Meet and Greet

Chapter 2

Boston's business hub was bustling the morning Connie entered the city. There were thousands of people on their way to work, sharply dressed yuppies hurrying to their offices, cappuccinos and café lattes in hand.

As Connie stepped out of her taxi, there seemed to be a certain unstated orderliness to Boston, unlike the usual chaos accompanying New York City's pedestrian's rush hour.

Connie had found out that her ex, Doug Merrick, had already retained an attorney and she had a scheduled meeting with Doug and his attorney, James Middleton, in his office.

Middleton's office was located in one of the district's skyscrapers, tall for Boston but not for New York standards. The elevator ascended quickly to the fifteenth floor.

As was the procedure in most offices, Connie was greeted by a receptionist who accompanied her down a long hallway to the last door on the right.

When she entered the room, James Middleton was perched on the edge of his desk. He was a distinguished-looking white-haired man with wire-rimmed glasses who looked as though he should be a stockbroker, not an attorney.

And across from him, Connie could make out the back of Douglas Merrick. Upon hearing her entrance, he turned and stood, his face suddenly lighting up at her presence.

Gathering her confidence, she walked over and stood face to face with Doug, a man she had once thought would be her future. With his blonde good looks, he hadn't changed much, although there were a few more laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. He reached out and took hold of her hands, his smile appearing unsure.

"Connie," Doug said her name almost in awe, "It's wonderful you're here. You look absolutely amazing."

Her heart gave one swift thump at his welcoming gaze. It felt strange to feel his touch again, although his hands seemed to be trembling in hers.

"Doug," her smile seemed a little stiff as she purposely let go of his grasp.

Connie didn't know what to expect upon her first sight of him again after all these years, but she certainly didn't expect to feel…neutral. It was almost the same kind of reaction she would have upon seeing a very dear schoolmate. When they initially touched hands, there was no lost stirrings, no excitement. She wondered now if she had ever had strong feelings for him.

As she peered again into his face, she recalled the many times she had gazed into his green eyes. Funny how they no longer held her interest. It was as if they lacked a certain sparkle, a sense of mischievousness. They also didn't make her blood quicken with restless heat like when she was gazing into the blueness of his eyes.

Where did that thought come from? Connie thought, stunned that her mind had gravitated once again to fleeting thoughts of Mike.

Nearby, James Middleton, the attorney, gave Connie a commanding stare, "Miss…Rubirosa, is it? My name is James Middleton. The Merrick Estate has me on retainer as their lawyer, but evidently, Douglas has his own mind, for he wishes you to be his counsel."

Middleton's tone was slightly condescending, as if he felt Doug were an unreasonable tot and she were a first year law student.

Douglas lifted his chin defiantly to Middleton, "I do not need my family to decide my fate for me, James...I have a right to choose whomever I want to defend me!"

Connie looked back at Doug. For the three years she had been with him, she never remembered him being defiant when it came to family matters. Perhaps people do change for the better.

Middleton stared at Merrick, "I couldn't have been that bad, Douglas...after all I got you out on bail, didn't I?"

Doug let out a sound almost like a grunt.

"For two million dollars, a serial killer would have been set free on bail!" he claimed.

Middleton visibly rolled his eyes as Douglas Merrick now turned pleadingly back to Connie.

"Connie! You must know that I would never do anything so horrendous as…as murder!…You've got to help me! Please tell me you will take the case!"

Connie's head was spinning. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly.

"I-I…"

She was at a loss for words as she looked from Middleton to Merrick.

James Middleton cleared his throat, "Well, Douglas, with Miss Rubirosa's ability to articulate so impressively, I can see why you have chosen her as your attorney."

"Oh, do be quiet, James," said Doug, annoyed.

"Doug," Connie tried to diffuse the situation, "I'm sure Mr. Middleton is a fine lawyer, and if he already knows your case…"

But even Middleton was waving aside the idea, "Think nothing of it. After seeing you in person, Miss Rubirosa, I could see why he prefers you."

The inference was pretty clear that Middleton did not think much of Connie's prosecutory abilities and was judging her solely on her physical attributes.

"I assure you, Mr. Middleton," Connie's eyes flashed, "That if I do take this case, I am more than capable of defending Doug!"

