“Do you know what his father did for a living?”
“No.”
“He was a civil engineer in Bern.”
Franz was putting new bait on his hook and looked up. “There. It’s in his blood.”
Alfred caught a fish and reeled it in. “What about you?” he asked. “What do you want to do?”
“Maybe I’ll become a fisherman,” Franz said with a smile. “I hated math in school.”
“Would you like to stay and work with me? We could get a bigger boat and expand the business.”
“Yes, I want to stay here and be a fisherman with you,” Otto replied, speaking over his shoulder. “And we don’t have to get a bigger boat. I like this one.”
“Being an engineer doesn’t mean you can’t fish,” his grandfather replied. “But taking care of the river will help every fisherman. And the fish.”
Otto hunched over and didn’t reply. Alfred looked at Franz.
“Well?”
“I can’t say right now,” Franz said slowly. “But I appreciate you letting me stay with you and Otto.”
“You saved my life.”
“And you saved mine.”
“How did Opa save your life?” Otto asked, turning around. “You pulled him out of the river.”
“There are other ways to save someone.”
Otto rolled his eyes. Alfred and Franz laughed.
That night while Franz was listening to the French radio station, the announcer played a message in English from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of the Allied forces in Europe. Franz didn’t speak English and without a French translation wouldn’t have understood the speech by the American general. But as he listened to the unfamiliar words, Franz felt a churning in his stomach and an undeniable pull across the Atlantic.
Leaving the cottage, he walked in the light of a full moon to the riverbank and sat down. As he watched the double-reflected light bounce off the surface of the water, he decided two things—he would become a fisherman and he would go to America.
CHAPTER 32
What do you think?” Blocker asked Parker as they stood in the foyer of the house on Pollock Street.
“Wow,” Parker said. “I had no idea they’d spent so much time and money on the renovation. It’s probably better than when it was brand-new.”
“Back then they didn’t know about telecommunication switch-boxes, internal cable connections, or central air-conditioning. Let’s go upstairs to see your future office.”
Parker was uncomfortable with Blocker’s unquestioning confidence that Parker was going to accept the trial lawyer’s invitation to become an associate. However, as they climbed the stairs, Parker had an unusual experience. In a matter of seconds he witnessed himself climbing the stairs hundreds and hundreds of times. His body was a blur as he ascended to the second floor of the building.
They reached a broad landing that dwarfed the one for Branham and Camp.
“Here it is,” Blocker announced with a flourish of his hand. “It was the master bedroom suite for the house.”
They stepped through a broad door into a long room with a fireplace, massive crown moldings, and multiple windows that generously welcomed natural light. An infant nursery attached to the master suite would be available for a secretarial space.
“Like I said, a big space helps germinate great ideas,” Blocker added.
“It’s beautiful,” Parker said and then felt silly for not coming up with a different word.
“But you won’t be able to stomp around,” Blocker said. “My office in the former dining room is directly beneath this room.”
Blocker checked his watch. “Let’s go back to Branham and Camp for a few minutes to discuss the Ferguson case. Afterward, I need to call Layla. I’ve planned a surprise for her tomorrow and need to let her know when I’m going to pick her up.”
“Uh, I need to talk to you about Layla,” Parker responded. “We’ve been spending time together, and I really, really like her.”
“Excellent.” Blocker’s eyes lit up. “I think that’s great. She needs to meet someone like you who has integrity, brains, and a strong intuitive streak. And you can keep her interested. That’s not easy.”
Parker absorbed Blocker’s rapid-fire analysis of his personality.
“Uh, thanks,” he said. “But she’s given me a nonnegotiable ultimatum. If I accept your job offer, she’s not going to date me. It seems like an extreme position for her to take, but I guess it all goes back to—”
“The fact that she blames me for everything negative that’s happened in her life,” Blocker supplied, “which is ridiculous. You’re a lawyer. You know there are two sides to every situation. Layla’s mother and I split by mutual agreement, and Layla’s marriage to Mitchell Donovan was doomed by their immaturity.”
Even if Blocker withdrew the job offer, Parker wasn’t going to drop the subject without seeing it through.
“Whether Layla is right or not, she believes it would be toxic for her to be romantically involved with another man who works for you.”
“Do you agree with her?” Blocker asked.
“No,” Parker blurted out. “I don’t know anything about Mitchell, but I’m a different man, and this is a different relationship.”
“I agree,” Blocker replied with satisfaction.
Parker glanced at the stairwell, which in his mind’s eye he’d already climbed hundreds of times, and strained for a moment to discern whether Layla ever accompanied him. She wasn’t in the picture.
“And I’m confident you can work this out with Layla,” Blocker continued. “You’re strong enough to keep her from running over you.”
Parker didn’t agree with Blocker’s assessment of his daughter but doubted there was common ground for additional discussion.
They returned to Branham and Camp. The firm was inexorably beginning to seem like Parker’s former employer. He and Blocker climbed the stairs and reached Vicki’s desk. Vicki greeted Blocker with an added dose of personal enthusiasm.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Blocker, but Greg had to leave,” she said. “He apologized.”
