was nothing warm and fuzzy about any one of them. I was expecting a little compassion, for want of a better word . . . something that showed they cared. What I saw . . . what I got . . . was three people who could have worked in the Budweiser lab. It was like they had no feelings. I wasn’t a person to them. I was a file folder.” Bella shrugged. “Maybe you have to be that way in that kind of a business.”
The two lawyers and Bella talked for a full ninety minutes, with Bella doing most of the talking. The lawyers made notes, asked questions, made several copies of the video that Bella had on her phone. And then they had Bella sign a batch of papers. Bella questioned the cost. Both women shook their heads. “Right now, you just give us a dollar bill as a retainer, and that will do it for now. We don’t want you worrying about money. What we are worried about, however, is the fact that you said you are moving to North Carolina. Is it possible for you to delay the move? Do you have a job, an apartment lease there, anything to prevent you from leaving here? Are you on a timetable of any kind? We’re pretty good at taking care of details like that if you are prepared to stay on here a bit longer.”
“Sure. Okay. I can do that. But why?” Bella asked.
Nikki got up and added another log to the fire. Bella noticed it was a white-birch log, the bark peeling. She loved birch logs. Andy had said he loved burning cherrywood. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?” Nikki asked Alexis.
Alexis grinned. “Settle back, Bella, I have a story to tell you. Yes, this is a legal firm. Yes, Nikki and I are lawyers. We fight for our clients in a court of law. But we also fight for them in other ways. Your case as it stands is going to be a tough one to bring to court, but we can go to plan B and incorporate it with plan A, which is going to court and having a full-blown trial. When I finish, all you have to do is say yes or no, and we’ll go from there. Do you understand, and do you agree?”
Bella blinked. “Absolutely.”
Bella listened; then she laughed. Out loud. “I’m in. I knew there was something about you the minute I walked into this building, and the hair went up on the back of my neck when I walked into this room with the two of you. Back in the day I donated twelve dollars to your defense fund. It was all I could afford at the time. I cheered you guys on till I was hoarse and so did my friends. And now here I am actually talking to two of the members of the infamous Vigilantes. This just makes my day. I’ll do my best to pay you something, and if it takes me the rest of my life, I will do it. For now, my thanks is all I have to give. Do we have a deal?”
“We do,” Alexis and Nikki said in unison.
“All right, then, tomorrow is Saturday. We’ll call a special meeting at Pinewood so you can meet the others; then we’ll get down to business. Alexis, text Myra and ask her what is a good time to meet up.”
A minute later, Alexis said, “Ten!” She looked over at Bella.
“I can make ten. Just give me an address. I’ll plug it into my GPS. I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to help me.”
“We live for this,” Alexis said, and giggled. Nikki burst out laughing; then Bella started to laugh herself. She was certain now that she was in good hands.
* * *
Bella wondered how she could feel so breathless when all she’d done was drive here to Pinewood. She sat outside the gates and stared at the awesome, intricate, wrought-iron gates. All she had to do was press a button, look into the magic eye, and the gates would open. And then . . . and then . . .
Better not to think that far ahead. Just press the button and sally forth. “ ‘Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,’ ” she chortled, then laughed out loud. She was in good hands now. Famous hands. If someone had told her she would be meeting with the famous Vigilantes,