by Dave Daren
“Yeah,” he said. “We’re rewriting your part completely. AJ couldn’t write you. She said it was too weird, so she made your part totally opposite.”
I laughed. “That would be weird. What did she end up with?”
“The lawyer is this super funny airhead woman,” he said, “who falls ass backwards into evidence. Her parts are actually hilarious.”
“She’s got a good sense of humor,” I said. “That July Fourth play…”
“‘I’m a Redcoat and I know it’,” we both sang in unison.
The play’s iconic part included the British soldiers doing goofy synchronized dance to a parody of LMFAO’s song, “I’m Sexy and I Know It.”
“I think it’s a good first project for our new company,” he said. “You know, considering that’s how you moved here and all.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I guess we’ve all come full circle.”
“I know, and you’re getting married, dude,” he snorted. “I can’t believe that. You’re getting all old, sunset of your youth and shit.”
“Hey,” I laughed. “I’ve still got plenty of my youth left.”
He shrugged and sipped the beer bottle. I was getting used to seeing him as an adult, and him drinking, albeit underage, didn’t look so foreign anymore.
“You still in Landon’s RV?” I asked.
He nodded.
“How do you like it?” I asked.
“It’s a good place,” Phoenix sighed. “I’m not there much. You know, I’m out on my dirtbike filming a lot. Mainly just come home to edit.”
“You working anywhere?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I have the rest of the South America money, and now, we’ve got our own project.”
“That we do,” I said.
Vicki found me at this point, she came out of the house and laughed when saw me.
“Henry,” she said. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
I raised my eyebrow as her voice had tiniest slur. Phoenix snickered.
“Look at that,” he smirked. “L.A. Lady’s tipsy.”
I shot him a dirty look and he just smiled and looked away.
“Come on,” Vicki grabbed my arm. “It’s a dance party inside. Everybody’s having a good time. Come dance.”
Her eyes twinkled and her smile was bright. I smiled and rose from the garden bench and followed her.
“What were you two discussing?” she said as we made it through the throngs of people.
“We’re in business,” I said.
“Thank God,” Vicki rolled her eyes. “It took long enough.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“I saw it coming the moment he entered the film festival,” she said.
We were in the living room now, and there were people everywhere. The room was littered with guitars, amps and miles of cable, and probably a dozen musicians played someone’s original. It was a poppy guitar number, and along the sides of the room, people danced in throngs. Vicki and I were enmeshed in a crowd of people. There was my cousin Jeanie with dreadlocks, and her daughter, ten year old Maddie who busted out some questionably mature moves. Then, a lot of people I didn’t know. The music must have gone on for close to an hour, and Vicki and I goofed around.
I looked around at the crowd of people stuffed into my family’s house, music swirling from every direction. I thought about the deal I had just made with my brother to invest in a production studio.
I surveyed the scene and just laughed. Was it any wonder that I became an entertainment lawyer?
Chapter 10
Kelsi’s arraignment was set for ten in the morning, at the federal courthouse in Phoenix, Vicki and I drove the two hours out.
Most of our firm’s court appearances I’ve done alone, but with my new resolve to give Vicki more room, I wanted her there.
But, since this was also our firm’s first federal case with multiple moving angles, and one that I feared we would be working on for quite a while, I still wanted to keep my hands in the pot.
It had nothing to do with Vicki or my confidence in her. It had to do with keeping a handle on my own business. I hoped she understood that, I tried to communicate it to her.
She and I had a fairly good handle on being together and working together. But, since I had considerably more experience than her, and all of our firm’s startup costs came out of my pocket, I did take the senior role in our business.
That was a runaround way of saying, yeah, I was her boss. I tried hard not to let that dynamic get in our relationship, and it seemed to work pretty well so far. I felt like we had a pretty solid balance, actually.
But as her boss, I honestly felt guilty about the lack of real trial work we had coming in for her. As a junior partner in L.A., she would have been in court dozens of times by now.
This was overall, my big concern with the firm’s growth. But, I had to take into account that all law firms in this area would be the same experience. I wanted to find a way though to get her more of a case load.
We arrived at the federal courthouse in Phoenix. It was an intimidating building, a towering edifice of glass that took up nearly an entire block.
“Geez,” Vicki said. “They’re going to throw the book at her aren’t they?”
“Likely,” I said as we entered the courthouse.
Inside, the architecture had completely ditched the courthouse look, and went with almost an artistic design with towering glass walls, balcony overhangs and circular office blocks. Everwhere, figures in suits and heels rushed around us like ants, steps clicking against the linoleum while they talked in hurried tones.
Kelsi met up with us, a slender figure in a black pantsuit, and blonde hair in long curls, fastened on one side with a gold hairpin. She was accompanied by another woman, who wore a tailored lavender dress and pumps.
“This is my mother, Carol,” Kelsi introduced us.
“Hi, Carol,” we greeted her and shook hands.
Carol had willowing grayish brown hair that reminded me of my mother. She smoothed her dress as if the conservative attire grated against her tendencies.
“How was the drive out?” I asked.
