Character Witness Page 2

  Luckily, the young man coming through the door wanted quite a bit, too. He was willing to do just about anything to get what he wanted and that benefited Richard quite nicely. Unfortunately, neither this man, nor the woman who gave her life to him, understood what drove Richard Jacobsen. His lips tip up just a tad. Even he, humorless as he was, thought that was quite amusing. They would be so amazed - or would they be appalled? - to know what passion drove him.

  ''So nice to see you. And right on time.''

  ''I'm glad to be here. Have you spoken to our friend?''

  ''Yes. Everything is on schedule. He's elated.''

  ''Fine. Fine.''

  The younger man walked straight up to Richard Jacobsen. They met beside his desk, looking at each other the way men will who understand their power over one another. They were both very clear on that.

  ''I haven't been able to find anything in the office regarding the problem we had this morning. I searched everywhere.''

  ''Not to worry. Everything's been taken care of.'' The younger man didn't look convinced. Richard put his hand on his shoulders and said sincerely. ''I promise. You needn't worry. I needn't worry. There's nothing that can change what's already been done, but you'll never have to ever think about it again.''

  ''Didn't anyone ever tell you never to say never?'' the young man asked peevishly.

  ''No,'' Richard answered quietly. In his business he saw lots of people upset over lots of things. He knew what to do. The hand on the man's shoulder was surprisingly tight. Richard slipped it down toward the elbow. He held on a moment then, with the gentlest of pressure, led the man across the huge office. ''You'll want to freshen up.''

  ''Yes, yes. That would be good.'' the young man said. He didn't look well at all. Richard felt terrible that he hadn't noticed the moment he came in. That had been terribly inconsiderate.

  ''Do you need anything?''

  ''No, I have it all right here.'' He patted his breast pocket and Richard thought it was dangerous to carry something, so important, so casually.

  ''All right. I'll wait. I've blocked off the afternoon for you.''

  The young man looked over his shoulder. He smiled for the first time. It was shaky, but a smile nonetheless.

  ''It won't take that long. It never does.''

  ''There's always a first time,'' Richard answered quietly as the other man walked toward Richard's private bathroom.

  It was only after the door shut that Richard remembered her picture was still there. He wished he remembered to put it away.

  Richard was, after all, a very, very private person.

  ''Dorty & Breyer, how may I help you? Miss Cotter? Yes, I believe she's here. Just a moment and I'll connect you.''

  She pushed the hold button and zoomed around the reception desk, as sure on her high heels as a mountain goat.

  ''You didn't fool anyone,'' Cherie called, but Kathleen barely gave her a glance. By the time Kathleen was in her chair, Cherie was kneeling on her credenza, her arms dangling over the top of the carpeted wall that partitioned their cubicles. She tapped Kathleen's head with a pen. ''You can't disguise that voice of yours. No way.''

  Kathleen brushed at her hair. Cherie tapped again when Kathleen pushed the line that was lighted.

  ''Kathleen Cotter, may I help you?'' Her voice was back to normal: sweet and girlish in pitch; professional in tone. The caller didn't seem to sense her duplicity. Kathleen listened intently then hung up without another word. Cherie waved a hand, hoping to catch Kathleen's peripheral vision.

  ''Earth to Kathleen. Who was it? I hope it was a murderer. We need something to perk this place up. I don't have anything fun to do.''

  ''No, it wasn't a new client. It wasn't anyone. I mean, it was someone. He wanted to know if I was busy Saturday night.''

  Cherie tapped Kathleen's head again and laughed, but it didn't sound as if she was happy. ''You've been holding out on me. I didn't know you'd started dating again.''

  ''I haven't, and what that caller had in mind wouldn't be called dating anyway. He just saw me on the commercial that's all. Will you stop it?'' Kathleen brushed away Cherie's pen and stood up so fast the other woman almost lost her balance. By the time Kathleen was standing in the opening of Cherie's cubical the other woman was settled on the credenza, her legs dangling, her arms crossed. ''You know, you've been getting very strange over the last few months. We're attorneys, Cherie, not children. I really think you should start acting like you take your profession seriously.''

