The Lawyer's Lawyer (10 page)

D
anni called a little after three and said that the public statement had been approved. If they received the release in the
morning, a joint press conference with the chief of police and the state attorney would be held tomorrow afternoon.

Almost as soon as he hung up, Jack received another call.

“Hello.”

“You fucked up my mark.”

“Who is this?”

“Shut the fuck up and listen. Nobody fucks me over and gets away with it. I heard about your orchestration of this whole deal.
You may think you’re a big shot but you’re wrong. I don’t work alone and my partners aren’t nice guys like me.”

“Don’t even think about going near Julian.”

“It’s not about Julian anymore. It’s about you, big shot. You’re gonna get yours. It may be tomorrow, it may be the next day,
but it’s gonna happen. You can take that to the bank.”

“You don’t scare me, Collins. If people like you scared me, I’d have folded my tent up a long time ago. Have a nice day.”

Jack called Henry right away and told him about the conversation.

“I’m inclined to call the police. What do you think?”

“It was probably a throw-away phone so they won’t be able to trace anything to Collins. They may question him, but that will
only make him and whoever his so-called friends are a little bolder. Collins anticipates that you’re going to call the police.
He’s prepared for that. Why don’t you let me look into it.”

“I don’t want you doing anything that could get you in trouble.”

“I’m going to look into this whether you call the police or not, Jack, so it doesn’t really matter to me.”

“Okay, I’ll hold off for, say, forty-eight hours.”

“That’ll work.”

Dinner was at an intimate little Italian restaurant in the town of Apache Hills. There were no more than ten tables in the
place, each with a white linen tablecloth. They ate by candlelight with a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, the lighting
so subtle that Jack could hardly read the menu.

“This is such a lovely area of the state. The more I stay here, the more I like it,” he told Danni while taking a break from
his delicious eggplant parmesan.

“When are you going home?”

“I don’t know. I think I might stay a while. I’m in one of Ron’s empty condos and, according to him, I can stay as long as
I want.”

“You don’t have any pressing matters at home?” Danni asked.

Jack laughed. “Nope. I’ve got a gardener who takes care of the property, and Henry comes and goes whenever he likes. There’s
not a whole lot there for me these days.”

“Henry told me about your wife Pat and how much you loved her.”

Jack didn’t respond right away. He was surprised by the remark, and any mention of Pat usually set him back for a second or
two.

“What did he say? I don’t know if I could put that feeling into words.”

“It’s not really what he said, it was the way he said it. He was quite fond of her himself.”

“They became great friends in a short period of time. Henry used to read to her when she could no longer do it herself.”

Danni could see the sorrow in his eyes. Maybe this subject wasn’t such a good idea.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about this.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I had some terrible marriages before Pat. I was a very successful lawyer, but I was dead inside. She taught
me for the first time how to really love somebody, but she’s been gone now for a few years. She’ll always be with me, but
I have to move on.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“You’re never sure of anything in this life, are you? But I can feel Pat kicking me out the door. She wants me to be happy
and she’s in a place where jealousy and all that other stuff don’t matter.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t really. I just feel it, and I trust my feelings. I believe in the universe and that Pat is part of the universe.
I guess about now you’re thinking ‘This guy is nuts. I’d better get out of here.’”

“Not at all. You’ve got something that works for you. That’s what we’re all searching for.”

“And what works for you, Danni Jansen?”

“I’m not sure. The universe sounds good. I need to move on from a lot of things. I just can’t seem to get there.”

“You will over time.”

“I’ve heard that line—time heals all wounds. It hasn’t worked for me, not in my personal or my professional life.”

Jack decided it was time to change the subject. The past wasn’t necessarily a good topic when talking to a beautiful woman
over a bottle of wine.

“So you have a daughter in college, is that right?”

“Yes—Hannah. She’s a great girl. She’s at the University of Colorado. I sent her to Denver when she was a child under circumstances
that were very stressful for both of us, and she fell in love with the place. I can’t wait for her to come home for Thanksgiving.”

