Monday, December 10, 2018

Chapter 03: It Pays the Bills


“Good Morning, I’m here to meet with Travis Stark,” Alexa smiled kindly at the receptionist after entering the large office building of the high profile litigator. It had been a week since she interviewed for the Assistant State’s Attorney position and after the brief mention of her job hunt to Gavin, she’d forgotten about the opening. Instead, Alexa had resigned herself to finding another alternative into the life of her target. So when she got home from last night’s surveillance and found a message on her machine from Stark’s office, needless to say she was more than pleasantly surprised.

“He will be right with you. Please have a seat in the lounge and wait.”

She took a seat in the lobby near the window and grabbed up a magazine from the table. This had only been her second time in their office and though she’d committed much of the architecture to memory on her first visit, Alexa took the opportunity to scrutinize every angle of the space. “Are you here for the Paralegal position?” a woman sitting across from her asked with a brilliant smile. 


“Oh no, I’ve interviewed for something else,” Alexa quickly answered before resuming her examination of her surroundings.

“I’m here for the Paralegal position,” the woman continued, ignoring the fact that Alexa was not at all engaged in the current conversation. “I first interviewed for Branson & Cole LLC after I completed my certification but unfortunately I missed the cutoff for testing at that time. I tried again last spring but they told me they’d keep my resume on file and call if a position opened. So I figured it was probably time to try other places but it was the same story everywhere. This is my third time coming in and I’m hoping third time’s the charm,” she giggled and crossed her fingers with a smile which Alexa returned.

“Good luck.”

“So you’re a lawyer?”


“Excuse me, Hannah Taylor?” a slender woman with hazel green eyes and straight brown hair addressed her.

“Yes that’s me.”

“Come with me please.”

“It was nice meeting you!” the woman shouted at Alexa’s back as she followed the other through the hallway. The woman hadn’t yet introduced herself but Alexa had sized her up from first glance. She was dressed in a two-piece, lilac, dot knit polyester skirt suit and wore a solitary gem around her neck. There was no wedding band or tan line, she was unwed, and no visible indication of children. 


She wore minimal makeup and had a soft, flowery scent that floated behind her as she moved. The low heels she wore told Alexa that she must be constantly on her feet and wanted something professional yet comfortable; a secretary perhaps. The light speckles of cat hair on the lower hem of her skirt also indicated the woman was most likely single.

“I’m Rhonda, S.A. Stark has asked that I give you the tour and help you acclimate to your new position. I’ll be working as your assistant but please be aware that you’re not the only Assistant State’s Attorney here and I’m stretched pretty thin between two of you now.” Alexa smiled inwardly as her hunch was confirmed and followed the woman into a corner room. “This office is yours, you may go ahead and put your stuff down and I’ll show you the rest of the building.” 


“The State’s Attorney has the sole responsibility for prosecuting violations of the criminal laws of our state as well as traffic violations. We provide legal advice to all County Officials and represent the County in all actions where the County’s officials or employees are a party,” Rhonda spoke as they walked around the office, first stopping at the mailroom. “There are twelve Assistant State’s Attorneys, nine support staff and a range of paralegals. You’ll work in close conjunction with Tobias Wells, Denise Sands, Marc Fullerton, Anita Metzger and Jeff Castle. We also have two in-house investigators, David Walsh and Tina Carlisle; use them to your advantage. This is the bullpen. If you need help on one of your cases this is the place to go to find our 1st and 2nd year interns and paralegals.”


“The S.A.’s staff is present in four courtrooms on a daily basis and our litigators routinely appear in branch court in Orange and Sanders counties. Professional assistance to law enforcement agencies is available on a 24-hour basis every day of the year and it’ll be your job to coordinate with the local detectives on your own cases. I don’t do all the heavy lifting.”


“The cases handled by our office include felony and misdemeanor criminal matters such as murder, drug charges, sexual assault, traffic, juvenile justice, public aid cases, and advice to government officials and tax collection. The State’s Attorney’s Office also provides staffing for the Sanders County Drug and DUI Treatment Courts. Any questions?”

