the courtroom.
Waiting to be called as a witness, Bert Falkenberg had been relegated to the hallway for most of the day. Shortly before the recess he had taken the stand to testify that he had watched Torg Sorensen sign his will. Claudia, who had remained at Paige’s request, thought Stuart Parsons’ direct went well. Norris had reserved cross-examination for later. Now Bert stood at Paige’s side, looking distracted.
“How do you think it went today?” Paige asked her attorney, linking her arm through his.
Stuart Parsons gave his client a fond smile, patted her hand. “Bert did fine, Claudia was superb, and we beat Nicholson to a pulp. Let’s hope tomorrow goes as well. Now, I suggest you go and have a glass of wine, relax, and forget about the case for the rest of the day.”
“Come with us?”
Parsons shook his head. “I have to get back to the office.”
“How about you?” Paige asked, turning to Claudia. “Buy you a drink?”
“That’s an offer I can’t refuse,” Claudia said. Even the check Bert Falkenberg had handed her a moment ago failed to neutralize the stress of testifying. She could as easily have stood in the truck lane of the freeway and waited for a semi to mow her down as face another cross-examination right now.
“See you later, Bert,” Paige said, dismissing him. “Stuart will give you a ride back, won’t you, Stu?”
The attorney leaned over to drop a kiss on her cheek. Bert offered a mocking salute and clicked his heels together like a Nazi general acknowledging his commanding officer.
As the two men and Parsons’ paralegal made their way down the corridor toward the elevators, the door to the courtroom swung open and Diana Sorensen swept through. Andy Nicholson followed, holding the door for Dane, who was piloting his brother’s wheelchair.
Catching sight of Claudia and Paige standing by the long windows overlooking the courthouse mall, Diana strode over.
“You thieving bitch,” she shouted, thrusting her wide, angry face close to Paige’s. “You won’t get away with this!”
Dane braked the wheelchair, walked back, and seized his twin’s arm.
“Don’t waste your time on those bloodsuckers, Di. They’re not worth the dynamite to blow ’em all to hell.”
Bloodsuckers. Including Claudia in the cheap shot.
Diana made an angry huffing sound, but allowed herself to be led away, leaving a spate of insults in her wake. Neil Sorensen remained silent during the exchange, his face hidden beneath the bill of his baseball cap as Dane wheeled him away.
“Nice family,” Claudia murmured, lifting her eyebrows at Paige, who looked furious.
“Yeah, nice like the Borgias.”
Andy Nicholson, who had watched from the courtroom door, sauntered over to Claudia and leaned in close. “Don’t expect to win,” he said in a low voice so that only she could detect the sneer.
She stared back at him with distaste. “Why’s that, hotshot?”
“Remember last time,” he said. “I’ll always kick your ass.”
Claudia crooked her finger, beckoning him even closer. When he bent down, she whispered in his ear, “Andy, go fuck yourself.”
His lips twisted into a cocky smirk and she turned away, annoyed with herself for giving in to her temper. She was supposed to be a professional, which meant she shouldn’t have reacted to his goading.
“Let’s take the stairs,” she said to Paige. “I’m not sharing an elevator with him.”
The Downtown Brewery was a generic place where lawyers hung out between court sessions—dark, lots of leather, the redolence of liquor.
They settled into a couple of club chairs in the bar. Claudia ordered a screwdriver, Paige, a Jack and Coke, neat.
“I can’t stand that Norris guy,” Paige said with a little shiver. “How could you sit there so calmly and let him go after you like that?”
Claudia laughed, unwilling to admit how uptight she’d been. “I just pictured him naked, with a teeny weenie.” Then she got serious. “I
Waiting to be called as a witness, Bert Falkenberg had been relegated to the hallway for most of the day. Shortly before the recess he had taken the stand to testify that he had watched Torg Sorensen sign his will. Claudia, who had remained at Paige’s request, thought Stuart Parsons’ direct went well. Norris had reserved cross-examination for later. Now Bert stood at Paige’s side, looking distracted.
“How do you think it went today?” Paige asked her attorney, linking her arm through his.
Stuart Parsons gave his client a fond smile, patted her hand. “Bert did fine, Claudia was superb, and we beat Nicholson to a pulp. Let’s hope tomorrow goes as well. Now, I suggest you go and have a glass of wine, relax, and forget about the case for the rest of the day.”
“Come with us?”
Parsons shook his head. “I have to get back to the office.”
“How about you?” Paige asked, turning to Claudia. “Buy you a drink?”
“That’s an offer I can’t refuse,” Claudia said. Even the check Bert Falkenberg had handed her a moment ago failed to neutralize the stress of testifying. She could as easily have stood in the truck lane of the freeway and waited for a semi to mow her down as face another cross-examination right now.
“See you later, Bert,” Paige said, dismissing him. “Stuart will give you a ride back, won’t you, Stu?”
The attorney leaned over to drop a kiss on her cheek. Bert offered a mocking salute and clicked his heels together like a Nazi general acknowledging his commanding officer.
As the two men and Parsons’ paralegal made their way down the corridor toward the elevators, the door to the courtroom swung open and Diana Sorensen swept through. Andy Nicholson followed, holding the door for Dane, who was piloting his brother’s wheelchair.
Catching sight of Claudia and Paige standing by the long windows overlooking the courthouse mall, Diana strode over.
“You thieving bitch,” she shouted, thrusting her wide, angry face close to Paige’s. “You won’t get away with this!”
Dane braked the wheelchair, walked back, and seized his twin’s arm.
“Don’t waste your time on those bloodsuckers, Di. They’re not worth the dynamite to blow ’em all to hell.”
Bloodsuckers. Including Claudia in the cheap shot.
Diana made an angry huffing sound, but allowed herself to be led away, leaving a spate of insults in her wake. Neil Sorensen remained silent during the exchange, his face hidden beneath the bill of his baseball cap as Dane wheeled him away.
“Nice family,” Claudia murmured, lifting her eyebrows at Paige, who looked furious.
“Yeah, nice like the Borgias.”
Andy Nicholson, who had watched from the courtroom door, sauntered over to Claudia and leaned in close. “Don’t expect to win,” he said in a low voice so that only she could detect the sneer.
She stared back at him with distaste. “Why’s that, hotshot?”
“Remember last time,” he said. “I’ll always kick your ass.”
Claudia crooked her finger, beckoning him even closer. When he bent down, she whispered in his ear, “Andy, go fuck yourself.”
His lips twisted into a cocky smirk and she turned away, annoyed with herself for giving in to her temper. She was supposed to be a professional, which meant she shouldn’t have reacted to his goading.
“Let’s take the stairs,” she said to Paige. “I’m not sharing an elevator with him.”
The Downtown Brewery was a generic place where lawyers hung out between court sessions—dark, lots of leather, the redolence of liquor.
They settled into a couple of club chairs in the bar. Claudia ordered a screwdriver, Paige, a Jack and Coke, neat.
“I can’t stand that Norris guy,” Paige said with a little shiver. “How could you sit there so calmly and let him go after you like that?”
Claudia laughed, unwilling to admit how uptight she’d been. “I just pictured him naked, with a teeny weenie.” Then she got serious. “I
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