  ''Oh, you mean like pretending you're the secretary then running to your chair and pretending to be a lawyer?''

  ''I am a lawyer.'' Kathleen raised her chin proudly. ''Breyer & Dorty may not be a fancy firm -''

  ''It's the MacDonald's of the law, Kathleen. We're legal bimbos.'' Cherie grabbed her cigarettes without taking her eyes off Kathleen.

  ''It's a general law practice and the people who come here need us. They haven't anywhere else to go. You should be proud of that. I know I am.''

  ''Oh, yeah, so proud you're going to leave. You're going to go to Beverly Hills, la-de-da.'' Cherie lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting her statement slap Kathleen in the face. They'd never been best of friends outside the office, but inside they clung to one another. There was no one else except Jay Dorty, and neither of them would want to cling to him.

  ''You've been going through my desk?'' Kathleen's red lips pulled tight. It wasn't anger that flared, but disappointment in a fellow human being. She never indulged in the former without the latter, and the former usually crept up on her late at night when there was no one to yell at.

  ''I wasn't snooping. I was in your desk looking for something and I just happened to see that letter. I mean, wow, what can I say? Beverly Hills and everything. Geez, you start fixing yourself up a little bit here and there, and suddenly you're not good enough for this place. You're even too good for Riverside. You went all the way to the top.''

  Cherie sniffed. She took another drag, tossed back her head, raised her chin and exhaled loudly. Kathleen had seen the tough girls in high school act like this. She hated women who acted like they were better than everyone else when everyone else could see they weren't. Funny thing, though, all those everyone's were usually intimidated by those girls. That was the funny thing.

  Cherie, tired of looking at the cloud of gray smoke above her head, swung it back and let her lids lay low over her eyes. ''Are you going? 'Cause if you expect a going away party, I can't afford it.''

  It sounded like an accusation, as if Kathleen was contemplating murder.

  Kathleen sighed and plopped herself in Cherie's chair, crossed her very long legs and considered the other woman. One arm was crooked to hold her cigarette up; the other was crossed over an androgynous chest. Her color stripped hair was pulled back in a short little pony tail. Cherie wouldn't look Kathleen in the eye. She probably thought Kathleen wasn't worth the effort.

  ''I was going to tell you about it when I decided what to do. Really I was.'' In truth, Kathleen had thought of sneaking out in the middle of the night just to spare Cherie's feelings. After all, news like this would be like announcing she'd won the lottery just when Cherie showed her the dollar she found in the gutter. ''I was just waiting for the right time.''

  ''Well, when was the right time going to be? I mean, when were you going to drop this on me? When we had a couple of new clients and this office needed both of us? When my car broke down and I didn't have enough money to repair it and needed a ride in? When my ex-called to let me know that he'd found another perfect woman? Get real, Kathleen. This isn't the kind of news I would want to hear, now is it?'' Another drag. Her chin went higher. ''I thought you were my friend.''

  ''I am your friend, Cherie.'' That wasn't exactly true, but Kathleen didn't want to disappoint her. She tried again, her voice reaching for its usual high C and landing on a flat. ''I mean, I'm your friend but that kind of thing goes both ways, you know. I could just as easily ask why you're not happy for me. I think
a real friend would be excited for the other one, don't you?''

  Kathleen uncrossed her legs and put her knees together. She considered her black patent pumps, on sale because there wasn't much call for Italian square toed, high heeled pumps in Banning, California. Kathleen bought them just because they were beautiful and different. There was nothing Kathleen loved more than something that looked beautiful, something with color and form, something other than the desert and a sickroom and a mother who could only speak about disappointment and despair. Listening to Cherie, Kathleen remembered so well the words that made her long for a change of scenery. They were words that changed things around until Kathleen felt everything not quite right was her fault. Her mother had the knack. Cherie had the knack. Kathleen had had enough.