"Fine, fine…" Middleton seemed to brush her comment aside, "I just ask that the two of you allow me to work in an advisory capacity so that I may earn my keep."

Doug turned back to Connie, "Connie, please, if ever I needed you…"

Connie read the desperation in Doug's voice. It seemed as if he had always needed her. That was one of the reasons she had broken up with him. She should refuse him, walk away, but …to reject him with a murder charge hovering over him seemed heartless.

"Before I proceed further, Doug, I really need to hear more about the case…"

Douglas gave a loud sigh of relief as a smile out on his face.

"Thank you, Connie! Thank you!"

He then turned to Middleton, "…so if you will excuse us, James, I need to talk legal matters with my new counsel."

Middleton merely shrugged his shoulder.

"Suit yourself, Douglas…I have other legal matters to attend to anyway," Middleton got up," I'll allow the use of my office so that you two can get better acquainted…with the case, that is."

His words seemed to indicate something more.

And with a nod, he was gone.

"Please! Please sit down, Connie, " Douglas stated enthusiastically as he once again took a seat and they were alone. Never once did he take his eyes off of her.

"Doug," Connie needed to make it very clear to him, "You stated something about being arrested for murder? You do understand that I am not a defense lawyer?"

"Neither is that pompous clown Middleton," responded Doug, "he's one of my family's many business lawyers. He can write a contract, but defending someone in a trial is a whole different matter."

"Who exactly were you accused of killing, Doug?" Connie asked.

Doug took a deep breath.

"My brother! Can you believe it?" Douglas sounded stressed, as Connie showed surprise at the mention of his older brother's name.

"Tom was murdered?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to hear that…my condolences," Connie stated softly.

"Yeah," Doug responded bitterly, "I will miss him a lot. Plus he was the one who ran Merrick Enterprises."

"Does that mean the business is yours now?"

Doug shook his head, "No, not at all. You know me-I was never interested in the clam chowder business, so with Dad and now Tom dead, it falls into the hands of my uncles. I'm not worry about the company, though. It will survive this."

Connie nodded and then tried to tread as gently as possible, "I'm sorry to have to ask you this now, but if I am to be your attorney, I need to ask you a few questions."

Doug nodded, "You've always been the strong one, Connie. I could always count on you. If you need some answers, ask away."

Connie couldn't believe all this was happening. A decade or so ago, she had thought he was the perfect match for her. What attraction had he held for her? Why had she thought he would have made a great husband? she wondered. She remembered loving the fact that he was loyal, smart and uncomplicated, but now she could see that those are qualities more suited for a pet dog.

"Alright, Doug," stated Connie, "just to get the preliminaries out of the way, how was Tom murdered?"

"…He was stabbed in the chest. My god, Connie! You know I could never do that!" Doug was shaking his head back and forth, "I just couldn't!"

Connie nodded understandably.

"And what, " she asked, "did the prosecution state was the motive for you to murder your brother? Do they even have one?"

"Oh yes," Doug nodded emphatically, "They say I killed him because Tom, as the head trustee, threatened to cut me out of the family trust."

"But why would your brother do that?" Connie asked, "Did you two have a falling out?"

Douglas shook his head, "No, not really…"

Connie could tell Doug was not telling everything.

"Not really? What is that suppose to mean?"

He looked down at his hands, choosing his words carefully.

"It's means," Douglas began, "that Tom had threatened to cut me out of the trust based upon a clause in the turst which stated he could do that if I were ever arrested for a crime. So I was very careful not to get on the wrong side of law, no DUI's, not anything!"

"Clauses with conditions are not unusual for trust funds, Doug, but, just so I am clear, " Connie restated, "You were to be cut from the will if you were arrested? Did you do something to nullify your share of the trust?"

Doug's face showed embarrassment, "Yes," he stated quietly, obviously not wanting to continue.

"So you had gotten yourself in trouble with the law," Connie stated it as a fact, "What were you arrested for, Doug?"

"It had happened a year ago," Douglas lifted his eyes evenly to her, "I was accused of…" he paused and took a deep breath, "of rape...but I was innocent of that, too!"

Of rape. The room became silent as Connie worked to recover from another shock.

"Doug," Connie looked flabbergasted, "this is so overwhelming. I had no idea all of this had been happening to you."

