Chapter Twenty
Charlie hadn’t slept well the night before. He snuck down to the office a little early, leaving Declan in bed.
The door alarm chirped. Charlie heard Mrs B and Duck enter the outer office. After a moment she leaned through Charlie’s open door. “It may not be as good as Gwen’s, but can I make you a coffee? Your usual?”
“That would be great, Mrs B. Thanks.” The fact that Mrs B would ask him, and that she knew that he had a usual, reinforced the notion that he had been fully accepted into the company family.
While Mrs B was in the kitchen, Duck made his way into Charlie’s office. He hopped up into the spare chair and stared at him.
“What?” Charlie said. It came out harsher than he had intended. Duck lowered his head, looking like he’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m not a bad guy. We just got off on the wrong foot.”
Duck jumped from the chair and, his tail wagging, made it around to Charlie’s side of the desk where he let loose a potent, foul-smelling toot.
“Oh my god.”
As Charlie slid his chair as far away as he could, Mrs B brought in his coffee. She stopped dead in her tracks, and looked at Charlie with a scowl.
“It was not me!” he said.
“Oh, it’s a sad man who blames a child for an adult’s doing,” she said, then laughed.
Crash!
The sound rocked his office. Declan was obviously up. Duck bolted straight for his spot under Mrs B’s desk.
Crash!
It was leg-day and Declan seemed to get satisfaction out of dropping the barbell after he’d finished each set of squats, and with each set, Charlie’s office ceiling shook. He knew Declan would be at it for a few more sets yet.
Charlie got back to work. He scrolled through the emails he had waiting for him on his phone.
There was a quick note from Carrie saying what a great time she’d had at his birthday party the other night, and that she would get back to him about a night where she could take him out for dinner—just the two of them.
Crash!
There was also a text from Jules Slate.
Just confirming today’s meeting at 10.
Looking forward to it, Charlie replied.
Good. I want to talk to you about a planned outing tonite. Wondering if you or Declan needed to join…just in case Mommy should strike.
She signed off with a scary-face emoji.
Charlie muttered, “She’s never going to take this seriously.”
He sent another quick reply.
We’ll discuss it after you arrive.
Crash!
Charlie knew Declan’s routine. That should be the last one.
As if to mock him, there was one more crash.
Charlie counted to fifty, but there was only silence from upstairs. Declan must be done.
The door alarm chirped and he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He checked the time. It wasn’t ten o’clock yet. Charlie peered out the door and saw an older-looking man come in.
“Harold,” Mrs B chirped.
Charlie was surprised. Mrs B never chirped. Who is this guy?
“Joan, it is a delight to see you as always. Frankly, at my age, it’s a delight to see anyone.
” He laughed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead, but I’ve been cramped up in the office and needed to get out, so I thought I’d just take the chance and pop over.
I see that you have your ever-present guardian on duty. ”
Duck had placed himself between Mrs B and the strange man. Duck stared at him.
“I suspect that you’re here to see Charlie?” Mrs B said.
“Always the astute businesswoman,” he replied. “Is Mr Watts available?”
Charlie stepped into the main room. “I’m here.”
“Charlie,” Mrs B said, “I’d like to introduce you to our lawyer, Harold Vanstone.”
Charlie’s heart sank. He’d been so busy that he had pushed the thought of the lawsuit out of his head.
“Good lord,” Vanstone said with a laugh. “I’m your lawyer, not your executioner.” He walked toward Charlie, his hand extended. Charlie shook it.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” the lawyer said.
“Thank you. Same here,” Charlie replied. “Uh…would you like to come into my office?”
Charlie led him in and the lawyer closed the door behind him. The loud click of the latch triggered images of a gallows trapdoor dropping.
Charlie sat uncomfortably in his chair as the lawyer sat opposite.
“So, Mr Vanstone—”
“Please, call me Harold.”
“Harold,” Charlie repeated. “So, is it safe to assume that you’re here about the lawsuit?”
“Yes. I had hoped to wrap up this pesky annoyance posthaste. I see you are a real stickler for detail, and your case notes are impeccable, which is always good.”
Charlie felt a weight lifting from his chest. “So, you think we can wrap this up quickly?”
“That’s what I thought…until I received the plaintiff’s statement.”
Charlie’s stomach twisted into knots.
“Mr Frazer claims that when you were involved in photographing one of his tawdry encounters at his paramour’s, based on the angle of the photographs, you must have been taking the pictures across the back fence of the property near the gate.”
“True. They were taken from the back alley.”