  ''I'm thirty. I've never been out of Banning except to go shopping at the outlets near Palm Springs and to go with my parents for a weekend in Las Vegas when I was eleven. I went to law school just down the road in Riverside. I've never been challenged except to see how patient I could be waiting for my time to live. I've tried very hard to be kind to everyone, in fact I've bent over backwards to be kind to everyone.

  ''Now, given all that, you can see why I didn't rush to you with this incredible news. I'm very patient, I was trying to be very kind so I wouldn't hurt your feelings by leaving you here and I was trying to be very cautious because I know I'm ripe for disappointment. I know what this place is and, until this moment, I wasn't sure I could leave it behind. Dorty & Breyer is predictable and safe. I could probably work here until I retire or die. There's a lot to be said for that.

  Finally, Kathleen paused for breath. That was more than she'd ever said about herself at one time in all her years. She felt better already.

  ''On the other hand, I could go to Beverly Hills to work with an uncle I haven't seen in fifteen years, a man who I admired greatly and who disappeared without a word to me. A man neither of my parents would talk about in all those years. I don't know what I feel about him, because I've never been the kind of person to hate. I'm not even sure I carry a grudge. But I do know what I think about his offer to have me work for him. It's an opportunity no one else is going to give me because I come from Banning and I'm thirty and I didn't have enough guts to grab for the brass ring before this. And all you've done by trying to make me feel guilty for wanting to go, and for having the chance to go, is to make my decision for me. I think it's the best thing that happened to me, thank you very much. I'm going to leave here and not look back.''

  Kathleen stood up. She wore black, a simple shift. Cherie hated her guts for wearing it and for standing with her shoulders back and her head up.

  ''Well, then, I guess that shows what your home counts for. Guess that shows what it means to live your whole life in a place that you can just leave in a snap. Guess that shows what your commitment counts for, doesn't it? I mean, what are you going to do with your case load?''

  ''I wouldn't walk out on the firm.'' Kathleen was already halfway down the hall. Behind her Cherie was stubbing out her cigarette with great show. Kathleen could just imagine her touching her brittle hair then the buttons on that sweater she wore three times a week before she crossed her arms again. It was like a ritual to ward off anything that might make Cherie stand up and be counted.

  ''You think you're going on an adventure?'' Cherie called and Kathleen stopped for a moment. ''You're not. Just remember I'm the one that said that. They'll chew you up and spit you out, Kathleen Cotter. I don't care how much you think you've learned from those dumb magazines. They'll see right through you. They will. I don't care if you graduated top of your class. It was still a second rate school. You won't be able to handle anything bigger than a thirty-dollar divorce. They'll know that the minute you open your mouth.''

  Cherie laughed a little until Kathleen turned her head. She didn't bother to look at Cherie, she just stood there. Cherie stopped laughing just in time to hear Kathleen's pretty voice. She was hurt and suddenly hard.

  ''At least I'll have tried. And another thing, I won't hate you for trying to make me feel bad about it. So that puts me two step ahead right there.''

  There didn't seem to be anything more to say. Much as Kathleen wanted to apologize, to beg forgiveness for putting herself before others the way her mother had always insisted she do, this time she wasn't going to. This was the beginning of a new life - her life - finally. She was going to take a chance and grab this opportunity, unless, of course, she got there and her uncle came to his senses.

  By the time she'd reached the only office with a real door, Kathleen considered the notion that Beverly Hills would roll up its sidewalks the minute she appeared, the way Cherie said. Then again, they may love her. Yes they may. Kathleen threw back her shoulders and put her hand on her hip. She was as good as anyone in her situation could be and she worked like the dickens. There was always that. Kathleen shook back her short hair and licked her wide, bright red lips. Holding the good thoughts, Kathleen knocked on Jay Dorty's door.

  ''Come.''

  She went in.

  Jay was hunched over his desk. The desk was a bad imitation of an imitation heirloom but it served its purpose. It was as big and intimidating as the chair in which Jay sat; as big and intimidating as the balding man himself. But things had changed. She was Kathleen Cotter, soon to be associated with the firm of O'Doul & Associates. She wouldn't be intimidated by anyone. Still, she faltered a bit when Jay slid his eyes up briefly. He never made eye contact.

