Читать книгу I Love You, Goodbye - Prentiss Sr. Grant - Страница 10

Janice Whittington sat nervously in the reception room of the law office of Charles Griffith. She did not know how she was going to accomplish getting one of the best known lawyers in town to agree to handle Elizabeth’s case. Janice couldn’t believe she was here in the first place. She and Elizabeth had met shortly after Elizabeth moved into her apartment complex. The two were in the laundry room when Janice ran out of detergent before she got to her last load. Elizabeth gave her some detergent and the two began talking. They became friends and spent many evenings sharing their dreams and aspirations. But just how good a friend Janice didn’t realize as she sat looking around at the lavish décor and the beautiful paintings on the wall in Charles Griffith’s reception room. She had no idea what Mr. Griffith charged to represent someone in a murder case or what amount of money Elizabeth had in her bank account. “This is crazy,” Janice thought to herself, and got up to leave just as the receptionist announced Mr. Griffith would see her.

Walking into Charles Griffith’s office Janice was both impressed and nervous. She had reason to be. Charles Griffith was a force to be reckoned with in the legal community. He had practiced law for twenty-five years and established a reputation for being the best. Mr. Griffith, like many criminal defense lawyers, had begun his carrier as a public defender. A public defender represents individuals who can not afford to hire their own attorney which makes the pay low and the hours long. Mr. Griffith used his position well and established himself as a brilliant trial attorney. His many victories soon brought him a higher class of clients who could afford to pay for his services. After his first ten years in practice Charles Griffith handled nothing but criminal cases. Now he represented mostly white collar people accused of crimes because they were high dollar cases.

Mr. Griffith’s office itself was elegant to say the least. His desk was oak and had a huge top with leather sections. His chair was leather as were the two client’s chairs placed in front of the desk. An executive couch with two additional chairs was across the room from the desk. Exquisite paintings hung on two of the office walls and an elaborate bookshelf covered another wall. Several photographs of Mr. Griffith’s wife and two children were on the shelves. One could tell from his office that Charles Griffith cared as much about his family as about his practice. The remaining wall contained huge glass panels with a view of the city as breathtaking as the office itself.

Charles Griffith met Janice at his office door and escorted her inside. Janice sat down in one of the large client’s chairs as he rounded the desk and took his seat. Her small frame seemed to be swallowed by the chair. “What can I do for you, Ms. Whittington?” Mr. Griffith stated in a voice that commanded attention. Janice looked up at him and began explaining Elizabeth’s situation. Charles Griffith began taking notes even though he already knew about the Mary Michaels case. In fact he probably knew more than most others about Elizabeth Blaine, secretary to banking executive Harrison Michaels. He had spoken with the personnel in the clerk of court’s office shortly after Elizabeth’s arrest. Any good attorney knows the most important people at the courthouses are not the judges but the workers in the clerk’s office. They are the ones who truly know what is going on. The employees in the clerk’s office, or deputy clerks as they are known, work hard in the trenches every day. All the paperwork on any case goes through the clerk’s office. Mr. Griffith learned as a young attorney how nice and helpful the clerks could be. It seemed the newly licensed Mr. Griffith had arrived at the courthouse to file some documents and discovered he failed to make the requisite number of copies. He was about to turn around and head back to his office when one of the clerks volunteered to make the copies he needed. It was at that moment Mr. Griffith learned how much the clerks were under appreciated by many of the attorneys. His relationship with them from then on was one of admiration and respect.

When Janice finished telling Mr. Griffith about Elizabeth and what she wanted from him she sat silently for what seemed like an eternity. Mr. Griffith turned his chair slightly toward the window. Getting up from his seat, he walked over to the window and stared at the city. “So Elizabeth Blaine wants to hire me as her attorney.” He spoke aloud but not directly to Janice. Mr. Griffith stood staring out the window until a sly smile came across his face. “Well, I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Jeffrey Taylor in a while.” Smiling again he turned and walked over to Janice. He sat on the edge of his desk and told her he would go to the jail and meet with Elizabeth. Janice looked at Mr. Griffith with relief. She did not want to go through this again at another attorney’s office.

After drafting the necessary power of attorney, Charles Griffith exited his office. The drive from his office to the jail was a short one and on the way Charles Griffith tried to imagine what Elizabeth Blaine would be like. He had represented a lot of rich people in his career but this case would be different. Elizabeth was not rich. She was a secretary. While she obviously made more than most secretaries Elizabeth would be nowhere near rich. This case would be rich, however, and with exposure came money. Charles Griffith liked nothing more than high profile cases with plenty of media coverage. He did understand the problems with agreeing to represent Elizabeth Blaine. Many of his other clients were rich powerful people. Charles Griffith knew some of them would not like his representing someone accused of killing someone from their social circle. He might even lose a few as clients. Yes Elizabeth Blaine would have to be exceptional before he would agree to become her attorney.

