An Equal Justice
Page 19
“Welcome to Gray and Adams, Attorneys at Law,” Thomas said enthusiastically.
“I thought you said we could go with Adams and Gray?”
“Ha! Details. You want to see your new office?”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
They went inside the building and took the rickety stairwell up to the second level because the elevator was currently broken. Behind a wooden door in the front left corner, Thomas showed him into a greeting room surrounded by three tiny offices. All the rooms were smaller than Leo’s paralegal office at Hunter & Kellerman. The whole office suite was less than half the size of H&K’s lobby. There was no art on the walls, and there were no rugs on the floors. No receptionist. No assistants. No paralegals.
Thomas walked him into a front office with a window looking out over Congress. A cheap IKEA-like desk sat in the middle with an office chair behind it that looked like it had been purchased at Walmart. No more $3,000 Italian executive chairs. No more expansive views. David could hear music playing at Speakeasy next door and could smell alcohol fumes leaking through the cheap walls.
“What do you think, partner?” Thomas asked.
“It’s perfect.”
Thomas laughed. “Whatever, QB—we’ve got to start somewhere, right?”
“Seriously, Thomas, I’m happy to be here.”
“Me, too.” Thomas clapped him on the back. “I’ll help you bring your boxes up later. I’ve got prospective foster parents coming here in a few minutes, so I need to get ready for that meeting. Lori has spaghetti in the mini-fridge in the back office, if you’re hungry.”
David stared out the window toward the Frost Bank Tower. It felt surreal that he’d survived a near-death encounter with Mark Appleton in the lobby just two months ago. Things had unfolded quickly in the aftermath: Marty Lyons had been arrested on the spot. The next day, the FBI had apprehended Joe Landon while he climbed into his private plane to flee the country. Both Lyons and Landon were currently in jail and awaiting trial. Because Appleton had tampered with the lobby security cameras just moments before he’d accosted David, the police had been unable to identify the mystery man who had inexplicably saved David’s life before disappearing. But David had gotten word through Jen’s detective friend that the contents of the flash drive included incriminating communications between Lyons and Landon.
Larue had immediately been released from jail. Even with a bum knee, the kid practically danced out the doors into freedom, where David and the boys from the Camp embraced him. David was doing everything he could to help the guys survive being back out on the streets after the Camp’s tragic demise.
David opened his briefcase and pulled out a few notepads, some folders, and a box of pens. Reaching into the corner of the briefcase, he grabbed the small framed picture Jen had given him. It was the photo of him and Benny, arms draped over each other’s shoulders. David smiled. Sure, the old man had used him as part of his intricate plan. But Benny had also opened his eyes to a different world. He was grateful for that.
Next, he pulled out the official paperwork for his recent purchase of twenty acres of undeveloped land out near the airport—Benny’s land—which he’d been able to financially secure before giving official notice at Hunter & Kellerman. The purchase of the land was a start. He still had a lot of money to raise, but he was determined to somehow get there. Benny’s dream of a village for the boys would become a reality one day soon.
David returned to the window, stared down at Congress. The image of him parking his old truck at the curb and walking inside the building across the street for the first time felt like a lifetime ago. Everything had changed. He was still a lawyer. He would just have different clients now. Most of them wore dirty clothes. Some even had missing teeth. And none of them could pay him much of anything. But he was okay with that.
His future had never felt so rich.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thirteen years ago, a man named Alan Graham, who founded an incredible nonprofit called Mobile Loaves & Fishes, walked me deep into the woods of East Austin late on a Tuesday night and forever changed my world. Never in my life had I been more warmly embraced by a group of caring men—men just like those at the Camp. As with David in An Equal Justice, this late-night experience changed everything for me. Since then, my wife and I have felt so privileged to serve our brothers and sisters on the streets.
I’m thrilled to tell you that Benny’s fictional dream of creating a village for the boys has become a true-to-life reality here in Austin. We call it Community First! Village, a fifty-one-acre master-planned community that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for the disabled, chronically homeless. It has been the thrill of my life to have helped birth this dream into existence. You can find out more about my involvement with this incredible community on my website: www.chadzunker.com.
While I certainly hope An Equal Justice entertains you, I also hope it opens your mind and touches your heart. So the next time you may find yourself staring at the dirty face of someone begging for money on a sidewalk or holding a cardboard sign on a random street corner, you’ll think about Benny’s humanity—and you’ll remember that a bigger story is being told. And maybe, just maybe, you’re supposed to be part of that story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2017 Amy Melsa
Chad Zunker is the author of the bestselling Sam Callahan thriller series: The Tracker, Shadow Shepherd, and Hunt the Lion. He studied journalism at the University of Texas, where he was also on the football team. He has worked for some of the country’s most powerful law firms and also has invented baby products that are sold all over the world. He lives in Austin with his wife, Katie, and their three daughters and is hard at work on the next David Adams legal thriller. For more information on the author and his writing, visit www.chadzunker.com.