Chapter Four: "Loss of Pride, Gain of Innocence"
"How is she?"
Ami met me as soon as I walked through the office door. She must've recognized my footsteps out in the hallway. I hung up my overcoat and hat before answering her, however.
"She's all right," I informed her, glad to see some of the concern leave her face. Ami expressed all of her emotions with her beautiful dark eyes. I had already spoken with her about disguising her reactions before she began practicing law and some slimy attorney took advantage of it. Or maybe I was the only one who noticed.
She found even more comfort in an embrace. I did as well and placed a tender kiss on the top of her head, inhaling deeply as I did so. She always smelled like lavender and told me once it was her shampoo. Whatever it was, the pleasant odor always seemed to have a calming effect on me. I released her hesitantly but held her but an arm's length away.
"It was the ex-boyfriend's mother who filed the complaint with the police. I'm not sure why she decided to do it two years after her son's death, but I have a suspicion someone else put her up to it. Would you happen to know a man by the name of Nathan Gunter?"
"Gunter? Why would I…" Ami paused to think and then her brows shot up. "Wait. I think I do!"
She retrieved her purse from her bottom desk drawer and rummaged through it before pulling out a rolled up and dog-eared pamphlet of some type.
"What do you have there?" I asked before stepping closer.
"Course catalog listing next semester's available classes. I believe I saw that name somewhere in here."
Ami ran her finger down a few pages before a smile brightened her face. "There!"
I stepped behind her desk to read what she was pointing at. "Criminal Law 201, room 17, Brighton Hall, Instructor: Mr. Nathan Gunter, Attorney."
My head rolled back as I laughed cynically toward the ceiling. Why did the universe do things like this to me?
"You've got to be kidding! That guy is a lawyer?"
"I don't get it. What do you mean?"
I quickly brought Ami up to date concerning the meeting I'd had with Emily and the sudden arrival of Mr. Gunter. I didn't mince words and told her exactly what I thought of the man.
"I hope that class is offered at another time and with another professor. It's part of my program. I have to take it."
I was annoyed but pleased that my initial intuition had been correct. More than likely, Gunter was the reason Emily went to the police. I could tell he was a sleazebag who took advantage of people just to line his own pockets. There was no telling what he'd said to Mrs. Skye to convince her to take action against Iris. My first impression of her had been that she was a hard worker who had led an equally hard life. I was going to make a point to find out exactly what type of life it was that made it so difficult. Perhaps Gunter had promised her a settlement and she was after money. That would make more sense.
"I'd advise you against taking any class taught by that man. He has the word slimeball written all over him. Criminal law, though, surprises me. I'd expect he would be teaching tax law or property law. This case seems to be beyond his abilities. Or I could be wrong." I appreciated the fact she hadn't agreed with that statement.
"I wonder if Mr. Doyle knows him."
That was a good thought, although I was hesitant in contacting Attorney Doyle. When I called him a few months ago to refuse the job he'd offered me, he was courteous and kind about it, but I'd feel awkward calling him back just to ask for help.
"Perhaps you could call him and find out?" I sheepishly asked Ami instead.
She understood the reason behind my request. I could tell by the way she was grinning at me.
"Sure. I can do that."
I listened to one end of the phone conversation, unable to make out Doyle's words on the other. Apparently, he had a lot to say about Mr. Gunter, and by the disgusted look on Ami's face, none of it was good.
"Thank you, Mr. Doyle. Of course, I will. Goodbye."
Ami hung up the phone and turned toward me. "He said to tell you hello and good luck with your new case."
That was kind of him. "What did he say about Gunter?"
"You were so right! Doyle says Gunter is as underhanded as they come. He called him an unscrupulous quack. Basically, a pettifogger."
Had I heard her correctly? "A what?"
"Oh, sorry. It's something I learned at school. A pettifogger lawyer is someone who deals with petty cases or employs dubious practices."
That sounded about right. "Although I wouldn't call homicide a petty case. I have a feeling Gunter is out of his league on this one. It's a wonder Emily didn't see right through him. She seems to be a fairly intelligent woman."
"That's so sad. I would never take advantage of someone like that. I want to be an attorney that helps people, not one that takes advantage of them when they're having a difficult time."
I already knew that, but it didn't stop her words from warming my heart. I again stepped into her welcoming arms, although this time I planned on taking her breath away. I practically devoured her lips with a kiss she couldn't have expected. When I finally released her, her eyes were wide with surprise.
"Where did that come from?"
As if she had to ask.
"I love you and I wanted to show you how much." I grinned at her before noticing her face. "You'll have to retouch your lipstick. Sorry. I sort of made a mess of it."
"You need to clean up a little yourself."
I wiped my fingers across my cheek and discovered a lovely shade of pink residue on them.
"I don't know. I think this is a good shade for me."
My playful attitude had erased most of the worry from her face.
"If you need to borrow some more, just let me know."
While Ami touched up her makeup, I used my handkerchief to remove what she had shared with me before walking into my office. I hesitated slightly before sitting down in that big worn-out desk chair. Even the armrests on the thing had faded beneath years of Quinn's touch. It was comfortable, however, and I could easily relax in it were it not for one thing: Iris.
While I was here delighting in Ami's kiss and the comfort of this chair, one of my best and oldest friends was sitting in a jail cell, falsely accused of murder. I needed to get to work.
I pulled out my notepad and looked over what I'd already scribbled down. One thing kept coming back to haunt me, and that was my assumption that Nathan Gunter was in over his head. What if I was mistaken about that? What if his gaudy appearance was his way of throwing everyone off? Was I willing to risk Iris's freedom and life based on my assumptions alone? Sure, the city would provide an attorney for her defense and she was a pretty good one, but this was Iris. She needed more than just 'pretty good.'
The black phone on my desk shamed me and I stared at the thing long and hard before I swallowed my pride and picked up the receiver.
Iris meant that much to me. She deserved the best, no matter what the cost.
With the handset in my grip and my fingers hovering over the dial, only then did I realize there was a slight problem.
"Ami? Do you have Attorney Doyle's number handy?"
Author's Note: I wasn't sure at first, but now I am. This story will include a "human" Yoda once again playing the part of Attorney Eli Doyle.
