"Rupert's on his way, says he's got big news." She pushed me aside by the hand, barging into the hall.
"Aren't you going to offer me something to drink, Linds?"
I nodded curtly, leading her to the kitchen where I fumbled around, finding a bottle of red wine.
"Ok but just a small glass, god knows how long he'll have us here." Pouring two glasses and leaving an empty one for our boss, I wandered to the window with mine, feeling her eyes bore into me from behind as we both drank.
"Why did you do that Kate? Why would you do that to her?"
"Do what?"
"Leave that note in my paperwork."
"I already told you Lindsey, I have no idea what you're talking about, are you sure it was from me? It could've been really old, right?"
"I...I..."
"You haven't even seen it have you?"
I turned, raising an eyebrow, "With perception like that I'm not surprised you chose this career."
"You flatter me too much." She flicked her silky, red hair with mock drama.
The door sounded again and Rupert was already entering the unlocked door when I reached it, both of them knowing the gate code in case of work emergencies.
"Rupert, what's new then?" I shook my boss' hand firmly, smiling at his warm but serious face.
"I'm sorry to have to gather you here at this hour, and already out of your vacation, but the situation is critical but I knew I'd be able to trust you two." Returning to the kitchen, he greeted Kate, and we sat down around the round table. The case was indeed an unsavoury one: multiple allegations of sexual assault against a high-profile member of the government, whom we'd long worked for, and Rupert had been friendly with since youth. Honestly, some evidence was sketchy and I couldn't yet out my finger on the man's innocence or guilt. Rupert had instigated this emergency meeting to inform us of another public allegation against the politician, by an incredibly famous and well-loved Hollywood songstress, recently divorced from none other than Don Henley of Eagles fame- another hit to our defence team. Finding her statements largely anecdotal and baseless however, we called it a night after compiling our argument that her claims could hardly be regarded as evidence. We deduced this as she did not immediately visit the police while biological evidence of the politician's crime could've been collected; no CCTV footage of the hotel she claimed they visited together proved any encounters there; and her then-husband had not yet providing any aligned story, let alone one that fit her narrative.
Rupert promptly sped off home, fretting about his wife's worrying, as Kate went to use the bathroom; the grandfather clock loudly chiming for the twelfth hour as she emerged back into the hallway. "Look, Lindsey...What I said to you in the corridor earlier, I was just kidding around OK? We need to be civil, this case could make us you know? Everyone knows we're bound for the Supreme Court."
"Maybe I don't want that."
"You deserve it."
"There are things I care about more, like my wife and our family. My daughter is nine months old for Christ's sake, and I've already left her for six weeks of her life."
"You didn't care too much about your wife and kids when we w-"
"Just get out of my house, get out. You talk to me about the case and nothing else, understand?"
She nodded reluctantly and slammed the front door behind her as she left.
YOU ARE READING
The Years Disappeared
FanficStevie had always wanted the best for Lindsey, and she knew he was capable of attaining it. She'd just never have imagined that this was the type of success he'd wanted.
