Read Online Final Exam: A Legal Thriller by Terry Huebner - Free Book Online
Authors: Terry Huebner
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minute?”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied without looking up, “come on in.”
“My friend, Megan, appears to be getting unwanted attention in my old law professor’s death.” Phil looked up and arched an eyebrow. Ben continued. “They showed up at her brownstone over the weekend with a search warrant and took some clothing, coats, things like that. She wants to hire us.”
Phil leaned back and stuck the end of his pen in his mouth contemplating the news. “Do we even know he was murdered?”
Ben shrugged. “Not for sure, but is sure seems like it. I know the detective. I was going to call him later today.”
Phil stared at him for a long moment. “You sure you really want to do this?” he finally asked. Ben nodded. “Okay then,” he said with a sigh, “how do you think we should set this up?”
They agreed on an arrangement that sounded workable, assuming Megan actually got charged with something. Two fellow associates, Dan Conlon and Brad Funk, would help out as needed. Another former associate, Ken Williams, currently the Public Defender in one of the collar counties, would provide behind-the-scenes assistance. Finally, if a trial was to take place, Ben would recruit Mark Schaefer, an old friend of Ben’s with significant criminal defense experience to serve as co-counsel on the case since the firm couldn’t afford to devote half the lawyers in the office to just one case.
Just then Nancy’s voice came over the intercom. “Is Ben in there?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Joseph Cavallaro is on the phone for you.”
Ben and Phil made eye contact and Phil arched his eyebrows again. “Here it comes,” he said. “Probably doesn’t like his wife’s choice of lawyers.”
“Voicemail,” Ben called into the speakerphone and Phil gave him a questioning glance. Ben responded, “This guy’s an asshole. He’s got to be handled or he may be a pain in the ass the entire time we’re in this case.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Ben returned to his office and left messages for Mark and Ken and got Nancy working on the preparation of the retainer agreement. He spent the next hour at his desk brainstorming about the case with a notepad and pen. At three, he hunted down Scott Nelson’s number and left him a message saying that he would now be representing Megan Rand and any further communications with her now had to go through his office. He also told Nelson that he would like to get the lay of the land in light of all the contacts between Meg and the police. Nelson called him back a short while later and confirmed for the first time that Professor Greenfield had been the victim of a homicide and that Megan Rand was being investigated in connection with the murder. In light of their previous relationship, Nelson agreed to meet Ben the following afternoon in the main lobby of the law school.
Mark Schaefer called late in the day and Ben briefly laid out the facts and invited him to come aboard and join the defense team. Mark quickly agreed and they decided to meet the following day for a quick bite to discuss the case before heading downtown. Ken Williams called a little while later and told Ben that he would help out any way he could. At six-thirty, Ben looked at his watch and thought about calling and leaving a message for Joseph Cavallaro at his office. He decided not to.
9
“This is quite a place,” Mark Schaefer said as he shook hands with Ben in the lobby of the office. “There are no signs or anything. I thought I was lost.”
“A common reaction,” Ben replied putting on his coat. “Let’s go out and grab something and bring it back, then we can talk in the conference room.”
Twenty minutes later, after a quick stop at a greasy spoon down on Irving Park Road, Ben led Mark down a couple of steps, through a hallway jammed with old typewriters
“Yeah, sure,” he replied without looking up, “come on in.”
“My friend, Megan, appears to be getting unwanted attention in my old law professor’s death.” Phil looked up and arched an eyebrow. Ben continued. “They showed up at her brownstone over the weekend with a search warrant and took some clothing, coats, things like that. She wants to hire us.”
Phil leaned back and stuck the end of his pen in his mouth contemplating the news. “Do we even know he was murdered?”
Ben shrugged. “Not for sure, but is sure seems like it. I know the detective. I was going to call him later today.”
Phil stared at him for a long moment. “You sure you really want to do this?” he finally asked. Ben nodded. “Okay then,” he said with a sigh, “how do you think we should set this up?”
They agreed on an arrangement that sounded workable, assuming Megan actually got charged with something. Two fellow associates, Dan Conlon and Brad Funk, would help out as needed. Another former associate, Ken Williams, currently the Public Defender in one of the collar counties, would provide behind-the-scenes assistance. Finally, if a trial was to take place, Ben would recruit Mark Schaefer, an old friend of Ben’s with significant criminal defense experience to serve as co-counsel on the case since the firm couldn’t afford to devote half the lawyers in the office to just one case.
Just then Nancy’s voice came over the intercom. “Is Ben in there?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Joseph Cavallaro is on the phone for you.”
Ben and Phil made eye contact and Phil arched his eyebrows again. “Here it comes,” he said. “Probably doesn’t like his wife’s choice of lawyers.”
“Voicemail,” Ben called into the speakerphone and Phil gave him a questioning glance. Ben responded, “This guy’s an asshole. He’s got to be handled or he may be a pain in the ass the entire time we’re in this case.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Ben returned to his office and left messages for Mark and Ken and got Nancy working on the preparation of the retainer agreement. He spent the next hour at his desk brainstorming about the case with a notepad and pen. At three, he hunted down Scott Nelson’s number and left him a message saying that he would now be representing Megan Rand and any further communications with her now had to go through his office. He also told Nelson that he would like to get the lay of the land in light of all the contacts between Meg and the police. Nelson called him back a short while later and confirmed for the first time that Professor Greenfield had been the victim of a homicide and that Megan Rand was being investigated in connection with the murder. In light of their previous relationship, Nelson agreed to meet Ben the following afternoon in the main lobby of the law school.
Mark Schaefer called late in the day and Ben briefly laid out the facts and invited him to come aboard and join the defense team. Mark quickly agreed and they decided to meet the following day for a quick bite to discuss the case before heading downtown. Ken Williams called a little while later and told Ben that he would help out any way he could. At six-thirty, Ben looked at his watch and thought about calling and leaving a message for Joseph Cavallaro at his office. He decided not to.
9
“This is quite a place,” Mark Schaefer said as he shook hands with Ben in the lobby of the office. “There are no signs or anything. I thought I was lost.”
“A common reaction,” Ben replied putting on his coat. “Let’s go out and grab something and bring it back, then we can talk in the conference room.”
Twenty minutes later, after a quick stop at a greasy spoon down on Irving Park Road, Ben led Mark down a couple of steps, through a hallway jammed with old typewriters
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