Juggling Act (3/3)
 
Author: Janet Dillon

Email: jdillon@mail.win.org 

Rating: PG (language)

Summary: This story picks up where “The Beginning” left off. It contains
spoilers for “The Beginning” and “Lawyers, Guns, and Money”.
 
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The characters in this story are
borrowed from the TV show "The Guardian". No money is being made from
this story. Any resemblance of a character in this story to any real
person living or dead is purely coincidental. Likewise, any resemblance
between an organization depicted in this story and any such actual
organization is purely coincidental.

--+--

Monday, May 27th

On Monday morning, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette printed a story listing
the cause of Mandy Gresler’s death as an overdose. It repeated the
information from Saturday’s paper that ballistic tests had revealed that
Mandy’s gun was the one used in the killing of Lenny Getgin at the
Girls! Girls! Girls! strip club. The article stated that the police had
now officially closed the investigation of the double homicide at the
downtown club.

----+----

Nick Fallin had his head bent over a brief when a knock came at his
office door. “Yeah,” he called, and Jake Straka stuck his head inside.

“Nick! Hi. I saw the story in the paper this morning. So you’re in the
clear on that girl’s death. That’s great. I bet you’re relieved, huh?”

Nick, who had continued working, gave Jake a curt nod without looking
up. Jake opened the door wider, and stepped into the room, closing the
door behind him.

“So, Nick,” Jake asked eagerly, “when, uh, when do you think we can move
forward with our plans for the new firm?”

Nick let out an exasperated sigh. He was afraid this was going to come
up today.

“I don’t know, Jake. It’s, it’s too soon to say right now. Maybe in a
few weeks’ time. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Jake looked unhappy at this announcement, but he didn’t try too hard to
change Nick’s mind. He knew how stubborn he could be. He only said,
“Well, okay, just so you know, if we wait too long I think Lisa and a
couple of the others might decide to jump ship on their own. Lisa’s
really not happy here.”

Not once having lifted his head from his work, Nick nodded. “I know.”

Jake nodded in turn. “Okay, well, I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” Nick replied, and Jake walked out the door.

After Jake left, Nick finally looked up. He leaned back in his chair for
a moment, then dropped his pen, and rose from his desk. As he stood up,
he ran one hand swiftly down the back of his head, and frowned. Walking
over to the window, Nick stared down at the city scene below him, and
contemplated recent events. He had been very relieved when he’d gotten
word that the police had marked the incident at the strip club as
“case-closed”. And it looked like his lawyer had been right, that
Detective Darger wasn’t going to report him for the probation violations
Darger had said he’d committed that day at the club. So, Nick felt free
to turn his entire attention to getting rid of Caldwell and Lichtman, to
wrestling back control of the firm that his father had founded more than
thirty years before. It wasn’t right that the business his dad had
worked so hard to create should go into decline because of the
incompetent leadership of a man like Nathan Caldwell.

More importantly, there was a debt to settle with Mitchell Lichtman, and
to a lesser extent, Caldwell. Lichtman had threatened to make public
what he knew about Burton’s deal with the senator to keep Nick out of
prison. He had threatened to expose his dad if he, Nick, left the firm,
taking his clients with him. Nick hadn’t understood Mitchell’s threat at
first, hadn’t known what it was that Mitchell had to hang over his
father’s head. It wasn’t until Burton had showed up at Nick’s house last
Thursday night -- showed up at his house while Mandy lay dead on his
living room floor -- that he learned about that infamous deal. Then the
enormity of what his dad had done for him had hit Nick, had hit him hard.

While Nick had waited for the ambulance to arrive for Mandy, he’d felt a
kaleidoscope of emotions pass swiftly through him: shame for his actions
that had started the whole mess in the first place, shock that his dad
would arrange a quid-pro-quo with the senator to save him from doing
time, gratitude to his father for that, and love -- the love for his dad
that he sometimes tried to deny within himself. He’d known in that
moment that he had to tell his father all this, that he loved him, and
that he was sorry for all the crap he’d put him through, all the
mistakes he’d made. With Mandy lying dead in the other room, he wasn’t
sure when he might get a chance to tell his dad what he felt he had to
tell him, so he had picked up the phone, and left a message on his
father’s answering machine. Nick felt his eyes growing wet as he
recalled that phone call. It had been one of the hardest calls he’d ever
had to make, but he didn’t regret it, not in the least.

He turned his thoughts away from that emotion-laden memory and to his
plans for obtaining some sort of damaging information to use against
that shit Mitchell. His father had arranged for a local P.I., Manny
Frieden, to come to the house that night to meet with Nick and Burton.
They planned to have Manny look into the backgrounds of both Mitchell
and Caldwell. At the same time, Nick planned to get in touch with a
friend from college who now worked in the governor’s office. Nick was
looking for information on Caldwell’s voting record in the state Senate,
and he figured Mark Sweeney was the one who could tell him the best way
to get his hands on that kind of thing. In fact, he ought to try to call
Mark right now.

Moving back to his desk, Nick pulled out the number for Mark’s office
that he had tracked down earlier in the day. He hadn’t wanted to ask his
assistant to look up the number, as he didn’t want any word of his phone
call getting back to anyone at the firm, so he’d done it himself.

Nick dialed the phone, and waited through four rings for someone to
answer. It was Mark’s secretary. Nick identified himself, and waited
while the secretary found out if Mark could speak with him. In a minute,
Mark’s voice came on the line.

“Nick, wow, this is a surprise! How’ve you been?”

“Great, Mark, great. Thanks for asking.”

“How long’s it been? Let me see, I think the last time I saw you was
when you were still working in New York for...don’t tell me...for Swann
& Cranston, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. How are you, Mark?”

“Oh, fine. Busy as always. So, what can I do for you, Nick? I’m sure
this isn’t just a social call.”

Nick smiled. “No, no it’s not, Mark. I need your advice on
something...something of a sensitive nature. I was wondering if I could
call you at home tonight, and discuss it?”

“Sure, sure. Got a pen? My number is 335-728-0611. Call any time after
7:00.”

“Great, Mark. Thanks.”

“No problem. Have to admit though, I’ll be wondering all afternoon what
kind of thing Mr. Nick ‘I’ll-handle-it-myself’ Fallin could be wanting
to consult me on.” Mark laughed.

Nick smiled again. Mark had been one of his best friends at Princeton,
and he was used to his ribbing.

“I’ll talk to you tonight, Mark.”

“Okay, Nick. Talk to you then.”

Nick hung up the phone slowly, stared into space for a moment, then
turned back to the brief on his desk. He had a lot of work to get done
today, might as well get to it.