  ''Mr. Dorty?''

  ''Yep?''

  He had been laboring over a letter. He did that a lot yet she never saw a stack of mail waiting for the postman. Once Kathleen had offered to take the mail to the Post Office and he hadn't spoken to her for a week. That's when Cherie became her friend, ushering her out of the office and explaining what was what. Dorty's name was on the door, they labored for Dorty, it was useless to try to be friends with a man who made up an imaginary partner because he thought two names looked better on the door than one. Kathleen took her words to heart yet secretly longed for some sort of connection, professional-to-professional. Now, before she made it, she was going to sever it. Kathleen hated leaving something so important undone.

  ''Jay.'' Kathleen cleared her throat and changed her tact. She was headed west, to Beverly Hills. She might as well start acting like someone who belonged in Beverly Hills. ''Jay, I'm leaving Dorty & Breyer.''

  She waited. The pen wasn't scratching anymore. Slowly Jay Dorty sat back. His eyes slid from the top of her blond head to the middle of her knees. Her ankles were hidden by the desk or he would have traveled the whole route. He looked downright surprised and when he looked her in the eye again he actually looked sad. Kathleen answered him with an equally sympathetic look then remembered what she was about.

  ''I want you to know how much I've enjoyed working here. Not only did I learn a lot handling all those personal injury cases and divorces, but I was honored when you asked me to be your spokesperson on your cable commercial.'' She smiled, closed mouthed. It made her eyes crinkle mischievously. When he didn't smile back, she recomposed herself. ''But, Jay, I've got an offer and it's big. I'm going to work in Beverly Hills.'' Silence. Her voice faltered. She deflated like a balloon when he didn't respond. ''Really,'' she insisted.

  Jay Dorty put his hands over his eyes and bowed his head. Kathleen took a little step to the right and cocked her own trying to see under his fingers. He looked like he was crying. She felt horrible. It had been wrong to come on so strong. Her voice softened but the message was clear. ''I'd like to leave as soon as possible, but I'll stay as long as you need me. As long as my clients need me.''

  Jay dropped his hand. His eyes were red rimmed, but there were no tears. He took a great deep breath through his great broad nose.

  ''No problem. Take off whenever. Cherie can pick up the slack.''

  He was scribbling again.

  Kathleen smiled wanly.

  That hurt.

  When she left his offic
e she had no idea that Jay Dorty was already regretting her departure. There was no one, after all, who left a room the way Kathleen Cotter did.

  CHAPTER ONE

  ''Excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you.''

  The woman stopped and looked Kathleen's way. Her eyes were shaded by the brim of a beautiful straw hat. Beneath the shadows and the sunglasses were fabulous cheekbones. Beneath the woman's throat was equally defined and impressive. Her collar bones stuck out further than her nearly concave chest. She hitched an impossibly large straw bag over her shoulder and shifted what little weight she had from one expensively sandaled, beautifully manicured foot to the other.

  A huge diamond on her ring finger sent a blinding prism Kathleen's way but Kathleen still managed to see that the woman looked her up and down. Kathleen would have blushed under such scrutiny if she hadn't already been flushed with the heat. When it became obvious she didn't quite measure up to Beverly Hills emaciated chic, Kathleen smiled apologetically. The woman did not smile back. Kathleen moved a bit closer, ready to beg if she had to. She was already half an hour late and that was not a great way to impress your new employer.

  ''I wonder if you could direct me to the office of Gerry O'Doul. 1820 Beverly,'' Kathleen asked.

  ''What does he do?'' The woman drawled, covering her odd curiosity beautifully. Now Kathleen was surprised. She had thought Beverly Hills was an intimate town where everyone knew the rich, powerful and famous.

  ''He's an attorney,'' Kathleen answered patiently.

  ''Divorce?'' The woman tipped her round sunglasses to eye Kathleen more closely.

  ''Criminal,'' she answered helpfully. The glasses went back on the woman's nose.