“I’m sorry, you said I share you with another attorney here, may I ask who?”


“Tobias Wells. He has the office adjacent to yours. Get to know him; you’ll most likely be second chair whenever needed for his higher profile criminal cases. He’s sort of S.A. Stark’s ‘Golden Boy.’ He’s won 8 of his last 10 trial cases and is on the fast track to becoming the next Deputy State’s Attorney. And given your resume, S.A. Stark thought the two of you would make a great team. Was there anything else?”

“Not that I can think of right now, thanks.”


“Then I’ll leave you to it. I’ve placed your first case on your desk. Your lunch break is normally at 2:00 p.m. but very rarely does anyone actually stick to a schedule around here. This is break room A. There is another one down the hall near the conference room and your office has a shared bathroom with Tobias. If you need me, I’m *313 on your phone. Good luck Hannah.”


Alexa grabbed herself a cup of coffee from the break room and returned to her office to find someone waiting on her. A man dressed in a gray, virgin wool-silk blend, slim fit three-piece Hugo Boss suit sat behind her desk, looking as though he belonged and reading through the case file Rhonda had left for her. The mini stripe patterned suit he wore was finished with a gray and baby blue striped tie, a four-button vest with two welt pockets underneath a two-button jacket and a matching pocket square. “Excuse me, may I help you?” she asked, stepping into her office with a confused look on her face.


“You must be Hannah. I’m Tobias,” the man stood and moved around the desk giving Alexa a better look at him. His golden blond hair was trimmed in a neat cut and his beard was well groomed and fit his face perfectly. His light hazel-green eyes gleamed down at her, and he had a chiseled face complete with dimples and a cleft in his chin. He composed himself quite nicely and looked like a well respected attorney. But his boyish good looks were offset by his arrogant attitude which immediately rubbed Alexa the wrong way.


“How nice for you, what are you doing in my office?” she asked, ignoring his outstretched hand as she skirted around her desk to take a seat.

Tobias cleared his throat and followed her with his eyes. “I was hoping to introduce myself. I don’t know if Rhonda told you or not but you and I are sort of ‘partners in crime’ so to speak.”

“She did. She, however, forgot to mention that you’d be popping into my office, sitting at my desk and reading my files whenever you pleased.”

“Yeah…I’m…sorry about that. I was sort of curious about your first case.”

“You could have just asked.”


“You’re right. It won’t happen again.” Tobias took a deep breath and one step closer to where Alexa stood. An uneasy smile captured his lips and he tried to shake off the tension building in the silence. “You think we can try and start again? I know Travis asked me to mentor you and I don’t really want to have any bad feelings here, you know?”

Alexa narrowed her gaze a moment as she took him in, analyzing him in the same manner as she did Rhonda no doubt, before finally extending her hand. “Hannah Taylor, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Tobias Wells and I’m honored.”

“Honored?”


“Absolutely! It’s not often I meet another Princeton grad. Go Blue Devils!”

Alexa sighed and clicked her tongue with annoyance before responding to the man’s obvious test. “Princeton are Tigers, not Blue Devils, that’s Duke. And I graduated from Harvard, not Princeton. Also, next time you want to bait me, try going with something a little harder. Mascots are something you could easily Google.”

“Well my apologies. But as I said, it’s not often I meet someone from the same Alma Mater.”

“Understandable. You’ve seen my resume?”

“Ah yeah, undergraduate at Princeton before graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law with a BS & MS in Criminal Justice & Criminology and your Juris Doctor. Passed the Bar your first time out with a perfect score. You spent two years with Pearson & Beckett as a divorce lawyer, another two years at Maxton, Holmes & Belmont doing more civil law before moving here and pursuing criminal law. This is your first time in the big leagues. I hope you’re ready.”


“Wow. Excuse me, you have me at a bit of a disadvantage and here I know nothing about you.”

“Well that can be easily remedied.” Tobias smiled and leaned over Alexa’s desk, wiggling his eyebrows nearly comically.

She cleared her throat to suppress her desire to laugh and took a quick sip from her room temperature coffee. “How did you gain access to my resume?”

