voice from the other side of him. Lily had come out of the door of the office she shared with Sarah. Sarah was right behind her.
“Aw, shit,” said Claire.
The man turned to face Lily. Claire moved around and put herself between him and Lily.
“We’re getting married in a month!” he said.
“No, Roger! I broke it off!” Lily said.
“We need to talk!” he said.
“No, you need to leave. Now!” said Claire.
“There’s nothing to talk about!” cried Lily, in tears.
Just then, Tony came around the corner from the hallway where he had his office.
“Hey. What’s up?” he asked in a very reasonable voice.
“Who are you?!” said the man, looking for a fight.
“I own this firm,” said Tony. “And who are you?”
“I’m Lily’s fiance. She won’t answer the phone, she won’t answer the door. I need to talk with her,” said the man.
“We are NOT engaged!” said Lily.
“You just want to talk with her? That’s not too hard,” said Tony. Claire started to say something, but Tony locked his eyes on hers and with a shake of his head, said, “Claire, will you make sure a conference room is available for me and Mr…?”
“Hall. Roger Hall,” the man said, starting to calm down.
“Mr. Hall and I will go into my office and I will get his side of the story. Lily, you go with Jessica, and she will get your side. Then we’ll all get together, and if you two need some private time, I’m sure that can be arranged.
“Will that work for you, Mr. Hall?” Roger nodded. As he was leading him away, Tony said, “Claire, will you make sure conference room 911 is available?”
Tony took Roger Hall down to his office. As soon as they turned the corner, I took Lily into my office and locked the door. Claire was calling “conference room” 911 as soon as they were out of sight.
Lily told me a tear-filled and disjointed story about a three-year off-and-on relationship with Roger. He wasn’t a bad man, she said, but “I don’t want to have his children!” she kept saying. She’d filed a restraining order, but Roger kept lying his way out of violating the restrictions. As I had learned over the years, cops don’t always put a priority on those kinds of offenses.
Within five minutes, the elevator opened, as did the stairwell door. I heard a lot of male voices and opened my door. Uniformed officers filled the room, guns drawn.
Claire was talking to the cop in charge. They all went down the hall, where Claire tapped on Tony’s door and said, “The conference room is ready, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Hall.”
Roger was the first out of the door. He didn’t even see it coming. He was on the floor, his arms tied behind him before he could start to scream “Lily! Lily! Don’t let them do this!”
He was out of the building and in a car on his way to jail before the coffee on my desk had cooled. Lily and Sarah went into their office. “I’ll take care of her,” Sarah said.
“How did you get them here so quickly?” I asked Claire.
“Honey, you don’t think I know what to say to police to get their attention?” was all she said. “You don’t need to know. It’s better if you don’t.”
Tony looked at Claire and smiled. He walked over to her, and they gave each other a small fist bump.
I realized there was an awful lot I didn’t understand about how the world worked. But that was then.
• • • •
“That was really dangerous. What if he’d had a gun?” Mark said that night. “I can’t believe your firm doesn’t have a policy. Max Moore has a full security contingency. People don’t even get to our floor without being vetted, reviewed, and escorted. We’re discussing a metal detector for particularly contentious cases, like divorces.”
It kind of deflated me. I thought what Tony and Claire had done was nearly heroic, and Mark was picking it apart. Not just the idea of it, but the people. His reaction made me cringe, but I didn’t know why. And I was tired of hearing “Max
“Aw, shit,” said Claire.
The man turned to face Lily. Claire moved around and put herself between him and Lily.
“We’re getting married in a month!” he said.
“No, Roger! I broke it off!” Lily said.
“We need to talk!” he said.
“No, you need to leave. Now!” said Claire.
“There’s nothing to talk about!” cried Lily, in tears.
Just then, Tony came around the corner from the hallway where he had his office.
“Hey. What’s up?” he asked in a very reasonable voice.
“Who are you?!” said the man, looking for a fight.
“I own this firm,” said Tony. “And who are you?”
“I’m Lily’s fiance. She won’t answer the phone, she won’t answer the door. I need to talk with her,” said the man.
“We are NOT engaged!” said Lily.
“You just want to talk with her? That’s not too hard,” said Tony. Claire started to say something, but Tony locked his eyes on hers and with a shake of his head, said, “Claire, will you make sure a conference room is available for me and Mr…?”
“Hall. Roger Hall,” the man said, starting to calm down.
“Mr. Hall and I will go into my office and I will get his side of the story. Lily, you go with Jessica, and she will get your side. Then we’ll all get together, and if you two need some private time, I’m sure that can be arranged.
“Will that work for you, Mr. Hall?” Roger nodded. As he was leading him away, Tony said, “Claire, will you make sure conference room 911 is available?”
Tony took Roger Hall down to his office. As soon as they turned the corner, I took Lily into my office and locked the door. Claire was calling “conference room” 911 as soon as they were out of sight.
Lily told me a tear-filled and disjointed story about a three-year off-and-on relationship with Roger. He wasn’t a bad man, she said, but “I don’t want to have his children!” she kept saying. She’d filed a restraining order, but Roger kept lying his way out of violating the restrictions. As I had learned over the years, cops don’t always put a priority on those kinds of offenses.
Within five minutes, the elevator opened, as did the stairwell door. I heard a lot of male voices and opened my door. Uniformed officers filled the room, guns drawn.
Claire was talking to the cop in charge. They all went down the hall, where Claire tapped on Tony’s door and said, “The conference room is ready, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Hall.”
Roger was the first out of the door. He didn’t even see it coming. He was on the floor, his arms tied behind him before he could start to scream “Lily! Lily! Don’t let them do this!”
He was out of the building and in a car on his way to jail before the coffee on my desk had cooled. Lily and Sarah went into their office. “I’ll take care of her,” Sarah said.
“How did you get them here so quickly?” I asked Claire.
“Honey, you don’t think I know what to say to police to get their attention?” was all she said. “You don’t need to know. It’s better if you don’t.”
Tony looked at Claire and smiled. He walked over to her, and they gave each other a small fist bump.
I realized there was an awful lot I didn’t understand about how the world worked. But that was then.
• • • •
“That was really dangerous. What if he’d had a gun?” Mark said that night. “I can’t believe your firm doesn’t have a policy. Max Moore has a full security contingency. People don’t even get to our floor without being vetted, reviewed, and escorted. We’re discussing a metal detector for particularly contentious cases, like divorces.”
It kind of deflated me. I thought what Tony and Claire had done was nearly heroic, and Mark was picking it apart. Not just the idea of it, but the people. His reaction made me cringe, but I didn’t know why. And I was tired of hearing “Max
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