his uncle. Meth.”
“Meth?”
“Crystal methamphetamine. After coal, it’s probably the biggest cash crop in these parts.”
“Can I ask you something that might seem a bit personal?”
“Sure. I’m your lawyer, you can ask me anything.”
“Why do you have that gun in the console?” She nodded at the console just below her left elbow. In plain view was a rather large black pistol.
“It’s legal. I make a lot of enemies.”
“What kind of enemies?”
“I sue coal companies.”
She assumed an explanation would take some time, so she took a deep breath and watched the road. After recounting Romey’s adventures, Donovan seemed content to enjoy the silence. She realized he had not asked what she was doing in Noland County, the obvious question. At Thack’s Bridge, he turned around in the middle of the road and parked behind the Prius.
She said, “So, do I owe you a fee?”
“Sure. A cup of coffee.”
“Coffee, around here?”
“No, there’s a nice café back in town. Mattie’s in court and will likely be tied up until five, so you have some time to kill.”
She wanted to say something but words failed her. He continued, “Mattie’s my aunt. She’s the reason I went to law school and she helped me through. I worked with her clinic while I was a student, then for three years after I passed the bar. Now I’m on my own.”
“And Mattie told you I would show up for an interview?” For the first time she noticed a wedding ring on his finger.
“A coincidence. I often stop by her office early in the morning for coffee and gossip. She mentioned all these e-mails from New York lawyers suddenly looking for do-gooder work, said one might show up today for an interview. It’s kind of amusing, really, for lawyers like us down here to see big-firm lawyers running for the hills, our hills. Then I happened to be at the jail seeing a clientwhen your pal Romey showed up with a new trophy. And here we are.”
“I wasn’t planning to return to Brady. In fact, I was planning to turn that little red car around and get the hell out of here.”
“Well, slow down when you go through Dunne Spring.”
“Don’t worry.”
A pause as they stared at the Prius, then he said, “Okay, I’ll buy the coffee. I think you’ll enjoy meeting Mattie. I wouldn’t blame you for leaving, but first impressions are often wrong. Brady is a nice town, and Mattie has a lot of clients who could use your help.”
“I didn’t bring my gun.”
He smiled and said, “Mattie doesn’t carry one either.”
“Then what kind of lawyer is she?”
“She’s a great lawyer who’s totally committed to her clients, none of whom can pay her. Give it a shot. At least talk to her.”
“My specialty is financing skyscrapers in Manhattan. I’m not sure I’m cut out for whatever work Mattie does.”
“You’ll catch on quick, and you’ll love it because you’ll be helping people who need you, people with real problems.”
Samantha took a deep breath. Her instincts said, Run! To where, exactly? But her sense of adventure convinced her to at least see the town again. If her lawyer carried a gun, wasn’t that some measure of protection?
“I’m buying,” she said. “Consider it your fee.”
“Okay, follow me.”
“Should I worry about Romey?”
“No, I had a chat with him. As did his cousin. Just stay on my bumper.”
A quick tour of Main Street revealed six blocks of turn-of-the-century buildings, a fourth of them empty with fading “For Sale” signs taped to the windows. Donovan’s law office was a two-story with large windows and his name painted in small letters. Upstairs, a balcony hung over the sidewalk. Across the street anddown three blocks was the old hardware store, now the home of the Mountain Legal Aid Clinic. At the far west end was a small, handsome courthouse, home to most of the folks who ran Noland County.
They stepped into the Brady Grill and took a booth near the back. As they walked by a
“Meth?”
“Crystal methamphetamine. After coal, it’s probably the biggest cash crop in these parts.”
“Can I ask you something that might seem a bit personal?”
“Sure. I’m your lawyer, you can ask me anything.”
“Why do you have that gun in the console?” She nodded at the console just below her left elbow. In plain view was a rather large black pistol.
“It’s legal. I make a lot of enemies.”
“What kind of enemies?”
“I sue coal companies.”
She assumed an explanation would take some time, so she took a deep breath and watched the road. After recounting Romey’s adventures, Donovan seemed content to enjoy the silence. She realized he had not asked what she was doing in Noland County, the obvious question. At Thack’s Bridge, he turned around in the middle of the road and parked behind the Prius.
She said, “So, do I owe you a fee?”
“Sure. A cup of coffee.”
“Coffee, around here?”
“No, there’s a nice café back in town. Mattie’s in court and will likely be tied up until five, so you have some time to kill.”
She wanted to say something but words failed her. He continued, “Mattie’s my aunt. She’s the reason I went to law school and she helped me through. I worked with her clinic while I was a student, then for three years after I passed the bar. Now I’m on my own.”
“And Mattie told you I would show up for an interview?” For the first time she noticed a wedding ring on his finger.
“A coincidence. I often stop by her office early in the morning for coffee and gossip. She mentioned all these e-mails from New York lawyers suddenly looking for do-gooder work, said one might show up today for an interview. It’s kind of amusing, really, for lawyers like us down here to see big-firm lawyers running for the hills, our hills. Then I happened to be at the jail seeing a clientwhen your pal Romey showed up with a new trophy. And here we are.”
“I wasn’t planning to return to Brady. In fact, I was planning to turn that little red car around and get the hell out of here.”
“Well, slow down when you go through Dunne Spring.”
“Don’t worry.”
A pause as they stared at the Prius, then he said, “Okay, I’ll buy the coffee. I think you’ll enjoy meeting Mattie. I wouldn’t blame you for leaving, but first impressions are often wrong. Brady is a nice town, and Mattie has a lot of clients who could use your help.”
“I didn’t bring my gun.”
He smiled and said, “Mattie doesn’t carry one either.”
“Then what kind of lawyer is she?”
“She’s a great lawyer who’s totally committed to her clients, none of whom can pay her. Give it a shot. At least talk to her.”
“My specialty is financing skyscrapers in Manhattan. I’m not sure I’m cut out for whatever work Mattie does.”
“You’ll catch on quick, and you’ll love it because you’ll be helping people who need you, people with real problems.”
Samantha took a deep breath. Her instincts said, Run! To where, exactly? But her sense of adventure convinced her to at least see the town again. If her lawyer carried a gun, wasn’t that some measure of protection?
“I’m buying,” she said. “Consider it your fee.”
“Okay, follow me.”
“Should I worry about Romey?”
“No, I had a chat with him. As did his cousin. Just stay on my bumper.”
A quick tour of Main Street revealed six blocks of turn-of-the-century buildings, a fourth of them empty with fading “For Sale” signs taped to the windows. Donovan’s law office was a two-story with large windows and his name painted in small letters. Upstairs, a balcony hung over the sidewalk. Across the street anddown three blocks was the old hardware store, now the home of the Mountain Legal Aid Clinic. At the far west end was a small, handsome courthouse, home to most of the folks who ran Noland County.
They stepped into the Brady Grill and took a booth near the back. As they walked by a
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