Legal Heat (11 page)

Steele narrowed his eyes. “Why did she make she make such a broad request?”

“I’m not sure. As colleagues, they aren’t in a position to assess her work. If it wasn’t such a simple case, I would suspect her of fishing for something.”

Steele popped open his briefcase and dragged it across the mahogany table, leaving a large scratch in its wake. “How was our little kitty?”

Mark stiffened and then forced his body to relax to hide his anxiety from his sharp-eyed client. “Wild. I tried to ambush her to get a feel for what we can expect at trial, but it didn’t slow her down for a minute. She’s quick on her feet, fiercely intelligent and a highly effective speaker with a firm grasp of the law.”

Steele laughed. “I think I’ll attend the next hearing. I want to see her in action. Maybe I’ll be so impressed, I’ll want to hire a new lawyer. A wild one.”

Mark gave him a cold smile and gritted his teeth. “What can I do for you today?”

Steele pulled a sheaf of papers from his briefcase and pushed them toward Mark. “There was a disturbing article in the newspaper this morning. I won’t go into the details—Gordon is handling the fallout for us—but it’s clear we’ve had a security breach at Hi-Tech. As a result, we’ve had to bring our new product launch forward. I have a couple of loose ends I need you to tie up before that happens.”

Mark flipped through the papers. “What needs to be done?”

“Those settlement agreements you’re looking at relate to a laboratory accident that occurred over a year ago. I had Gordon prepare them. We wanted to keep the matter strictly internal.”

Mark raised his eyebrows. Gordon was barely competent as a lawyer and Steele only asked him to deal with legal matters he knew Mark would refuse to handle. He pushed the papers back across the table. “If it was a matter for Gordon, then it isn’t a matter for me. You know my limits.”

Steele pushed the papers back. “The settlement is legitimate.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“Drafting issues. I asked Gordon to draft a very tight non-disclosure clause. The Board of Directors didn’t want any rumors getting out about an unsafe work environment. But now that we’re expecting to be a media fixation with the product launch, I’m concerned the clause isn’t tight enough. All I need is for the Work Safety regulators to be stomping around my labs, checking for pencils that are too sharp.”

Mark skimmed through the documents. “You’re right about the contract. The agreement doesn’t cover the knock-on effects of the injuries.”

“It also doesn’t cover the wives,” Steele grumbled. “I had Gordon pay them a visit—”

Mark held up a hand. “Don’t tell me anything else. I don’t want to know what Gordon gets up to. I can fix the agreements for you and draft new ones to cover the wives on the basis they suffered as well, although you might have to throw in something by way of compensation.”

Steele waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Whatever you think is reasonable. A few hundred thousand is nothing in the grand scheme of things. This new product is going to make billions for the company.”

Mark stacked the documents in front of him. “Anything else?”

“I want you to handle it personally. I don’t want anyone else to see the file. No partners, no associates, not even administrative staff. When you take the documents for signature, I want you to make it very clear there will be severe consequences if anyone discloses the settlement or any details about the accident.”

Mark stiffened. “I’m not Gordon. I won’t do what he does. I’ll explain but I won’t threaten.”

“If I wanted Gordon to handle it, I would send Gordon,” Steele snapped. “You have your own way of getting a message across. Just make sure it’s understood.”

“Don’t work too late.”

Katy smiled as Ted waved goodbye. He didn’t mean it, of course. He wanted her to work late. Bill more hours. Make more money. Prove she had what it took to become a partner. The fringe benefits for her would be freedom from Steven’s financial noose and the achievement of a lifelong goal. Definitely worth the long hours.

She sipped her latte and licked the creamy foam off her lips. The caffeine boost would keep her going for a few more hours.

She licked again, imagining Mark’s lips on hers. How would he taste this time? Would his lips be soft and warm or firm and cool?

Back to work. No kisses for you.

With a sigh, she opened her file and read her notes about Martha’s friend, Martin Kowalski, Chief Scientific Officer and one of Hi-Tech’s longest-serving employees. Although Martin had made it clear to Martha he didn’t want to be involved, he would be an important witness in Martha’s case. She took a deep breath and dialed the number Martha had given her.

“Kowalski residence.”

Katy introduced herself as Martha’s lawyer. She had just started a brief explanation of the dismissal case when Martin interrupted her.

“Where are you calling from? Is your line secure?”

Katy raised her eyebrows. “I’m in my office, and yes, the firm lines are secure. Are you concerned your phone is being monitored?”

“With Hi-Tech, you never know. We have only three minutes to speak before my line will be traced. You’ve used up thirty-five seconds already.”

Katy’s eyes widened. Either Martin suffered from extreme paranoia or genuine fear. Regardless, she wouldn’t waste any more time. “Why did you give Martha the list of names?”

To her relief, he didn’t deny he had authored the note. “To help.”

“Help Martha?”

“And people whose lives may be at risk.”

Katy sighed.
“Could you give me a bit more detail?”

“If I wanted to do that, I would have gone to the regulatory agencies myself or even the police. But whistle-blowers in the pharmaceutical industry have a tendency to meet with terrible accidents. Altruistic as I am, the simple fact is, I want to live.”

Katy’s heart pounded.
Backtrack. Tease it out of him like a hostile witness.

“You knew the men on the list, didn’t you?”

His voice tightened. “I did.”

“When you gave her the list, you told her it would help prove her allegations about falsifying data and reports?”

“Yes.”

Katy sighed into the phone. “Martin, I understand you’re afraid to speak directly, but you can trust that I will not betray you in any way, or compromise your safety. I just want to help Martha. Would it be easier if you talked directly to her? I understand sometimes people are reluctant to speak to lawyers.”