----+----

Burton and Nick were in Burton’s living room awaiting the arrival of
private investigator Manny Frieden. They’d agreed on what they wanted to
tell Manny ahead of time, and had also agreed that Nick would be the one
to do most of the talking. They had told Manny 7:30, and it was almost
that now. In another moment or two, the doorbell rang. Burton got up to
answer it, and very shortly was showing Manny into the living room.
Manny was a man in his mid to late fifties. It was obvious he’d been
around the block a few times, but still had the appearance of a guy you
wouldn’t want to mess with. He was about six feet tall, with broad
shoulders, and a lot of gray showing in his dark hair. Burton had known
Manny for more years than he cared to count. He’d used his services on
those occasions that someone or something had to be investigated in
connection with a case at the firm. Burton had always found Manny to be
extremely reliable. He was discreet, a fast worker, and he got results.
Burton knew that he could be trusted with this latest assignment, as well.

Burton made the introductions, and Nick invited Manny to take a seat.
Burton sat down, as well. Nick quickly explained to Manny that what they
wanted was a thorough background investigation of Mitchell Lichtman and
Nathan Caldwell.

“We’re interested in anything in their backgrounds that might be
considered questionable, any information that might be damaging if it
was made public. You know the kind of thing I mean.”

Manny was nodding his understanding. He asked a few questions about
Caldwell and Lichtman, and got some guidelines from Nick on how much
time and money the Fallins were willing to spend on the investigation.
When Manny felt everything was clear to him and his two clients, he rose
to go. As he did, Nick added with a small smile, “My father says you’re
one of the best, Manny. I know we can count on you to be thorough and
discreet.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Fallin, and let me just say that your dad is one of the
best too. He’s always been square with me, always paid on time, never
quibbled over a bill.” Directing a smile Burton’s way, Manny concluded,
“You learn to appreciate that in my line of work.”

Nick said, “Well, we appreciate your looking into this for us, Manny.”

Manny nodded again, and the two Fallins walked him to the door. The men
made their goodbyes. Right before leaving the house, Manny added,
“You’ll be hearing from me.”

As father and son turned away from the door, Nick glanced at his watch.
It was about 7:50. “Dad,” he asked, “is it okay if I use the phone to
call Mark Sweeney in Harrisburg? He said to call after 7:00, and it’s
almost 8:00 now.”

“Sure, son. Be my guest.”

Nick nodded, said a quick, ‘thanks’, and headed for his father’s study.
Digging Mark’s home number out of his inside vest pocket, he quickly
dialed the phone. Mark answered on the second ring.

“Hello.”

“Mark, it’s Nick.”

“Hi Nick. So, what’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff?”

“Well, ‘cloak and dagger’ may be a little extreme, but I do need your
help, Mark. What can you tell me about former Senator Nathan Caldwell
and his chief of staff, Mitchell Lichtman?”

“Caldwell and Lichtman, huh? They’re quite a pair. What’s your interest
in those two?”

“It, it’s a long story, Mark.... What can you tell me?”

Mark sighed. “Well, just between you and me, Lichtman is a real snake in
the grass. I wouldn’t trust him farther than I could throw him. He has a
reputation for getting things done, though. If you’re willing to meet
his price.”

“His price? Are you talking about bribes?”

“No. Nothing that overt. I mean the whole ‘you scratch my back; I’ll
scratch yours’ thing. Somehow, Lichtman always seemed to come out with
the bigger end of the stick on those deals. He’s smart and devious, and
that’s a powerful combination.”

“What about Caldwell?”

“Caldwell...Caldwell seems like a decent guy. Very pleasant, knows his
issues, but the standing joke in the statehouse the last couple years
was that he was pretty much being led around by the nose by Lichtman. I
don’t know how much truth there was to it, but that’s what was going
around.”

Nick paused to consider this, then said, “Look Mark, I need information
on Caldwell’s voting record, specifically those votes where he, he
switched sides at the last minute, or cast a deciding vote on a close
measure, that kind of thing. How would I go about getting that kind of
information?”

“Hmmm, well, I’m afraid it would take a layman like yourself a good
while to wade through all the Senate records, and collect something like
that, Nick.... This is important, huh?”

“Very important,” Nick said with conviction.

“Well, tell you what I’ll do. I’ll put my assistant Terri on it. She can
probably come up with the information you need in two or three days. And
she can be relied on to keep it quiet. She’s not a blabber, that girl.”

“That would be great, Mark. I really appreciate this. I owe you one.”

“No problem. I’ll give you a call when Terri has finished her research.”

“Terrific. Thanks. Here, let me give you my numbers.” Nick recited his
home and cell phone numbers for Mark, but reminded him not to get into
any specifics if he reached him on his cell.

Mark took down the numbers, and then joked, “Any other problems I can
solve for you, Mr. Fallin?”

Nick smiled into the phone. “Not tonight, no. Thanks again, Mark.”

“Welcome. I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

“Right. Bye, Mark.”

“Bye, Nick.”

Nick was pleased. He hadn’t thought that Mark would offer to have
someone do this research for him, but it would certainly be quicker, and
he had confidence in Mark’s evaluation of his assistant’s ability to
keep the information confidential. Mark liked to kid around, but he was
all business when it came to his work, Nick knew that.

Walking back into the living room, Nick found his dad with a cigarette
in one hand, and a Scotch in the other. He quickly told him what Mark
Sweeney had said. Burton nodded, well satisfied. “That’s great news,
son. It’s good to have friends in the right places, huh?”

“Yeah,” Nick agreed, suppressing a frown. He couldn’t help but think of
his father’s deal with Caldwell when Burton made that last observation.
Nick glanced around the room, and then said, “Uh, guess I’ll get going
now, Dad.”

Burton placed his drink on the coffee table, and stood up. “Okay,” he
agreed, and followed Nick into the foyer.

Nick opened the front door, then turned to his father, and said, “Well,
see you later.”

“Right. See you, son,” Burton replied, reaching out to give Nick a quick
pat on the arm.

Nick nodded, and walked out of the house, and to his car.

Burton stood in the doorway, and watched Nick drive out of sight.

----+----

Wednesday, May 29th

It was Wednesday afternoon, and Nick had just stepped back into his
office when the phone rang. Reaching across his desk to pick up the
receiver, he heard the operator say, “Mr. Fallin, your father is on the
line. Should I put him through?”

Nick said, “Yes, thank you.” When he heard the ‘click’ that indicated
the call had been transferred, he said, “Dad?”

“Hi, son. How ya doing?”