“That’s great. I’m sure you two are close.”

“We are. She only has me. Her relationship with her father is superficial. We divorced a number of years ago and he spends
most of his time chasing younger women.”

“Really?”

“Really. It’s a way of life in Oak Vegas. That’s what I call this place. There are tons of pretty young women running around
looking for rich men to help them along in life, and plenty of wealthy men who think with their little head.”

Jack had to laugh at that line. “You haven’t given up on men, have you?”

“I hope not. I haven’t been looking really. I spent my time raising Hannah, and I always had my work.”

“Hannah’s gone now, and you’re retiring soon.”

“I know. And those changes will bring other changes. In the meantime I’m concentrating on adjusting and finding happiness
in everyday life. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. I’m going to make a big turkey with all the trimmings. What are you
doing for the holiday?”

“Nothing to speak of. Henry will probably come over if he doesn’t have a better offer. We might cook a small bird or go out
to eat, depending on how we feel.”

“That doesn’t sound like much fun. Why don’t you and Henry come to my house for Thanksgiving dinner. Hannah would love to
meet you. She’s been talking about going to law school.”

Jack didn’t hesitate. “That sounds great to me. I’ll ask Henry.”

They left soon after, and Jack drove Danni home. She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek at the door before saying goodnight.

Maybe this is what I’m really here for
, Jack thought as he walked back to the car.

I
t was after nine when he swung his Mercedes SLS roadster into the driveway and clicked the garage door opener. He checked
his watch to be sure. No calls to make tonight. He needed to get to bed early so he could run on the beach in the morning.
Got to work those extra pounds off right away. Maybe one cigar on the veranda before calling it a night.
What’s the use of living in a mansion on the beach if you can’t enjoy it?

It was a mansion—seven thousand square feet right on the water. Maybe it was too much for one person. Maybe the place needed
a woman’s touch. He wasn’t ready for that, however. He’d just turned forty—way too young to settle down, especially when there
were so many nubile young women out there eager to satisfy his needs. Marriage might happen down the road, but he didn’t need
a wife in his profession, so why have one?

The lights went on automatically when he pulled into the garage. He stepped out of the car and headed for the door leading
into the house with his keys in his hand. He always kept the inside door locked. He’d read about burglars often coming through
the garage door. He had an alarm system, but there was no downside to taking extra precautions in order to feel perfectly
safe. He stuck the key in the door but before he could turn it the lights in the garage went out.

It was pitch black. He couldn’t see anything. Before he could think, two powerful hands grabbed his arms and pulled them back.
He could feel the handcuffs lock on his wrist.
What the hell is this, a bust by the cops?
He had some coke in the house but they’d never find it. He started to get angry to get his courage back. Then he lost it again.

Whoever it was that had handcuffed him grabbed his throat and lifted him up with his back to the wall
with one hand!
He could hardly breathe and he was too afraid to speak. He was sure he was going to die. All this work, all he had accumulated—for
what? To lose his life to a two-bit robber? He needed to do something. Beg, plead, bargain. Whatever.

“What do you want? I’ll give you anything you want.”

No answer. The grip was tighter. He could feel himself losing consciousness.

“Please! Please! I’ll do anything. Don’t kill me.”

“Shut up,” the voice said. It was deep and threatening. He knew there was a big, powerful man behind that voice although he
still couldn’t see a thing. “I hear you like to use that word yourself when you’re making threats. That right?”

“No, no. No threats. I’m a businessman.”

The arm let him down but the hand stayed at his throat. He could at least breathe a little better.

“You threatened Jack Tobin.”

“Who?”

“Don’t fuck with me, boy. You wanna die?”

“No, no. I didn’t threaten anybody though.”

The hand squeezed his throat harder, cutting off the flow of air.

“Okay, okay!” he croaked. “Yeah, I threatened him.”

The hand let up a little.

