Текст книги "Rage of Angels"

Автор книги: Sidney Sheldon

Соавторы: Sidney Sheldon
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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 25 страниц) [доступный отрывок для чтения: 10 страниц]

“Just a few weeks. I’ll give you a call when I get back.”

“Fine,” Jennifer said brightly. “Have a nice trip.”

She felt as though someone had died. She visualized Adam on a beach in Rio, surrounded by half-naked girls, or in a penthouse in Mexico City, drinking margaritas with a nubile, dark-eyed beauty, or in a Swiss chalet making love to– Stop it!Jennifer told herself. She should have asked him where he was going. It was probably a business trip to some dreary place where he would have no time for women, perhaps the middle of some desert where he would be working twenty-four hours a day.

She should have broached the subject, very casually, of course. Will you be taking a long plane trip? Do you speak any foreign languages? If you get to Paris, bring me back some Vervaine tea. I suppose the shots must be painful. Are you taking your wife with you? Am I losing my mind?

Ken had come into her office and was staring at her. “You’re talking to yourself. Are you okay?”

No!Jennifer wanted to shout. I need a doctor. I need a cold shower. I need Adam Warner.

She said, “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“Why don’t you get to bed early tonight?”

She wondered whether Adam would be going to bed early.

Father Ryan called. “I went to see Connie Garrett. She told me you’ve dropped by a few times.”

“Yes.” The visits were to assuage her feeling of guilt because she was unable to be of any help. It was frustrating.

Jennifer plunged herself into work, and still the weeks seemed to drag by. She was in court nearly every day and worked on briefs almost every night.

“Slow down. You’re going to kill yourself,” Ken advised her.

But Jennifer needed to exhaust herself physically and mentally. She did not want to have time to think. I’m a fool,she thought. An unadulterated fool.

It was four weeks before Adam called.

“I just got back,” he said. The sound of his voice thrilled her. “Can we meet for lunch somewhere?”

“Yes. I’d enjoy that, Adam.” She thought she had carried that off well. A simple Yes, I’d enjoy that, Adam.

“The Oak Room in the Plaza?”

“Fine.”

It was the most businesslike, unromantic dining room in the world, filled with affluent middle-aged wheelers and dealers, stockbrokers and bankers. It had long been one of the few remaining bastions of privacy for men, and its doors had only recently been opened to women.

Jennifer arrived early and was seated. A few minutes later, Adam appeared. Jennifer watched the tall, lean figure moving toward her and her mouth suddenly went dry. He looked tanned, and Jennifer wondered if her fantasies about Adam on some girl-ridden beach had been true. He smiled at her and took her hand, and Jennifer knew in that moment that it did not matter what logic she used about Adam Warner or married men. She had no control over herself. It was as though someone else were guiding her, telling her what she should do, telling her what she must do. She could not explain what was happening to her, for she had never experienced anything like it. Call it chemistry,she thought. Call it karma, call it heaven.All Jennifer knew was that she wanted to be in Adam Warner’s arms more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. Looking at him, she visualized his making love to her, holding her, his hard body on top of her, inside her, and she felt her face becoming red.

Adam said apologetically, “Sorry about the short notice. A client canceled a luncheon date.”

Jennifer silently blessed the client.

“I brought you something,” Adam said. It was a lovely green and gold silk scarf. “It’s from Milan.”

So that’swhere he had been. Italian girls.“It’s beautiful, Adam. Thank you.”

“Have you ever been to Milan?”

“No. I’ve seen pictures of the cathedral there. It’s lovely.”

“I’m not much of a sightseer. My theory is that if you’ve seen one church, you’ve seen them all.”

Later, when Jennifer thought about that luncheon, she tried to remember what they had talked about, what they had eaten, who had stopped by the table to say hello to Adam, but all she could remember was the nearness of Adam, his touch, his looks. It was as though he had her in some kind of spell and she was mesmerized, helpless to break it.

At one point Jennifer thought, I know what to do. I’ll make love with him. Once. It can’t be as wonderful as my fantasies. Then I’ll be able to get over him.

When their hands touched accidentally, it was like an electric charge between them. They sat there talking of everything and nothing, and their words had no meaning. They sat at the table, locked in an invisible embrace, caressing each other, making fierce love, naked and wanton. Neither of them had any idea what they were eating or what they were saying. There was a different, more demanding hunger in them and it kept mounting and mounting, until neither of them could stand it any longer.