“Travis showed me. He wanted me to get a feel for you; see what I thought about your…talents.”

“Well it seems to me it would be hard to judge one’s…talents without having seen them in action.”


“True. Another fact I hope we remedy soon as well.” The double entendres were spread thick with this one and it took everything in Alexa not to reach across and slap him for his boorish behavior. “Actually if you would, I’d like to show you how sorry I am for the intrusion, how about you let me buy you lunch? We can discuss strategy on your case and I can give you a few pointers about where to jump in. I know what it’s like being the new kid on the block and I’d hate for you to run into the same roadblocks I did on my first day.”

 “That’s really sweet of you, Tobias, really, but I was kind of hoping to settle in a little first. Maybe some other time?”

“Absolutely! I’ll hold you to it,” he smiled, giving her a better appreciation of just how magnetic his charms could be. “Well I guess I should let you ‘settle’ and we’ll talk later. I’m right next door if you have a question or if you need anything.”

“Thanks Tobias,” Alexa smiled and watched as he backed out of her door and sauntered towards his office. 


Finally having a moment to herself, Alexa took in the expanse of the room and the magnificent view from the large, picture windows behind her desk. She had a great overview of the entire metropolis of St. Claire. Dozens of people were visible below her all on cell phones or other electronic devices, walking through the streets, hurrying from one destination to the next. 


She marveled at how tiny they all seemed from this height and how important they must have felt their business to be to rush so quickly through the bustling crowds. “Hey Clumsy, how’s it going? Haven’t dropped any boxes or spilled a drink on anyone today have you?” Alexa turned and smiled at her handsome neighbor as he took a seat on the edge of her desk.

“Gavin! Hey! Uh, it’s going well, actually. I’m glad you dropped in! I wanted to thank you again for this. I have no idea what you said but whatever it was got me a corner office and a decent salary so, I definitely owe you!”


“While I would LOVE to take credit for that, I have a sneaking suspicion that it was partly due to your resume as well; something I haven’t stopped hearing about yet.”

“Wait, what? Why would your friend tell you what’s on my resume? Is that even ethical?”

“Uh…well he was incredibly impressed. He wanted to thank me for finding such a ‘top notch litigator’, his words, not mine.”

“Wow! That’s really sweet. I hope he didn’t miss that part about civil court only experience. I haven’t really performed on such a large scale before.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. From what I’ve heard, you’re going to be fine. No pressure right?”

“Yeah right. Tell your friend thanks for that!”


“Can I tell you a secret?” he grinned and leaned closer to where she sat. “My ‘friend’ is the State’s Attorney you’re working for; he’s my Dad.” He made a motion across his lips in a shushing motion and Alexa’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Really?” she asked in surprise, looking the man up and down again. Today he was dressed in faded denim jeans and a black sleeveless tee that showed off more of the tattoos she originally could not see. Intricate designs of skull and bones and women roped around his arms, chest and neck. Gavin laughed as he understood what her mind was rationalizing and he got to his feet.

“Yeah I know I don’t look the part. Doesn’t make what I’m saying any less true.”


And if by example, State’s Attorney Travis Stark walked out of his office to drop a few envelopes onto his secretary’s desk. Noticing his son in the new attorney’s office, he knocked once and let himself inside. “This guy’s not bothering you is he? Because I can call security and have them rough him up,” Mr. Stark smiled as he rested an arm around his son and Alexa instantly recognized familiarity within it.

“No, Sir, not at all. In fact, Gavin here was just offering to buy me lunch.”

“Oh? I knew I raised him right. But before you two take off, Hannah, I’ve emailed you our case list I’d like you to take a look at it and become familiar with the top litigators in the office. They can show you the ropes and help you get a jump-start on the work required here.” 


“Yes, Sir.”

“And, Gavin, when you get a moment do me a favor, stop by Harold’s meat market on your way home and pick up a roast for your Mom. She’s been calling me all day talking about some dinner party she’s hosting tomorrow night. Knowing me I’d still forget it and walk in the door to an angry wife and I don’t want that.”

“No problem, Pop.”