“It wasn’t my decision. I have investors. They’re pissed at Tobin.”

“Here’s the deal,” the voice said. “Something happens to Jack Tobin, you die. Understand?”

“But I don’t control that.”

“You’d better.”

“Somebody has already been hired.”

“Then I might as well kill you now.”

“No. No, wait. I’ll call off the dogs. I promise. I don’t know if I can stop what’s already been done but I’ll try.”

“You better succeed,” the voice said. “Your life depends on it.”

Suddenly he felt weightless as the man kicked his feet out from under him. He landed on the hard concrete floor; his shoulder
hit first and then his head.

Everything went black after that.

Henry called Jack the next morning.

“I think that your situation has been taken care of but I’m not one hundred percent sure.”

“What does that mean?” Jack asked.

“Mr. Collins has other investors who he does not control. I convinced him, I believe, that it would be in his best interests
to get them to follow his recommendation in this one situation.”

“This is crazy, Henry. We’re talking about a college football player and an agent.”

“No, Jack. We’re talking about millions of dollars and we’re talking about people who want to send a message to others that
messing with their business can cost you your life.”

“So what do I do, wait and see what happens?”

“Do you still have that Sig Sauer you bought a few years back?”

“Yes, I’ve got it but not with me. Why?”

“I think you should start carrying it and maybe go to the range once in a while.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Henry.”

“Maybe not, Jack. Maybe this is just smoke. But I would prefer that you at least have the gun in your house.”

“I’ll think about it. By the way, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

“I’m spending it with you. Why?”

“Wanda didn’t invite you over for all the fixings?”

“As a matter of fact, she did. I’m just not ready to be the man of the house carving the turkey if you know what I mean.”

“Gotcha. Danni invited us to come to Thanksgiving dinner. Whaddya think?”

“Speaking of calling the police.”

“Yeah, right. I probably don’t want to tell her about Collins’s threat. So are you coming?”

“Sure. I’ll bring your gun with me.”

T
hanksgiving Day was cold and blustery, but Jack still got up early and went for a run in the woods. He’d found the running
path just a few days after he arrived in town. It was literally two blocks from the condo and there was nobody around in the
early morning but him, the birds, the trees, and a host of other small creatures. An armadillo had startled him just last
week. They both jumped at the same time, the armadillo running about five paces or so in the opposite direction before stopping.
So far as he could remember, it was the first time Jack had ever seen a live armadillo in motion.

He ran five miles at an easy pace, breathing in the fresh air and taking the time to enjoy the beautiful morning.

Part of his run took him down a giant sinkhole, a break in the limestone foundation that had formed over thousands of years.
It was his favorite place. Looking up from the very bottom, he could see the tall trees clustered around the rim at the top,
their branches rustling in the breeze causing the leaves to unhinge. A small stream snaked along from top to bottom, the sound
so steady, so unchanging, yet altering forever the surrounding landscape. The sun filtering through the woods served as the
spotlight for the leaves as they cascaded end over end.

Jack always stopped for a few minutes to take it all in. It was here in places like this that he could make sense out of the
world.

Henry was at the condo when he arrived home. Jack had expected Henry to stay with him but Henry had declined the invitation,
saying he was going to stay with a relative in town. He was dressed in sweats.

“Have you been working out?” Jack asked, noticing that his friend was sweating.

“A little bit,” Henry replied evasively. “Now I’m hungry. Want to go for breakfast?”

“No. I’ll eat too much if I go out. Dinner is at two and I want to be hungry. I’ll scramble some eggs and make toast if you
want.”

“Sounds good,” Henry replied.

It seemed strange to Jack that Henry did not stay with him then showed up sweaty in a jogging outfit. Something was going
on.

A brown wreath made of bare branches hung on the front door of Danni’s house, perhaps a symbol of autumn’s end and Christmas
to come. Jack rang the doorbell.

Danni answered wearing a snug brown sweater and jeans and the most beautiful smile Jack had yet seen. She gave Jack a big
hug, then she opened her arms to Henry.

