Betrayed (Rosato & DiNunzio, #2)(101)
Next to her, Anne smiled her dazzling smile. “Judy, what happened to you this weekend? When do I get to hear this story?”
“Hold that thought.” Judy crossed to the elevator. “I have an errand to run that will take half an hour, then we can go out to lunch and celebrate, on me.”
Mary grinned. “I’m in!”
Anne nodded. “Me, too!”
Allegra hopped up and down. “Me, three!” she said, because she was still young.
Only Bennie looked at Judy like she was crazy. “Carrier, it’s too early for lunch. Also, where are you going? Why aren’t you setting up a press conference? What errand can be so important?”
Judy hit the button to call the elevator cab. “Actually, I’m off to hire somebody to work the damages cases, from Bendaflex.”
“Oh.” Bennie lifted her eyebrows, intrigued. “Don’t you want to run the candidate by me?”
“No, thanks. You told me I could hire anybody I wanted, and I did.”
“Right.” Bennie blinked. “So who’d you hire?”
“An experienced litigator I know just freed up, and I hopped on it.”
“Great. What’s her name?”
“John Foxman.”
Everybody froze for a moment, falling silent. Ping, went the elevator, signaling the arrival of the cab.
“Carrier, did I hear you right?” Bennie asked, in disbelief. “We’re an all-woman law firm, and you hired a man?”
“Yep.” Judy stepped into the elevator, pressed the DOWN button, and hoped the doors closed fast.
“How’s that going to work?” Bennie’s eyes flew open, an incredulous blue.
“I don’t know.” Judy shrugged, just as the elevator doors began to slide closed. “But we’re going to find out, aren’t we?”
Acknowledgments
It’s important to understand at the outset that this is a novel, a work of fiction. In other words, though Chester County, Pennsylvania, exists, as does the town of Kennett Square, I made up all of the events and people in the book. Now to the thank-yous, where I thank all of those experts and kind souls who helped me with Betrayed, and I make clear that any and all mistakes herein are mine.
Thank you to Deputy Coroner Patricia Emmons of the Chester County Coroner’s Office, who helped me so much with the forensics and procedural questions in the novel. I won’t say more or I’ll give away some spoilers.
Thank you very much to Police Chief Edward Zunnino of Kennett Square, who patiently explained the police procedures in that lovely town. Thanks to the ladies at the front desk, who staff his office with such diligence and kindness.
Thanks to Jim Angelucci, an expert in mushroom growing for some forty years and a pioneer in the business in Chester County, as well as one of the most upstanding members of the grower community. Jim took me on a super-informative tour of the Phillips Mushroom Farm, owned by the wonderful Phillips family, and it’s one of the finest in the county. It should go without saying that the independent grower herein is completely fictional. Thanks, too, to Jim for taking me on a tour of the Laurel Valley Farms, the composting cooperative, and for introducing me to Glenn Cote, its general manager, who answered even more questions for me. Finally, an excellent work on mushroom growing in Chester County is Bruce Mowday’s Chester County Mushroom Farming (2008).
Special thanks to Father Depner of the St. Rocco Church in Avondale who welcomed me into his wonderful church and selflessly provided so much information to inform the book.
Thanks to Rebecca Zerr, a brilliant and wonderful young woman who took so much time to answer all of my questions about the undocumented in Chester County. She referred me to some excellent works on the subject: Between Two Worlds (1996) by David Gutiérrez, The World of Mexican Migrants (2008) by Judith Hellman, and Beyond Borders (2011) by Timothy Henderson. Kudos to Drs. Victor Garcia and Laura Gonzales, who have done excellent research and written so much about the undocumented workers in Chester County.
A special thanks to my friends in the breast cancer community, who helped me with this book. One was Kathy Robbins, and she was so very helpful in detailing her own fight with this disease, as well as her inspiring recovery. Thank you so much, Kathy! I also read so many thoughtful and moving blogs and memoirs, especially Barbara Delinsky’s Uplift.
I’m a lawyer, but criminal law wasn’t my field. My first lawyerly thank-you, as always, goes to a brilliant and dedicated public servant, Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Casenta, Esq., of the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. Nick heads the Appeals Unit and was just named Prosecutor of the Year. Nick has helped me with every novel so far, and I appreciate so much his advice and expertise. I’m lucky to have you, Nick!
Thanks to my friend and laser-sharp litigator Joe Hetrick, Esq., who dropped everything to help me understand the intricacies of damages in mass tort litigation, as well as the economics of a modern law firm practice. Thanks, Joe!
Thanks to Stephanie Kalogredis, Esq., for in-the-clutch trust-and-estates advice. Thanks to Colleen Connor and Sharon Scanlon, two great friends with generous hearts.
Now to my publishing family! A huge thank-you to my amazing editor and dear friend Jennifer Enderlin, who improved this manuscript so much with her expertise and great heart. And big love and thanks to the brilliant, fun gang at St. Martin’s Press, starting with the terrific John Sargent, Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, Matt Baldacci, Jeanne-Marie Hudson, Brian Heller, Jeff Capshew, Nancy Trypuc, Kim Ludlam, John Murphy, John Karle, Dori Weintraub, Stephanie Davis, Paul Hochman, Caitlin Darieff, and all the wonderful sales reps. Big thanks to Rob Grom for an astounding cover design. Also hugs and kisses to Mary Beth Roche, Laura Wilson, Esther Bochner, Brant Janeway, and the great people in audiobooks. I love and appreciate all of you.