Con Law (41 page)

‘Here he is.’ She held the phone out to him. ‘The police.’

‘Hello.’

‘Professor, it’s Sergeant Taylor again. Your mother wandered off, we found her at the Condoms to Go store. Took her back home, I’m waiting for your sister.’

‘Thank you, Sergeant.’

‘Professor …’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s time.’

He handed the phone to Myrna then rubbed his forehead. The stitches had come out, but the scar itched.

Myrna smiled. ‘All the girls think that scar makes you look sexy.’

‘Oh, good. What time is the Welch hearing?’

‘Canceled.’

‘Why?’

‘Scotty Raines called, said the D.A. dropped all charges against Bobby Welch. And his dad called from the Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs. Said he checked the boy in for six months. Said thank you and that he had fulfilled both promises.’ She looked up from her notes. ‘Promises?’

‘Personal.’

She leaned down and came back up with a plastic container. She held it out to Book.

‘Fried chicken. And don’t worry, I fried it in peanut oil. You won’t die if you eat it.’

‘Thanks.’

She went back to her notes. ‘TV shows want you on next Sunday.’

‘I can’t.’

She regarded him. ‘You okay?’

‘No. Mail?’

She aimed a thumb at his
office. He turned to his office, but—

‘You don’t have time. You’re late for the big faculty meeting. The new assistant dean.’

Book entered the faculty meeting and found an open seat between Henry Lawson and Professors Sheila Manfried and Jonah Goldman. Professor Manfried whispered to Jonah, ‘I wonder if we can make more money at the new Texas A&M law school?’

The school had settled her sex discrimination claim by paying her $25,000 more in salary, giving her a $250,000 forgivable loan, and granting her a contractual right to see every other professor’s compensation numbers.

‘Admin admitted a hundred fewer tuition-payers for next year’s one-L class,’ Professor Goldman said. ‘That’s three million in lost tuition. They’ve got to cut our salaries.’

‘I’ll go to A&M for more money,’ Professor Manfried said.

Professor Goldman grimaced. ‘And be an Aggie? Just the thought of it makes me shudder.’

Book popped the top on the plastic container and offered fried chicken to Henry. He grabbed a drumstick and bit into it. Dean Roscoe Chambers stepped to the head of the conference table. The faculty fell silent. Roscoe looked like a senior U.S. senator. And he had the voice to match.

‘I have a big announcement to make. Professor Lawson, would you please step to the front?’

Henry turned to Book with a puzzled look; Book shrugged. Henry stood and walked over to the dean, who put an arm around Henry’s shoulders. Henry continued his assault on the drumstick.

‘Oh, my God,’ Professor Goldman said, ‘Roscoe’s appointing Henry our new assistant dean.’

‘But he’s not a lesbian,’ Professor Manfried said.

‘He’s married with two children.’

‘I want to be the first to welcome
Henry Lawson to the club,’ Roscoe said.

‘Tenure?’ Henry said.

Roscoe laughed. ‘Tenure? No, the dean’s club.’

‘I’m the new assistant dean?’

‘No. The new dean.’

Book thought Professor Manfried might faint.

‘You’re retiring?’

‘What? Hell, no, I’m not retiring. You’re not the new dean here at UT, Henry. You’re the new dean at the new Texas A&M law school.’

Henry almost choked on the chicken. ‘I am?’

Roscoe laughed again. ‘Listen to him playing coy with us. Now, Henry, you’re going to be sitting on a pile of money with the two hundred million James Welch donated to the A&M law school—’

James Welch had earned his MBA from UT, but he had earned his B.S. from A&M. He supported both of his alma maters generously. And he kept his promises.

‘—so promise you won’t steal all my professors.’

Henry gazed upon the assembled faculty, at the Harvard–Yale cartel.

‘Oh, don’t worry, Roscoe. I would never do that.’

Dean Roscoe Chambers applauded Henry, and the faculty joined in.

Book waited for Henry to accept congratulations from the other faculty members. Then Henry came over to Book; he arrived with the drumstick in his hand and a suspicious look on his face.