Vanstone continued. “Furthermore, the plaintiff claims that you must have stepped onto the property and gone through the gate.”
“I may have…wait a minute.” Charlie closed his eyes.
“I remember now. A dog came up behind me and started to growl. It looked pretty menacing so I popped through the gate and shut it. I was protecting myself. And I was only there for a moment before the dog’s owner called it back and I got back into the alley. ”
“That being said,” Mr Vanstone continued, “you were still technically trespassing. More importantly, we come to the issue of the gate itself. Mr Frazer’s attorney claims that you didn’t latch the gate securely and, later that day, the daughter of Mr Frazer’s friend made her way out into the laneway and wandered away. ”
“What? I’m sure I relatched that gate.”
“Be that as it may, aside from the original charges, now you are being charged with gross negligence and jeopardising the well-being of the child.”
Charlie sat in silence. He was paralysed.
Mr Vanstone got up and opened the door. “Joan, would you please bring us a glass of Mr Hunt’s strongest Scotch? Better make it two.”
Mrs B appeared in the doorway with two glasses, both containing a healthy shot of amber liquid. Charlie and Vanstone each took a glass, then Charlie paused. “I have a client due in a bit and I can’t be meeting her with Scotch on my breath. Plus, it’s pretty early in the morning for Scotch.”
“Not a problem,” Vanstone said, taking Charlie’s glass, and pouring the contents into his own. He took a healthy swig, then turned his attention back to Charlie. “It’s not a done deal yet, my boy. I pride myself on being someone who’s poked many a hole in a lawsuit like this. Don’t lose hope.”
“So, what do we do next?” Charlie asked.
“The enemy always comes out all cock and bluster. Most of it falls away once I’ve sent a second volley over their midship.
I have already set up a meeting with a neighbour who, from the sounds of it, hates the child’s father.
She claims he’s forever leaving ‘that damned gate’ open and she’s always having to ‘round-up that hellion of a child’.
That might be the ammunition we need. Furthermore, for these charges to stick, they would have to prove that, even if that gate was open, that it was you who left it open. ”
“That sounds…hopeful,” Charlie said.
“I will do everything that the law and the bible allow, not to let you down,” the lawyer said, then finished the Scotch in his glass and placed it on the desk. “Keep your chin up and don’t forget, you have insurance.”
“But if this goes wrong, will I still have my licence?”
“I should think so, but in the future be more careful of stepping where you shouldn’t.
” He set down his glass, rose from the chair and directed his gaze to Mrs B.
“Joan, as always, it has been a pleasure to see you. Until next time.” He looked at the dog, then quickly took Mrs B’s hand in his, gave it a kiss, then departed.
Charlie winked at Mrs B.
She blushed. “Don’t you have a meeting to prepare for?”
She quickly cleared away the glasses and left the room just as the downstairs door alarm chimed. Charlie followed Mrs B into the main reception room.
Jules rushed in. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”
Duck pulled his head out of the bowl he’d been lapping at and gave a hearty “Yawp”. He glanced at Jules then moved over beside Mrs B.
“Hey there! How are you, boy?” Jules asked, slapping her thighs.
Mrs B tapped her finger on a sign she had taped to the front of her desk. It read, ‘My name is Duck and I love pats.’
“You found out who he is?” Jules said “You’re Duck! Hello, Duck!”
The dog hung back.
Jules smiled. “I’m all right, boy.”
Charlie cleared his throat. “Don’t mind him.
He’s just getting used to all the strangers in his new workplace.
Now, why don’t you come into my office and we can talk about your security.
” Charlie turned and walked back to his desk.
Something about Jules irritated him. Perhaps now that he was twenty-six, younger people struck him as a bit silly.
Jules stepped into his office.
“Would you mind closing the door? The place gets a little crowded if the dog decides to join us.”
She did as he asked and sat down. “So, where do we start?”
“First,” Charlie began, “has anything unusual happened over the past few days?”
Jules shrugged. “No. The friend of my father’s who’s been watching over me like a hawk has actually proven to be worse than Daddy. I haven’t really been out, other than to go to meetings with you, and even then, Daddy’s friend insists on driving me.”
“Tell me about the security systems in the house you’re living in now.”
“Daddy’s always warning me not to talk to people about the security system at home.”
“Okay, I don’t need to know the details. I just have to know if you have one, and whether you have panic buttons around the house.”
She sighed. “Daddy’s prepared us so we can fend off an armed invasion.
And yes, there are panic buttons on every floor, and an additional one in my bedroom.