“Long,” Carol said. “We haven’t driven to Phoenix in...I don’t know how long. There’s too many freeways, it gives me anxiety.”
I laughed. “You should try living in L.A,” I said. “The traffic out here’s like a trip to the grocery store.”
Carol and Kelsi both moaned and shook their heads.
“God no,” Carol said. “I could not handle that. No thank you.”
“Well, you made it,” I smiled. “That’s the important part.”
Kelsi was quiet and wore oversized dark glasses. With all the pieces to this case, I had to remind myself that she was a grieving widow.
“Good to see you Kelsi,” Vicki told her.. “How you holding up?”
“Some days are better than others,” she shrugged.
I nodded and wished I had something comforting to say. There wasn’t much, considering she was about to enter her plea, that would effectively jump start a long and tedious legal battle that could very well end up with her in federal prison.
“Well,” Vicki said. “You look strong and together.”
No, she didn’t.
Kelsi grimaced. “I don’t feel that way,” her voice quivered.
She turned her back to us for a second, and then turned back to us with a sniffle and a fake smile. Yeah, she wouldn’t hold up in court like this.
“Kelsi, you’ve got this,” Vicki held her hands. “You’re a mom. That’s a superpower. Don’t you know that?”
Kelsi laughed, and I smiled. Ah yes, that side of Vicki. Vick had this uncanny ability to launch into this small town mom thing, that always confused and amazed me.
In small towns, people typically married younger and, by the time they were our age, most had already started their families. So, many of our Sedona friends were in a very different stage of life than we were. Vicki, somehow, k
new how to channel that energy, and could talk about childbirth plans and toilet training techniques as if she had birthed a minivan full of kids. It was weird, but it always worked in our favor, and seemed to relax our married friends. As for me, I got squeamish if someone asked me to hold their baby.
Vicki went on to calm Kelsi’s nerves, and bring her into the moment, asking about her boys. It worked on Kelsi but it made me wonder a bit. Vicki and I had never really talked about having kids. I guess we spent our lives chasing murderers and zebras and investing in kombucha factories that we hadn’t really had that conversation.
I didn’t know what I thought about kids. I guess, if I had to pick, I wanted what Vicki wanted. I smirked as I realized that. Could I be more in love?
Vicki finally got Kelsi emotionally grounded, and we walked into the courtroom. I shot Vicki a look and she just shook her head. She let Kesli pass a couple of steps in front of us, and then lightly brushed my hand.
We walked into the courtroom, a modern carpeted room with cushioned rows and podiums for the defendant and prosecution. We took our seats in the defendant’s box---a small booth behind a microphone podium.
Opposite us, sat a slim woman with dark hair and glasses, in a smart maroon pantsuit. She sat primly and looked over notes as if this were the fiftieth thing she had on her agenda this morning. I assumed this was Agent Winslow, with prosecutor’s office
Vicki looked over her notes and whispered to Kelsi, who reluctantly removed her sunglasses to swollen and red eyes. Yesterday, I thought she was a cheating scumbag, and yeah, maybe she still was. But, today I felt sorry for her. Alone with two sons. That’s got to kill you.
“All rise for the judge,” the bailiff shouted. “Judge Robert Crenshaw.”
Judge Crenshaw was an older man, he looked to be in his late seventies, with a craggy face and moved with great difficulty. He wore thick glasses, and had a half head of white hair.
We stood as Judge Crenshaw took considerable time getting into the bench.
“You may be seated,” the bailiff finally called out
Our little band of anti-smugglers sat and I looked over my notes. Kelsi was standing by her not guilty plea, and there was nothing I could do about it. We were in for the long haul, and this wasn’t Sedona. I was dealing with the Department of Justice, and they knew their shit ten times better than I did.
“Thank you,” Judge Crenshaw’s voice warbled, but his sharp green eyes peered at us with a steady gaze.
“This is the matter of the United States versus Kelsi Matthews,” his voice had a slight twang, but his formal tone indicated this was anything but a small town affair. “Prosecution, please state your appearances.”
“Federal Agent Ashley Winslow,” the woman in maroon stated into a microphone.
“Thank you,” Creshaw stated. “And the defense?”
Vicki stood and stated in the mic,“Vicki Park, and Henry Irving, counsel, and Kelsi Matthews the defendant.”
“Thank you,” the judge stated.
I looked over at Kelsi, whom, at this point looked stoic as ever. Some clients handle the emotional roller coaster of court appearances emotionally, others don’t.
“Ms. Matthews,” the judge said. “You have been charged with smuggling of contraband poached wildlife overseas, a third degree felony.”
I heard Kelsi take in a breath at the word ‘felony.’ Yeah, that’s always a difficult one for clients to hear.
“Do you understand these charges?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your honor,” she said.
“How do you plea?” the judge asked.
I found myself waiting with anticipation. I knew how she was going to plea, but I hoped she would change her mind at the last second.”
“Not guilty, your honor,” she said.
“We’ll set a trial date six weeks from today,” the judge said as she banged the gavel. “Court adjourned.”
As soon as we left the courtroom, Kelsi fanned out her palms and took a deep breath. Carol rejoined us and looked at Kelsi with concern.