In the middle of their luncheon, Adam put his hand over Jennifer’s and said huskily, “Jennifer—”

She whispered, “Yes. Let’s get out of here.”

Jennifer waited in the busy, crowded lobby while Adam registered at the desk. They were given a room in the old section of the Plaza Hotel, overlooking 58th Street. They used the back bank of elevators, and it seemed to Jennifer that it took forever to reach their floor.

If Jennifer was unable to remember anything about the luncheon, she remembered everything about their room. Years later, she could recall the view, the color of the drapes and carpets, and each picture and piece of furniture. She could remember the sounds of the city, far below, that drifted into the room. The images of that afternoon were to stay with her the rest of her life. It was a magic, multicolored explosion in slow motion. It was having Adam undress her, it was Adam’s strong, lean body in bed, his roughness and his gentleness. It was laughter and passion. Their hunger had built to a greed that had to be satisfied. The moment Adam began to make love to her, the words that flashed into Jennifer’s mind were, I’m lost.

They made love again and again, and each time was an ecstasy that was almost unbearable.

Hours later, as they lay there quietly, Adam said, “I feel as though I’m alive for the first time in my life.”

Jennifer gently stroked his chest and laughed aloud.

Adam looked at her quizzically. “What’s so funny?”

“Do you know what I told myself? That if I went to bed with you once, I could get you out of my system.”

He twisted around and looked down at her. “And—?”

“I was wrong. I feel as though you’re a part of me. At least”—she hesitated—“ partof you is a part of me.”

He knew what she was thinking.

“We’ll work something out,” Adam said. “Mary Beth is leaving Monday for Europe with her aunt for a month.”

14

Jennifer and Adam Warner were together almost every night.

He spent the first night at her uncomfortable little apartment and in the morning he declared, “We’re taking the day off to find you a decent place to live.”

They went apartment hunting together, and late that afternoon Jennifer signed a lease in a new high-rise building off Sutton Place, called The Belmont Towers. The sign in front of the building had read Sold Out.

“Why are we going in?” Jennifer asked.

“You’ll see.”

The apartment they looked at was a lovely five-room duplex, beautifully furnished. It was the most luxurious apartment Jennifer had ever seen. There was a master bedroom and bath upstairs, and downstairs a guest bedroom with its own bath and a living room that had a spectacular view of the East River and the city. There was a large terrace, a kitchen and a dining room.

“How do you like it?” Adam asked.

“Like it? I love it,” Jennifer exclaimed, “but there are two problems, darling. First of all, I couldn’t possibly afford it. And secondly, even if I could, it belongs to someone else.”

“It belongs to our law firm. We leased it for visiting VIP’s. I’ll have them find another place.”

“What about the rent?”

“I’ll take care of that. I—”

“No.”

“That’s crazy, darling. I can easily afford it and—”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand, Adam. I have nothing to give you except me. I want that to be a gift.”

He took her in his arms and Jennifer snuggled against him and said, “I know what—I’ll work nights.”

Saturday they went on a shopping spree. Adam bought Jennifer a beautiful silk nightgown and robe at Bonwit Teller, and Jennifer bought Adam a Turnbull & Asser shirt. They purchased a chess game at Gimbel’s and cheesecake in Junior’s near Abraham & Straus. They bought a Fortnum & Mason plum pudding at Altman’s, and books at Doubleday. They visited the Gammon Shop and Caswell-Massey, where Adam bought Jennifer enough potpourri to last for ten years. They had dinner around the corner from the apartment.

They would meet at the apartment in the evening after work and discuss the day’s events, and Jennifer would cook dinner while Adam set the table. Afterward, they read or watched television or played gin rummy or chess. Jennifer prepared Adam’s favorite dishes.

“I’m shameless,” she told him. “I won’t stop at anything.”

He held her close. “Please don’t.”

It was strange, Jennifer thought. Before they began their affair they saw each other openly. But now that they were lovers, they dared not appear in public together, so they went to places where they were not apt to run into friends: small family restaurants downtown, a chamber music concert at the Third Street Music School Settlement. They went to see a new play at the Omni Theatre Club on 18th Street and had dinner at the Grotta Azzurra on Broome Street, and ate so much that they swore off Italian food for a month. Only we don’t have a month,Jennifer thought. Mary Beth was returning in fourteen days.

They went to The Half Note to hear avant-garde jazz in the Village, and peeked into the windows of the small art galleries.

