Engaged In Danger

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"Now I know why you didn't give us your name when you made the appointment," I said giving Nan G. an appraising look. Turned out she wasn't crazy.

"Nobody will take my case," she said. "I can't even get in the door. You're the twenty-seventh lawyer I called. No offense."

That made me laugh. "None taken. Frankly, I don't understand why you called me at all. You need a high-powered law firm to represent you. Have you looked in Palm Beach and Miami?"

She hung her head. "Everyone gives me the same answer: Sorry we can't help you, but we have a conflict of interest." She clasped her hands together like a supplicant and looked up. "What about you, Jamie? Do you have a conflict of interest?"

I sipped my coffee, thinking about how to answer her question. "No, I don't, and I really wish I could help you, but I'm a one-person operation. I just don't have the resources to handle a case like yours."

Nan sensed an opening and she went for it. "That's okay, I have the resources. Like I said, money is not an issue. If you need to hire staff to help you, I'll pay for it. If you need to hire experts, I can afford it. I like you and I trust you, Jamie. Please take my case, you're my last hope."

I shook my head, I felt bad for her. "I couldn't do a good job for you, Nan. You need an aggressive lawyer, someone who is the opposite of me."

I was used to seeing distraught women sitting in my office, but I'd never seen one look quite so defeated. Then it occurred to me--I always say that being a good lawyer means knowing who to call, but it's true. And I knew who to call this time, my friend Grace, a corporate lawyer at a fancy law firm on Las Olas Boulevard. Although her group didn't handle domestic cases, Grace had tons of connections and her connections had connections. Incredibly smart, Grace always knew what to do, at least when it came to work. Her personal life was another matter. I didn't even have to call her as we were planning to meet for lunch.

"I can't make any promises," I began, "But I have a friend, another attorney, who might be able to steer you in the right direction. If you give me permission, I could discuss your situation with her."

Clearly, this was more than Nan had dared to hope for. Like a prisoner granted a reprieve, she squeaked out a thank-you and darted over to my side of the desk to give me a hug before returning to her seat.

Holding back a smile, I said, "Okay now, I'm going to need more information, like why did you say someone's trying to kill your husband? Why doesn't he want a divorce and what's all this about 'Russian assassins'?"

To tell you the truth, I was just dying to know, but it could've turned out to be useful information.

"I'm not a professional, although I did study psychology before I met Marvin, but if I had to guess, I'd say he is paranoid. He begs me not to divorce him. He's convinced that if his financial dealings come to light, he'll be killed by Russian assassins using radioactive Polonium-210--just like that Russian spy in London a few years back, do you remember? Marvin loves intrigue; he thinks he's living in a spy novel. When I said I was going ahead with the divorce, he told me I'd regret it."

"Wow!" I said. "I guess that explains the bodyguards."

Nan nodded and glanced at her watch. "I don't want to keep you any longer. What do I owe you?' She whipped out her checkbook.

She was already filling it out when I said, "Nothing, I give a free consultation."

"Nonsense," She replied and pressed the folded check into my hand.

She stood up. "I can't thank you enough, you've been so wonderful."

I walked her to the door. "Please don't get your hopes up, Nan. I'll see what I can find out and I'll let you know."

"That's more than anyone else has done for me."

As I went to shake her hand, she hugged me again. She smelled like Chanel No. 5. She was almost out the door when I unfolded the check.

"Whoa, this is too much," I said. "This is double my hourly rate."

"Then you're clearly not charging enough. Don't sell yourself short, Jamie." Nan gave me a wink and she was gone.

I looked at the check again. I knew one thing for sure--lunch would be on me.