Sparring Partners(67)
He shook his head and seemed irritated. “I don’t know what’s wrong with that boy. Ten years ago he could pick a jury’s pocket for anything he wanted, now he’s washed up.”
“He’ll turn it around. As you know with trial work, there are hot streaks and cold ones.”
“I suppose. Did you bring the financial statements?”
“No, I did not.”
“May I ask why not?”
“Sure, you can ask. The answer is that I didn’t exactly volunteer to be here, Bolton. And I’m certainly not going to be told what to do by you, of all people. I don’t work for you anymore and I’ll never work for you again. You thought you owned me once, when I was a kid, and I still resent the things we did.”
“It was always consensual, as I recall.”
“I was a twenty-five-year-old kid fresh out of law school and you gave me a job. What happened after that was hardly consensual. You were all over me from day one and left little doubt that any resistance might lead to a termination. That’s what I remember.”
He smiled as he shook his head. “Well, well. Venus and Mars again. What I remember was a sexy young lady in short skirts who thought screwing the boss was the ticket to a partnership. Didn’t we have this conversation years ago when we reconciled? I thought this was all water under the bridge.”
“Your bridge maybe, Bolton. We carried on for three years and it was me, not you, who finally stopped it.”
“True, then we sat down and hashed through it and decided to remain friends. I’ve always treasured your friendship, Diantha, and your wisdom. I know that we reconciled.”
“Oh really. If our relationship is so cool, then why have I been in therapy for the past fifteen years?”
“Oh come on. You can’t blame me for all your problems.”
Both needed a truce, so they sat and ignored each other. After a long gap, she said, “I’m sorry, Bolton. I didn’t plan to say all that. I didn’t come here to beat you up over something that happened a long time ago.”
“You have a lot of anger and resentment.”
“I do, and I’m trying hard to overcome it.”
“Well, I would say I’m sorry but that’s already been said. Obviously it didn’t mean much. I have great memories of you, Diantha. I want you to like me. I swear.”
“I’ll try. Look, we’re here in prison and I’m supposed to be bringing smiles from the outside world. Not causing trouble. My problems are small compared to yours, Bolton. How do you survive in a place like this?”
“Day by day. Before long it’s a week, then a month, then a year. You stop crying, get tough, realize you can survive. You make sure you’re safe. Me, I’m lucky enough to have a little cash to spread around. You can buy almost anything in here.”
He smiled and clasped his hands behind his head, looked at the ceiling. “Almost anything, except what really matters. Freedom, travel, women, golf, good food and wine. But you know what, Diantha, I’m okay. This is almost over and I’ll be out soon enough. Statistically, I’ll have about twenty more years to live, and I plan to have a ball. I’ll leave St. Louis and all the bad memories, and I’ll go somewhere nice and quiet and start over again.”
“With plenty of money.”
“Damned right, with plenty of money. I was smart enough to buy into the tobacco settlement when you and the boys and everybody else in the office said don’t do it. The gamble paid off, then I was smart again and kept the money away from Tilda. May she rest in peace. I’m going to take the money and run away. Wanna go with me?”
“Is that another proposition?”
“No, it was a joke. Lighten up, Diantha, you seem to have more troubles than me and I’m the one socked away in this shithole.”
“How do you plan to get out?”
“Wouldn’t you love to know? Let’s just say I do indeed have a plan and things are coming together.”
“Let’s talk about something else. I’ve only been here for fifteen minutes.”
“Please don’t hurry, Diantha. There are no time limits on attorney conferences and you’re a rare bright spot for me.”
“What about the law firm? I’m sure you’re curious.”
“Great idea. How many associates do we have now?”
“Twenty-two. Eleven on each side. If Rusty hires one, then so does Kirk. Same for secretaries, paralegals, janitors. As always, the expenses and the net draws must remain perfectly equal. If one feels the other is somehow getting ahead, then there’s trouble.”
“What’s wrong with those boys?”
“You’ve been asking that question as long as I’ve known you.”
“Yes I have. I cannot recall a period of time when they got along. It was like a sibling war from the crib. They’re trying to destroy the firm, aren’t they, Diantha? I’ve seen the financials. I know what’s going on. Far too much overhead, far too little in revenue. As you remember, I ran a tight ship and watched every penny. I hired good people and I was generous with them. These two guys don’t have the sense to run a law firm.”
“It’s not quite that grim, Bolton. We have some talented lawyers that I’ve hired over the years and they are developing nicely. I’m still in charge, albeit by default. Since Rusty and Kirk don’t speak, everything crosses my desk and I manage the firm. The business is always up and down.”