Abediah Thornton

Chapter 14 - Thursday

Abediah was on her way to the feed store, driving through town in her old blue pick-up. She turned a corner and saw a sign she'd never noticed before, 'Holtby & Cope, Attorney's at Law'

With an instinctive movement Abediah hauled on the steering wheel, pulling the truck into a space in front of the office. She sat in the pick-up looking into the window in front of her. The office looked small, a lot less fancy than Mr Goodman's office. It had probably just been a shop before. The window was mostly frosted with a couple of clear lines running across the main part of the glass. In the middle of the window through the words 'Holtby & Cope' a table and large plant could be seen inside.

As though in answer to a subconscious conversation Abediah felt herself nodding. She took a deep breath and opened the truck door.

When she pushed open the office door she heard the same tinkling sound she had heard at the cafe. She looked up to see a little bell at the top of the door. 'Good afternoon!' said a polite voice.

Behind a desk on the other side of the large fig plant beside the door was a woman who was perhaps in her late 30's. She was blond with a perfect bob and was wearing a very frilly white blouse. She had said hello but her fingers were still tap tap tapping away across a keyboard and her head was pointed at a screen to the side of the desk.

'Just one second,' she said slowly as she continued tapping. Abediah waited.

A minute later the woman clicked the keyboard with a flourish and said, 'finished!' before looking up.

'Hello,' she said in a friendly way, 'sorry to keep you, how can I help?'

Now that she was in the office Abediah didn't feel awfully confident. She didn't really know how they could help, but with all of her questions she just felt that she needed some legal help, if not right now, then soon. She sighed.

'Erm,' she started, unsure where to begin, 'yesterday I was in a cafe and there was a lady there,' the woman on the other side of the desk was nodding, she had a kind smile on her face, it wasn't wavering, although Abediah would have forgiven her if it had.

'She was wearing a red suit,' she added. 'She seemed very good. I wondered if this was where she worked?'Behind the desk the woman was still nodding.

'That'd be Winnie,' she said. 'She's one of our attorney's.'

'That's right!' said Abediah, glad she was in the right place. 'Do you think she'd have time to help me?'

'Of course!' said the woman brightly. 'Why don't you take a seat and I'll take some details. We can go from there.' She rose from her desk motioning to a chair opposite. 'Can I get you anything to drink?' she asked.

'Just water would be lovely please.'