Chapter 2: Attorney for Hire
Hugh Hughes sat behind the large mahogany expanse of his desk staring down at the pages of the case briefs his interns had put together for him. As he rummaged through the stacks of federal and state rulings, forensic reports, and signed affidavits, he had to admit the kids had done a thorough job this time. Kids. God how long had it been since he had been one of them? What, five, seven years out now? Just an all too eager too please law student back then, desperate to be out of the classroom and into the courtroom, still clinging to ideals of right and wrong; man, did it felt like ages ago. Days and nights filled with mind-numbing hours of flipping through stacks of case rulings from all different jurisdictions, compiling potentially useful rulings and arguments into briefs for one self-righteous senior partner or another, who was always all too willing to pick apart the work but would happily embrace the inevitable praise and credit that went hand in hand with a conviction. Of course if it was an acquittal the tirade would begin…
Hugh shook his head, bringing him back to the present, and he focused his attention on the papers before him once again. That's why he stayed late so often. He refused to subject his interns to the same abuse so he continued to do his own research as well as checking and re-checking every last brief one of the law students would slip across his desk. He may have been making the big bucks now but he still felt more at home at night among the dusty pages of legal briefs than behind the microphone of the all too eager Llanview media that he seemed to have to deal with more and more each day.
Yawning, he loosened the knot on his tie so it hung crookedly at the base of his neck and rolled up the sleeves of his crisply pressed white dress shirt. He shot a wistful look at the Mr. Coffee instant brewer that sat on a card table in the far corner of his office. If only he had remembered to get filters earlier in the day, he could be enjoying a nice warm cup of coffee, black, at this very moment. The thought made him yawn again. Yep, definitely going to be a long night.
The watch on his wrist told him it was well after midnight, and with a heavy sigh he removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. Maybe he could take a short nap on the couch that lined the far wall of his office? Just a short little cat nap couldn't hurt. Beside it wouldn't be much use for him to go through all of the files unless his brain was focused enough to pay attention to what he was doing.
Slowly he pushed himself up from his desk and made his way over to the couch. Dropping down heavily onto the soft plush leather, he reached over and removed the small clock alarm he kept on a shelf by the couch for just such an occasion. It was nearly 1 a.m. so he set the alarm for 2:30 a.m.; an hour and half of sleep should be enough to give him the second wind he was looking for, and with another yawn he slipped off his glasses and placed them beside the alarm clock. Reaching up he flicked the light switch off and felt his body welcome the deep cold darkness that he was suddenly plunged into.
But just as Hugh settled down into the soft embrace of the couch, there came a sudden yet soft knock on the door. For a moment he remained motionless in the darkness, staring up at the blackness above him not completely sure he had really heard a knock. But sure enough, it came again, this time a bit louder. But who would be coming by at this hour?
With a slight groan, Hugh pushed himself up into a sitting position and flipped on the lights. Squinting in the suddenly blinding brightness he fumbled for his glasses, as a third knock resonated through the room.
"Just a minute," he called out, a slightly irritated edge evident in his voice. Slowly his eyes re-adjusted to the light and stumbling slightly he made his way over to the door. Though who would be knocking on his door at this time of day was beyond him.
Maybe there was some new information in the Barber case…or maybe the Hesser investigation? But that didn't make much sense. If it was Nora or the police commissioner or any of the other numerous people who frequented his office they wouldn't expect to find him here at this time of night. So then who…
The mop of fiery red hair that stood in his doorway answered the question for him.
"You must be Hugh Hughes," she smiled, extending her hand. "I'm Natalie…"
"…Vega," Hugh finished for here, surprise evident on his face as he took her hand. She had a good grip for a woman, confident and determined yet still delicate and feminine. Hugh found himself liking her immediately despite the fact she had interrupted his nap.
"So you know who I am then?" she pressed somewhat shyly. "Guess pretty much everyone around her must know me then."
"It's just your picture, your face, it's been everywhere lately…" Hugh began.
"Yeah, getting kidnapped and dropped in a hole by a psychopath will do that to a person." Natalie shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Um, are you going to invite me in or should we pull up chairs out here in the hallway?"
"Oh, how rude of me! Sorry. Please come in," Hugh replied stepping aside to allow Natalie to slip by him. "I'm sorry it's just you surprised me. I mean it's so late after all."
"Yeah, I know," Natalie sighed taking the empty chair facing Hugh's desk as he slipped back into his own chair. "I just needed to talk with someone right away, and well I saw the light on under your door…at least I thought I saw a light."
"Oh, I was just thinking of taking a short nap, that's all. It wasn't that important anyway," he smiled seeing a look of guilt slip across Natalie's face. He patted the pile of folders and papers on his desk. "I really should have been working anyway."
"As long as this is alright…me being here right now?" Natalie stammered slightly, suddenly very self-conscious.
"Not a problem. But if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you get into the building anyway?" Hugh stared at the woman before him, a slight smile playing on his lips; his curiosity fully piqued by her sudden appearance.
"Oh, the guys that run security here are ex-cops. I've known them forever through my work down at the precinct."
"Ah, a lady with connections, I can respect that." He smiled warmly in an attempt to make up for the earlier awkwardness. "So Natalie Vega, what exactly can I do for you this evening?"
"I need you to find out some information for me," Natalie began, pulling a thick manila envelop from her bag. "And I need you to do this as discretely as possible."
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About an hour later Hugh was holding the door open for Natalie.
"I'll see what I can do for you first thing tomorrow morning, Ms. Vega."
"Natalie," she touched his forearm gently as she stepped passed him. "Ms. Vega sounds so formal and besides we both know that isn't quite accurate anymore." A shadow passed over her face as she said it, taking some of the vibrance out of her features and replacing it with a weariness that seemed so foreign to one still so young.
Hugh nodded sympathetically. "I have some connections in the State House which should help to expedite things. I'll call you tomorrow as soon as I learn more. And don't worry…"
Hugh put a steadying hand on her shoulder as he noticed the fear in her eyes. "…no one will know about this but me and you, at least not until all the papers have been signed and filed."
"Thank you," Natalie smiled up at him, and it was the first genuine one Hugh had seen her flash since she had entered his office.
"My advice, go home and try to get some sleep. There is nothing more that can be done until the other offices open for business in a few hours."
She nodded and with a parting 'thank you' was gone.
Hugh shut the door behind her and for a moment remained rooted to the floor, his hand still on the door knob. What a story! The poor woman!
"I need you to take care of this for me, Mr. Hughes. It has to be you. You're the only one with no ties or involvement to any of this. Before I do anything else I need to know where I stand, what my options are. Please. I don't know who else to talk to."
She had been so insistent and the story she had told had moved him so deeply he couldn't not say 'yes' to her request. But now that she was gone, he couldn't help but wonder how best to proceed. Either way whatever the final verdict was Natalie Vega had a long hard decision before her, and Hugh had a feeling that either way she was going to lose.