair sat down opposite Danny and pointed a finger at the newspaper article open in front of him. “Well, I want you to know that they quoted me out of context. Most of what I said to the reporter was about you—what a good and decent man you are, a great father, and a great friend to countless people, including me. That prick of a reporter left all the good stuff out.”
“There’s no need to explain, Blair. We both know how the media works. Besides, your comments were perfectly appropriate. That’s exactly what you should have said.”
“I heard about the executive committee’s decision. I’m really sorry.”
Danny shrugged and smiled weakly. “Again, they did exactly what they should have done. They don’t have much of a choice, do they?”
Blair leaned forward, folded his arms on Danny’s desk, and looked intently at his friend. “Listen, Dano, I know
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