“We’ll catch up later,” Blocker replied.
Parker led the way to his office and spent the next thirty minutes trying to keep up with Blocker’s constant stream of comments, questions, and suggestions about the Ferguson case.
“All right,” Blocker said, taking a breath. “What are your action steps?”
Parker checked his notes and rattled off five items.
“You forgot one,” Blocker said when he finished.
“What is it?” Parker asked, looking up.
“Give me an answer about the job offer.”
“I’d like more time to consider—”
“You don’t need it, and I’m not going to give it to you,” Blocker replied briskly. “I’ve learned to read people pretty well, and I believe you made up your mind standing outside your new office a few minutes ago. Here’s what I’m willing to do.”
Blocker quickly summarized the terms of the offer, which included everything from free health care to a profit-sharing plan that would be fully vested within five years. Parker’s salary would increase immediately by forty percent, with the “potential for the future” rising up before him like a lofty mountain whose summit disappeared in the clouds. While he listened, Parker tried to imagine himself saying no. He couldn’t.
“Could I give Greg and Dexter Camp a two-week notice?” he asked when Blocker finished.
“Do you think that’s necessary?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t,” Blocker replied, standing up. “Most firms turn off a departing associate’s computer as soon as he quits and escort him from the premises, especially if the attorney is going to work with a competitor.”
Parker could certainly imagine a similar scenario with Greg. “Okay. I’ll talk to him first thing Monday morning.”
“Fine. That will give you a chance to move out over the weekend.” Blocker pul
led a key out of his pocket with a smile and handed it to Parker. “I was confident you would accept the job and already bought the house on Pollock Street. I’ll need you there next week to oversee all the work that’s going to need to be done to get it fully ready.”
Parker almost felt like he was having another out-of-body experience.
“What if I’d said no?” he asked.
Blocker shrugged. “Every lawyer has contingency plans, but in this case it wasn’t necessary to implement one.”
“How will you handle Chet Ferguson’s case?” Parker asked. “Do you think you’ll be able to work out an arrangement with Greg to stay involved?”
“It will be more like Greg working out an arrangement with me. Mr. Ferguson and I have had several very productive conversations. He’s willing to let Greg continue as cocounsel. The client’s loyalty is more to you than Greg. If Greg has a problem with that deal, he’ll be left with a quantum meruit claim that I can promise will net him a lot less.”
Parker shouldn’t have been surprised that a lawyer like Blocker, who thought of every detail in a case, would be just as prepared when it came to the business side of a practice.
“And Vicki?” Parker asked.
“I’ll leave that up to you,” Blocker replied.
“Are you going to say anything about this to Layla?” Parker asked.
“I’ll be glad to.”
Parker quickly debated the best course of action. “No, I should tell her,” he said after a few moments passed.
“I completely agree. Oh, give me your personal e-mail address. I want to send you the employment agreement. Look it over and let me know if you have any questions. I’m sure you’ll find it acceptable. Also, one of my assistants is going to send you summaries of several files for you to look over this weekend.”
“I wouldn’t be comfortable using Greg’s account if there’s any legal research involved.”
“You won’t need it for what I’m looking for. These matters are ideally suited for your abilities.”
Parker stayed late at the office. After waiting until everyone was gone, he packed his personal belongings in several empty cardboard boxes and took them down to his car. Even though working for Greg hadn’t been a picnic, it was hard not to be nostalgic over leaving his first job. None of the office furniture belonged to him, but it had felt that way. He sat behind his desk and flipped through a few files that had been meaningful to him on a personal level. He picked up the photo of the Aare, which he knew would have a prominent place in his new office.
Parker heard footsteps in the hallway leading to his office. He placed the photo in the last box he was packing up. The thought of facing Greg without a weekend to prepare made him feel suddenly sick to his stomach.
Frank had enjoyed cleaning the boat for Parker and Layla. There was something about the prospect of the two young people spending time together that made his tired heart beat a little bit stronger. Each generation has the opportunity for new life regardless of the darkness from which it springs. Frank thought about the photo of Parker and Layla standing at the bow of the boat looking toward the future and resolved to place the picture in a frame as a symbol of hope.
As he sat on his back porch in the fading light, Frank listened to the sounds of the night emerge from the shadows. A pair of fruit bats dived across the yard in pursuit of insects awakening for the night’s activities. Nature’s sonar still exceeded anything man could manufacture, and the bat’s gift reminded him of his own. Like the bats, Frank had a kind of sonar, and now the same capability was obviously stirring in Parker’s life. The thought that his grandson would have to wrestle with how to handle witnessing the future made Frank shift uncomfortably in his chair. He closed his eyes and offered up a quick, simple prayer for help, for both Parker and himself. Before he reopened them, a scene from the past rose to the surface.