"You see why I need you?" Doug insisted, "Please, Connie, I have so much to tell you! I want the opportunity to explain myself!"

"Alright, " Connie agreed, as she looked at her watch, "But it's getting rather late."

Doug relaxed, "How about dinner? I know a perfect place to go with lots of privacy so that we can talk! It's a very chic, exclusive restaurant in Cambridge…it's called Salts."

Connie smiled for the first time that day, "Sounds perfect!"

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A high- end bistro, the Salts Restaurant in Cambridge was known as the one of Boston's best. Mike liked the ambiance of the place. It reminded him of the upscale restaurant, The Odeon, in New York City.

The Odeon.

His eyes smiled with amusement when he recalled the last time he was there, for he had been there with Connie. Well, if he were to be honest with himself, not with her per se, for they were there with a definite purpose.

From a table hidden from view, he and Connie watch as Judge Reynolds and his law clerk Carly were dining together. Not that much interaction was going on for the judge seemed to be staring straight ahead while Carly was immersed in some legal papers.

"I wished I hadn't skipped the law school course on spying on judges," Connie had stated casually, looking eternally endearing as she clumsily sipped her drink from a straw, looking forever like a mischievous school girl.

Mike's goal was to get Judge Reynolds alone, but all he could think of was how much he was enjoying playing "spy" with Connie.

As Carly got up to leave the table, Mike knew he needed to set his plan to work, although what he wished instead was that he and Connie were sharing an intimate meal together.

So he turned to Connie and quipped, "Lock her in a stall if you have to."

The air had gone out of his lungs when he saw the bright smile she gave back to him before she disappeared into the ladies' room.

To Mike, it felt as if the sunshine had been taken from the room after she had left.

The sound of glasses clinking and low conversations brought Mike back to the present of being at a Bostonian restaurant.

He was having dinner with Josh to discuss the Merrick case. They had already ordered their dinners, along with some drinks.

Josh looked ecstatic that Mike was seated across from him.

"You've made it here in Boston just in time, buddy boy," Josh was saying as a bowls of lobster bisque were placed in front of them, "Jury selection starts tomorrow."

"Oh?" asked Mike as he tasted his soup, "And why is it important that I am there during this phase of the proceedings?"

"I've always admired your gut instincts," Josh explained as he sipped his soup, "So while I question the potential jurors, I want you to watch closely and take in even the smallest of details. You know how it goes. Watch their facial expressions; whether they wince at something I ask them, or smile or frown."

"I've done this before, Josh," Mike stated, "You will notice what they say while I will notice how they say it..."

"Pre-cise-ly!" Josh was excited, "Together, we will have a compilation of what they're about: their general background, prejudices, beliefs, loves and hates. That's what I mean by a partnership!"

"And here I thought we were going to go for the 'eenie- meenie- miney- moe' method of selecting jurors,'" Mike drolly said.

"Haha! That's funny! Maybe you could supply us with the humor in the courtroom," suggested Josh.

"I don't think humor will be much appreciated in a murder trial, Josh," Mike pointed out.

They talked about how Josh was building a case against Merrick. Douglas Merrick would be presented as a vengeful brother who had a strong motive for killing Tom Merrick in order to remain on the trust. Although his girlfriend will testify that he had been with her at the time of the murder, Josh felt he could easily invalidate that alibi. Having a girlfriend or a spouse as an alibi was almost like having no one as a witness. Plus hair and fibers belonging to Douglas Merrick was found at the crime scene.

"Open and shut case," Josh claimed, as the waitress brought over their dinner plates.

"By the way," Mike asked, as he took a bite of his Bergamot cured ocean trout, "Any idea who the defense attorney will be on the case?"

Josh shifted uncomfortably before masking his awkwardness with bafflement.

"Beats me," he declared, cutting into his rib-eye steak, "although there are some rumors swirling about. Supposedly Merrick is bringing in some high fallutin' lawyer to head his defense team."

"As always," Mike stated, "the rich will get the best that money can buy."

"Not that it matters this time," Josh assured him, "Our case is rock solid. Whoever takes over for the defense, I'm sure we can handle that person, no problemo!"

Mike nodded confidently, too.

"From everything you've shown me of the case," noted Mike, "the opposing counsel should be a cinch to defeat."

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