The Wrong Lawyer Read Free Page A

Linda replied. “Where do you live?”
    “Just a few blocks
away on Ontario Street,” Jim answered.
    It was obvious to
me that Linda was uncomfortable heading off to a man’s apartment but Jim and
Lynne had by now rushed on ahead of us toward the hotel’s parking garage.
    “Are you okay with
this, Linda? Our companions didn’t bother to consult with us.”
    “I’m not entirely
sure what to think, Tom. In a way I feel like I’m betraying Paul.”
    “I understand
completely. I suppose one alternative would be just to drop the three of us off
and you could drive home yourself. Lynne could go home in a cab later.”
    “If I did that,
would you go up to Jim’s place with them?”
    “I don’t think so.
I get the distinct impression that they don’t want a third wheel hanging
around.”
    “Where do you
live?”
    “I live in the
same building as Jim.”
    “Do you share an
apartment?”
    “No, we’ve each
got our own units. Jim’s is a huge suite up on the penthouse level and I’m in a
one-bedroom unit down on the second floor. As you’ve probably already noticed,
Corbett and I are completely different. He’s quite ostentatious and charismatic
whereas I’m very frugal and a bit shy. Anyone who knows both of us can’t
believe how we’ve stayed friends for so long.”
    “I hear you, Tom.
If Lynne and I weren’t sisters, we would probably loathe each other. She’s the
glamorous outgoing one and I’m the quiet also-ran. It’s been like that ever
since we were kids. I’m a year older but could never compete with Lynne. She
was always the better athlete, got higher marks and drove all the boys crazy.”
    Linda looked up at
me and smiled.
    “That settles it.
Let’s join them and rain on their parade. They won’t be able to work their
magic on each other with two wet-blankets getting in the way.”
    I sat in the front
seat with Linda.
    “This is my
sister’s old rust bucket,” Lynne teased. “I wanted to come in my SUV but since
Linda is the designated driver tonight, she insisted on driving her own car.”
    “What year is the
car, Linda?” I asked.
    “It’s a 2004 but
the little peach has only logged 71,000 miles and still runs great.”
    “I understand
completely. My car is a 2002 Chevy Cavalier and it’s just on the cusp of
hitting 65,000 miles. I’m keeping it until it conks out.”
    Corbett couldn’t
resist the temptation to belittle my beloved little beauty.
    “Tell us about the
lack of air conditioning or the windows that have to be cranked down, Kennedy.
I lose more in depreciation on each of my own vehicles every year than Kennedy
paid for his shit-box when it was brand new.”
    Lynne laughed so
hard that I was afraid she was going to pee in her designer dress.
    Linda glanced over
at me, smiled and rolled her eyes in sympathy.
    I directed Linda
to one of the visitor spots and we entered the main foyer of our building. It
was an impressive condominium complex. Originally there was a 24-hour doorman,
but the owners had voted to dispose of that luxury a few years back when the
world economy seemed to be on the brink of collapse.
    Linda nudged me in
the ribs on the elevator ride up to the penthouse. When I looked down at her
she indicated that I should look at her sister.
    Lynne had wrapped
her arm through Corbett’s and was crowding him like some lovesick teenager.
They were lost in a private conversation.
    I whispered to
Linda. “Wait until your sister sees Corbett’s suite. She may have an instant
orgasm.”
    Linda blushed and
whispered back, “You’re naughty.”
    Jim certainly was
blessed with the gift of showmanship.
    The apartment was
in darkness as we stepped inside and suddenly Corbett flipped all the switches
simultaneously, bathing the foyer and huge living-room in dazzling light.
    Lynne actually
gasped.
    All I saw was a
colossal waste of money squandered on tacky symbols of opulence. Linda didn’t
seem particularly impressed, but Lynne acted as if she had just stepped