Adam loved sports. He took Jennifer to watch the Knicks play, and Jennifer got so caught up in the game she cheered until she was hoarse.

On Sunday they lazed around, having breakfast in their robes, trading sections of the Times,listening to the church bells ring across Manhattan, each offering up its own prayer.

Jennifer looked over at Adam absorbed in the crossword puzzle and thought: Say a prayer for me.She knew that what she was doing was wrong. She knew that it could not last. And yet, she had never known such happiness, such euphoria. Lovers lived in a special world, where every sense was heightened, and the joy Jennifer felt now with Adam was worth any price she would have to pay later. And she knew she was going to have to pay.

Time took on a different dimension. Before, Jennifer’s life had been measured out in hours and meetings with clients. Now her time was counted by the minutes she could spend with Adam. She thought about him when she was with him, and she thought about him when she was away from him.

Jennifer had read of men having heart attacks in the arms of their mistresses, and so she put the number of Adam’s personal physician in her private telephone book by her bedside so that if anything ever happened it could be handled discreetly and Adam would not be embarrassed.

Jennifer was filled with emotions that she had not known existed in her. She had never thought of herself as being domestic, but she wanted to do everything for Adam. She wanted to cook for him, to clean for him, to lay out his clothes in the morning. To take care of him.

Adam kept a set of clothes at the apartment, and he would spend most nights with Jennifer. She would lie next to him, watching him fall asleep, and she would try to stay awake as long as possible, terrified of losing a moment of their precious time together. Finally, when Jennifer could keep her eyes open no longer, she would snuggle in Adam’s arms and fall asleep, contented and safe. The insomnia that had plagued Jennifer for so long had vanished. Whatever night devils had tormented her had disappeared. When she curled up in Adam’s arms, she was instantly at peace.

She enjoyed walking around the apartment in Adam’s shirts, and at night she would wear his pajama top. If she was still in

It seemed that all the popular love songs she heard had been written for Adam and her, and Jennifer thought, Noel Coward was right. It’s amazing how potent cheap music can be.

In the beginning, Jennifer had thought that the overwhelming physical feeling they had for each other would diminish in time, but instead it grew stronger.

She told Adam things about herself that she had never told another human being. With Adam, there were no masks. She was Jennifer Parker, stripped naked, and still he loved her. It was a miracle. And they shared another miracle together: laughter.

Impossibly, she loved Adam more each day. She wished that what they had would never end. But she knew it would. For the first time in her life, she became superstitious. There was a special blend of Kenya coffee that Adam liked. Jennifer bought some every few days.

But she bought only one small can at a time.

One of Jennifer’s terrors was that something would happen to Adam when he was away from her and that she would not know it until she read about it, or heard about it on a news program. She never told Adam of her fears.

Whenever Adam was going to be late he would leave notes for Jennifer around the apartment where she would come upon them unexpectedly. She would find them in the breadbox or in the refrigerator, or in her shoe; they delighted her, and she saved each one.

Their last remaining days together raced by in a blur of joyous activity. Finally, it was the night before Mary Beth was to return. Jennifer and Adam had dinner in the apartment, listened to music and made love. Jennifer lay awake all night, holding Adam in her arms. Her thoughts were of the happiness they had shared.

The pain would come later.

At breakfast, Adam said, “Whatever happens, I want you to know this—you’re the only woman I’ve ever truly loved.”

The pain came then.

15

The anodyne was work, and Jennifer immersed herself in it totally so that she had no time to think.

She had become the darling of the press, and her courtroom successes were highly publicized. More clients came to her than she could handle, and while Jennifer’s chief interest was in criminal law, at Ken’s urging she began to accept a variety of other cases.

Ken Bailey had become more important than ever to Jennifer. He handled the investigations on her cases, and he was brilliant. She was able to discuss other problems with him and she valued his advice.

Jennifer and Ken moved again, this time into a large suite of offices on Park Avenue. Jennifer hired two bright young attorneys, Dan Martin and Ted Harris, both from Robert Di Silva’s staff, and two more secretaries.

Dan Martin was a former football player from Northwestern University and he had the appearance of an athlete and the mind of a scholar.

Ted Harris was a slight, diffident young man who wore thick milk-bottle spectacles and was a genius.

Martin and Harris took care of the legwork and Jennifer handled the appearances at trials.

The sign on the door read: JENNIFER PARKER & ASSOCIATES.

