Rich Blood (Jason Rich #1)(55)

“No, sir,” Kelly said.

“Good.”

“Now, is there anything else you can tell me about what’s going on with Jana’s lawyer?”

Kelly rubbed the side of his head. “He’s receiving a public reprimand by the Alabama State Bar tomorrow at their monthly meeting in Montgomery.”

“Really?” Tyson asked. “Montgomery, huh?”

“Yes. Rich had to go to rehab for ninety days for being drunk during a deposition. The reprimand deals with that. Apparently, he has to stand before all the bar commissioners while they publicly shame him.” Kelly whistled through his teeth. “Sounds awful.”

“It does,” Tyson said.

And it also sounds like an opportunity, he thought.





41


Jason found Knox Rogers sitting by himself on a wooden bench on the outside patio of Yellowhammer Brewing. The attorney had salt-and-pepper hair and sported large circular glasses, faded jeans, and a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He had what looked like a case file laid out on the table and was marking medical records with a yellow highlighter. As Jason approached, the man leaned back and held his glasses out from him.

“Well, God-a-mighty,” Knox said. “You look just like your billboard.”

Jason sat on the other side of the bench and extended his hand. “Jason Rich.”

“Knox Rogers,” he said, taking a long sip from his glass. “Really. I think that’s the same suit and tie that’s on the one on the parkway.” He winked. “I passed it on the way here.”

“My wardrobe is pretty limited right now,” Jason said. “Thanks for making time for me.”

“I’d say get a beer, but I suspect you probably shouldn’t be doing that.”

Jason tensed. “You know . . . about my problem.”

“I’ve got a lot of lawyer friends in Birmingham,” Knox said.

“Why’d you insist on meeting here then?”

“Because I come here every Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, depending on my trial schedule, for a couple of india pale ales and some good old vitamin D while I think through whatever case is on my mind. There’s never anyone here in the middle of the day, and I didn’t want anyone in my office to know that we were meeting. I doubt anyone here cares.”

Jason glanced around and saw a couple of bearded guys drinking beer inside and a woman with purple streaks in her hair nursing a cold pint and working on a laptop at one of the inside tables. No one else was outside.

“I doubt anyone does,” Jason agreed.

“So what can I do for you?” Knox asked. “I assume that you’re interested in what I can tell you about the medical malpractice action that the Cowan family brought against Dr. Waters.” He took a sip of beer, his eyes never leaving Jason’s. “I also assume that you’re looking at either Trey Cowan or perhaps his mother, Trudy, as an alternative suspect. Someone else to shine the spotlight on so the jury might be confused enough by the prosecution’s evidence to find reasonable doubt.” He set his glass down. “Sound close?”

Jason gave him a sheepish smile. “You get right to the heart of it, don’t you?”

“I don’t suffer fools, and my time is valuable.” His tone was matter of fact and bordering on arrogant. Jason had heard that Knox Rogers was able to get juries to eat out of his hand, but that he could be intimidating to other attorneys. Especially those that don’t know what they’re doing, Jason thought.

“I understand,” he said. “And you’re correct. I want to know what you can tell me about the med mal case. The Cowan family and especially Trey would seem to have a lot of reason to be mad at Dr. Waters. Is that a fair assessment?”

“Yes,” Knox said, enveloping his pint glass with both hands and peering at the ale. “They were very angry, especially his mother. I remember it was difficult to get through her deposition. She kept yelling at Dr. Waters from across the table. Saying that he ruined her son’s life.” He looked up from the pint. “I’ll get you a copy of the transcript.”

Jason was shocked. “Thank you.”

“You should also look at the trial transcript. I think we have a copy of it somewhere. After the jury returned a defense verdict, the Cowan family appealed, so we had to put the whole record before the appellate court, including the transcript. As I recollect, Trudy Cowan made similar comments during the trial. Her testimony was genuine. Very effective.”

“What about Trey?”

He shook his head. “He was pitiful. Numb to everything, it seemed. I can’t remember him saying anything other than he trusted that Dr. Waters would fix him, and he didn’t.”

“And the father?”

“A drunk. Smelled of alcohol on the day of his deposition. You’d know something about that, wouldn’t you?”

Jason ground his teeth and tried to keep his temper in check. So far Knox Rogers had been of great help. He could endure a few wisecracks.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Knox took a sip of beer. “I like a cold one or a nip of whiskey as much as anyone else, but I have no respect for someone who would do that while representing a client’s interests, especially during something as important as a deposition.”