Indefensible by Pamela Callow

labyrinthine interior, scanning the crowd for Joanne’s blond head. She was immediately absorbed into the throng.
    â€œKate, over here!” Joanne waved from the far corner, holding court at a large table. Kate slipped through the crowd and lowered herself into the only empty chair.
    Her colleagues were well into a night of liquor and merriment. She looked around, hoping to catch a waitress’ eye. She longed for a drink. Especially after seeing her boss.
    â€œKate, you know Paul Roberts from Fougere Thomas,” Joanne said. “And of course you know Curtis Carey. You two are on the same case, right?”
    Same case, opposite sides. And Kate had the sinkingfeeling she was on the wrong side. Kate had been assigned to work with Nina Woods, McGrath Barrett’s newest rainmaker, on a defense for Great Life Insurance Company. Great Life was one of the clients Nina had brought with great acclaim to McGrath Barrett two months ago.
    The matter was straightforward: plaintiff Mike Naugler was suing Great Life for injuries sustained from an accident. Kate was sure Nina Woods could handle this file with her eyes closed. But Nina wanted McGrath Barrett’s celebrity associate on Team Woods.
    Kate supposed she should be flattered. Nina Woods was a star by anyone’s definition, the type of lawyer who sprinkled major billable hours in her path to the lucky hungry associates she brought along with her.
    Kate forced a smile at the man who’d irritated the hell out of her this afternoon. “We saw each other today, in fact.”
    Curtis grinned. It surprised Kate. She was expecting an arrogant, kind of smirky grin, but it was genuine if not liquored up. “Poor old Nina. Never thought the ice queen could turn so green.” His grin grew larger. “Nice rhyme, eh?”
    Kate couldn’t help but grin in return. Nina reminded Kate of the white queen on a chessboard, with her bright silver hair and her commanding face. Seeing Nina Woods be human had been disconcertingly refreshing.
    When Nina had arrived that morning for the discovery hearing—where one side questioned the other about their evidence and testimony—Kate had just been absorbing the fact that she recognized the plaintiff. Mike Naugler was a patient at the same physio clinic she’dattended to rehabilitate her arm and leg after the Body Butcher’s attack. On more than one occasion, Kate had been in the bed next to his, separated only by a curtain. She’d heard all about his accident, his pain, his attempts to rehabilitate. Mike Naugler’s injuries affected his ability to function, his ability to work, his interactions with his children.
    Nina grilled the man relentlessly. Sweat had steeped dark patches into the cotton/polyester blend of Mike Naugler’s Mark’s Work Wearhouse shirt.
    When they’d returned to the boardroom in the afternoon, a faint odor of perspiration mixed with desperation, anger and garlic from his lawyer’s donair lunch permeated the room. Kate had taken copious notes, in contrast to Mike Naugler’s counsel. Curtis Carey had retrieved the newspaper from inside his briefcase and perused it with an air of cocky indifference while Nina battered his client. Kate was sure that Curtis had prepared his client for this strategy but it had taken its toll on Mike Naugler.
    At 2:48 p.m., Nina had paused. Taken a sip of water. Swallowed. Taken another sip of water. A light sheen of sweat had gleamed on her forehead. She had bent her head to Kate’s and whispered, “I think I’m going to vomit.” Her face had paled dramatically in the past five minutes.
    Nina had waved at the discovery reporter to stop the recording. She pressed her hand against her stomach. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to continue,” she had said to Curtis Carey. “I must have eaten something that was off.”
    She turned to her client. “There are only a fewquestions remaining.