he has a lot of other things on his mind at the moment.”
“Well, never hurts to ask.” Ed paused and then he spoke again in a less formal and more earnest tone. “Uh look, I’m trying to put together a series of stories about Steele and his appeal. If you can think of anything, anything at all of interest, give me a call. I won’t quote you or anything. I’ll only refer to unnamed sources, you know, background. We younger guys gotta stick together you know.”
“Uh, sure.” I was suspicious, but interested. It was always good to make friends in the news business. I took down Ed’s number and hung up.
Drilling in the Alaskan Wilderness Preserve was a position that seemed at odds with Steele’s pro-environment stance, and I couldn’t see what relevance his position on an issue like that could possibly have to his habeas petition.
I went back through the file and leafed through the newspaper articles. There was only a single reference in one story written three days after the murder. It recounted simply that two days before the murder, Steele returned from a trip to Alaska where he had discussed the issue of tapping Alaska’s oil reserves with the state’s governor. That was it.
I placed the articles back in the folder and pulled the old day planner out. The meetings from that last week corresponded with the newspaper. There was a dinner at the governor’s mansion, lunch with an oil industry group, the meeting at the Fairbanks Hotel with Gary R., and the flight home two days before the murder. I was finished flipping through it when Jim Carver poked his head around the door.
“Hey there, got a minute?” he said as he strolled on in. It was the first time Carver had come to my office. He took a seat and laced his fingers behind his head. “So, how’re things going?”
I told him everything was fine. That the summer had been great. I sounded like a goofy kid. Gee Mr. Carver, this summer’s sure been swell!
“Well, that’s good to hear,” he said. “I just wanted to tell you that I think you really did an excellent job on the Steele matter.” Then he lowered his arms and leaned forward. “I’m going on vacation starting next week and I’ll be out for several weeks. My wife and I are spending the next couple of weeks in the south of France. Steele’s oral argument will be right when I get back and I want to be sure you’re still around to help with whatever needs to be done to get ready for that.”
Carver paused and smiled, watching my confused look. “I know these kinds of decisions aren’t supposed to be officially made for a few more weeks, but I wanted to make sure I could come down myself. So, on behalf of myself and the firm, I’d like to offer you a permanent position with Kolberg & Crowley.” Carver stood up and reached his hand across the desk, as if welcoming me to an exclusive club.
I almost burst out laughing. I didn’t know how to react. I had been so immersed in the case I had almost forgotten I was applying for a job. A numbness overcame me and I stood and shook Carver’s hand.
“That’s great. That’s wonderful news. Thank you.” I could hear my own voice gushing, the words flowing out naturally and without reflection. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Great, great.” Carver put his hands on his hips, peering down over the top of his glasses. “So, can I tell the committee that you’re joining us, or do you want to take a little time with the decision?”
“No, I think my mind’s made up.” All of the rationalizations came over me at once. Nonprofit work, the ACLU, those kinds of jobs would always be out there. Those kinds of organizations were always looking. Why not get some real experience at a place like K&C first? Why not let K&C absorb the cost of training me? It seemed like a good deal. I could pay off my loans, get my life together, and then, in a few years, when the time was right, I could always make the move and do something else. I could almost hear myself joining the chorus of thousands of other law students who had recited the same internal monologue.
But all I could say was, “I’m really looking forward to joining the firm.” What was I going to tell Liz? How would I explain