Excerpt

     Janelle left the courtroom and pulled out her cell phone. When her client, Cindy Goodwin, answered, she didn't bother with the usual chit-chat. "Did you know Scott MacGregor was representing Larry?"

     "No, but I guess I'm not surprised."

     "What's the deal?"  Goodwin wasn't his usual type of client.

     "I think they were roommates in college. I vaguely remember hearing his name mentioned."  Cindy didn't appear particularly concerned, clearly not understanding the caliber of attorney her husband had retained.

     "He could make your case a little more difficult."  Janelle didn't want to alarm Cindy, but Scott MacGregor was a skilled attorney.

     "Will this be a big problem? You know I already rob Peter to pay Paul."

     "I don't mean big trouble."  Janelle hastened to soothe her client. "It'll be a bit more challenging. Don't worry. It will all work out. For now, we got what we asked for. The judge ordered temporary child support and granted our request for further information."  Janelle ended the call with more soothing words, reassuring herself as much as her client.

     The return walk of several blocks to her office provided an opportunity to shift gears from the intense focus required in court to the normal pace needed for the office. It was a perfect autumn day. The sun was shining in the brilliant blue sky. The breeze coming off Casco Bay carried the salty tang of the ocean and blew away some of her worries. She tried to be optimistic about the discovery into the joint assets. Maybe the case would settle. Not that she would mind going to trial against Scott MacGregor. For real, this time. It would give her a great deal of satisfaction to beat him.

     But she wouldn't jeopardize her client's economic security for the satisfaction of opposing Scott in the courtroom. Trials were extremely unpredictable. Much too easy for things to go wrong.

Her brain flipped back to her original question. Why was he handling a divorce? His usual clients involved cases closely followed by the press, so he could appear on various news broadcasts. He seemed more concerned about his image and the size of his fees than helping an old college buddy. Cindy must be right.