The cases that came into the office ranged from defending a large industrial corporation on a pollution charge to representing a drunk who had suffered whiplash when he was bounced from a tavern. The drunk, of course, was a gift from Father Ryan.

“He has a bit of a problem,” Father Ryan told Jennifer. “He’s really a decent family man, but the poor fellow has such pressures that he sometimes takes a drop too much.”

Jennifer could not help but smile. As far as Father Ryan was concerned, none of his parishioners was guilty and his only desire was to help them get out of the difficulty they had carelessly gotten themselves into. One reason Jennifer understood the priest so well was that basically she felt the same as he did. They were dealing with people in trouble who had no one to help them, with neither the money nor the power to fight the Establishment, and in the end they were crushed by it.

The word justicewas honored mostly in the breach. In the courtroom, neither the prosecuting attorney nor the defense attorney sought justice: The name of the game was to win.

From time to time, Jennifer and Father Ryan talked about Connie Garrett, but the subject always left Jennifer depressed. There was an injustice there and it rankled her.

In his office in the back room of Tony’s Place, Michael Moretti watched as Nick Vito carefully swept the office with an electronic device, looking for gypsy taps. Through his police connections, Michael knew that no electronic surveillance had been authorized by the authorities, but once in a while an overzealous tin hotdog, a young detective, would set up a gypsy—or illegal—tap, hoping to pick up information. Michael was a careful man. His office and home were swept every morning and every evening. He was aware that he was the number one target for half a dozen different law agencies, but he was not concerned. He knew what they were doing, but they did not know what he was doing; and if they did, they could not prove it.

Sometimes late at night Michael would look through the peephole of the restaurant’s back door and watch the FBI agents pick up his garbage for analysis, and substitute other garbage for it.

One night Nick Vito said, “Jesus, boss, what if the jokers dig up something?”

Michael laughed. “I hope they do. Before they get here we switch our garbage with the restaurant next door.”

No, the federal agents were not going to touch him. The Family’s activities were expanding, and Michael had plans that he had not even revealed yet. The only stumbling block was Thomas Colfax. Michael knew he had to get rid of the old lawyer. He needed a fresh young mind. And again and again, his thoughts turned to Jennifer Parker.

Adam and Jennifer met for lunch once a week, and it was torture for both of them, for they had no time to be alone together, no privacy. They talked on the telephone every day, using code names. He was Mr. Adams and she was Mrs. Jay.

“I hate sneaking around like this,” Adam said.

“I do too.” But the thought of losing him terrified her.

The courtroom was where Jennifer escaped from her own private pain. The courtroom was a stage, an area where she matched wits against the best that the opposition could offer. Her school was the courtroom and she learned well. A trial was a game played within certain rigid rules, where the better player won, and Jennifer was determined to be the better player.

Jennifer’s cross-examinations became theatrical events, with a skilled speed and rhythm and timing. She learned to recognize the leader of a jury and to concentrate on him, knowing he could swing the others into line.

A man’s shoes said something about his character. Jennifer looked for jurors who wore comfortable shoes, because they were inclined to be easygoing.

She learned about strategy, the overall plan of a trial, and about tactics, the day-by-day maneuvers. She became an expert at shopping for friendly judges.

Jennifer spent endless hours preparing each case, heeding the adage, Most cases are won or lost before the trial begins.She became adept at mnemonics so that she could remember jurors’ names: Smith—a muscular man who could handle an anvil; Helm—a man steering a boat; Newman—a newborn baby.

The court usually recessed at four o’clock, and when Jennifer was cross-examining a witness in the late afternoon, she would stall until a few minutes before four and then hit the witness with a verbal blow that would leave a strong overnight impression on the jury.

She learned to read body language. When a witness on the stand was lying, there would be telltale gestures: stroking the chin, pressing the lips together, covering the mouth, pulling the earlobes or grooming the hair. Jennifer became an expert at reading those signs, and she would zero in for the kill.

Jennifer discovered that being a woman was a disadvantage when it came to practicing criminal law. She was in macho territory. There were still very few women criminal attorneys and some of the male lawyers resented Jennifer. On her briefcase one day Jennifer found a sticker that read: Women Lawyers Make the Best Motions.In retaliation, Cynthia put a sign on her desk that read: A Woman’s Place is in the House…and in the Senate.