“Fine.”

“Good, good. Look, Nick I was, uh, I was wondering if you could stop by
the house tonight.... There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Okay. I’m having dinner with a client, but I, I could drop by after
that. It might be 9:30 or later.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you then, son.”

Nick was nodding. “Bye, Dad.”

“Bye.”

As Nick hung up the phone, he wondered what it was that his father
wanted to discuss. He thought it was probably too soon for Frieden to
have finished his report, and he figured his father would have given him
some indication of this, if that was the case. “Probably just something
else to do with Caldwell and Lichtman,” he thought, and dismissed it
from his mind. He had a hell of a lot of work to do, and would find out
what his father wanted tonight.

----+----

Nick arrived at his father’s house about 9:00. As he pulled into the
circular drive it occurred to him that he hadn’t yet heard back from
Mark Sweeney. Of course, Mark had said “two or three days”, and this was
only the second day. So he was probably jumping the gun there. Nick
parked the BMW, walked up to the front porch, and rang the bell. Not
forty seconds had elapsed before his dad was opening the door, and
ushering him in. Burton was dressed in a light blue polo shirt and dark
blue slacks.

“Nick! Thanks for coming, son. Can I get you something to drink? A Coke,
or something?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks.”

Burton led the way from the foyer into the living room. “How, uh, how’d
your dinner go?”

“Fine. I met with Sam Walken to discuss a new bond offering for his
company. He seemed pleased with my proposal.”

“Well, good. That’s good.”

The two men had reached the living room, and Burton gestured for Nick to
take a seat. He did, on the couch that set under the windows. Burton sat
down in an upholstered chair that was catty-cornered to the couch. He
had had a cigarette in his hand when Nick arrived, and now he stubbed it
out in an ashtray that set on the coffee table. Nick looked at his
father expectantly. After a moment, Burton cleared his throat, put a
hand to his mustache, and then began.

“Nick, I, uh, I’ve decided to turn down the appointment to the bench. I
called Congressman Walters today, and gave him the news.”

Nick was taken aback by this announcement, and sat forward abruptly.
“What? Why? Why now? I thought...I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t
do anything like that until we’d had a chance to, to get some dirt on
Lichtman.”

“I know, son.... I know that’s what we said, but this...this isn’t about
that.”

Nick looked puzzled. “What do you mean? What’s it about then?”

Burton let out a heavy sigh, smoothing a hand across the sparse hair on
top his head. “It’s complicated, Nicholas. When Rick Stanton died,
I...ya know, I did a, a lot of thinking about what I’d accomplished in
my life...what I’d given to my profession...what I, what I still had
left to give.... When I learned that Rick had suggested me to
Congressman Walters, I...well, I was flattered, son, and I felt...uhm, I
guess ‘excited’ would be the right word. I felt excited about something
for the first time in a long time, Nicholas. It would be a challenge,
being a judge.... I never thought I had any kind of serious chance at
it, you understand.... I was sure there had to be a lot of people in the
running more qualified than I was. Then when, uh, I found out I’d made
the short list, well...I admit it was a boost to my ego, son. To think
that they’d want somebody like me for the federal bench. It, uhm, it
felt great.” Burton paused, but Nick didn’t say anything.

After a moment Burton continued. “Then this business with Caldwell came
up, and you, you know the rest.... After everything that’s happened in
the last few weeks, Nick, I’ve...uhm...I’ve done some hard thinking. And
I’ve decided that...if someone is going to sit in judgment on other
people...that person, that person needs to be above reproach himself.”
Nick looked like he was about to say something, but Burton didn’t give
him a chance. “I know that may not be completely realistic, son. You and
I both know there are judges on the bench who shouldn’t be there, but
still...that’s how I feel about it, Nicholas.... Ya know, I’ve always
prided myself on my sense of ethics...on how I’ve conducted myself in
business and, and in my private life. But I realized...that when push
came to shove, I was ready to set those ethics aside...to do, do what I
needed to do to protect you, son.” Nick’s expression grew bleak, and he
hung his head in consternation. “Oh, I know at the time I tried to, uhm,
to rationalize it...tried to tell myself that the D.A. wasn’t playing
fair...that he was, just trying to stick it to you because of who you
were...but that doesn’t change things, Nick. That doesn’t change what I
did...and what I did...what I did was make a deal with Caldwell -- a
partnership with the firm, in exchange for his exerting his influence
with the D.A.. That’s what I did, son, and I don’t think a man who would
do that...well, I don’t think a man like that belongs on the bench.”

Nick didn’t know what to say. He could tell that his father had made up
his mind, but still he had to try to dissuade him. “I, I think you’re
making a mistake, Dad. Just because you...you compromised your ethics
once doesn’t mean you couldn’t be a-a worthy judge. Everyone, probably
everyone has to make compromises like that sometimes in, in their
lives.... You’d make a great judge. You shouldn’t give that up because
of this.”

Burton was resolute. “I’ve made up my mind, son. I’ve already told
Congressman Walters, and I’ll make my public announcement tomorrow. That
will be the end of it. They can find someone else to fill Rick’s seat.
It’s not gonna be me.”

Nick sighed in frustration, then compressed his lips, and nodded his
head in defeat. His father had his mind made up, and it was clear that
nothing he said was going to change that.

----+----

Thursday, May 30th

Nick was in his car on the way back from a business lunch when his cell
phone rang. He raised himself up in his seat just enough to allow him to
snake his right hand down into his pants pocket, and retrieve the phone.
Flipping it open, he said, “Hello.”

“Nick, it’s Mark. Well, I’ve got that information you wanted. I think
you’re going to find it very interesting.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. I can fax it to you at home tonight, then you can call me to
discuss it if you want.”

“Yeah. That would be great, Mark. Thanks. I probably won’t be home until
9:00. Is that okay?”

“Sure, sure. Talk to you then.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye, Nick.”

Nick hung up the phone, and set it on the seat next to him. So, Mark had
found something interesting? Hmmm. He couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

----+----

Nick walked through his front door about 9:10. He made a beeline for his
study, and found the info from Mark already sitting on the fax machine.
He scanned down it quickly. Mark’s assistant Terri had listed twenty
different occasions where Caldwell had switched sides on important votes
at the last minute. Two immediately caught Nick’s eye. They both
involved measures that affected Pennsylvania businessman Philip
Martindale. One was a tax incentive bill that had been tailor-made to
support a new business park that Martindale was building in
Philadelphia. The other was a land-use measure that affected another
Martindale development. Terri had indicated that Caldwell had changed
his position on these two bills in the last vote. Both bills had passed
by only one or two votes.

