Read Online Skinny-dipping by Claire Matturro - Free Book Online

I didn’t like the sound of that, or the tone of voice Stephen was using, and I checked the stern look on Judge Goddard’s face before I jumped up and said, “I object.”
    Technically you don’t object at a hearing, but I’d been reading Judge Goddard’s facial expressions for years now and knew I could get away with it.
    â€œYou apologize to her, right now, Mr. LayBlank,” the good judge said.
    â€œYour honor, all I’m saying is that she is blaming me for the inadequacies of her own case, for her law firm’s inexplicable delays, and—”
    â€œThat doesn’t sound much like ‘I’m sorry’ to me,” Judge Goddard snapped.
    Stephen looked at me, then at the court reporter, who had stopped typing and leaned back to watch the show.
    â€œMadam Court Reporter, please make a record of this exchange.”
    â€œYes, Mr. LeeBlink,” she said.
    â€œLa-Blanc, La-Blanc,” Stephen snapped. “Can’t anybody in this whole damn county pronounce my name?”
    â€œNo reason for profanity, son,” Judge Goddard said. Then he slapped down his hand on my memorandum and said, “Motion for continuance granted. Contact my assistant for a new time. Motion to amend the witness list granted. Ms. Cleary, you have thirty days to file an amended list with your new expert witness identified. Pretrial conference will be rescheduled. Now, Mr. LayBlank, you apologize to this woman right now.”
    â€œVery well, I see I have no choice but to capitulate to this obvious hometown favoritism. Madam Court Reporter, I will be ordering a transcript.”
    â€œSteve,” I said, smiling my biggest fake smile, “you have a nice flight home.” He never did apologize.
    â€œSteph-fin,” he corrected, clueless, still, as to how easy it was for the hometown crowd to play him.
    The judge rose to his full five feet five, we stood, and he disappeared through a green curtain into his own chambers. Sort of like the Wizard of Oz, I thought, as I slumped back into a chair while Angela gathered up the strewn papers. Stephen picked up his dapper briefcase and left with a tight-assed smile and the ubiquitous “See you in court” threat.
    Madam Court Reporter—Judy, by name—closed her little machine and smiled at me. I take her to lunch regularly at the Ivy Club, charging it, wine and all, to a rotating list of clients, and we gossip like schoolgirls. “I’ll let you know if Mr. LaBlanc orders the transcript,” she said, winked at me, and left.
    Judy gone, I put my head down on the table, and Angela patted my back once and then apparently thought the better of that.
    I heard Judge Goddard come back into the hearing room, and I lifted my head.
    â€œLilly, what happened to you? In all my years of listening to you, I’ve never known you to be unprepared.”
    â€œNo sir. It’s just . . . you see, it’s Jackson’s case, and he dumped it on me a couple days ago, but I didn’t get the pleadings file until this morning, and I didn’t know about the pretrial until mid-morning, and one of my clients got killed, and . . .” Of course, I wasn’t going to mention I’d been diddling with Newly instead of working late at night as I usually did.
    And I was whining. I stopped.
    â€œI’m sorry, your honor. It won’t happen again.”
    â€œLilly, I’m not fussing. Just worried. You’re always so overprepared, that’s all.”
    He would have called me “honey” if Angela weren’t still in the room.
    â€œThank you, your honor. I’m fine. And it won’t happen again.”
    â€œMs. Harper, we aren’t ex parte communicating,” he said, nodding at Angela. “We’re old friends.” The judge glanced at Angela, who nodded, graciously gathering the papers into her arms and taking the trial briefcase, and eased out of the room.
    â€œWhat the hell