Deadly Justice (2 page)

Ben laid his hand on the oversize posterboard. He had a definite suspicion he was going to regret this.

“Mr. Kincaid, are you ready to proceed with your cross-examination?” Judge Hart asked when she returned to the courtroom.

“Yes, your honor.”

“And you still believe it may be lengthy?”

“It’s…possible I’ll finish sooner than I anticipated, your honor.”

The judge’s eyes brightened. “Now that’s encouraging. Remember, Mr. Kincaid, brevity is the soul of wit.”

“I will, your honor.” He approached the witness stand. “Dr. Lindstrom, you are a Ph.D., are you not?”

In fact, Dr. Lindstrom was the stereotypical picture of a Ph.D.—tortoiseshell eyeglasses, tweed jacket, salt-and-pepper beard. “I am. I received my degree in Environmental Sciences, with an emphasis on toxic gases.”

“And you belong to a myriad of professional organizations.”

He seemed pleased at the opportunity to flaunt his awesome credentials. “Yes, and I’m also a delegate to the National Environmental Congress for North America.”

“I’m sure we don’t want to bore the jury with a litany of your countless awards and commendations.”

He sniffed. “Well…if you say so.”

“You also hold an endowed chair at the University of Oklahoma, correct?”

“I have been fortunate to receive the John Taylor Ross chair, yes.”

“But the vast majority of your current income does not come from the University, does it?”

He paused. “I’m…not sure what—”

“You make far more money these days as a professional expert witness, right?”

“I have been called on occasion to offer my expertise—”

“And always by right-wing groups or businesses that want to destroy something natural so they can erect something artificial.”

Anglin rose to his feet. “Objection.”

Judge Hart nodded. “Sustained.”

“Your honor,” Ben said, “I’m endeavoring to make the point that this witness has been paid to testify twelve times in the past three years, and in each instance he has testified that the project in question would not harm the endangered species whose habitat was being destroyed.”

“Then perhaps you should establish that through cross-examination testimony,” Judge Hart said, “rather than by making long-winded speeches.”

“That’s all right, your honor. I’m ready to move on.” Especially since the point was already made. If Ben had learned anything in the time he’d been practicing, it was when to leave well enough alone. “Dr. Lindstrom, I’d like you to look at an exhibit.”

Dr. Lindstrom reached for the stack of previously admitted documents.

“No, no, Doctor,” Ben said. “I want you to examine a new exhibit.” He lifted the posterboard off plaintiff’s table, unfolded it, and propped it up against the courtroom easel. The poster was an enlargement of a full-length photo of an attractive platinum blonde in a white party dress.

Anglin was back on his feet the instant the blow-up was displayed. “Objection, your honor. What relevance can this possibly have to the question of whether the proposed gas treatment plant will cause environmental harm?”

The judge fingered her glasses. “I admit I’m a bit mystified myself….”

“I will make me relevance clear very quickly,” Ben assured her.

Anglin continued to protest. “Your honor, I have no idea what he’s planning to do!”

“Well, life is an adventure,” the judge said. “Let’s just kick back and see what happens.”

Obviously unhappy, Anglin returned to his seat.

Ben confronted the expert witness. “Dr. Lindstrom, do you know who the woman in this photograph is?”

“Uh…I believe that would be Jean Harlow.”

“I believe you’re right. And you’re familiar with Miss Harlow, correct?”

He tugged at his collar. “I…am familiar with her, yes…”

“And can you tell the jury why you’re familiar with Miss Harlow?”

“I…uh…was Jean Harlow.”

“I’m sorry.” Ben pivoted toward the jury box. “I’m not certain the jury got that. What did you say?”

“I said I
was
Jean Harlow. In a past life.”

In the corner of his eye, Ben saw Anglin slump down into his chair.

“A past life. You know, Doctor, some members of the jury may not be familiar with that concept. Could you please explain exactly how that works?”

The doctor turned to face the jury. “In 1937,” he explained, “Jean Harlow developed a painful inflamed gallbladder, probably exacerbated by kidney damage she sustained during a beating her ex-husband gave her years before on their honeymoon. Unfortunately, my—er, her mother was a devout Christian Scientist who refused to permit Jean to seek medical treatment. Jean lay helplessly in her bedroom, in great pain, becoming sicker by the hour. Eventually, her fiancé, William Powell, broke into the house with some friends, scooped Jean into his arms, and carried her to the hospital.” He sighed. “William Powell. What a man he was.”