DRESDEN, 1929
The exact time gap between the night his opa placed his hands on Frank’s head and prayed for him and the older man’s death was hazy, but Frank could vividly remember his mother picking him up and holding him for a moment so he could peer down into the casket at the lifeless body that he knew, even at his young age, no longer contained the essence of the man who’d ministered with love and authority to the people who visited the little house in Dresden. After his mother lowered him to the floor, Franz stood at the head of the casket and refused to move when his mother urged him to. Lowering his head, he stared at the floor and shook his head when she touched his shoulder.
“I want to stay here,” he said.
“But, Franz,” she began, but she stopped when he looked up at her with stubborn determination in his eyes. “All right. I’ll be with your aunt Elise.”
Franz stayed put while other people passed by to pay their respects. Then the hair on his neck suddenly stood up, and he involuntarily shivered. Franz was conscious of a presence, not seen, but nonetheless there. Not scary in a bad way, but fearful in a good one. He glanced up and focused on a spot beyond the casket in the corner of the room. There was nothing to see, but he knew with certainty there was a power or force or person present that was more aware of him than he was of it. Then a calm peace and pure love flowed over him and enveloped him. And Franz remembered a strange thing, his grandfather’s best smile, the one that made him feel like he was the most important, most special boy in the whole world.
Frank opened his eyes, but his skin still tingled as the past intersected with the present. He needed to give that smile to Parker, and he hoped that somehow his grandson might be bathed in the same peace and love that had washed over him, only to be lost in war, then finally regained in old age. With Parker he hoped there wouldn’t be such a long detour from the right path.
“What are you doing here?” Dexter asked when he appeared in the doorway of Parker’s office.
“Daydreaming about boats,” Parker answered, holding up the photo of the Aare. “And you?”
“I was in the middle of supper and suddenly realized I hadn’t sent a document to a client that they need first thing Monday morning.”
Parker saw Dexter glance past him with a puzzled look. “Where are the other photos you had on your credenza?”
“Uh, I’m giving the one with my grandfather on his boat a rest.”
“Okay,” Dexter said and nodded. “How late are you going to be here? I know Greg can be a slave driver, but you need a life outside the office.”
“I do.”
“Well, let me know if he needs to back off. I’d hate to lose you.”
Parker swallowed. He felt terrible not telling Dexter about his plans, even though it was bad news.
“And I’ve enjoyed practicing with you,” he managed before he realized he’d inadvertently slipped into the past tense. “Except for Donna McAlpine.”
“What’s the status of her complaint?”
“I forgot to tell you. It was dismissed by the state bar at the first level of review.”
“Good.”
Dexter hesitated at the door. Parker held his breath and hoped his face didn’t reveal the tension he felt.
“See you later,” Dexter said. “I’ll be in my office for a few more minutes.”
As soon as Dexter left, Parker waited until he heard the door to Dexter’s office close. He quickly slipped out of the office and didn’t look back.
CHAPTER 33
Arriving at his apartment, Parker tossed Bosco a treat and walked up the stairs. Tom Blocker and his daughter, Layla, shared one characteristic—a strong, inflexible will. Parker’s phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket. It was Layla.
“Where are you?” she asked as soon as he answered.
“At my apartment.”
“You’re not at the office talking to my father?”
“He left hours ago. He told me he was going to see you.”
“He did and wanted me to cancel my boat trip with you tomorrow. I told him no.”
“Why?”
“Is th
at what you wanted me to do?”
“No, uh, yes. I mean, he told me he’d planned a surprise for you.”
“Oh, he wants to buy me a townhome overlooking the river. It’s always bothered him that I rent an apartment. He believes a townhome would be a good investment, so we went to see it after we ate supper.”
“Congratulations.”
“I turned him down.”
“What was wrong with it?”
“Nothing. It was gorgeous, but I’m not going to do it.”
“Why not?” Parker asked, confused.
“Because I’m trying to live a more independent life. And for me that means keeping a healthy distance between me and my father. It’s a commitment I made last year, and so far it’s been one of the best decisions of my life.”
Parker swallowed as he thought about the news he would deliver the following day.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “Can I pick you up around eight o’clock?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad we’re still on for tomorrow.”
“Me too. See you then.”
Parker arrived at Layla’s apartment at 7:55 a.m. The complex was in a less desirable part of town. A car parked next to Layla’s vehicle was sitting up on blocks with two of the tires removed. Next to it was a car in which the rear window glass had been completely shattered as if hit by a baseball bat or, worse, blown out with a shotgun blast. Layla came out wearing white shorts, a green top, and simple sandals. She had a beach bag in her hand and her camera over her shoulder.
“This area has gone downhill since I was in high school,” Parker said when he got out to open the car door for her. “Do you feel safe here?”
“Not always,” Layla replied as she settled into the passenger seat. “But it’s under my budget while I grow the business.”
“I can understand why your father wants to get you out of here. I’d feel the same way if you were my daughter.”
“And if you’re going to think about me as your daughter, let’s end the day right now, and I’ll go back to my apartment,” Layla replied.
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