Chapter 35 I DON’T LIKE THIS ONE BIT
Chapter thirty-five
I DON’T LIKE THIS ONE BIT
Jalen lets himself into the room a few minutes later, and just like Cameron predicted, goes straight for two of the bacon cheddar egg bites. I don’t know him well enough to speak up, though, so I leave the remaining two for Cameron and grab Jalen’s spinach egg white ones for myself.
I take a tentative bite and find that, just like the coffee, they are unbelievably good.
The nausea I felt earlier disappears and is immediately replaced by a demanding growl in my stomach.
I finish the rest and wash down the last crumbs with a big gulp of my latte just in time for Cameron to return with his partner.
The man who shuffles in behind Cameron has close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and deep lines around his eyes and forehead. He’s already jovial upon entry, but his face lights up when he sees Cameron’s brother.
“Jalen, my boy!” the man exclaims, and moves across the room with a new pep in his step.
Jalen meets him halfway and extends his hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Reggie. It’s been a while.”
“It surely has. What’s it been, two years?”
“I’ve been with my new firm for three years this month,” Jalen confirms.
“And how many of Charlotte’s best athletes have you picked up from the drunk tank in that amount of time? Fifty? A hundred?”
Jalen chuckles. “Crisis management is a lot more than DUIs these days. I’m actually working with a client on a defamation case right now. Really interesting stuff.”
Reggie settles into the couch with a huff. “Well, if you ever get sick of putting out fires for the rich and famous, you can always come back and help us defend the common man. I’m sure the board would be happy to have you back.”
Cameron’s mouth turns down at Reggie’s offer, but Jalen waves it off. “I’m happy where I’m at, but thank you,” he says, and settles in next to Reggie with his legal pad and pen.
“And who is this lovely lady?” Reggie asks, noticing me for the first time as I emerge from my spot in the kitchenette.
“This is Drew Bailey,” Cameron says. “Drew, this is Reginald Smith, the longest serving managing partner at our family firm.”
“Which is really just a nice way of saying the oldest,” Reggie quips, as he pulls a pair of glasses out of the breast pocket of his suit.
I can’t help but smile at his comment and his demeanor in general. Part of me wishes that he were here to represent me, instead.
“Reggie, have you eaten breakfast yet?” Cameron asks. “I picked up that smoked Gouda breakfast sandwich you like.”
“I have, but as long as you don’t tell my wife, I’d be happy to take it off your hands.”
Cameron chuckles and hands over the sandwich and a hot coffee, then turns his back to the couch to face me. “Did you eat?” I nod, and he continues. “Good. This may take a bit longer than when you gave your statement last night, so if you need a break or get hungry again, please tell one of us.”
“Thank you,” I say, and glance at Reggie, who watches us with piqued interest.
We settle into the chairs that face the couch, and Cameron nods to Jalen to begin.
“Thanks for being here to help us, Reggie. As Cameron already told you, there was a tragic accident at Ravenwood last night, and Detective Cartwright tipped us off that they are suspecting foul play.”
I startle at that last detail and look to Cameron for clarification. He reaches over and grabs my hand to steady it. “It’s going to be okay. That’s what I was coming to tell you last night.”
I bite my tongue to keep from pointing out that he could have also told me that this morning then turn my attention back to the couch where Reggie is surveying us over the top of his glasses.
Jalen continues. “Cameron has asked me to be available for Drew in case she is called back for questioning, and he has chosen you to represent him as a second set of eyes and ears.”
Reggie tips an invisible hat. “Happy to be of service.”
“Drew, have you ever needed legal representation before?” Jalen asks.
“No.” I sit up straighter in my chair, still not convinced that I need it now.
“Are you familiar with the term attorney-client privilege?” When I nod, he continues.
“Even though you and I haven’t officially entered into a retainer agreement, this conversation is still covered by that privilege.
If you decide that you want me to represent you, then whatever you share with me will remain between us. ”
I blink. “I don’t have anything to hide.”
“I understand, but as your legal counsel, I would be looking out for your best interests, and that would mean working separately from Cameron and Reggie moving forward.”
“Helping Cameron is in my best interest,” I say as my heartbeat spikes. “I don’t want to work separately.”
Cameron squeezes my hand. “I want you to be comfortable, so maybe we can figure something out, but it really is better for you if we work separately since this might end up being a criminal case.”
After a long pause, Reggie clears his throat. “It’s clear that Drew is still a bit shook up, so while Jalen is right that we need to move forward separately, maybe we should give her more time to process everything before we ask her to make a decision.”
Jalen presses his lips together and looks down at his legal pad.
I turn to Cameron after another awkward stretch of silence. “Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?”
“Of course.” He follows me through the open adjoining door, and closes it behind us.
I cross my arms and look up at him. “I don’t like this one bit.”
“I know.” He takes a step towards me, but when I step back, he pauses.
“You should have told me this morning. I feel completely blindsided right now.”
“I know.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry.”
I drop my arms and start to pace. “I don’t understand why we can’t work together. We were together the entire time, and I am still struggling to come to terms with the fact that the police think that one of us may have murdered Delaney.”
“We weren’t together the entire time, remember?” I pause my pacing to look up at him, incredulously. “It really is in your best interest to distance yourself from me, because if the camera footage doesn’t come through—”
“No,” I say, as what he is implying sinks in.
“This is exactly why we do need to work together. If the police think that someone hurt Delaney, then we need as much information as possible to figure out who, and to make sure that they don’t try to pin it on you.
” I lift my thumb to bite my nail and frown down at the gauze that keeps me from doing it.
Cameron holds back a smile. “Thank you for looking out for me. It really means a lot. But I trust Jalen and Reggie with my life. They are way better lawyers than I ever will be, so I’m going to defer to their judgment on this one.”
I sigh and begin pacing again.
“Do you want Reggie to represent you instead? I can always ask Jalen to switch.”
While I would prefer that, I want the attorney with the most experience to be in charge of Cameron’s defense, if it comes to that. I shake my head. “I’m fine with Jalen.”
“Do you want some time alone to think about it? I can go back in there—”
“No, I’m ready,” I lie.
He looks down at me with concern in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I walk past him through the door before I lose my nerve.
Back in Cameron’s room, Reggie is using a fountain pen to jot notes onto a steno pad and flips to a blank page when he sees us. “That was fast.”
Cameron and I return to our seats, and I lean forward to address our attorneys. “I agree to the terms, but I want to make it clear that if there ever comes a time when my recollection can help Cameron in any way, then we will need to find a way to work together.”
Reggie smiles at my impassioned statement, revealing a worn pair of dimples, but Jalen’s face remains stoic. “We can cross that bridge when we get to it.”
I consider arguing back, but I know that I am already teetering on the line between being direct and just being plain rude, so I keep my mouth shut and lean back in the chair.
Reggie surveys the three of us. “Well, now that that’s settled, how about we get started?”