Brutality Read Online Free PDF Page A

things from the horse’s mouth.
    “Not yet. I’d reached out to some people at NEU, put out some feelers, but that’s as far as we’ve gotten.”
    “How long have you been working the case?”
    “A month or so.” Thatcher put his glasses back on.
    Fina couldn’t tell if he was dumb or just ignorant, but Bobbi Barone had been right to worry; this guy was completely out of his league.
    She sipped her coffee. “If I may ask, what is your practice area?”
    “A little of this, a little of that. I’ve had the practice—been in the same office—for twenty-seven years.”
    “Imagine that. So does ‘a little of this’ include personal injury cases? Med mal?” Fina asked.
    “I’ve had one or two.” Thatcher straightened up in his chair, perhaps deciding that offense should be taken. “My knowledge base is broad. I do some estate planning, real estate transactions, small claims. That sort of thing.”
    “Any class action?”
    Thatcher studied the space over Fina’s head. “Nope,” he said, shaking his head.
    Fina shifted her weight in her seat. “I’m surprised you wanted to represent Liz. Her case seems like a departure from your usual work.”
    He adjusted in his chair. “I’ve known Liz’s family for many years, and we have friends in common. They hired me because I’m not a faceless lawyer in some downtown high-rise who’ll bankrupt them. They trust me.”
    Not anymore, Fina thought.
    There was a noise out in the waiting room, and a voice carried into the office.
    “You would not believe the line at the bank, Thatcher, and then when I finally got to the counter, Rusty Atkins talked my ear off!” A woman stepped into the room. A surprised look crossed her face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were in a meeting.”
    “Not a problem, Shirley. Do you mind pulling the door closed behind you?”
    “Of course.” She smiled before stepping out.
    “Where were we?” Thatcher asked. He took a long draw of his coffee.
    “Is there anyone you can think of who wanted to harm Liz? Either related to the lawsuit or otherwise?”
    “Not to my knowledge. It must have been random,” he said. “No one I know would do such a thing.”
    Why did people always think that murderers, liars, and thieves were loners with no human contacts? We all knew terrible people; we just didn’t necessarily know that they were terrible. This insistence that nobody in one’s universe would do anything wrong belied a real lack of imagination, as well as woeful ignorance. Where did everyone think the bad people were? Marooned on some island in the middle of the ocean, occasionally furloughed to commit bad acts back on the mainland?
    “So no one?” Fina asked. “There was no one with whom she had any conflicts?”
    Thatcher leaned forward and folded his hands on the desktop. “I don’t know what to tell you, Ms. Ludlow. Do you want me to make something up?” He smiled, but the expression fell short of his eyes.
    “Of course not.”
    Nobody had no conflicts. If they did, they weren’t breathing, which would make any lawsuit moot. A good lawyer ferreted out the conflicts early on, even if they seemed minor. Fina knew that her father and brothers could be ruthless, but when they represented a client, they did due diligence and then some. They didn’t judge or particularly care about their clients’ transgressions, but they understood the best way to represent someone was to make sure there were no secrets or surprises. Being an attorney with high-stakes cases meant you had to ask tough questions; if you didn’t, you could be sure opposing counsel would in open court.
    Fina put her coffee cup on the desk and grabbed her bag from the floor. She handed a business card to Thatcher Kinney, who gave her one in return.
    “If you think of anything useful, let me know,” she told him.
    Thatcher rose and came around his desk. “Come to think of it, Liz did give me some materials that I’m happy to pass along. They’re not