‘I think I owe you big time,’ he said.

‘For what?’

‘This.’

‘Congratulations, Henry. That’s where you belong. Just make your law school the best in Texas, or at least as good as the football team.’

‘The football
team’s got more money.’

‘It is Texas.’

Professor Manfried walked past and said, ‘Henry, I’ll email you my CV.’

After she was out of earshot, Henry said, ‘I’ve got to remember to block her email address.’

They shared a chuckle. Roscoe called to Henry, so they shook hands. Henry took a step away but stopped.

‘Book, anytime you want to move to College Station, there’s a tenured job waiting for you.’

‘Thanks, Henry. But this is where I belong.’

Henry walked over to the dean, and Book walked out. Before he got to the door, Dean Roscoe Chambers yelled to him.

‘Bookman … get a haircut.’

Book returned to his office and found Myrna on the phone again. She held the receiver out to him and whispered, ‘Your sister.’

He took the phone and put it to his ear. ‘Joanie.’

‘Book—’

‘I’m going to move Mom in this weekend.’

‘Good. You want to say hi to her?’

‘Sure.’

‘Hold on. I’ll put her on.’

A small voice came over. ‘Hello.’

‘Mom, it’s Book.’

‘What book?’

‘No … it’s John. Your son.’

‘My son?’

‘You want to live with me?’

‘Who?’

Joanie came back on. ‘Sorry, Book, it’s a cloudy day for her.’

‘I’ll take care of her.’

He would take care of
her, but who would take care of him?

*   *   *

He walked into his office where he found a young woman sitting at his work table and reading his mail. She had a sucker in her mouth.

‘Who are you?’

She removed the sucker. It was a red Tootsie Roll Pop.

‘Veronica Cross. I’m your new intern. But I don’t work nights or weekends, I don’t do—’

‘Where’s Nadine?’

‘She quit.’

‘Why?’

Veronica shrugged her shoulders. ‘All she said was she didn’t go to law school to get shot at and run off the road and put into the hospital and drink lousy coffee in West Texas. She was just joking, right, Professor?’

Book walked over and stared out the window at the campus. Sooner or later they all quit.

‘Right, Professor?’

He sighed. ‘Yes, Ms. Cross. She was just joking.’

‘I thought so.’

‘The coffee wasn’t that bad.’

He turned to his new intern. She was not dressed like a student, but like a lawyer in a high-collared white blouse, long black skirt, and shiny black heels. Her short black hair was neatly done, and her makeup perfect. She sat with erect posture.

‘Oh, she did say one more thing.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Something about living without a net, whatever that means. I heard she quit law school and is moving to France to become a chef. Is that crazy or what?’

Book smiled. ‘Or what.’

‘And she said to tell you that you’re her hero.’

‘She said that?’

‘Uh, yeah.’

Veronica gestured with the Tootsie Roll Pop at the stack of mail on the table in front
of her.

‘So let me get this straight: pathetic people from all over the country write these letters to you and expect you to drop everything and run off and help them? Like you’ve got nothing better to do? I mean, seriously?’

‘Seriously.’

‘So I’ve got to read about all their pitiful lives every week?’

‘Every week.’

She exhaled. ‘These people should stop whining about injustice and go out and get a job and make something of themselves.’

‘A little compassion-challenged, are we, Ms. Cross?’

Veronica Cross groaned. ‘Oh, God. My dad was right. He watches you on TV, said you were a liberal Democrat.’

Book smiled again. Perhaps the internship would prove helpful to Ms. Cross.

‘Let me know if you find any letters I should read.’

Veronica held out an envelope, almost reluctantly.

‘Well … this
one is sort of interesting.’

Born and educated in Texas, Mark Gimenez attended law school at Notre Dame, Indiana, and practiced with a
large Dallas law firm. He lives in Texas. He has written six previous novels:
The Colour of Law, The Abduction, The Perk, The Common Lawyer, Accused
, and
The Governor’s Wife.