“Thanks. Well I’ll let you two get back to it; Hannah, looking forward to seeing what you can do.”


“Thank you, Sir, I won’t let you down.” Gavin waited until his dad returned to his office before turning to Alexa with a sly grin. “What?”

“I don’t remember offering to take you to lunch.”

“No? It was right before I tossed you the keys to the Charger,” she grinned as his eyes widened and he happily accepted the chance to get behind the wheel of his dream car. “So where are we going?” Alexa asked, not recognizing anything along the street they drove.


“It’s a little out of the way place I like. Plus I figured…”

“The farther the restaurant the more time you get to drive, smooth, Gavin, very smooth. Well, I only get an hour for lunch so if you think we can make it…”

“Relax. I got your boss wrapped around my little finger; you’re talking to the first born child here!”


Alexa laughed as he gazed over at her with a smile. “Gavin, I appreciate the sentiment I do. But I have no intentions of using you or your ‘connections’ to better myself at the State’s Attorney’s office. I can do this on my own. Although I can do it better with the corner office you got me,” she smiled to herself and played with the jewel around her neck. “But no more favors ok? I don’t want to be that girl.”

“And what girl is that?”

“The one that all her coworkers gossip about at the water cooler because she uses her assets to get ahead. I have a brain in my head that’s gotten me here so far and I fully intend to use it.”


“Point taken. Alright after I get you back from lunch, no more favors for the hot neighbor.” Gavin licked his bottom lip and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the shocked expression on Alexa’s face. He pulled in to a tiny strip mall and parked a good distance from the street and helped her from the car.

The restaurant itself was located on the corner beside a movie theater, bookstore and a small market. It reminded her much of the little towns she’d seen on TV where everyone knows your name. Billowing clouds drifted against a bright, blue sky and the smell of salt in the air was telling of their location near the sea. Warm beams of sun shined down over them, casting afternoon shadows on the pavement as the wind blew.


The refreshing breeze had a soothing effect from the sun’s scorching rays and the scent of Jasmine blooming was an added pleasure to Alexa’s nose. The flowers had their charm; the lilac and orange blossoms the restaurant had in the planters around the building helped create a calm and serene atmosphere.

“So what’s the deal with this Tobias guy?” Alexa asked once they’d settled at the table outside the café. She thanked the waitress for the glass of water and Gavin looked over his menu at her with a raised brow, his eyes hiding a bit of humor to them.

“He asked you out didn’t he?” he asked without lowering the menu in his hands as he decided between the Grilled Salmon and the Fish and Chips. “Tobias is a bit of an egotistical, womanizing assclown. He believes he’s God’s gift to everything and every woman is just dying to sleep with him.”


“I can only imagine the number of sexual harassment charges that leaves your father open to, especially if he knows.”

“Well for the most part he’s harmless. But Tobias is also the top attorney in town, next to my Dad of course. He knows just how far to go and how to keep from trapping himself in any such claims. You know if he’s bothering you I’d be more than happy to put him in his place; that is if you’re ok with my help,” Gavin smiled warmly and set his menu down on the table as the waitress returned.

“No. I can handle it,” she smiled and placed an order for the Firecracker Shrimp and sweet tea. Gavin went with the Grilled Salmon and a coke and also a Firecracker Shrimp to go.


“Dad loves their shrimp too. You know she’s gonna bring you a spoon and a packet of sugar right?” he asked, watching the waitress enter the backdoor to put in their orders. “The only place to get a decent glass of sweet tea is Carrie’s Smokehouse.”

“Now you tell me. Oh well, that’s my fault. I keep forgetting I’m no longer in Carolina.”

“Ah a southern belle! I would have never guessed. You don’t have an accent.”

“That’s because I wasn’t born there, only raised since I was 8. I was born in Indiana but my family moved around quite a bit.”

“Military?”


“Nomadic hippies,” she replied with a grin. “My Mom liked going wherever the wind blew her and my father loved her enough to give in to her every whim.”

“Yeah but to pick up and move the entire family?”

