The Murder Rule(15)

And there lay an opportunity.

By eight A.M. on Wednesday morning Hannah was ready. She made a cal to Hazel El ison, first routing her number through a website so that a 212 area code would come up on Hazel’s phone, rather than Hannah’s own cel number.

“Hel o?” Hazel sounded distracted, a little confused.

Hannah tried to tighten her voice, make it a little nasal sounding.

“Am I speaking with Hazel El ison?”

“Yes. Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m cal ing from Gabriel Ryan’s office at McKnight Babbage,”

Hannah said. According to Hazel’s social media posts, she had worked on Ryan’s team during her internship.

There was silence from the other end of the phone. Hannah waited for Hazel to fil it, but she said nothing.

“I’m getting in touch because McKnight Babbage is looking again at staffing requirements and we have a number of first-year associate positions available. Mr. Ryan has recommended that we consider you for one of those positions.”

“I . . . Gabe recommended me?”

“Yes. Certainly.” Hannah concentrated on sounding professional and no nonsense. “Mr. Ryan’s team is growing, with four major acquisitions kicking off simultaneously next quarter.” According to the McKnight Babbage website, Gabriel Ryan was a senior partner on the mergers and acquisitions team. “We do need to fil out his team quickly, however, so this position would require you to be available for an interview immediately. We would need you in the New York office next Monday at nine A.M. The interview process takes place over three days and includes an aptitude test and two rounds of interviews.”

“I . . . I do have some commitments. I work for the Innocence Project at UVA. There’s a trial . . . Would it be possible to reschedule my interview?”

“No. I’m sorry. Mr. Ryan and the other partners have very ful schedules. Next week is the only time we were able to clear for the process. But of course, if you aren’t available, we do understand given the late notice. And we would wish you luck with your other opportunities.”

“No. No, I’m not saying I’m not available,” Hazel said. “If it has to be next week then I can make some arrangements.”

“Excel ent. I’m sure Mr. Ryan wil be pleased. Please arrive at the main desk in the ground-floor lobby by nine A.M. on Monday and ask for Margo Dowling. You’l be escorted to the interview suite and guided through the process from there.” Margo Dowling was another name Hannah had plucked from the firm’s website. It was a risk, giving Hazel the name of a real HR manager at the firm. There was always a chance she would cal Margo Dowling to ask a question.

But Hannah thought it was worth the risk. You always need to add that extra something for authenticity.

“Thank you,” said Hazel. “That’s fine. So this position would be with the mergers and acquisitions team?”

“Yes. That’s right,” Hannah said.

“Working . . . uh, working directly with Mr. Ryan?”

Shit. Hazel sounded wary. “Not directly, based on the organizational chart I’ve been provided,” Hannah said.

“That’s fine. I mean, of course, I would be happy to work with the entire team.”

“Mmm-hmm. Then we’l see you at the office on Monday.”

Hannah hung up the phone. She took a long slow breath and let it out, then lay back on her bed and thought about her next move.

HANNAH WENT FOR A RUN BEFORE WORK. SHE NEEDED IT

TO FOCUS her mind for the day ahead. She got to the Project offices at ten A.M. Marianne Stephenson gave her a nod and a smile but otherwise her arrival went largely unnoticed. Robert Parekh’s office door was open and Hannah could see him in there, sitting on the edge of his desk, feet on a chair and phone pressed to his ear.

He saw her pass and nodded to her. Rachel was already at her computer, as were Sean, Camila, and Hazel. Hannah put her head down and kept walking. She made her way to her desk, said hel o to Rachel, and started work. Today her approach would be different.

Monday had been al about metrics and efficiency. Today she wanted to show that she could dig deeper. She had been working quietly for a couple of hours when Robert Parekh dropped by her desk.

“Hannah,” he said.

Hannah looked up, aware of Rachel’s smal jump of surprise next to her.

“Hel o,” Hannah said.

“Marianne talked to me this morning,” Parekh said. “She keeps an eye on al of our new recruits. I’ve had a look at the work you have done so far and I read your recommendations so far. Good work. Very good work.”

“Thank you,” Hannah said.

“I guess they give you good training up there at the Bangor legal aid clinic,” he said.

Hannah smiled. “The best,” she said, and he started to move away. “Sorry, Professor Parekh?”

He stopped. “It’s Rob, please.”

“I’ve come across one application here that I think has a lot of potential. The applicant’s sister sent in her appel ant’s brief overnight, and I think . . . wel , you’l be the judge of course, but I think there’s a case here. The applicant’s been in prison for more than twenty-four years and she has eleven years left to run. I’m hoping to finish my analysis today, and I was just wondering who I should send my recommendation to for review?”