After a long moment, Lindstrom broke out of his reverie. “Bill did the best he could, but he was too late. Jean Harlow died.”

Ben nodded. “And then what happened?”

Lindstrom leaned forward in the witness box. “You see, it wasn’t her time to die. She was only twenty-six. She was just getting started. She was engaged to be married. She hadn’t had a chance to live, to
love
—” He made a choking noise, then covered his face with his hand. “She was so young.”

Lindstrom didn’t continue until he had fully recovered. “So she was reincarnated. As me.”

Ben allowed a respectful silence. “And how do you know all this?”

“I recalled it under hypnosis.”

“Do you have yourself hypnotized often?”

His left eye twitched. “From time to time.”

“Before you testify in court?”

“It…does help calm my nerves…sharpen my memory—”

“Are you testifying today under hypnotic influence?”

“I’m fully awake and able to—”

“Please answer my question.”

He pursed his lips. “Yes.”

Bingo. “Now Doctor, getting back to your story—as the jury can see from the poster, you were quite a sexy gal.”

“It was Hollywood. They insisted on photographing me in that objectified manner.”

“No doubt. I understand you were often seen in the company of Clark Gable.”

“Ugh. Horrid man. Had false teeth—was a dreadful kisser.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Let me ask you about your relationship with William Powell—”

“Your honor, I object!” It was Anglin again, giving it the old college try. “Mr. Kincaid is turning this trial into a circus!”

“Perhaps so,” Judge Hart said. “But he’s not the one who put the clown in the center ring. Proceed.”

Ben eyed the jury. They were eating it up—barely suppressing their laughter. It wouldn’t matter now if this guy had a degree from God. His credibility was shot.

“Dr. Lindstrom,” he continued. “Isn’t it true that Jean Harlow loved little furry animals?”

After the jury retired, Ben and Christina began packing their files and exhibits. “Well, congratulations, Ace,” Christina said. “Your performance was
sans pareil
. You saved a lot of endangered prairie dogs today.”

“The jury is still deliberating,” Ben replied. “Let’s not jinx it.”

“Aw, the gas company hasn’t got a chance. You were sensational on cross.”

“Well, thanks for the show-and-tell. I would’ve been up a creek without you.”

She batted her eyelashes. “My pleasure. I always enjoy pulling your fat out of the fire.”

“How sweet.” Ben closed his briefcase, leaving the plastic spider on top. He grabbed a document box and headed for the door.

“Excuse me. Mr. Kincaid?”

Ben saw an unfamiliar man in a gray business suit standing in the doorway.

“Look,” Ben said, “if it’s about the photocopier, I promise I’ll pay you as soon as I can—”

“Oh, no. You misunderstand.” He waved his hands rapidly in the air. “I’m not here to hit you up for money. On the contrary, Mr. Kincaid, I’m here to make you a wealthy man.”

“Y
OU’RE HERE TO DO
what?”

The man smiled pleasantly. “I want to set you up for life, Mr. Kincaid. If you’ll let me.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” The man gestured toward the front row of the courtroom. “Let’s sit, shall we? You can come too, Ms. McCall. This offer involves you as well.”

Ben and Christina exchanged puzzled looks. “Offer?”

“Perhaps I should start at the beginning.” He reached into his suit pocket and withdrew a business card. “My name is Howard Hamel.” A confident demeanor accented Hamel’s clean-cut, well-scrubbed features. “I’m a member of the legal staff for the Apollo Consortium, an amalgamation of interrelated corporate entities. Have you heard of us?”

Ben nodded. Of course he had. The Apollo parent corporation was probably the largest business entity in Tulsa, possibly in the entire state of Oklahoma. It had started as a small oil exploration company, but during the boom years of the Seventies expanded into natural gas, manufacturing, transportation, and even entertainment. The diversification helped them survive the bust years of the Eighties—survive them quite well, in fact. Apollo was a Fortune 500 corporation—one of the few in the Southwest.

