Killer Career (19 page)

No, I can’t take this.
Frantically, she glanced at the
indicator. Where was she?

Could it be? The light shone on eight, the next button she’d
pushed.

The doors sprung open.

With hands and legs trembling, Julie stumbled into the hallway. She’d
escaped. She couldn’t believe it. Thank God. If she’d been in
there a second longer, she might have lost her sanity.

She shot the bank of elevators a baleful look. She hated those
things. She’d be happy if she never stepped inside one of them
again.

Well, not using one of those horrid contraptions could present a
dilemma. Physical exercise is fine, but there is a limit. Hysterical
giggles bubbled up in her throat, as she fought back tears. What a
mess.

Why did she act so helpless? Instead of feeling sorry for herself,
she had to tackle the situation. She was not a wimp. To prove it,
she’d step into the next elevator that stopped. Defiantly, she
pressed the button.

Not granting even a slight reprieve, the bell immediately rang across
from her. Gathering up her courage, she walked up to it. She took a
deep breath and lifted her foot to step inside, then stepped back to
let someone out. It was Dade.

“Are you all right,” he asked.

She nodded and tried to look like she wasn’t ready to bawl. She’d
just gained control over her emotions, but they were still too
troubled for her to handle sympathy. “How did you know I was here?”

“I came down for a snack. The guard called me over and said you
were stuck in the elevator.”

Julie shuddered. “It was awful. I can’t stand those things.”

“I understand. I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said,
putting his arms around her.

Her adrenaline drained into a melting pool. She swayed, as her body
struggled to catch up with her seesawing emotions. Was this a
sympathy hug or something more? Whatever it meant, she sorely needed
the support he offered. Also, it felt good to be enfolded in his
strong arms.

“That’s it. I’m taking you home,” he said.

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine. No measly elevator will get the
better of me.”

“If you say so.” He didn’t sound convinced.

She could tell she wasn’t fooling him. He knew how much it cost her
to put on a brave front. He also knew how much she hated her weakness
and strove to conquer it.

After a few minutes she said, “Okay, let’s go back. We can’t
stay here forever.”

At the thought of returning to one of those instruments of torture,
her heart pumped as if it would burst out of her chest. Determinedly
she withdrew from the comfort of his arms and pressed the elevator
button.

* * *

“New case for Dade, line five,” Pam said, as Dade and Julie
stepped back into the office.

“Damn. Already.” He flashed Julie an apologetic grin.

“Get the phone. Don’t worry about me.”

She was a survivor, one of the things he admired about her.

“It can wait. Pam, hold my calls.”

“No, Dade, take the call.” Julie put her hand on his shoulder.
Her eyes held steely resolve.

“All right,” he said, almost in a growl. Turning, he headed down
the hall.

Another client. More money. The idea should make him happy, but
instead he felt sour. Since Julie had announced her imminent
departure, what had mattered before didn’t seem as important.
They’d vowed to get themselves a better life and they had. Now it
wasn’t enough for her. Why couldn’t she leave well enough alone?

Resentment welled inside of him, as he grabbed the receiver from the
corner of his desk.

“Billie Thomas here. I need some money. My back’s killing me.”

“What happened, Mr. Thomas?”

“I was in the lunchroom line and slipped on some grease. Now the
boss won’t pay.”

“Were you in a company designated eating area?”

“Yeah, the company cafeteria. That’s where they make us eat.”

“Well, then you should have a good case. I’ll send you some
papers. We’ll file an emergency petition. Don’t worry. I’ll get
you your money.”

“How soon?”

“First, we’ll need to get a hearing date. If all goes well,
you’ll probably have a check in about four to six weeks.”

“Man, I can’t wait that long. I got three kids and no green
coming. How about spotting me a few thousand?”

“Not an option. It’s against the law.”

“You did it for Jerry Stanley.”

How did he know?

“Sorry. I can’t. Now, do you want me to file your case or not?”

“Shit, no.”

The receiver crashed so loud the vibrations hurt the nerve endings in
Dade’s ears. Good riddance. Some lawyers paid to get cases, but
he’d never stoop that low.