Most juries started out by being prejudiced against Jennifer, for many of the cases she handled were sordid, and there was a tendency to make an association between her and her client. She was expected to dress like Jane Eyre and she refused, but she was careful to dress in such a fashion that she would not arouse the envy of the women jurors, and at the same time appear feminine enough so as not to antagonize the men who might feel she was a lesbian. At one time, Jennifer would have laughed at any of these considerations. But in the courtroom she found them to be stern realities. Because she had entered a man’s world she had to work twice as hard and be twice as good as the competition. Jennifer learned to prepare thoroughly not only her own cases, but the cases of her opposition as well. She would lie in bed at night or sit at the desk in her office and plot her opponent’s strategy. What would she do if she were on the other side? What surprises would she try to pull? She was a general, planning both sides of a lethal battle.

Cynthia buzzed on the intercom. “There’s a man on line three who wants to talk to you, but he won’t give his name or tell me what it’s about.”

Six months earlier, Cynthia would simply have hung up on the man. Jennifer had taught her never to turn anyone away.

“Put him through,” Jennifer said.

A moment later she heard a man’s voice ask cautiously, “Is this Jennifer Parker?”

“Yes.”

He hesitated. “Is this a safe line?”

“Yes. What can I do for you?”

“It’s not for me. It’s for—for a friend of mine.”

“I see. What’s your friend’s problem?”

“This has to be in confidence, you understand.”

“I understand.”

Cynthia walked in and handed Jennifer the mail. “Wait,” Jennifer mouthed.

“My friend’s family locked her up in an insane asylum. She’s sane. It’s a conspiracy. The authorities are in on it.”

Jennifer was only half-listening now. She braced the telephone against her shoulder while she went through the morning’s mail.

The man was saying, “She’s rich and her family’s after her money.”

Jennifer said, “Go on,” and continued examining the mail.

“They’d probably have me put away, too, if they found I was trying to help her. It could be dangerous for me, Miss Parker.”

A nut case,Jennifer decided. She said, “I’m afraid I can’t do anything, but I’d suggest you get hold of a good psychiatrist to help your friend.”

“You don’t understand. They’re all in on it.”

“I do understand,” Jennifer said soothingly. “I—”

“Will you help her?”

“There’s nothing I can—I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you give me your friend’s name and address and if I get a chance, I’ll look into it.”

There was a long silence. Finally the man spoke. “This is confidential, remember.”

Jennifer wished he would get off the telephone. Her first appointment was waiting in the reception room. “I’ll remember.”

“Cooper. Helen Cooper. She had a big estate on Long Island, but they took it away from her.”

Obediently, Jennifer made a note on a pad in front of her. “Fine. What sanatorium did you say she was in?” There was a click and the line went dead. Jennifer threw the note into the waste basket.

Jennifer and Cynthia exchanged a look. “It’s a weird world out there,” Cynthia said. “Miss Marshall is waiting to see you.”

Jennifer had talked to Loretta Marshall on the telephone a week earlier. Miss Marshall had asked Jennifer to represent her in a paternity suit against Curtis Randall III, a wealthy socialite.

Jennifer had spoken to Ken Bailey. “We need information on Curtis Randall III. He lives in New York, but I understand he spends a lot of time in Palm Beach. I want to know what his background is, and if he’s been sleeping with a girl named Loretta Marshall.”

She had told Ken the names of the Palm Beach hotels that the woman had given her. Two days later, Ken Bailey had reported back.

“It checks out. They spent two weeks together at hotels in Palm Beach, Miami and Atlantic City. Loretta Marshall gave birth to a daughter eight months ago.”

Jennifer sat back in her chair and looked at him thoughtfully. “It sounds as though we might have a case.”

“I don’t think so.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The problem is our client. She’s slept with everybody including the Yankees.”

“You’re saying that the father of the baby could be any number of men.”

“I’m saying it could be half the world.”

“Are any of the others wealthy enough to give child support?”

“Well, the Yankees are pretty rich, but the big league moneyman is Curtis Randall III.”

He handed her a long list of names.

Loretta Marshall walked into the office. Jennifer had not been sure what to expect. A pretty, empty-headed prostitute, in all probability. But Loretta Marshall was a complete surprise. Not only was she not pretty, she was almost homely. Her figure was ordinary. From the number of Miss Marshall’s romantic conquests, Jennifer had expected nothing less than a sexy raving beauty. Loretta Marshall was the stereotype of an elementary grade schoolteacher. She was clad in a plaid wool skirt, a button-down-collar shirt, a dark blue cardigan and sensible shoes. At first, Jennifer had been sure that Loretta Marshall was planning to use her to force Curtis Randall to pay for the privilege of raising a baby that was not his. After an hour’s conversation with the girl, Jennifer found that her opinion had changed. Loretta Marshall was transparently honest.

