Dark Harbor by David Hosp

decided to put Natalie on it instead. “She’s a woman. You’re not,” he explained to Finn at the time. “Like it or not, the plaintiff is an attractive young woman—a widow. A jury will have an easier time hearing our side of the story if an attractive young woman helps present some of it. It will even our odds a little.”
    Finn had been disappointed. If the case could be won, it was a sure partner-maker, and he thought he had more experience than Natalie performing under pressure. At the same time, he trusted Holland’s judgment, and even understood his point. Many lawyers viewed it as unethical to assign lawyers to particular cases based on their race, sex, or religion, but Holland viewed it as unethical not to exploit every possible advantage on behalf of his clients. Finn tended to agree.
    “You’re familiar with the case, obviously.” Holland knew how disappointed Finn had been when it was assigned to Natalie. Finn nodded.
    “As you know,” Holland summarized needlessly, “Ed Tannery was one of the eight hundred victims of the terrorist attack last year. But Tannery isn’t just any victim. He is the only victim whose family wouldn’t accept the settlement offered to the victims’ families by the Victims Compensation Act passed by Congress shortly after the attack. Instead, his widow’s lawyers convinced her she could make more money by suing the state and Huron Security.”
    “How much did she pass up under the settlement?” Finn knew some of the Tannery case details but not all.
    “Based on all the variables, she would have gotten more than two million if she’d settled.”
    Finn whistled. “That’s a lot of cash. Why did she turn it down?”
    “Who knows? She’s still saying she wants an in-depth investigation into homeland security or some hogwash like that, but believe me, this is all about the money. Fred Barnolk represents her.” Barnolk was a notorious plaintiffs’ attorney whose courtroom skills weren’t nearly as well developed as his media skills.
    “Doesn’t she know she has no case? Even if security was too light, she still has to prove an attack could have been prevented if other reasonable measures had been taken.”
    “I know, but Barnolk hopes to try this case in the press.” Holland sighed heavily. “Every security expert in the world agrees it’s virtually impossible to stop a well-trained terrorist who’s willing to sacrifice himself in a massive attack. I know that. You know that. Her lawyers should know that. Legally speaking, she has no case. But she’s not giving up, and it would take a judge with balls of steel to dismiss this thing before it goes to a jury. Can you imagine being the judge who denied a widow of the Anniversary Bombing her day in court?”
    “Who’s the judge?”
    “The Honorable F. Clayton Taylor IV.”
    Finn shook his head in disgust. “Balls of clay, right?”
    “Worse, he’s a crusader. He was a high-profile plaintiffs’ attorney in his former life before his political friends got him appointed to the bench. He thinks the first responsibility of a judge is to protect the little guy, regardless of what the law says.”
    “Great.”
    “Yeah, we’ve got a little bit of an uphill battle on this one, although we should prevail in the end. But that’s why I have to ask a favor from you.” Holland paused again. “I really wanted to talk about this in the morning. I feel pretty ghoulish bringing it up right after Natalie … well, you know.”
    “Hey, don’t worry about it. I pressed.”
    “Yeah, I know, but still.” He sighed again. “Anyway, we have depositions all next week, and I need someone who can get up to speed by then. I think that you’re that someone.”
    Finn took a deep breath and considered his options. The Tannery case was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and couldn’t be passed up easily. It felt strange, though, that he should benefit so directly from Natalie’s death. Still, someone had to take over the case,