The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers #1)(25)

Rick squinted up at him. “I promise.”

Tom gave a quick nod, and turned and began to walk down the sidewalk.

“Professor... why...” Rick stopped, unsure of what he wanted to ask. A million questions seemed to flood his brain.

When he reached the corner, the Professor turned and glared at Rick. “Second chances don’t come around every day, son.” He paused. “Don’t f*ck it up.”





19


Dear Ruth Ann,

I’m sure you’ve seen or read the news by now. Because of the bad publicity surrounding me, I’m going away for awhile. Rick Drake is a talented lawyer with Henshaw ties, who will do a fine job for you. I recommend that you hire him to take your case.

Love,

Tom



Ruth Ann read the letter, and then reread it. Going away for a while? She didn’t understand.

“Did he say anything else when he gave this to you?” Ruth Ann asked, looking up from the conference room table at Rick Drake. He is so young, she thought.

“He said that you mean a great deal to him.”

Ruth Ann nodded, blinking back tears. I mean so much to him that he could just leave without saying goodbye.

“Ms Wilcox, I’ve taken the liberty of drafting this complaint,” Rick Drake said, sliding several stapled sheets of paper across the desk. “We would file against Willistone Trucking Company for two counts of negligence. First for their driver’s negligence at the time of the accident. I’ve already spoken briefly with Sheriff Jimmy Ballard over the telephone, and he stands by the speed listed in the report: 80 miles per hour in a 65-mile zone. That’s a clear basis for count one.” Rick paused, and took a sip of water.

“What about the eyewitness’ statement? Ms...”

“Batson. Rose Batson. I’ve also spoken with Ms Rose – everyone in Henshaw calls her Ms Rose – and unfortunately she just repeated what’s in her statement. The Honda turned in front of the rig.” Rick shrugged. “However, she added that the rig was about a hundred yards from the intersection when the Honda began its turn, so hopefully we can retain an accident reconstructionist who can give the opinion that your son-in-law couldn’t have seen the rig when he started to turn.”

Ruth Ann cringed when Rick said “son-in-law” and felt an ache in her heart. Bob had been such a good man. Strong. Protective of his wife and child. Exactly the kind of man a mother would want her daughter to marry. Not the kind of man that would pull in front of an eighteen-wheeler.

“OK, that makes sense,” Ruth Ann said. “You mentioned a second count?”

Rick nodded. “Count two is for the company’s negligence in hiring, training and supervising Newton.”

Ruth Ann raised her eyebrows. “So you think the company was negligent?”

Rick nodded. “I looked at Newton’s driving record this weekend. There’s a database online with that information. His record shows two speeding tickets within six months prior to the accident.

“Two speeding tickets?”

Rick nodded. “Since Newton was speeding at the time of this accident, the prior tickets should’ve warned the company of a problem. I think we’ll probably need more than that to get to a jury, but the tickets give us a good-faith basis for bringing the claim.”

“How will we get more?”

“Well... based on the newspaper articles I read online, Harold Newton was hauling nine thousand gallons of Ultron gasoline at the time of the collision. Now, I doubt we have a claim against Ultron, but they might have information relevant to the case. Unfortunately, the Ultron plant in Tuscaloosa burned to the ground the night of the accident, so I’m worried that Ultron may not have any documents.”

“Do you think there could be some connection between the fire and the accident?” Ruth Ann asked.

Rick shrugged. “The fire marshal determined that the fire was accidental, so it appears to just be a bad coincidence. However, even if Ultron doesn’t have any documents, someone there had to load Newton’s truck on the day of the accident, and I’m going to make an all-out effort to find and talk with those employees.” Rick took a deep breath and sipped from a cup of coffee. “The articles also mentioned that the deceased truck driver, Harold Newton, had a widow.”

Ruth Ann felt her stomach tighten. She remembered hearing about Newton’s widow. Several times, in the days following the accident, she had thought of calling Ms Newton, but she never had. Too painful, she thought, biting her lip.

“Why is that important?” Ruth Ann asked

“It may not be,” Rick said. “But, if there was something going on with Willistone that was making Harold Newton have to speed, then his widow may know about it. She may blame Willistone for his death.” He held out his palms. “Anyway, I think it’s worth exploring.”

Ruth Ann nodded. Then, pointing at the complaint, she looked at Rick. “When did you want to file this?”

“As soon as you’re ready. We could file today if you wish.”

Ruth Ann crossed her arms over her chest. This is really happening, she thought, gazing down at the draft complaint in front of her. She wished so badly that Tom was still here.

Ruth Ann closed her eyes. Everything. These people took everything from me. They deserve to answer for it. She saw Jeannie, Bob and Nicole as she remembered them and she fought back tears. This won’t bring them back. Are you sure you want to put yourself through this? Wouldn’t it be better to move on?