I accidentally hit that one last year when my boyfriend-of-the-moment tossed me onto the bed and my head slammed into it. You would not believe all the fuss!”
This is going to be hell, Charlie thought. “I can only begin to imagine. Now, do you currently have a ‘boyfriend-of-the-moment’, or plan on getting one in the near future?”
“No, I am currently unattached,” Jules said. “Why, are you offering?”
Remain professional. “While we are looking after your safety would you promise to keep us informed of anyone that would fall into that category so we could check him out?”
“Checking him out should be my job, shouldn’t it?” she asked with a wink. “Unless you’re wanting to take him for a test drive first, that is. I’ve never done that before—a bi triangle. Could be fun.”
Charlie sighed. “From this point on, since we’re responsible for your safety, we would like you to follow a strict check-in procedure.”
“Yes, sir!” she said with a salute.
“We’re going to implement hourly check-ins—”
“Hourly?” Her eyes bugged out.
“Hourly.” Charlie took pleasure in confirming this. “Except at night, when you’re sleeping. Would you pass me your phone, please. Unlocked.”
He programmed hourly reminders into her phone. He also added a panic button app that he linked to his new watch.
“It’s simple. Just shoot me off a text with the code word ‘pineapple’ if all is good.
‘Shadow’ is the code word to text at any time to let me know you think you’re being followed, and the password ‘mother’ is to be used if someone is forcing you to check in with me against your will before you could hit the panic button. Is that all clear?”
Jules had a strange look in her eye, like the severity of what was happening had finally sunk in. “‘Pineapple’ for all good, ‘shadow’ for being followed, ‘mother’ for I’m being forced to check in. If I feel unsafe, trigger the panic button app.”
“Good. We’ll run over the in-dorm safety procedures once you’re moved in next week.”
“Now, with this panic button,” she said holding up her phone, “does it have good range? I mean, if I‘m a victim of an alien abduction, will my phone still work at altitude?”
So much for progress. Right about now Charlie could only hope for an alien abduction, although his sympathies would probably lie with the spacemen.
“You’ll be fine,” he said.
Jules shifted in her chair. “So, what I mentioned earlier about going out tonight…”
“Ah…yes.”
“It’s really important. Half the success of a first-year student depends on forming tight bonds with other students of their year, and tonight is the first mixer. I have to go!”
Charlie thought about the parties that had gone on when he’d been at university. Not that he had been invited, but he’d experienced them on the periphery, and if this one was anything like those, it would be a security nightmare.
She rolled her eyes. “You know I’ll go by myself even if you say no.”
Charlie sighed. “I guess I’ll have to go along.”
“You’ll see. We’ll have fun. Pick me up at Chuck’s Coffee House. Just Google Map it. You’ll find it.”
“What time can I pick you up?” Charlie asked.
“Meet me there at eight. I’ll be with a girlfriend of mine. Daddy’s friend’ll drive me over there.”
Charlie added it to the calendar on his phone. “Well, I think that’s everything for now.” He got up and walked Jules to the door of the office.
“See you tonight, Charlie-boy,” she said, kissing him on the cheek and walking down the stairs.
As Charlie walked back to his desk, a voice came from Declan’s office.
“Charlie-boy?”
Declan leaned in the doorway. He had a smirk on his face.
“This is what I’ve been dealing with all morning,” Charlie said.
“All morning?”
“No, not really. It started with our lawyer coming in to tell me that I’m being sued for endangering the life of a child.”
“What?”
“Although he thinks he can get me off, but it went downhill from there when Jules, the teenaged delinquent, came in for a meeting. And now I’ve got a date with her tonight.”
“A date?” Declan said.
“Maybe it would be easier just to let her mother take her.”
“Mmm. As tempting as that may sound, the mother’s not the one paying the bill. So, why are you going on a date?”
“She’s off to an undergrad mixer. I’m going as her ‘muscle’.”
Declan nodded. “Well, if you ask me, I think it’ll be good for you to go out and blow off a little steam.”
“But, what’ll you do to fill your time if I’m not here?” Charlie asked.
“Homework. I still have to put together a list of anyone who might hold a grudge against me.”
Charlie grinned. “Good luck with that one. Sure you don’t want me to stay out all day tomorrow, too?”
“Very funny. Well, I should get back to work. And Charlie…”
“Yes, boss?”
“When you’re out there with Jules tonight, try to remember the PI’s motto.”
“What’s that?” Charlie asked.
Declan grinned. “Don’t fuck up.”