After Nick had read through the document a second time, he picked up the
phone and called Mark. Mark provided him with a little more background
on the information in the document, and Nick asked some questions. The
two men spent about twenty minutes discussing the fax. Then Nick thanked
Mark again, and promised to stay in closer touch. As soon as he had hung
up the phone with Mark, he dialed Burton.

“Dad, it’s me.... Yeah. Mark came through. He faxed me the info tonight,
and it’s very interesting. I’d like to get Manny started looking into it
right away.... Okay. I’ll try him now, and see if I can set up a meeting
for tomorrow night.... Yeah, I’ll let you know. Bye, Dad.”

Nick dialed Manny’s cell phone, and was pleased when he got through.

“Manny, this is Nick Fallin.”

“Mr. Fallin, I was going to call you tomorrow. I’ve got that report you
wanted. You might find something useful in it. The younger of the two
gentlemen has a few skeletons in his closet.”

“Great, Manny. Look I have some new information that I’d like you to
look into. Can you meet me at my father’s house tomorrow night? Say 9:00?”

“Sure, Mr. Fallin, no problem. I’ll see you there.”

“Thanks, Manny.”

----+----

Friday, May 31st

Manny Frieden rang Burton’s doorbell at two minutes before 9:00. Nick
had arrived twenty minutes before, and had shown the fax of Caldwell’s
votes to his father. Burton had found it very interesting, and agreed
with Nick that it was definitely something that should be given more
scrutiny.

Burton let Manny in, and led the way to the living room once more. Nick
stood up when Manny entered the room, and shook his hand. All three men
sat down, and Manny began his report.

“Well, I’m afraid that I wasn’t able to come up with much concrete
information on Caldwell in terms of ‘questionable activities’. Some
hints, but not much that’s concrete. But...Lichtman is another story.
Mr. Lichtman has been a busy boy.”

Manny flipped a page on the report he held in his hand. “In ‘92,
Lichtman was accused of date rape by a college student at Yale. She
claimed that Lichtman had forced her to have sex with him against her
will, but she later dropped the charges. So nothing came of it.”

“You have the girl’s name?” Burton asked.

“Uh-huh.” When Burton didn’t say anything else, Manny continued. “Then
in ‘98 Lichtman was suspected in a hit-and-run in Harrisburg, but he was
never charged.”

“A hit-and-run?” Nick asked.

“Yeah,” Manny said, consulting his notes. “A ten year old girl was hit
by a car at twilight while crossing the street. A witness identified the
car as being a white Lexus, with ‘42’ as the last two digits of the
license plate. Unfortunately, the witness didn’t come forward until a
few days later, and by that time there was no evidence of the accident
visible on Lichtman’s car. Lichtman had had the Lexus in the body shop,
claiming he was having damage repaired from a previous accident. Since
the cops did have an earlier accident report on file, and since the
damage reported by the body shop was consistent with that, they couldn’t
make a case against Lichtman.... Plus, the kid recovered, so there
wasn’t the public outcry to find the guy responsible that might
otherwise have occurred in a case like that.”

“Hmmm,” Burton said. “What else?”

“Well, from talking to my friends at the capital it sounds like Lichtman
had quite a reputation as a wheeler-dealer, a real sharpie. Somebody you
didn’t want to cross lightly. From the stories I hear, he could be very
vindictive. Not a guy who was willing to just kiss and make up, no sir.”
Manny glanced down at the paper again. “And they tell me that by the end
of Caldwell’s last term, Lichtman seemed to pretty much be running the
show. Some people went so far as to refer to Caldwell as ‘Lichtman’s lap
dog’.”

When neither man commented, Manny turned a page on the report. “As for
Caldwell...there’s not much there. No arrest record. Happily married for
nearly thirty years. Couple a kids. No evidence of extramarital affairs.
Fairly conservative voting record in the Senate. No political scandals.
Although I did hear some talk that Caldwell was occasionally open to
`persuasion` on various issues, but there was nothing in black and white.”

Burton and Nick nodded as Manny finished his summary. He handed each man
a copy of his eight page report. The two Fallins glanced over it while
Manny waited patiently. At last, Nick said, “This is good work, Manny.
Thank you.” He reached over to the coffee table, and picked up a copy of
the fax he had gotten the night before. “Here’s something else we’d like
you to look into.” Nick handed the sheets of paper to Manny. “This is a
list of important measures in the Senate where Caldwell cast one of the
deciding votes, occasions where he flip-flopped from his original
position. We’d like you to investigate the circumstances surrounding
these votes. I, uh, I probably don’t have to spell it out for you, but
we’d like you to, to look for evidence that there were any payoffs
involved.”

Manny was nodding. “Okay, but I have to tell you when it comes to the
financial side of things, that’s a little out of my arena. I may have to
bring in another guy -- Ron Wallis -- he’s a real whiz with that stuff,
and has the right connections. You can trust him. I’ve worked with him
for about ten years, and he’s never let me down yet.”

Nick glanced at Burton, and when his father indicated his assent, Nick
said to Manny, “All right. Bring him in if it’s necessary. We’re very
interested in finding out if Caldwell or Lichtman were taking any kind
of bribes. That information could be critical to us.”

“Well, we’ll do our best, Mr. Fallin. If there’s something there, Ron or
I will find it.”

Manny stood up, and Nick and Burton saw him to the door.

“What do you think?” Nick asked his father after Manny had left.

Burton brought a hand up to his mustache. “Well, it’s possible we could
threaten Mitchell with making the rape accusation public. Talk to the
girl...see if she’s willing to come forward. The statute of limitation
has expired as far as any actual charges are concerned, though.” Burton
ran a hand across the top of his head. “Of course, this girl has
probably put the whole thing behind her, and won’t want to dredge it all
up again.... As far as the hit-and-run goes, I, uh, I don’t know.... If
Mitchell did do it, and that seems likely, he’s going to feel some guilt
about that, and probably, probably in the back of his mind he still has
some concern about being held accountable for it. It’s possible we might
be able to use that as leverage.... But...I think our, our best shot is
these votes of Caldwell’s. If Caldwell was taking payoffs, you can
guarantee that that little shit Lichtman was getting his share.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

After a little more discussion of what they’d learned from Manny
Frieden, Nick took his leave.

----+----

Monday, June 3rd

Nick was back at Legal Services of Pittsburgh for the first time in more
than a week. He had called Alvin on the previous Monday, and told him
there were a lot of things going on at the firm, what with the
change-over to Caldwell and Associates, and he needed to take a break
from his community service at the clinic. Alvin hadn’t given him any
grief, had just said Nick should call, and let him know when he was
ready to come back.