“I always thought of it like an adventure. My brothers and I had fun trying to guess where we were off to next. And one time, I got to choose our new city,” she grinned and leaned forward. “What about you?”

“Me? No nomadic travels in my past. I uh, I’ve lived in St. Claire my whole life. I did go to college in Los Aniegos for a few years. I also got to see some parts of Europe when I was older. But I returned to my roots when I graduated.”

“Oh yeah? What did you study?” 


“Business and accounting; I have an interest in starting my own auto shop some day. I have my ASE certification and working knowledge of pretty much all the classics and of course the major manufacturers. All that’s missing is the startup money and maybe one or two employees to start. I scouted a location recently though; an empty building with a decent sized lot out on Bailey Road.” Alexa smiled thinking back to her surveillance and the questions she had concerning that empty lot. Gavin was giving her everything she needed and then some. “What?”

“Hmm?” she asked as the waitress returned with their meals. She informed Gavin she’d bring the to-go order with the check before excusing herself.

“What’s that smile for?”

“Oh, I was just admiring how you want to do this on your own. I mean I’m sure your Dad could easily front you the startup you needed.”


“He’s offered a few times actually but it’s like you said I want to fail or succeed all on my own.” He wiped his lips on his napkin and brushed his hands off on his jeans, quickly chewing and swallowing the bite of fish in his mouth. “Listen to me go on though; I must be boring you. Tell me more about yourself. Did you always want to be a lawyer?”

“Not really. To be honest, law would have been the absolute last thing child me would have ever considered. I always wanted to be a dancer. Like my free spirit Mom, who was very into music, I’d imagined going into the field. She used to give piano lessons from our home and I’d listen to her play from my room and dance along to the music.”


“Was?”

“Hmm?” she asked biting into one of her shrimp.

“You said your Mom ‘was’ into music and ‘used to’ teach. She retired?”

Finding herself slip up, Alexa gave herself a mental kick. She knew better than to speak in past tense when talking about her parents; it was the first thing she’d taught herself. And now she was faced with their ghosts and had to find a way out. Slowly, she nodded yes and avoided direct eye contact as she lowered her gaze to her plate. “It’s why I guess I drifted away from music myself; bad memories. But I like the law. It’s…distracting.”


“That’s for sure. Before my Dad made it to the State’s Attorney’s seat, there were nights when he wouldn’t even come home. And it seemed he got even busier after that.”

“Oh joy. Remember that talk about pressure, earlier? Well this isn’t helping with that, Gavin.”

“Sorry. But I already told you you’ll do fine,” he chortled and whirled his straw around his coke, caught in her stare as she bit into another shrimp. For a moment he let his mind wander; reflecting over the many things he’d like to see her mouth doing and inadvertently moaned. “What?”

“What, what?”

“You’re staring,” Gavin smiled and took a drink from his glass.

“No, I’m not, you are.”


“Actually, you kinda are. What’s up? Do I have fish on my face or something?”

“No,” Alexa grinned as he began frantically wiping at his mouth.

“Then what is it? And don’t tell me ‘nothing’.”

“It’s just that…I’ve never seen you with your hair out before. Usually it’s tucked under that ratty old cap.”

“Ratty old cap? I love that thing! I’ve had it since I was in junior high.”

“Yeah I can tell.” She laughed when he fake pouted before a smile formed on his lips. “I like it; your hair. It looks fun.”

“Fun? How in the world can hair ‘look fun’?”


“Like roll your fingers through fun,” she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Your hair looks soft. It’s nice, ok?”

“Well thanks, I’m glad you like it,” he smirked and she watched the amusement reach his eyes. “Wanna touch it?”

“Uh…”

“It’s ok,” he goaded and slid his chair closer.

“It just looks like it takes time to get it how you like. I’d hate to push a strand out of place.” Reaching towards her lap, Gavin pulled Alexa’s hand slowly towards his head until she got the idea and gently stroked her fingers through his tamed mane. “Wow. That really is soft.”


“Yeah. I’m not a pretty boy, but I take care of it. I like to keep it protected when I’m working which is why you see me in that ‘ratty old cap’ more often than not.”

“Ah! So you didn’t work today?”

