Page 13 of Maddy's Justice

“I am not getting my engagement ring from a pawn shop!” Maddy said.

Marc looked at Chris who shrugged as Marc said, “Nice thought.”

“How about a non-retail friend of mine who’s in the business?” Connie asked.

“Legitimate?” Maddy asked.

“Mostly,” Connie replied. “He’s an adorable little Jew who has been hitting on me at synagogue for thirty years. Even in front of his wife. He’s harmless. Let me call him and make an appointment.”

That night in bed, Marc finally said, “If you’re gonna look at that thing while we make love, I’ll stop and go to sleep.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Maddy quickly said. “I’ll take it off. It’s just so beautiful and…” she hesitated as she gently placed the ring on the side table. She rolled back over on top of Marc and kissed him several times. “And,” she said again, “I am so happy, and I love you and always will.”

FIVE

“We’ve listened to it three times,” Connie said. “It isn’t gonna change.”

The two of them were in Marc’s office listening to the recording concerning their harassment case.

“I’m listening for something,” Marc replied. “This was done in his office, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“I’m listening for any sign, any sound to indicate she was coming on to him. She set him up…”

“Obviously.”

“…but did she induce him into saying what he said?”

“How? By putting a banana in her mouth?” Connie asked.

“That would be nice, but nothing that blatant, that obvious,” Marc replied. “I think she set him up and…”

“He walked right into it,” Connie said.

“Yeah, sounds like it. Would be nice if this had happened in a more intimate setting. Like at dinner or a bar.”

“How about in the sack? We have the case we have. Let’s do what we can. You’ll learn a lot more about these women when we do depositions,” Connie replied.

“Okay,” Marc said. “One more time.”

He hit the play button and listened to the recording start up again.

The first thing they heard was a loud “come in” and then the sound of a door opening and closing.

“Thanks for seeing me, Troy,” they heard a female voice say.

“Wow you look great, Stephanie,” Troy McGovern replied.

Marc stopped the recording and said, “We need to know exactly what she was wearing. Was she in conservative, office clothing or spiked heels and hooker clothes?”

“Yeah, I thought of that, too,” Connie agreed.

Marc started the recording and Troy said, “Come in, have a seat. What did you want to see me about?”

For almost five minutes they heard Stephanie Chapple, a senior associate with Stafford, Hughes, list herrésuméand it was impressive. Stephanie was a local girl from Edina. She was an honors grad at St. Catherine’s, law review and top ten percent in her law school class at Minnesota; five years with Stafford, Hughes and had progressed to where she was now handling her own litigation cases.

This was not on the tape, but Marc was sure Troy McGovern knew exactly what she wanted. Troy had heard this spiel many times before. When Stephanie finished laying out her impressive qualifications, Troy spoke.

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