Damn, he’d told Jerry to keep mum about the loan. Time for damage
control. He punched in the telephone number. “Jerry, my friend,
how’re you doing?”

“Fine, thanks to you, buddy. What you did for me I’ll never
forget.”

“Hey, I’m glad it worked out; but, Jerry, do me a favor, okay?”

“Anything, my man.”

“Don’t let word out about that favor. I could get into trouble.”

“Uh--”

“Yeah, Jerry?”

“I did celebrate a few weeks ago and bragged to a few buddies. No
harm in that, right, man?”

“Depends. No one else, Jerry, promise.”

The damage was done. Dade could blow his top and make Jerry feel
small, but he felt sorry for the guy. Jerry had had some tough breaks
and life was finally turning around for him. No sense in spoiling his
happiness.

Mulling over the case, Dade slowly hung up the receiver. He’d
fought hard for Jerry. The claim had been a monster to prove, with a
prior injury murking up the medical. Maybe Jerry could have managed
to make it, if the case hadn’t gone on to an appeal at the Illinois
Supreme Court. Eight months with no money coming in and an invalid
mother to support had quickly drained the man’s savings.

Yeah, it was illegal to loan money to clients, but Dade’s
conscience had insisted he make an exception. Ignoring the rules,
he’d lent Jerry five thousand dollars to hold him over.

Two months later, when the Commission decided in Jerry’s favor,
Dade received it all back, along with tears of gratitude.

Now the good deed had leaked out, yet he didn’t regret it. Hell, he
knew what it was like to scrape by. Thank God he’d been lucky
enough to escape that fate.

Dade grimaced, remembering the cracked linoleum floors, and the
cardboard he’d stuck in his shoes to keep the water off of his
feet, not to mention the daily peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
he’d had to eat.

Julie had also had her share of poverty. Was she brave or foolish to
turn her back on what she’d accomplished? Yeah, he was mad at her,
but another part of him admired her guts. Maybe she would succeed.
Maybe even one day she’d be as famous as Jensen. She did have the
smarts. One thing for sure, she wouldn’t give up.

Whatever Julie did, somehow he wanted her to be with him. They’d
shared too much for it to end this way. She was a part of him and he
wouldn’t let her disappear from his life.

In the back of his mind, he’d always thought that someday he’d
meet a woman and settle down and marry her. Fool that he was, he’d
waited, not realizing he’d already met her.

Had he waited too long? Would whatever she’d had with Jensen start
up again?

There was only one way to find out. It was time to assert himself. It
should never have come to this, but it wasn’t going to end like
this. Jensen would never get her. He’d see to that.

Chapter Twenty-Three

It had been a hellish Monday, but by evening the office was amazingly
quiet. An opportune time to bone up on the Malloy trial coming up on
Wednesday.

Dade grabbed a yellow legal pad from the bottom desk drawer and
yanked the six-inch file out of the cabinet.

If he missed one detail, no matter how small, Barabat would pounce on
it. Dade had to hand it to the guy. He might be a prick, but he sure
did his homework.

Digging his hands into the file, Dade searched for the operative
report, MRI findings, the physicians’ and therapists’ records.

He jotted down a few notes, but wasn’t getting anywhere. Knowing
that he and Julie were the only ones left in the office made it
impossible to concentrate. Funny, her presence had never bothered him
before.

The way he felt now he’d like nothing better than to march into her
office, swipe the papers off her desk and pull her down on top of it.
At the thought, he shifted in his chair. It groaned, echoing his
frustration.

This obsession with his soon-to-be ex-partner was definitely
interfering with his production. He had to get a grip.

Quiet footsteps approached his office. Expecting to see Julie, he
looked up, but no one was there. Maybe he’d imagined it because she
was on his mind. That was happening a lot lately.

He took more notes, then stopped. It was no use. He couldn’t
concentrate. Admitting defeat, he threw down his pen and grabbed a
stack of paper. At least he could copy the exhibits and be that far
ahead -- a perfect mindless job for the blithering idiot he’d
disintegrated into. Tomorrow, when the rest of the staff was around,
he’d review the contents of the Malloy file.