As Nick came off the elevator he took a quick look around. Nobody he
knew well was in sight. He glanced across at James’ office, and thought
how weird it would be not to have James around any more. He was a good
guy, and it was a shame that he’d left the way he did, but Nick couldn’t
really blame him.

Walking over to Alvin’s office, Nick knocked on the closed door.

“Come in,” Alvin called out from behind his desk. As Nick entered, he
added, “Nick, hi, come on in. Have a seat.”

Nick sat down.

“So,” Alvin continued, “how are things going over at Caldwell &
Associates? You getting everything straightened out?”

“Yeah. It’s fine.”

“Well, good. Must be strange for you though, huh? Suppose it was Fallin
& Associates the whole time you were growing up. Must be weird to see a
new name on the door.”

Nick just nodded.

“I have to say, I was surprised to hear that your dad had declined the
appointment to the federal bench.”

Nick glanced away. “Yeah, well....”

“What’s he gonna do now?”

Nick looked back at Alvin, his expression noncommittal. “I don’t know. I
don’t think he’s sure yet.” He decided to change the subject. “So, have
you got any cases for me?”

“Oh, yeah. Lulu has the files. She can fill you in. I think she’s in her
office.”

Nick got up. “Okay. Thanks. See you later, Alvin.”

“Yeah. Welcome back, Nick.”

Nick exited Alvin’s office, closing the door behind him. He took a deep
breath, and headed over to Lulu’s office. He hadn’t seen her since that
Friday more than a week before when he’d told her bluntly that his
situation with Mandy was none of her business.

Reaching Lulu’s door, Nick paused a moment, then knocked briskly. Lulu
called out, “Yeah?” and Nick walked in. Lulu looked up from the case
file she had been working on, surprised to see him. Then she realized
that Alvin had told her on Friday that Nick thought he’d be in today.

“Oh, Nick,” she said, attempting to keep her voice neutral. “I, I guess
Alvin did say you’d be back today. What do you need?”

“Alvin said you had a some cases for me.”

“Oh...right.” She reached across her desk, and picked up three files.
“Here they are. I think they’re all pretty straight forward.” As she
held out the files, Nick couldn’t help noticing the ‘rock’ of an
engagement ring that Lulu sported on her left hand. The ring really was
huge. Brian had no taste. He’d never give a girl a huge ring like that,
it was too much. Ostentatious, that was the word for it. Then Nick
noticed the plain wedding band that now was snugly paired with the
engagement ring. Realizing what it signified, he had to work hard to
suppress a frown. Well, she’d made her choice. She was Mrs. Brian Olsen.
That was that, as far as he was concerned.

Nick shook himself free from his wandering thoughts, and took the files
from Lulu’s outstretched hand. He made a quick survey of the contents.

Lulu added, “Is there anything else?”

“No,” Nick said, looking up with a small smile. “No, that was it.”

“Okay, I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later then.”

Nick nodded. “I’ll be in the conference room looking these over.”

Lulu nodded in return, and shut the door behind Nick. Afterwards, she
stood there for a moment, leaning against the door, feeling relieved.
Well, she thought that had gone well. She’d kept everything on a
completely professional basis. She was still hurt by how Nick had cut
off her questions about that dead girl (that `stripper`, she thought to
herself) the last time she’d seen him. She’d thought they were friends,
and she’d just been expressing her concern as a friend, and he had cut
her off cold, told her it was none of her business. She’d been hurt and
angry, at first. But in the days since, she had decided that maybe it
was actually a good thing. She was married now. She really should keep
her distance from an attractive, intriguing guy like Nick. And after
all, she had enough of her own problems, she didn’t need to take on
those of Mr. Nicholas Fallin, as well.

As Nick walked away from Lulu’s office, he found himself thinking,
“Well, that went pretty well.” Lulu had acted like nothing had happened
between them. He was relieved. He really didn’t need any more drama in
his life right now. He was up to his ears in drama.

----+----

Thursday, June 6th

As Nick walked into the doors of Caldwell & Associates, he realized he
hadn’t checked the voice mail on his cell phone since he’d left the
courthouse. He pulled out his phone, and checked it as he headed for his
office. Manny Frieden had called. Nick hoped this meant that Manny had
come up with something incriminating on Caldwell and Lichtman in
relation to those Senate votes. He didn’t know how much longer he could
keep playing nice with Nathan and Mitchell. Sometimes it took every bit
of self-control he had not to punch Mitchell right in his smug little
face. He really hated the slimy bastard!

Nick unlocked his office, then shut the door behind him. He tried
Manny’s cell, but only got his voice mail. He left a message for Manny
to say that he’d gotten his message, and then started in on the work
piled up on his desk. In about an hour his cell phone rang. It was Manny.

“Mr. Fallin, this is Manny Frieden. I’ve got that information you’ve
been wanting, and I think you’re gonna be pleased. When would you like
to get together?”

“Uhm, well, I won’t be free until about 9:30 tonight. Could we make it then?

“Sure. Your dad’s house again?”

“Yeah. That’d be great, Manny. Thanks.”

“Right. See you tonight.”

“See you.”

Nick called his father at home, but he was out. He left a message on the
answering machine saying that he and Manny would be there that evening
around 9:30. He said that Manny had good news, and left it at that.

----+----

It was about 9:15PM, and Nick was driving up to his father’s house. He
was feeling good. He’d just finished having dinner with Arthur Schuller,
and it had been a success. Like many Fallin & Associates clients,
Schuller had been a little unsure about all the changes at the firm,
uncertain whether he should put his trust in the new management team.
Nick had done what he could to reassure Mr. Schuller that his account
would receive the same excellent service that it always had. Although
Nick had almost choked on the words, he had gone on to assure Schuller
that his father had made an excellent choice in bringing on Nathan
Caldwell to head up the firm, that the senator was a very capable man to
have at the helm.

Nick had made up his mind when he’d found out what it was that Mitchell
had on his father that he was going to succeed in ousting Caldwell and
Lichtman from the firm. And when he did, he wanted there to still be a
firm worth reclaiming. That was almost two weeks ago now, and already
both Barry Landsberg and Bill Gordon had defected to Kirk & McGee,
taking all their associates, and most of their clients, with them. Both
men had been partners at Fallin & Associates for many years, and had a
large client base, so it was a real loss to the firm. Caldwell had
called on Nick to try to help keep some of Landsberg’s and Gordon’s
clients with C&A, but it had been an uphill battle. Nick had never
worked on any of their accounts, and he was pretty sure that if his name
hadn’t been “Fallin” he wouldn’t even have gotten in front of some of
them. He had convinced a few of these clients to stay with Caldwell &
Associates (God, he’d be glad when he never had to say that name
again!), but most of those were people who had been with Landsberg or
Gordon for a relatively short time. Overall, Nick had struck out far
more often than he had succeeded.

