Page 10 of Insidious Threats
“They had an associate running a case that big?”
“The partner died suddenly, I think? It was a long time ago. Anyway, the case ended poorly for Sasha’s client, and a year later, she opened her own shop. I can’t imagine there’s any love lost between her and Mickey.”
Amanda chewed on her lower lip. The story of a bungled class action defense didn’t square with Oliver’s report that the lawyer had been offered and turned down partnership at Prescott & Talbot.
But did it really matter? Like Gabe said, it was ancient history. And, also like Gabe said, regardless of the mediator’s feelings about McCandless, Volmer & Andrews, Maisy Farley was a sympathetic plaintiff. And Leith Delone was one of the most polarizing humans on the planet. No matter what, she had an uphill battle. Luckily, Amanda Teale-James specialized in winning uphill battles.
7
The rich flavor of Jake’s dark roast worked on Sasha’s nervous system like a magic elixir, warming her and filling her with optimism and energy. She let out a small, contented sigh.
Maisy broke off her conversation with Naya to lean over and whisper, “You have a serious problem.”
Sasha shook her head. Her friends could joke all they wanted about her coffee habit. She knew the truth: it was her life blood, her essence.
“What are you two yammering about anyway?”
Naya painted Maisy with a look. “I was just reminding our client that she has a deep well of goodwill with Gabe Parente, and she’d be smart not to squander it by taking potshots at Delone’s GC or whatever that Teale-James woman is.”
“In other words, she told me to pick on somebody my own size.” Maisy giggled.
“Maisy, what’s gotten into you? That’s positively mean-spirited. I mean, for you. It’d be the nicest thing Naya said in a week,” Sasha said, trying for some levity.
Naya just rolled her eyes, but Maisy’s mouth creased into a deep frown. So much for lightening the mood.
“I know, I’m just crabby. I reallylikeGabe. He’s always been so kind to me, and I wish he weren’t on the other side of this. But, y’all, I’m madder than a hornet that the station still hasn’t given me my money. And that greedy, grubby billionaire could just pay me instead of wasting more money and enlarging his carbon footprint by flying Sasha’s doppelgänger out here to snub her nose at Jake’s coffee.”
Sasha and Naya exchanged a wordless glance of mutual understanding. Maisy was right—she was in a mood. Not ideal for a meeting intended to bring the parties closer to a resolution.
Just then, the door opened, and Amanda and Gabe returned. Before it could swing closed, a hand reached out and held it open.
Mickey Collins appeared in the doorway. His trademark silver hair was characteristically disheveled. His bespoke suit was rumpled, and his tie was askew. He looked like he’d been through the wringer. But, then, he usually looked that way.
Too vain to forego expensive clothes, shoes, and cars, Mickey presented himself a wild-haired, wrinkled mess in an effort to appeal to the underdogs he wanted as clients and to combat the idea (accurate though it might be) that he was a wealthy lawyer. And, somehow, he made it work.
“How’s my favorite mini-attorney?” he boomed as he entered the room.
He spotted Amanda Teale-James and did a double take. “Look at that, we have two mini-attorneys today!”
Sasha suppressed a smile, and Naya shook her head slowly.
“Hey, Gabe. How’s it hanging?” Mickey continued, unabashed, before anyone else could get a word in.
Amanda Teale-James’ eyes widened with what Sasha assumed was horror at the fact thatthiswas their mediator. Having known Mickey for more than a decade, Sasha was certain the out-of-town lawyer’s reaction was playing into his hands. The only question waswhy?
Mickey, for all his bluster, was a talented neutral—the federal court’s term for the lawyers who oversaw alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Naya always said the descriptor made her think of a dystopian young adult movie where some characters had supernatural gifts, and others didn’t. At the moment, Mickey’s gift appeared to be a talent for mortifying everyone in the room.
Gabe managed to choke out a response that ignored Mickey’s crassness by steering the conversation to one of their neutral’s obsessions. “Hi, Mickey. Have you hit the greens lately?”
Sasha allowed their back and forth about golf to wash over her without listening to the actual conversation while she pulled her notes together. Opposing counsel did the same while her colleague described a shot out of a sand bunker in excruciating detail. Naya examined her cuticles. Maisy peeled a sticky note from the pad at Sasha’s elbow and began to doodle.
Before Gabe could launch into the play-by-play, shot-by-shot retelling of his next hole, Sasha cut in.
“Do you want some coffee before we get started, Mickey? Or something else? Caroline will call down to Jake’s, if you like?”
“I’m all set, and it’s clear you want to get down to brass tacks. So let’s get this party started.” Mickey slid into the unoccupied chair at the far end of the table and clapped his hands together. “I take it the gang’s all here?”
“Yes,” Naya and Gabe confirmed in unison.