Of course, along the way he had to pass her office.

“Another late night,” she asked, as he strode past.

“Yeah, one of many.”

“Me, too. What a way to start the week.” She shuffled the papers
in front of her dismissively, an obvious sign for Dade to leave.

He gave her a long look. “Well, I better get these exhibits
copied.”

She nodded and went back to her file.

Well, he’d botched that up. She probably thought he was still mad
at her for leaving. He could have told her he was resigned to the
fact, but somehow he couldn’t get the words out. Instead, he
trudged down the hall into the copy room. There, he plopped the pile
of papers into the feeder.

As he stood watching the machine as it clanked away, he wondered if
he’d ever regain the easy familiarity he’d had with Julie.
Before, at least they’d visited each other and talked stuff over.
They’d slaved hard, but also had fun. Of course, that was before,
when they’d shared the common goal of building up their practice.
Damn, why did she have to leave?

He thrust another batch of papers into the feeder, waited and
thought. The catch was he didn’t want Julie to stay if her heart
wasn’t in it. His ache for her grew stronger each day, despite the
possibility she had a thing for Jensen. She kept mum about whether or
not she was seeing the famous author. He didn’t blame her. Not
after the way he’d treated her.

Forget that jerk. You belong with me,
he wanted to say. He
knew he’d have to tell her sooner or later. When he did, would she
give him a pitying look, like the one she reserved for clients in
dire straits, or by some miracle would she share his feelings? He
knew he was being a coward for waiting, but foolishly wanted to
prolong his hope.

Thinking of his vacillation, he swore under his breath. Half-looking,
he stuck another pile of papers into the feeder.

A crunching sound alerted him the papers had jammed. Lights flashed
all over the panel, reflecting the chaos of his mind. Just what he
needed. That damn machine. It never worked right.

He kicked it hard, which was stupid. His reward was a sore foot. A
stream of obscenities burst from his lips, which didn’t solve
anything, except to release his pent up frustration.

Groaning, he opened the front and side panels to find the jammed
papers. He should have known better. Copiers were never perfect in
the best of circumstances and this one was nearing the end of its
lease.

Retrieving the last of the papers, he restarted the machine. Another
jam. Now it became a challenge to get the best of the monster. He’d
show who was boss. He’d finish this copy job if it was the last
thing he did.

Clenching his jaw, Dade searched the machine again. This time, he was
able to reach inside and pull out three crunched letter-sized papers.
He was about to close the door when he noticed something else, a tiny
white scrap lodged tightly beneath the fuser. Aha, that was the
culprit.

He would not be defeated. With utmost care he wiggled and maneuvered
the bit of paper until he triumphantly clutched the evildoer in his
palm. After that, the rest of the job sped by.

With satisfaction, he grabbed his bundles and headed back down the
hall. The incident had given him a heady feeling. Right now, he felt
invincible, ready to tackle the world. Amazing how an inanimate
object could affect him this way.

He headed straight to Julie’s office. He’d ask her out to dinner
and not take no for an answer. Then what? He’d improvise.

“How about,” the words died on his lips, as his eyes registered a
chilling sight. A man stood over Julie with a gun aimed at her heart.

Though Dade’s brain was frozen, somehow it spun of its own
volition. He recognized the guy from the videotape Julie had shown
him. It was the one who’d done those odd jobs while still
collecting compensation. Watson, that was his name. How the man had
bypassed security, Dade had no idea. At the moment, it didn’t
matter. Not when a squeeze of the trigger could catapult Julie from
this world to the next.

“Put that gun down or you’ll regret it,” Dade said, trying to
sound calm, though his mouth tasted of cotton and he could barely
breathe.

“No way.”

“You don’t want to do this.” Dade inched from the doorway to a
position alongside the front bookcase.

Watson tightened his grip on the revolver. “Yes, I do. She deserves
it. All I did was help a friend one crummy day. When the damn
insurance company videotaped me, this bitch, who was supposed to be
my lawyer, instead of sticking up for me, deserted me. I’ve got no
money. I’ve got nowhere to go. It’s all her fault.”