“Then you probably also know,” Hamel continued, “that we have an in-house legal staff of over fifty lawyers. Heck, if we were a law firm, we’d be one of the largest in the state. And we’d like you to join our team. We can discuss the details at your leisure—salary, bonuses, pension plan, benefits—but I think you’ll be pleased with the offer. If you don’t mind my saying so, it’ll be a step up for you.”

And how. But then, Ben thought, almost anything would. “What kind of legal work would this involve?”

“That’s one of the advantages to working at a place like Apollo,” Hamel answered. “We have so much going on, you can do almost anything you want. Your background is in litigation, and rightfully so, I might add. You were magnificent in the courtroom today.”

“Well…thanks…”

“I see you joining the litigation team and taking charge of some of the multimillion dollar cases that pass through our office on a daily basis. We like to keep these cases in-house whenever possible; outside counsel fees are exorbitant, as I’m sure you know. There’s a new product liability case recently filed against Apollo that you would be perfect for.”

The words rang in Ben’s ears. In-house counsel. Products liability. Multimillion dollar cases. That would certainly be a step up from the Three Ds: divorce, deeds, and dog bites. “It’s an interesting offer. How long will the position be open?”

“Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear. There is no position. This isn’t some slot we need to fill with a body. We want
you
—Ben Kincaid—on our legal staff.”

Ben was flabbergasted. “But—why me?”

“We believe you have a real future in the law, and we want it to be with us.”

Ben shook his head, trying to verify that he was hearing clearly. Kudos like this didn’t come that often to the solo practitioner. “I’m not sure I’d be happy working for the same client day in, day out.”

“Really? Most people prefer it—the satisfaction of being a team player trying to accomplish a worthwhile, common goal, rather than being a prostitute for whoever walks into the office that day.”

“Well…I’m used to setting my own hours, taking lots of vacation time—”

“So am I. Apollo is a worker-friendly corporation. Myself, I love deep-sea fishing. If I could, I’d spend my entire life doing just that. Apollo gives me far more opportunities than anywhere else would. In fact, I’m leaving for Miami for a fishing trip day after tomorrow.”

Ben eyed Christina. She was saying nothing, but something was definitely going through-her mind. “Look, I want to be totally up-front with you. I worked for a large law firm once, and it was a complete bust.”

Hamel brushed Ben’s concerns away with a flip of his hand. “We know all about that, Ben, and we couldn’t care less. Frankly, a sizable portion of our staff, myself included, came from Raven, Tucker & Tubb or other large law factories. They seem to suck up the new talent like a black hole. A few years later, though, the lawyers all start asking ‘Is this what my life is about? Sixteen-hour days, constant billing pressure, invisible and interchangeable clients?’ They start looking for something more—a client they can care about, a job that leaves time for family, friends, and personal interests. That’s when they come to Apollo.”

“I don’t doubt that I’d make more money at Apollo,” Ben said, “and probably with less trouble. But money isn’t my paramount interest. I became a lawyer because I wanted to do some good in the world.”

“Then by all means,” Hamel replied, “come to Apollo. We take our role as a corporate citizen seriously. We’re active participants in charity drives and several community service programs. We believe we have an obligation to use the Consortium’s resources for the common good. And we don’t merely hang back and do the politically expedient. We take an active leadership role.”

Hamel gazed into Ben’s eyes. “You can be part of that leadership, Ben. You can chart the course.”

Ben didn’t know what to say. He could barely contemplate the offer, much less its ramifications. “I have some outstanding obligations,” he finally managed. “I have a solo office on the North Side.”

“I know,” Hamel said. “And don’t feel obligated to wrap it all up overnight. Give us a trial run, see what develops. You can always go back to your private practice if that’s what you decide. Frankly, with the salary we’ll be paying you, you’ll easily be able to pay the rent to maintain that office.”

“I have a legal assistant on my payroll,” Ben said, tilting his head toward Christina. “I would want her to come with me.”

“Done,” Hamel said flatly. “We’ll make her part of our in-house staff of legal assistants and assign her to you. We’ll start her at ten percent above our usual starting salary, which, I might add, will be a significant increase from her current, ah, irregular salary. Will that about cover your responsibilities, Ben?”

“No. There’s more than just that. I have unpaid debts…office supplies…”

Hamel grinned. “Ah—the photocopier company. I know about that, too.”