“Martha’s a sweet girl,” Martin said. “She’s already endangered herself. I don’t want to make it worse. You have certain protections as a lawyer, and you also have the resources to blow this case out of the water.”

Protection? Not with Ted as a boss. He would send her straight into the lion’s den if he thought it would help turn a profit.

“I’m only working on her dismissal case,” she explained. “A full investigation into all Martha’s allegations is beyond my mandate.”

“You don’t want to investigate because it’s not worth your time.”

Katy cringed at the bitterness in his voice. “Martin, please.”

“You’re just like all the other lawyers.” Martin’s voice dripped with disdain. “You don’t give a damn about justice. For you, it’s all about the money.”

“That’s not true.” Katy’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected the call to go this badly. “I want to help Martha. Following up on your note is only indirectly related to the case. It isn’t something I had to do.”

Silence.

“Martin?”

“It seems we have nothing left to discuss. I put myself at risk by giving Martha the list and talking to you. This is as far as I go.”

Katy swallowed and tried a more aggressive tactic. “If you do have relevant information, I could subpoena you and force you to testify at trial. Please don’t put me in the position of having to do that.”

Martin laughed bitterly. “You’ll have a hard time finding me. I’m leaving the country before the whole thing blows up and I’ll never come back.”

Damn. Subpoenaing a witness from a foreign country was next to impossible.

“Please just take my name and number in case you change your mind,” she said. “If you want to say something but have concerns about your safety, I can always arrange a deposition before you leave. Your evidence would be recorded and entered at trial but I would stall disclosure until you were safely away.”

“I’ll think about it.” He took down her name and number. “I’m sorry I can’t be more help, but we’re out of time. Don’t call me again.”

“Wait. Who are the men on the list? Where are they? Did something happen to them?” But she had waited too long to ask the crucial questions.

Mark’s Audi TT purred down the TransCanada Highway. Although an associate should have handled the trip to Langley, he welcomed the opportunity for a rare drive in his only extravagance, and the time to think. One thought dominated his mind.

Katy.

Battling the little wildcat in the courtroom had been an exquisite torture. Part of him thrilled at the challenge of a worthy opponent and delighted in their verbal sparring, while the other part wanted to protect her from every harsh word and legal trick he threw her way.

He racked his brain trying to think of a way around the professional conflict. But if he removed the barrier between them, then what? Did he want her in his bed for a night, or did he want something more? He still knew so little about her. But what he had seen had awakened a hunger so fierce he was already veering down the path toward professional ruin.

Before he knew it, almost an hour had passed by and he was no closer to an answer than he had been when he started the drive. He pulled off the highway and took the exit into the heart of the sleepy suburb. A few turns later, he pulled up in front of a tidy, two-story, white stucco house. Planters filled with flowers dotted the well-kept lawn and marked a path up to the covered wooden porch. He had once dreamed of having a house like this and a wife and children to welcome him home. But that dream had died long ago.

Julia Davidson welcomed him into her home and brought him a cup of coffee. Although well into her fifties, her trim body moved with quick efficiency. But her face, lined with stress and exhaustion, aged her beyond her years.

She listened attentively while he outlined Steele’s offer and explained the inconsistencies in the existing contract, but when he finished, she frowned.

“I’m not sure I completely understand, Mr. Richards. Why does Hi-Tech want to give me $100,000?” Julia settled herself on a well-worn, brown velveteen couch across from him.

“The company wants to compensate you for the suffering you’ve endured as a result of the accident.” He still didn’t know the details of the accident and Steele had not been forthcoming when he had asked. “It would be helpful if I could talk to both you and your husband at the same time.”

Julia hesitated for a moment, and then led him to a dimly lit bedroom. Although the file put Peter Davidson at fifty-five years old, the man on the bed looked well over eighty.

If he was a man.

Mark struggled to stem his horror as he looked at the twisted face in front of him. Large swellings protruded from Peter’s forehead and lower jaw. Dark, empty eyes peered out from beneath a heavy brow.

“What’s wrong with him?” he blurted out.

“He has aggressive lymphatic cancer. The doctors have given him only a few months to live.”

“And his face?”

Julia walked over to the bed and helped her husband turn his head in Mark’s direction. “That’s from the accident. He was with his cleaning team in a lab and they spilled some kind of chemical.”

“I’m sorry.” The words seemed inadequate for Peter’s suffering, but he could offer nothing better.

“Thank you.” She gave him a sad smile. “You’re the first person from Hi-Tech to apologize.”

Mark drew in a ragged breath and explained the amended agreement and proposed payment for Julia as well as the non-disclosure provisions preventing the Davidsons from discussing the accident or the settlements. “You should get independent legal advice so you can be certain you’ve been treated fairly.”

Julia looked up in surprise. “The last lawyer Hi-Tech sent told Peter not to take his agreement to another lawyer. He said the offer would be withdrawn if anyone saw it.”

“You may have misunderstood.” Mark’s jaw clenched. He had no doubt Gordon had obtained the signatures under duress.

Julia shook her head. “We don’t need another lawyer involved and we don’t have the time to find someone. Peter doesn’t have long to live. We’ll sign the agreements.”

It took Mark only a few minutes to deal with the formalities and bid farewell to the Davidsons. When the door closed behind him, anxiety flooded through his veins. The entire meeting had left him uneasy. He had always known Gordon played fast and loose with the law, but this time innocent people had suffered and they deserved proper compensation.

Even more unsettling had been the subtle shake of Peter’s head when Julia had mentioned the accident.