“Nope! I played hooky. I went to the bank to speak with a loan officer and then to my realtor. I’m basically preparing my exit strategy so that this time next year I’ll be working for myself. Don’t tell anyone,” he winked and stabbed his fork into his salmon.

“Your secret is safe with me.”



“Cool. So, Hannah, what was your favorite stuffed animal as a kid?”

“My favorite stuffed animal?”

“I don’t know,” he laughed and a goofy grin enveloped his handsome features. “Just making conversation.”

“Alright, it was a yellow monkey that would sing when you squeezed his belly.”

“Yellow? Monkeys are typically brown.”

“Not my Bananas!”

“Bananas? Don’t tell me, childhood nickname: Hannah Banana?” he asked between laughs. “I think I’ll start calling you that.” 

“You do and you’ll find my foot in your crotch!”



Gavin squeezed his thighs together with a mocking smirk. “Alright, Banana,” he teased. Alexa playfully growled and Gavin caught her foot beneath the table before she was able to make contact and laughed. “Ok, Hannah, what does your Dad do? Or is he retired also?”

“We can save that for some other time,” she replied, pointing to the clock on the wall. “I need to get back to the office before I’m fired my first day.”

“Well in that case, maybe we can top out the engine and see if your Charger would stand a chance against my Cuda.”

“Alright but, you break it, you buy it,” she beamed. Gavin called for the check and the two headed out.


Alexa finished out her work day and breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her apartment door behind her. No one ever said working in law was easy but surprisingly she made it through the day with the knowledge she’d gleaned from the texts on her bookshelf. Kicking off her shoes and undoing her hair, she hastily undressed, scattering pieces of her outfit throughout the apartment on her way to the bathroom.

After showering and changing into her pajamas, Alexa poured herself a glass of wine, tucked herself on her couch and pulled up her laptop. Watching the clock she waited again until 10:00 p.m. before opening the website. Timing her first message to enter at exactly:

             10:01 p.m. – Progress report: I found out what Bailey Road was. Right now, I need Intel on                                                                      Senior. –


10:02 p.m. – I have more background info actually. Dropped in the designated box for pick up. Code is 027316. How are things so far? –

10:03 p.m. – On schedule as expected. Question: would I be off point if I tapped another? –

10:04 p.m. – Off the books? Friendly? –

10:05 p.m. – A gnat buzzing around my ear. –

10:06 p.m. – Well we’re only slotted for five. Is it really that bad? –

10:07 p.m. – Womanizing assclown who stares at my chest. Plus I hate his face. He has one of those faces that makes you wanna punch you know?–

10:09 p.m. – Not…really, A. Hey if things aren’t going well, please, do society a favor and hit him. It won’t change the account. So that’s your discretion I suppose. –


The cursor blinked for a moment before K returned with a message that left Alexa momentarily stunned.

10:11 p.m. – A, you may have been compromised. –

10:12 p.m. – Compromised? –

10:13 p.m. – Right after I sent the client the green light there was a security breach. I shut it down as soon as I found it but I’m unsure how much Intel was leaked. The documents in question were some old aliases from previous missions; someone is trying to find you. –

10:15 p.m. – How is that possible, K? You swore to me this thing you set up was completely impenetrable! –

10:17 p.m. – I don’t know how but I’m working on finding out. A, if I knew…I’m sorry. –

10:18 p.m. – Don’t be sorry, K! Fix it! –

10:20 p.m. – I will. I promise. For now I suggest you work in double time. Whoever this is could already be moving to your position. –

10:21 p.m. – Then it might be better to abort. –

10:23 p.m. – Just say the word, A, and I’ll have transport ready for your departure within the hour. –

10:25 p.m. – Wait. Let’s hold off. If someone wants to find me, let them. Out. –

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2 comments:

  1. Wow, that is a lot of detail about the State Attorney's office - I am impressed! Alexa sizes people up right down to the color of their ...well underwear if she could see it. The mystery is great!

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    Replies
    1. She does! She likes to know the who, where and why wherever she goes just in case something happens.

      Thank you for reading :)

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