Equivocal Death Read Online Free PDF

writing. But as Kate wracked her brain to 2
    respond, she had a strong feeling that Madeleine’s thoughts were 3
    elsewhere. Madeleine’s gaze seemed to wander from Kate to some 4
    point far in the distance. The older woman’s face was pale against 5
    the neckline of her black raw silk suit and there were faint violet 6
    circles beneath her eyes.
    7
    “So I think that the key issue will be whether Stephanie Fried-8
    man welcomed — or at least consented to — Chuck Thorpe’s ad-9
    vances,” Kate concluded, trying to convey a confident enthusiasm 10
    that she was far from feeling. After all, she’d just gotten the assign-11
    ment yesterday morning. What did Madeleine expect? But when 12
    Kate looked up, she saw that Madeleine was drawing on a small 13
    notepad. Kate sneaked a look at her watch. She’d scheduled dinner 14
    tonight with Tara, but every minute away from her desk was put-15
    ting those plans in jeopardy. Then, feeling slightly guilty, Kate 16
    forced her mind back to the case. Concentrate, she told herself.
    17
    The phone rang. From the two short rings, Kate could tell it was 18
    a call from inside the firm. Madeleine glanced down at the LCD
    19
    display and, with an audible sigh, picked up the receiver.
    20
    “Hello, Bill.” Madeleine’s voice was cool. Kate could hear muf-21
    fled words from the other end. Bill. It must be Bill McCarty on the 22
    line.
    23
    As Madeleine shifted the telephone receiver beneath her chin, 24
    Kate noticed a thin gold band on the ring finger of her right hand.
    25
    Not a wedding ring; that would be on her left hand. And besides, 26
    it was common knowledge that Madeleine was single. Had she ever 27
    regretted not marrying? But then, she must have had many chances.
    28
    “We went through this yesterday,” Madeleine said, irritation 29
    suffusing her voice. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t help you.”
    30
    Another pause while Madeleine gazed stonily ahead. Once 31
    again, Kate could hear what sounded like impassioned pleading 32
    from the other end. What could have Bill McCarty so upset? Re-33
    calling his inflamed demeanor outside Carter Mills’s office, Kate 34 sh
    wondered if there was some connection.
    35 re

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    A M Y G U T M A N
    1
    “I really have nothing more to say about it,” Madeleine said 2
    shortly. “You’re going to have to handle this without me.”
    3
    After Madeleine hung up, she looked reflectively at Kate. “So 4
    where were we?” she said.
    5
    Damn. Kate had been sure that the meeting was near an end.
    6
    She blinked against the harsh winter light that poured through the 7
    plate-glass windows and tried to gather her thoughts. She hadn’t 8
    slept well last night — postvacation fatigue coupled with Thorpe 9
    case adrenaline — and today she was feeling the effects.
    10
    “I was saying that the threshold question is whether the plaintiff 11
    welcomed Chuck Thorpe’s advances. Obviously, that’s a factual is-12
    sue.”
    13
    “Obviously.” Madeleine’s lips curved softly. Again, Kate thought 14
    of the smiling sphinx. A winged creature with the head of a 15
    woman.
    16
    Madeleine had stood up and was walking away from her desk, 17
    toward a floor-to-ceiling bookcase across the room. Kate turned to 18
    watch as she scanned the shelves briefly, then pulled out a large 19
    paperback. Heading back to her desk, Madeleine handed the vol-20
    ume to Kate.
    21
    “You might want to take a look at this,” she said. “For back-22
    ground. Historical interest.”
    23
    Kate glanced at the book. Sexual Harassment of Working Women 24
    by Catharine A. MacKinnon. She was momentarily dumbfounded.
    25
    Catharine MacKinnon was probably the nation’s most well known 26
    feminist legal scholar. She’d also been a prime mover in the anti-27
    pornography movement, one of its earliest and most vigilant ac-28
    tivists. Hardly inspirational reading for a lawyer defending Chuck 29
    Thorpe.
    30
    “I read