But still, he had saved a few of the accounts, and after that, Caldwell
seemed to decide that Nick was the one to convince those clients who
seemed a bit skittish that their best option was to stay with the firm.
Therefore, Nick had been seeing clients at lunch and dinner almost every
day. There had been a few times where he actually ended up meeting a
client for lunch, a client for before-dinner drinks, a client for
dinner, and yet another client for after-dinner drinks. And with all
that, he was still managing to fit in his three meetings a week to
satisfy his probation requirements, not to mention putting in his hours
at the clinic.

But it was catching up with him. As he pulled into the drive in front of
his father’s house, he realized just how tired he was. He decided no
matter how much work he had waiting for him when he got home tonight, he
was going straight to bed. He needed to get a decent night’s sleep to
try to restore his energy. In fact, if he didn’t get out of the car
right now, he might just doze off. Giving himself a little shake to
stave off sleep, Nick stepped out of the car, and made for the front
door. He figured that it would be about fifteen minutes before Manny
arrived.

Burton greeted Nick pleasantly at the door. Nick had to stifle a yawn
before returning his father’s ‘hello’.

“You look tired, son,” Burton said with concern.

“I’m all right. I could use some coffee, though.”

“Okay. Let’s go in the kitchen, and I’ll make a pot.”

Nick followed Burton into the kitchen, and leaned against the counter as
his dad started the coffee brewing. He found himself suppressing another
yawn. “Wake up!” he told himself severely. “Manny is going to walk in
here any minute, and you’re going to be falling asleep on your feet....
Now wake up.”

[Author’s Note: Okay, now everybody that yawned at least once during
those last few paragraphs, raise your hand. <bg> ]

Father and son had just sat down at the dining room table, coffee cups
in hand, when Manny arrived. Burton answered the door, and showed Manny
into the dining room. He offered him a cup of coffee, and Manny gladly
accepted.

Nick couldn’t restrain himself from asking the question that was utmost
on his mind, but he did so in a loud enough voice that he thought his
father would be able to hear him, even in the kitchen. “So, what have
you got, Manny?”

Manny grinned widely. “What I’ve got is records of checks being
deposited into the private accounts of both Mitchell Lichtman and Nathan
Caldwell in what appears to be a clear-cut case of bribery.”

Nick sat forward in his chair. He was wide awake now. “From who?” he
asked, as Burton walked back into the dining room with the extra cup of
coffee. “Did you hear that, Dad?” he asked his father eagerly. “Manny
says he’s got evidence of Caldwell *and* Mitchell taking payoffs.”

“I heard, son,” Burton said in a serious tone of voice. “What exactly
did you find, Manny?”

“Well, it’s a bit convoluted, you understand. But it appears that in
1999 Mineralli Mining made a payoff to Lichtman in exchange for
Caldwell’s vote against a bill that was going to increase the financial
responsibility that mining companies would bear for the environmental
cleanup of old strip mines. Mineralli Mining made out a check to one
Bill McWhorters that was then endorsed over to Lichtman, and deposited
in his checking account. McWhorters was one of the lower level managers
at Mineralli.”

Manny paused to let that sink in, then continued. “It doesn’t look like
Caldwell received any kind of payoff in this case. So either he hid it
better than Lichtman, or Lichtman was the only one in on the deal.”

“Huh.” Burton said, almost involuntarily.

“Then,” Manny said dramatically, “we come to Mr. Philip Martindale.”
Both Burton and Nick looked up on hearing that name. Philip Martindale
was a Pennsylvania business magnate, one of the most powerful men in the
state. Manny continued, “It seems that back in ‘98, Martindale was very
anxious to get the Senate to pass a tax incentive bill that had been
tailor-made for a new business park he was building in Philadelphia. The
bill was just about to fail when Caldwell suddenly changed his vote, and
it passed. Same thing happened about a year later. Only this time it was
a land-use measure that would have affected another Martindale
development. The project would have been dead in the water if Martindale
hadn’t been able to get this bill passed. Once again, Senator Caldwell
came through for him at almost the last minute.”

Manny took a sip of his coffee, then went on. “It took Ron a while to
track down the payoffs from Martindale. Turned out the checks had been
issued by two of his shell companies. And, as with Mineralli, the checks
weren’t made out to Caldwell and Lichtman, but ended up in their
accounts just the same.”

How much money are we talking about?” Nick asked.

“Let’s see.” Manny consulted his notes. “The payoff to Lichtman from
Mineralli Mining was $20,000. Lichtman got $10,000 from the first
Martindale deal, $15,000 from the second. As for Caldwell, Martindale
paid him $20,000 the first time around, and $25,000 the second. Not bad
for two days’ work.” Manny grinned at his own joke.

Nick glanced at his father. Burton was sitting there looking almost
stunned.

“And the paper trail is clear?” Nick asked. “There’s enough there for a
conviction? For both men?”

“Ron seemed to think so,” Manny affirmed. “He’s got more experience in
this kind of thing than I do, but he seemed to think it was ‘gold’.
Here, see for yourself.” Manny handed a copy of the documentation to
both men. Nick and Burton spent a few minutes studying the papers. It
did seem to bear out what Manny had been saying. Nick found himself
wondering how Manny’s associate Ron Wallis had gotten his hands on some
of these bank records. Then decided he probably didn’t want to know.

After a couple minutes, Nick said, “Well, Manny I think you’ve given us
exactly what we needed. Thank you. My father and I won’t forget this. If
there’s anything we can ever do for you, don’t, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Well, thank you, Mr. Fallin. I appreciate your saying that. But, it’s
all in a day’s work. Know what I mean?”

Burton spoke up at that point. “Just send the bill to me here at the
house, Manny. All right?”

“Sure thing. You’ll have it on Monday.... Anything else I can do for you
gentlemen?”

Father and son exchanged a glance, and then Burton said, “No. No...that
will be it, Manny. Thanks again. You did a terrific job...and I mean
that...just terrific.”

Nick showed Manny out, and returned to find his father staring off into
space. “Dad?” he said.