“Here’s the man who saved my life. Welcome to my home, Henry.”

She led them into the living room and sat them on the couch. A fire was just getting started in the fireplace, the wood crackling
in the background. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’ll have a beer,” Jack said. Henry indicated that would be fine with him as well.

Danni left the room and returned a few seconds later with the beer and a beautiful young woman who bore a startling resemblance
to her although her hair was dark brown.

“This is my daughter, Hannah. Hannah, these are my friends Jack Tobin and Henry Wilson.”

Hannah greeted them both warmly. She had a mature confidence about her that was rare for a woman her age.

“Gentlemen, if you will accompany us to the dining room, dinner is ready to be served,” she said after the introductions were
complete.

The dining room was small, but it made the atmosphere even more intimate. Danni had decorated the table with a festive lace
tablecloth, a gold leaf centerpiece, and deep orange candles. Danni and Hannah started bringing in the various dishes and
setting them between the candles and the place settings: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, collard greens, corn,
and cranberry sauce. Last but not least came the turkey, beautiful and golden brown.

“Gentlemen, please join us in a moment of thanks,” Danni said after she and Hannah sat down. They all held hands as Hannah
spoke.

“Dear God, please bless this food we are about to eat and these friends who have joined us today. Amen.”

“Jack, will you carve the turkey?” Danni asked.

Jack stole a glance at Henry who just smiled and nodded.

“It will be my pleasure,” Jack said.

The food was delicious and they talked and laughed as if they were old, old friends. Henry told stories about his and Jack’s
fishing excursions on Lake Okeechobee.

“The only thing that’s always missing is fish. They seem to know it’s our boat and that Jack’s cooking. I don’t want to eat
what he’s cooking and they don’t want to
be
what he’s cooking.”

Henry was a good storyteller and everybody laughed. Hannah regaled them with stories of life in Boulder, hiking the Flatirons,
and being a freshman in a college so far away from home.

“Mom sent me to Colorado when I was young and I hated it for a long time. Then I started to remember how beautiful it was.
I couldn’t wait to go back.”

All in all it was a great meal. Both men helped with the cleanup. Jack cleared the table and Henry loaded the dishwasher.

“This is my job on the boat, too,” Henry told Danni. “Only we don’t have a dishwasher.”

“Sounds like you need to speak up, Henry,” Danni replied.

“It wouldn’t do any good. There are only two jobs in the galley and Jack’s a better cook but don’t tell him I said that.”

After dinner, Hannah sat on the couch with Henry and peppered him with questions about life in prison and what it was like
on death row, issues Henry didn’t usually talk about. She was so genuinely interested in his experiences, however, that he
found himself telling her everything.

“There were times when I thought I would never see the outside world; never have a delicious meal like the one we just shared;
never enjoy a good conversation like this. It certainly teaches you to cherish every day.”

“And that made you and Jack friends forever, I guess?”

“We’re joined at the hip. He’s my brother as much as if we came from the same womb.”

“Kind of like my mom and me. We had our differences along the way. For a long time, I resented her for sending me away to
Colorado. Now that I’m older, I understand what the circumstances were back then. We’re becoming friends. Like you and Jack,
we only have each other.”

“There’ll be somebody else in your life eventually, Hannah. I’m sure of that.”

Jack and Danni lingered in the kitchen, slowly putting the dishes and the pots and pans away.

“It was a great day,” he told her. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“Thanks for coming. You made it special for Hannah. It would have been boring with just her and me.”

“You two seem very close.”

“We are. It’s been just the two of us for a long time. It’s nice to have men in the house, though.”

Jack didn’t see Danni again until the next Wednesday. She wanted to spend all her time with Hannah before her daughter had
to return to school. On Wednesday, they had dinner at The Swamp before going to the movies. Ron was there as usual.

“Jack, are you still in town?” he asked, faking incredulity. “I know your case is over. What is it that keeps you here—The
Swamp? You want to help me with the rent on my condo? I can’t figure it out.”