“Of course, I have no proof that Curtis is Melanie’s father,” she smiled shyly. “Curtis isn’t the only man I’ve slept with.”

“Then what makes you think he’s the father of your child, Miss Marshall?”

“I don’t think.I’m sure of it. It’s hard to explain, but I even know the night Melanie was conceived. Sometimes a woman can feel those things.”

Jennifer studied her, trying to find any sign of guile or deceit. There was none. The girl was totally without pretense. Perhaps, Jennifer thought, men found that part of her charm.

“Are you in love with Curtis Randall?”

“Oh, yes. And Curtis said he loved me. Of course, I’m not sure he still does, after what’s happened.”

If you loved him,Jennifer wondered, how could you have slept with all those other men?The answer might have lain in that sad, homely face and plain figure.

“Can you help me, Miss Parker?”

Jennifer said cautiously, “Paternity cases are always difficult. I have a list of more than a dozen men you’ve slept with in the past year. There are probably others. If Ihave such a list, you can be sure that Curtis Randall’s attorney will have one.”

Loretta Marshall frowned. “What about blood samples, that kind of thing…?”

“Blood tests are admissible in evidence only if they prove that the defendant could not be the father. They’re legally inconclusive.”

“I don’t really care about me. It’s Melanie I want protected. It’s only right that Curtis should take care of his daughter.”

Jennifer hesitated, weighing her decision. She had told Loretta Marshall the truth. Paternity cases were difficult. To say nothing about being messy and unpleasant. The attorneys for the defense would have a field day when they got this woman on the stand. They would bring up a parade of her lovers and, before they were through, they would make her look like a whore. It was not the type of case that Jennifer wanted to become involved in. On the other hand, she believed Loretta Marshall. This was no ordinary gold digger out to gouge an ex-lover. The girl was convinced that Curtis Randall was the father of her child. Jennifer made her decision.

“All right,” she said, “we’ll take a crack at it.”

Jennifer set up a meeting with Roger Davis, the lawyer representing Curtis Randall. Davis was a partner in a large Wall Street firm and the importance of his position was indicated by the spacious corner suite he occupied. He was pompous and arrogant, and Jennifer disliked him on sight.

“What can I do for you?” Roger Davis asked.

“As I explained on the telephone, I’m here on behalf of Loretta Marshall.”

He looked at her and said impatiently, “So?”

“She’s asked me to institute a paternity suit against Mr. Curtis Randall III. I would prefer not to do that.”

“You’d be a damned fool if you did.”

Jennifer held her temper in check. “We don’t wish to drag your client’s name through the courts. As I’m sure you know, this kind of case always gets nasty. Therefore, we’re prepared to accept a reasonable out-of-court settlement.”

Roger Davis gave Jennifer a wintry smile. “I’m sure you are. Because you have no case. None at all.”

“I think we have.”

“Miss Parker, I haven’t time to mince words. Your client is a whore. She’ll have intercourse with anything that moves. I have a list of men she’s slept with. It’s as long as my arm. You think myclient is going to get hurt? Your client will be destroyed.She’s a schoolteacher, I believe. Well, when I get through with her she’ll never teach anywhere again as long as she lives. And I’ll tell you something else. Randall believes he’s the father of that baby. But you’ll never prove it in a million years.”

Jennifer sat back, listening, her face expressionless.

“Our position is that your client could have become impregnated by anyone in the Third Army. You want to make a deal? Fine. I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll buy your client birth-control pills so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Jennifer stood up, her cheeks burning. “Mr. Davis,” she said, “that little speech of yours is going to cost your client half a million dollars.”

And Jennifer was out the door.

Ken Bailey and three assistants could turn up nothing against Curtis Randall III. He was a widower, a pillar of society, and he had had very few sexual flings.

“The son of a bitch is a born-again puritan,” Ken Bailey complained.

They were seated in the conference room at midnight, the night before the paternity trial was to begin. “I’ve talked to one of the attorneys in Davis’s office, Jennifer. They’re going to destroy our client. They’re not bluffing.”