“Well that’s over,” Kelsi said. “I feel like my stomach is in knots.”
“Don’t worry,” Vicki told her. “We’re going to beat these charges.”
“You’re the best in Sedona,” Carol said. “We have full confidence in you.”
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” I said. “But we haven’t lost a case yet.”
“I like to hear that,” Carol said.
Kelsi just looked tired.
“We’ve got a long drive ahead of us,” Carol said. “We’ll see you around.”
“Definitely,” I said.
Carol and Kelsi clacked through the lobby and out of our vision. I turned to Vicki.
“Here we go again,” I said.. “The rush of another criminal trial.”
“You know you live for this stuff,” Vicki said.
I laughed. “I do. I just hoped we’d get a little more experience under our belt before we take on the DOJ.”
“No you don’t,” she laughed. “You love the adrenaline rush. I’d like to think if you weren’t a lawyer, you’d be one of those extreme sports guys, jumping off cliffs.”
“Maybe,” I laughed.
“You know that’s why I love you,” she smiled.
“Is that why?” I said. “Cause I still can’t figure it out. I thought it was the hair.”
“Nah,” she said. “The ass maybe, but not the hair.”
I laughed as we exited the building and headed out to the parking garage.
“On another note,” Vicki said. “We’ve got to meet with the wedding planner this week.”
“Ah, yes,” I remembered. “Jessica. Have we officially hired her.”
“We have,” I said. “It’s just she lives in Tucson so we’ve only talked to her on the phone. She’s got an office in Flagstaff, she’ll be here later this week. We get to talk cake and invitations and all that fun stuff.”
“Haven’t you and Harmony already been doing that?” I asked.
“We’ve just been kicking around ideas,” she said. ”But, here’s the thing. And you can’t let her know that you know, or that I know, because she doesn’t want us to know.”
“That’s good because I genuinely don’t know,” I laughed.
“No, seriously,” she said. “Your mom accidentally let it slip. She’s painting a gift for us.”
“Really?” I asked. “That’s sweet. What’s she painting?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “It’s supposed to be a surprise. But, in a way, she’s part of our story, how we got together.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” I said.
We reached my car, and it beeped when I clicked the key fob.
“So,” Vicki said, “I thought maybe we could somehow display it at the wedding. Or have her paint something for the wedding. Like a backdrop, or something. I think having original art at our would be kind of cool.”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “I think I’m just going to have to give in to being artsy fartsy. I do own a production studio now.”
She laughed. “So, what about that? How much are you investing?”
“He hasn’t given me a number yet,” I said. “I told him to come up with a budget and get back to me. So here’s the thing. The first film they’re doing is AJ’s screenplay on the Harmony case.”
“What?” she asked incredulously. “Does Harmony even know?”
“Yeah,” I said. “She’s marginally into it from what it sounds like. But, I didn’t even know AJ was writing that.”
“Okay,” Vicki admitted as we slipped into the car. “I did.”
“You did?” I asked.
I sat in the driver’s seat and let the keys fall into my lap.
“Yeah,” she said. “She talked to me about it, when she first came up with the idea. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to finish it, or that it would be any good, so she didn’t want to involve you or your family until she was sure that her writing h
ad any momentum. You know how weird she gets about her writing.”
“Yeah,” I said.
She reads poetry at a bookstore, but she didn’t want anyone she knew to ever attend--that included Vicki and I. I turned on the car and pulled out of the garage.
“And your mom,” Vicki laughed.
I laughed. We approached the parking booth, and I paid the ticket.
“She does have a strange fascination with my mom,” I said as I drove out of the garage and onto the street.
The light of the mid-morning was a contrast to the shaded garage and I flipped the visor down.
“I think it’s sweet,” Vicki said.
“Phoenix is all over the screenplay,” I said.
“I think it will be good,” she said. “I read a couple of scenes. It’s cute. You’ll like it.”
The drive back to Sedona took the better part of the afternoon, and it was almost the end of the day when we neared the office. I contemplated just going home and texting AJ to lock up, but then my phone beeped with a text from her.
Jim Hurley’s at the office. R u anywhere close?
Five minutes I texted her back.
“Jim’s at the office,” I told Vicki.
“Ah,” she replied. “We’d better rush back before he and AJ kill each other.”
I laughed and it wasn’t long before we got back in. Jim was waiting, and both he and AJ looked relieved.
“Jim,” I smiled. “How’s it going?”
“Hey guys,” he said. “I tried to call but your phones were off.”
“Court,” Vicki and I said in unison as we turned our ringers back on.
“Ah,” he said. “We need you to come out to the build site. The construction foreman wants to look around. I can take him out there, but we thought you’d want to meet him.”
I turned to Vicki.
“Yeah,” she said. “We definitely want to meet the construction foreman.”
“Great,” he said. “Sorry about the time crunch. I’m on my way out there now if you want.”
I turned to AJ. “It should be an hour or so. You can handle everything?”
She winked and saluted and then shot me a look. Yeah, yeah, cool your heels, I’m getting Jim out of here.
“Alright,” I told Jim and Vicki. “Let’s go out there.”
