Page 39 of Ghostly
Triple damn.Mrs. Ashford-Abernathy was one of his best clients; her third husband was Gabriel’s first big win, the reason he came onto Clifford and Ernest’s radar. The old lady loved him (in a non-creepy, pinching-his-cheeks way) and requested him for her next two divorces, following neatly after three, then again three more years—how could Gabriel not appreciate that?
And now she was back, and he was suspended. “What did she say? Did they make any agreements yet?” Another great thing about Mrs. Ashford-Abernathy was her choice of husbands. They never went down easy, which meant a trial, which meant big money, but also big publicity. Great publicity, since Gabriel always won.
“I don’t know. She’s in with Mr. Ernest. I had to bring her eight coffees so far and she rejected every single one.”
A yet another reason why Gabriel, too, simplylovedMrs. Ashford-Abernathy.
“I think it’s going to be a long one, though,” Ollie continued. “I heard them say her latest husband is particularly problematic.”
It would probably take months for the trial to even start. Gabriel’s brain shifted into higher gear, pumped on a fresh mug of coffee. This could be his ticket back into the big leagues. Mrs. Ashford-Abernathy held lots of sway; if she stood behind him, so would everyone else. He only needed to win that case, clean of any scandal, and Clifford would practically shove the partner papers into his lap.
But first, he needed togetthe case. “You’re right, Ollie. It will probably take months.” He rubbed his growing stubble. “Listen. Are you taking another coffee to her?”
“Yes. A New Orleans one, second try. I didn’t find the right chicory at first.”
“All right. When you do so, talk to them. Her and Ernest.”
“B-b-but, I don’t know if I dare to do that. Why don’t you call them?”
“If he’s in a meeting with her, he won’t answer. Now focus, and remember. Tell them I want the case. I know I can’t have it right now, but I’ll be back in five months. Let them get”—oh, who would be good?—“Crawford. He’s retiring soon—and it’ll just so happen that this case will drag on for so long he’ll have no choice but to give it to someone else.”
Ollie’s eyes darted around the empty office, and he leaned in. “You mean to take the case from him.”
“Ernest will know what I mean. Mrs. Ashford-Abernathy is our client because of me. Now go—”
Rosalie jumped onto the couch, stretched all the way up to his shoulders, and licked his ear. “Rosie, not now.”
“What is that, sir?”
“It’s called a dog. Rosie, please. We…” Gabriel sighed, extended a finger to show Ollie to wait a second, then rubbed Rosalie’s stomach. She rolled over, tilted her head to the side, and popped out her tongue. Gabrielcontinued to cuddle with one hand while he redirected his attention to Ollie.
“But even if you take the case then, you can’t work on it now. You won’t have enough time to prepare,” Ollie said.
“I can’t work on it properly, no. But I could do research.” Rosalie let out a pleased grunt, and Gabriel scratched some more. “Go and tell Ernest, quick. Tell him to call me and we’ll sort everything out.”
Ollie did his typical confused stammer, then nodded. “All right, sir. As you say.”
“Oh, and Ollie? Drop a pinch of salt into her coffee. She likes it that way.”
“Thank you, sir. You are an inspiration.”
The call ended, and Gabriel closed the laptop. “Yes, I am,” he murmured. Rosalie looked up. “I’ll get back yet, you’ll see,” he told her. “Uncle Gabriel is gonna be a rock star again, yes, he will. They’ll be eating out of my hand. Just like you are.”
A shadow passed at the edge of his vision. Ida stopped in the doorway. “Not a dog person, huh?”
“She’s lucky she found me in a good mood.” Gabriel tapped the laptop and put it on the coffee table. “An important client came to our firm. If I can get her case once I return, all the bad things will be forgotten. I’ll be right back where I belong.”
Ida nodded, but again, it was that strange, restrained nod, like she was only doing it for his sake.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine.” Her voice was a little harsher than usual. “You needn’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine.” And she disappeared.
Chapter 10
“There’s my girl! Come to momma!” Marge crossed into the hallway, swooped Rosalie up and let her lick her neck and chin. But the puppy soon started to wiggle, and Marge let her down, only for Rosalie to run back to Gabriel, rise on her hind legs, and start scratching his pants.
“Rosalie, it’s time to go,” Gabriel said.
