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Allyssa
I’msittinginmyoffice which isn’t a great office. But it’s mine and I even have a small window, so I’m satisfied. I look at the invitation in my hand. Ten years? How’d that happen? “You are invited to Washington High’s Ten Year Reunion Celebration. Hmm.” I have mixed feelings about that. I tuck the invite into a drawer and pick up a case file.
I have a new client who has been passed down to me because his last lawyer considered him a lost cause. But I believe everyone deserves their day in court. So I accepted the case. But now, going over the young man’s files, I’m not so sure. He has a bad habit of not showing up for his court dates and is currently on parole for another matter. It seems to me, he’s just always in the wrong place at the wrong time. This case, like his last, is about drug possession with intent to sell. But he swears the drugs aren’t his and he has no idea how they got into his backpack.
When my door opens, Mitch pokes his head in and holds up a pink box with my favorite bakery’s logo on it. Anyone bringing pastries is welcome in my office.
“Hungry?”
“I’m always hungry for Angelina’s bear claws.”
Mitch comes into the office and sets the box on my desk, then goes to the small coffeemaker in the corner of my office and pours himself a cup of coffee. He tops off mine, then sits in front of my desk. Mitch is a good-looking guy in a three-piece-suit-wearing lawyer kind of way. He’s always impeccably dressed as though he just walked off of a cover photo shoot. He’s just a little too squeaky clean for my taste. I’m more interested in guys who are little rough around the edges. Like they just came in from a two day hike in the mountains. Not dirty and smelly, just slightly unkempt.
He smiles, flashing the perfect teeth his parents probably paid a lot for. “Is that the Bishop case?”
“Yes.”
“Dump it.”
I frown at him. “The man has been passed down twice. I’m not going to pass it on a third time.”
“It’s been passed on for a reason.” He takes a bite of pastry. “So, what are you doing on Saturday?”
“Not going out with you.”
He puts a hand to his chest. “Allyssa, you’re breaking my heart. I got tickets to that concert you’ve been dying to go to.”
“I have a rule. Three rules, actually. I don’t date lawyers, cops, or anyone I work with.”
He smiles again. “You’ll change your mind. Sooner or later, I’ll wear you down. Besides, you spend all of your time with lawyers, cops, and criminals. Who else are you going to date?”
“When I’m ready, I’ll figure that out. In the meantime, don’t hold your breath.”
“Again. Heart. Broken.” He chuckles. “What are you up to today?”
“Paperwork. Meeting with a client later. That’s about it.”
When my phone rings, I answer it and get the news my questionable client is in custody at the police station. I hang up and look at Mitch.
“My client is in a holding cell at P110.”
“Dump him.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going to dump him.”
I finish my pastry, send Mitch out of my office, then head to the police station. It seems I spend most of my time either at the precinct or at the courthouse. P110 is the oldest station in Piper’s Ferry and it looks it. The green tile is original early sixties and the walls could use a fresh coat of paint. The whole building smells a bit like mildew, especially during our humid summers. But I like the energy. There’s always something happening.
As I stand in line behind three other people, trying to secure a time to talk with my client, someone comes up behind me and whispers in my ear.
“Dump him.”
I turn to see Officer Link Brandt with his canine partner, Rosie. Rosie is a German Shepherd mix and I’ve known her since she was a puppy in training. Even though it’s against the rules, I pet her. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person other than Link who she allows to touch her, due to those early years and the fact I see her off duty on a regular basis. I look at Link, who I’ve known since grade school. He was best friends with my brother and seemed to spend more time at our house than he did at his own. They’re still friends and the three of us still go out sometimes when our various schedules allow.
Link is the opposite of Mitch. Link is scruffy but in a cute way. His light brown hair is always in need of a cut, and his beard ranges from trimmed close to full-on whiskers. He can’t seem to make up his mind or maybe it’s a matter of laziness. Either way—it all works. And I’ve always found him attractive. Especially his deep brown eyes that always seem to suggest he knows something he shouldn’t. Even when he was the high school troublemaker. In high school, he was a lanky six-feet-two. He’s filled out a lot over the last ten years. He left lanky behind a long time ago.
I shake my head at him. “I’m not going to abandon a client just because he’s run into some bad luck.”