After a moment, Burton roused himself, and said, “Yeah?” in a distracted
voice.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, son. I’m just.... I never expected it of Caldwell. I guess I
wasn’t surprised to hear it about that, that little bastard Lichtman,
but Caldwell.... When I think that I put my firm in the hands of that
man...a man like that. Well, son...it, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

Nick looked down, and nodded. He didn’t know what he could say to that.
At last he said, “You, uh, you want some more coffee?”

Burton glanced at his half-empty cup, and said, “Sure. Why don’t you get
us both some, Nick.”

Nick fetched the coffee carafe from the kitchen, and both men sat in
silence, drinking their coffee, and thinking their own thoughts.

----+----

Friday, June 7th

The next day, Nick informed Caldwell and Lichtman that he needed to
discuss something of a confidential nature with them, and invited them
both to come by his house that night. The two men were curious, but when
Nick refused to say any more on the subject, they agreed to meet at his
home at 8:00PM.

Caldwell was the first one to arrive. When Nick showed him into the
living room, the senator found Burton waiting for him.

“Burton!” Caldwell said pleasantly. “This is a surprise. Nick didn’t
tell me you were going to be here.”

“Nathan,” Burton said solemnly, acknowledging his greeting.

“Nick, what, what’s this all about?” Caldwell asked, still with the
smile pasted on his face. He couldn’t read anything in the younger man’s
expression.

“I’ll explain it all when Mitchell gets here. Why don’t you have a seat?”

Nathan sat down on the couch opposite Burton. He began to play with the
stem of his watch. Nick remained standing.

In just a few minutes, Mitchell arrived. He too looked startled to see
Burton there. But, he greeted the senior Fallin cordially. Then turned
to Nick, and said, “Okay, Nick, we’re here. What’s the big mystery?”

Nick smiled at Mitchell. Mitchell was taken aback. He didn’t think he’d
ever seen Nick Fallin direct a sincere smile in his direction.

“It’s simple, Mitchell. You and Nathan wormed your way into my father’s
firm through dishonorable means. I intend to get you out the same way.”

“Nicholas--,” Caldwell started to protest, but Nick held up a hand to
silence him. Holding up the documentation provided by Frieden in his
other hand, he said, “I have here records of payoffs made to both of you
during your tenure in the Senate, Nathan. To be exact, payoffs made to
Mitchell by Mineralli Mining, and to both of you by companies under the
control of Philip Martindale.”

Both men looked stunned. “What?” Caldwell said at last, “Mineralli
Mining? What’s he talking about, Mitchell?”

Mitchell ignored the senator, but said to Nick. “Let’s see this proof of
yours, Fallin.”

Nick silently handed a copy of the incriminating documents to both men.

Mitchell said stridently, “These are bank records. You can’t get these
without a court order. What you did here is illegal.”

Nick raised his right eyebrow, and smiled slightly, tipping his head to
the side, then back. He had them, and he knew it.

“You have a simple choice. You both resign from the firm, or we leak
these records to the authorities.”

Mitchell tried to put up a tough front. “You do that, and I’ll make the
senator’s deal with your father public. That wouldn’t look so good for
your father’s sterling reputation, now would it, Nick?”

Burton leaned forward, as if preparing to respond, but before he could,
Nick was speaking again. “You know you’re bluffing, Mitchell. My
father’s deal with Caldwell doesn’t compare to the bribes you and
Caldwell took in the Senate. If it came to light, my father would
probably be looking at a slap on the hand. You and the senator would be
looking at serious jail time.”

Mitchell quickly sized up the situation, and nodded. “You’re right. I
always knew you were a smart guy, Nick, but you’ve exceeded my
expectations. You really have.” He shot a glance at the senator, and
then turned back to Nick, saying with intensity, “Look, you’ve got me,
all right? I admit that, but what you don’t realize is the value of
having a guy like me around the firm. A guy...a guy who’s not afraid to
do the dirty work.” He grinned cynically at Nick. “I think I’ve proved
that, at least.... Whadaya say? Keep me. Dump Caldwell. He was always
just a figurehead anyway.”

“Mitchell--,” Caldwell objected.

“Shut up, Senator. Fallin’s got us over a barrel. Afraid you’re on your
own from now on. I’m not going to do your thinking for you anymore.”

“Mitchell,” Caldwell began again, but he was at a loss for words. He’d
never suspected that his chief of staff had been lining his own pockets
in the Senate by cutting his own deals. He hadn’t yet recovered from
that shock, and now Mitchell was abandoning him.

Before Nick could reply to Mitchell’s offer, Burton did. Standing up, he
said forcefully, “Mr. Lichtman, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll
walk out that door right now, and submit your resignation first thing
Monday morning.” He fixed Mitchell with a hard stare. Mitchell turned to
look at Nick, and found himself met by the same icy gaze. Shaking his
head, he shot a contemptuous glare at Caldwell, and walked out of the house.

Nick and Burton exchanged a glance after Mitchell’s departure. Caldwell
was still sitting on the couch, seemingly in a daze. “Nate,” Burton said
at last. Caldwell looked up. “Nate, Nick needs your resignation on
Monday.... You resign...and all this stays between the three of us. But,
I need your agreement to that before you leave here tonight. You
understand? What’s it gonna be?”

Caldwell stared first at Burton, then Nick. Finally, he said, “I...I
have no choice, do I? Mitchell’s right. You hold all the cards.... Fine.
Fine. I’ll submit my letter of resignation to the partners on Monday
morning.” He stood up, and looked closely at Nick. “You’ll be free of me
then, Nicholas. That’s what you’ve wanted from the beginning, isn’t it?”
Nick folded his arms over his chest, and shifted his posture slightly,
but his expression remain unchanged. “You couldn’t stand working for a
guy like me, could you? A guy who’d never practiced law? A political
strawman, that’s what you thought. Well, you’re rid of me now.
Congratulations.... Congratulations on a job well done. Your father has
certainly taught you well.” Nick looked on scornfully as Caldwell made
his parting shot.

As the senator started for the door, Burton stood up, and said quietly,
“I didn’t think you had it in you, Nate...to, to take dirty money like
that. Why’d you do it?”

Caldwell stopped, but didn't turn around. After standing motionless for
a few seconds without uttering a word, he began once more to walk slowly
toward the door. In another moment, he was gone.

Burton and Nick stood in silence, staring at the closed door. Then Nick
turned to his father, and said earnestly, “So, will you come back to the
firm?”

Burton sighed, and put a hand to his chin. “Oh. Oh, I don’t know, son. I
think my day has come and gone.”

“That’s not true, Dad” Nick protested with feeling. “You’re still just
as good as you ever were.”

