Part 54 (2/2)

'Sure.'

'Hold on. I'll put her on.'

A small voice came over. 'h.e.l.lo.'

'Mom, it's Book.'

'What book?'

'No ... it's John. Your son.'

'My son?'

'You want to live with me?'

'Who?'

Joanie came back on. 'Sorry, Book, it's a cloudy day for her.'

'I'll take care of her.'

He would take care of her, but who would take care of him?

He walked into his office where he found a young woman sitting at his work table and reading his mail. She had a sucker in her mouth.

'Who are you?'

She removed the sucker. It was a red Tootsie Roll Pop.

'Veronica Cross. I'm your new intern. But I don't work nights or weekends, I don't do-'

'Where's Nadine?'

'She quit.'

'Why?'

Veronica shrugged her shoulders. 'All she said was she didn't go to law school to get shot at and run off the road and put into the hospital and drink lousy coffee in West Texas. She was just joking, right, Professor?'

Book walked over and stared out the window at the campus. Sooner or later they all quit.

'Right, Professor?'

He sighed. 'Yes, Ms. Cross. She was just joking.'

'I thought so.'

'The coffee wasn't that bad.'

He turned to his new intern. She was not dressed like a student, but like a lawyer in a high-collared white blouse, long black skirt, and s.h.i.+ny black heels. Her short black hair was neatly done, and her makeup perfect. She sat with erect posture.

'Oh, she did say one more thing.'

'What's that?'

'Something about living without a net, whatever that means. I heard she quit law school and is moving to France to become a chef. Is that crazy or what?'

Book smiled. 'Or what.'

'And she said to tell you that you're her hero.'

'She said that?'

'Uh, yeah.'

Veronica gestured with the Tootsie Roll Pop at the stack of mail on the table in front of her.

'So let me get this straight: pathetic people from all over the country write these letters to you and expect you to drop everything and run off and help them? Like you've got nothing better to do? I mean, seriously?'

'Seriously.'

'So I've got to read about all their pitiful lives every week?'

'Every week.'

She exhaled. 'These people should stop whining about injustice and go out and get a job and make something of themselves.'

'A little compa.s.sion-challenged, are we, Ms. Cross?'

Veronica Cross groaned. 'Oh, G.o.d. My dad was right. He watches you on TV, said you were a liberal Democrat.'

Book smiled again. Perhaps the interns.h.i.+p would prove helpful to Ms. Cross.

'Let me know if you find any letters I should read.'

Veronica held out an envelope, almost reluctantly.

'Well ... this one is sort of interesting.'

About the author.

Born and educated in Texas, Mark Gimenez attended law school at Notre Dame, Indiana, and practiced with a large Dallas law firm. He lives in Texas. He has written six previous novels: The Colour of Law, The Abduction, The Perk, The Common Lawyer, Accused, and The Governor's Wife.

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