Danni thought she’d have a little fun of her own at Jack’s expense. “It’s the free meals, Ron. Like tonight, for instance,
Jack knows you’re going to pick up the tab. That’s why he insisted on coming here. I’m beginning to wonder about him.”

“Beginning?” Ron replied. “He’s got more money than God and he’s living at my condo for half price and showing up here every
night for dinner.”

Jack laughed. “Okay, okay, I get the picture. Ronnie, tell Liz we’re all going out Friday night on me—to the best restaurant
in town. And then we’re going dancing.”

And they did. Ron and his wife, Liz, met them at a restaurant downtown called Preston’s where they had a wonderful meal. Afterward,
they went dancing at a nightclub called Stella’s.

Jack wasn’t much of a dancer, but he’d had a few glasses of wine at dinner and it didn’t take long for Danni to get him out
on the floor. She was smooth and, in no time, she had him dancing like he’d been a star pupil at Arthur Murray. Once they
got into it, the two of them couldn’t get enough of each other. No matter whether it was a fast dance or slow, they were in
each other’s arms, pressing close. Time had ceased to exist for them.

Ron and Liz left somewhere around midnight but Jack and Danni hardly noticed. They continued dancing until the lights came
on and the bartenders were yelling for people to go home. Even after the band had stopped playing, they stood on the dance
floor moving to music only they could hear.

“You guys gotta go,” the bartender yelled at them. “Get a room, for Chrissakes!”

He finally got them to leave on the third try.

“I’m gonna call the cops.”

That sobered Danni up quickly. “We’ve got to go,” she told Jack. “I don’t want any trouble at work. We can continue this at
my house.”

When they finally arrived at Danni’s front door, there were no words between them. Jack simply followed her into the house.
She closed the door behind them, took his hand, and led him to the bedroom.

They fell on the bed smothering each other with kisses. Jack lost all sense of everything but Danni. All he knew was the warmth
of her skin, the sweetness of her smell, the moist touch of her lips. They made love slowly, softly, as if with a rhythm they
had secretly known their entire lives.

In the morning, they awoke so enmeshed with each other it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

For the next two weeks, they saw each other constantly. The first weekend of their relationship, Jack had to speak at a conference
in Siesta Key. Danni went with him. Friends of Jack’s and their wives were there along with other folks neither of them knew.
Danni fit in with everybody. They stayed out too late having fun on Friday and got up early the next morning and played in
the surf. On Sunday morning, they just stayed in bed and talked about the people they’d met and the fun they’d had. Jack knew
he was falling hard.

The next week was more of the same. They saw each other every day. On Wednesday night they went to dinner, drank a bottle
of wine, and then went to the movies. Halfway through the movie he turned to look at Danni and she was sound asleep.
I love this woman
, he thought to himself.
She fits with me so easily.

On Friday they went back to Stella’s and, again, it was as if they were the only people on the dance floor although they left
well before closing time. The dance at home was so much more fun.

They spent Saturday canoeing on the Santa Fe River. It was a glorious day, one that he would never forget. They were totally
alone. The only sounds were the birds singing and the river flowing. The sky was cloudless and powder blue but they were shielded
from the glare of the sun by the tall pines along the shore and the giant oaks a little further inland. Gators rested along
the banks or glided effortlessly through the water. Turtles were everywhere, resting either on rocks in the water or on old
tree limbs. Every once in a while, one would just slip off and disappear under the surface. The water itself was crystal clear
and Jack could see mullet swimming along, seemingly oblivious to the boat above them. It was hard to believe civilization
was only fifteen minutes away.

Civilization
, Jack thought.
It’s overrated.

Danni was in the front of the boat in her bathing suit. She turned to look at him, a huge smile on her face. She was radiant.

“Isn’t this gorgeous?” she said. “It’s like we’re the only two people alive in paradise.”

“It’s perfect,” Jack replied.