Burton shook his head, but didn’t say anything. Nick was silent for a
moment, then briefly compressed his lips together, before his tongue
darted out to wet them. When he spoke, it was with a passionate intensity.

“You told me...you’ve always told me how you spend you life building up
the firm.... You’ve poured your heart and soul into it. Are you ready to
throw that all away? Just, just stand by, and-and watch everything
you’ve worked for go down the drain?”

“Son,--”

“More people are leaving every day, Dad, and now that Caldwell is out of
the picture.... Well, Gordon and Landsberg are gone, and I don’t think
anyone else is really up to the task, do you?” Nick paused. Averting his
gaze, he added with difficulty, “I know...I know before all this started
that you, you wanted me to have the firm, Dad, but...but, I think we
both know now that I’m not, not really ready for that yet. I’m
just...I’m just not ready.”

Nick turned away, and Burton looked at his son compassionately. At last,
Nick turned back, and looked his father in the eye.

“It’s got to be you, Dad. You’re the only one who can, who can take
control, and get-get things back to where they belong, back to what they
used to be.“

Burton thought for a minute, then shook his head ‘yes’ slowly. “’kay....
You’ve convinced me. I’ll call the partners tonight.” He ran a hand
across his head, and looked at Nick warmly. “Thank you, son. You....
Thank you...for what you’ve done for the firm...and for me.”

Nick’s eyes grew wet. “Thank you, Dad,” he got out at last, his voice
quiet and broken with emotion. “Thank you for what you did, for me.”
Burton nodded, as his own eyes filled with tears.

---+---

Tuesday, June 11th

Burton Fallin was back in his old office at the newly renamed Fallin and
Associates. As Nick had predicted, the other partners had welcomed him
back with open arms. There were still a few kinks to work out, a lot of
lost ground to make up, but for the most part, Burton was optimistic
about the future of the firm. He was actually looking forward to the
struggle that lay ahead. He felt a new enthusiasm, a sense of vigor,
that he hadn’t felt in years. It was almost like the old days.

It was early evening. Most of the staff was already gone, although
Burton knew that Nick was still hard at it. Burton had decided it was a
good time to start unpacking some of the personal items that he had
boxed up only a short three weeks before. He had just gotten started,
when there was a knock at the door. He called, "Come in." without
looking up from his task. In a moment, Nathan Caldwell walked in.

"Nate," Burton said, a little surprised.

"Burton. I just came by to pick up some of my things."

"Oh, right.... There, uh, over there in those boxes by the door."

Caldwell nodded. He walked over to the boxes, and bent to pick them up.
Burton watched him silently.

"Well," Caldwell said, holding the cartons in front of him, "guess this
is it. Take care of yourself, Burton."

As the senator turned away, Burton said, “Nate, I don't understand. Why,
why’d you do it? Why'd you sacrifice your principals, all you believed
in...for money?”

Caldwell stopped, and turned around. Shaking his head regretfully before
meeting Burton’s eye, he said, “You have no idea what it’s like, my
friend. You, in this...this world of corporate mergers and divestitures.
When you’re in politics, temptation is all around. It’s not like the
world you know, not at all.... Oh it starts out small, a little gift
here, a little campaign contribution there. Then before you know it,
you’re in somebody’s back pocket.... You’re in their back pocket, and
you don’t see a way to climb out. So, you go along.... You go along to
get along, and before you know it, you’re a shell of your former self,
just a shell.... To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst
enemy.”

Burton nodded sadly. He wondered how many other good men had found
themselves in the same situation, bending a little here, a little there,
and then realizing one day that they'd become something they'd never
envisioned, just another corrupt politician for sale to the highest bidder.

Burton was pulled back from consideration of this painful truth, by the
distinctive 'click' of the door handle. He looked up in time to catch
sight of Nathan Caldwell's back as he left the office. Burton let out a
heart-felt sigh. He gazed out the window for a moment. Then mentally
shaking himself out of his gloomy reflections, he turned back to
continue his unpacking.

Burton had gotten through one box, and was just starting on another when
he paused to examine the framed photo that he held in his hand - that of
a little girl in a large, white hat. It was a picture of Sarah Jane
Watley at about five years of age. Sarah Jane was the daughter of Jim
Watley, a former F&A client and, once, one of Burton’s closest friends.
When Jim had first brought his business to F&A, he and Burton had hit it
off immediately. It hadn’t taken long to discover that their wives felt
the same way. Soon the two families were spending much of their free
time together. Like Nicholas, Sarah Jane was an only child, and being
only a year older than Nick, the two children had formed a close bond.

This picture of Sarah Jane had been taken at a weekend BBQ at Burton and
Anne’s house. Sarah had arrived wearing this adorable, large hat. The
grown-ups had been so taken by the sight of the little girl in the
over-sized bonnet that Nick soon began to feel left out (he would have
been about four then, Burton thought). Nicholas had started saying that
he wanted a hat too. The adults all had a good chuckle over this, but a
few minutes later, Burton had walked into the house, and returned with
one of his fedoras. He had placed it on Nick’s head, and the adults had
all laughed as the hat immediately fell down over the little boy’s face.
Nick pushed it back up, and favored Sarah Jane and the grown-ups with a
large grin. He and Sarah had proudly paraded around the yard in their
big hats for the next half hour. Jim had snapped some pictures of the
children, and on one of his later visits to the office had presented
Burton with a framed 5x7 of each child. Burton had placed them on his
desk where they had remained for years. But then about seventeen years
ago, when the firm had moved into its current location, the picture of
Nick had gotten lost in the move. Burton had returned Sarah Jane’s
picture to its original spot, figuring that the one of Nick would show
up eventually, but it never had. So the little girl’s portrait had
remained, by itself, on his desk.

As with many things, after a while, the picture had been there so long
that Burton ceased to “see” it. It had only been when he was packing up
his personal items from the office that he had paused to consider how
incongruous it was to have had just Sarah Jane’s picture on his desk all
these years. After a moment, he turned around, and placed the photo in
his open briefcase to take home with him. He hadn’t seen Jim or Patsy
since they had moved to Arizona five or six years ago. He hadn’t seen
Sarah since she was in college, but he knew she was married with two
children of her own now. He wondered idly if Nick was ever going to get
married, ever going to give him a grandson or granddaughter to take
Sarah Jane’s place on his desk. Hmmm.

Burton was interrupted in his musings by a sharp knock at the door. As
he looked up, Nicholas came striding into the room. “Dad, I need a
couple signatures on these contracts for O’Rielly Foods.”

Burton smiled at his son, and shook his head ruefully. It was just like
the old days, all right, the very recent ‘old days’.

The End