Walking into the jail, Charles Griffith announced his desire to speak with Elizabeth Blaine. The jailer radioed for Elizabeth to be brought down while motioning Mr. Griffith through the iron cell door. The jailer pointed toward the first visiting room down the hall. The visiting rooms in the county jail were barely larger than a telephone booth. They had only room enough for a small table and two wooden chairs. Mr. Griffith walked inside the first room and waited for Elizabeth to arrive. After a few moments a figure entered the visiting room. Had he not been accustomed to the prison environment Mr. Griffith would have been stunned by Elizabeth Blaine’s appearance. Her hair was a mess; she didn’t have on any makeup and looked as if she hadn’t eaten for several weeks. Elizabeth certainly did not look like the photographs the media was circulating with the story of the infamous crime. It wasn’t as if she had been in jail for a long time but every person who spends several days isolated and under extreme stress looks aged, to say the least.

Sitting at the table together, Mr. Griffith and Elizabeth began the review of her case. Mr. Griffith established the ground rules as he did with all his clients. Primarily in matter of trial tactics, his opinions would be the only ones considered. Elizabeth agreed and questioned the possibility of her being released prior to trial. Mr. Griffith explained the central issue surrounding her release was whether she was what the court considered a “flight risk.” Mr. Griffith went on to explain that in making the determination of whether a person was a “flight risk” the court looked at several factors, including a person’s ties to the community, his or her work history, immediate family in the area, and so forth. The problem in this case was that Elizabeth had no immediate family in the area and her employment prior to her arrest was with the victim’s husband. It was not likely Elizabeth would be able to return to her job upon her release. On the positive side, Elizabeth had been a resident in the community for several years and was, prior to this, a model citizen. Mr. Griffith agreed a motion for reduction of bond was necessary.

Several hours passed before the initial meeting between attorney and client was concluded. Prior to leaving Elizabeth executed the power of attorney for Mr. Griffith and instructed him to repay Janice for any monies she had spent. Mr. Griffith explained that he had not charged Janice for their visit when he had agreed to meet with Elizabeth. He further explained that no matter how good a friend Janice was, Elizabeth had to refrain from telling her anything about the case. When Elizabeth acknowledged her understanding of his instructions, the two shook hands. Mr. Griffith then exited the visiting room and motioned to the jailer. A deputy came down the hall to escort Elizabeth back to her cell. As she walked away, Charles Griffith knew he made the correct decision in agreeing to represent Elizabeth Blaine no matter what the personal cost could be to him.

Mr. Griffith stopped by Elizabeth’s bank on his way back to the office. He delivered the power of attorney to the bank president and transferred twenty thousand dollars to his trust account. Leaving the bank Mr. Griffith headed straight to his office to begin the task of drafting the necessary papers to secure Elizabeth’s release from jail. He hadn’t been at his desk long with the intercom buzzed. “Mr. Griffith, there is a Mr. Jeffrey Taylor here to see you.” Checking his watch Charles Griffith laughed. “Less than two hours. That’s got to be a record. Send him back,” Mr. Griffith replied as he adjusted his chair to await this encounter.

Charles Griffith’s secretary reminded him of his 3:30 appointment as she escorted the District Attorney into the office. Mr. Griffith nodded his acknowledgement while motioning for Jeffrey Taylor to sit. When his secretary had walked away, Charles Griffith turned directly to the District Attorney. “What can I do for you today, Mr. Taylor?” His tone was pleasant but totally business. Charles did not particularly like the Jeffrey Taylor and intended to keep this conversation on a professional level. “I would like to discuss your representation of Elizabeth Blaine.” “Well Mr. Taylor, I find that interesting since I have not filed any notice with the court that I am representing Ms. Blaine. Tell me what makes you think I am representing Elizabeth Blaine?” Mr. Griffith looked at the document on the screen of his computer seeking Elizabeth’s release as he spoke. “Come on Mr. Griffith we both know you met with Ms. Blaine this morning for several hours. Are you telling me that you refused to take her case?” “I am not telling you anything Mr. Taylor you’re telling me that I represent Elizabeth Blaine. Now do you want to tell me how you know I am attorney for Ms. Blaine or do we end this conversation here and now?”

Jeffrey Taylor squirmed in his chair. One would not believe a District Attorney would be intimidated, but few people know they are primarily political animals. They spend most of their time attending functions or speaking at charity events. The assistant district attorneys are the ones who work the cases. They are the pit bulls that don’t back down from a challenge. “Mr. Griffith …”, Jeffrey Taylor’s words were slow and measured, “… I do not wish to argue with you. Word was sent to me by the jailer that you had visited with Ms. Blaine. It was wrong of me to assume you were her attorney. You obviously know how important this case is to my office, to the entire community.” The District Attorney was detailing his role as defender of the people, when Mr. Griffith stopped him mid sentence. Mr. Griffith explained bluntly he was not interested in the ramblings of a politician grasping to keep his office and that Mr. Griffith did not have to bow down to the moneymakers in the town because he stood on his own. Charles Griffith went further to state he did not care what Jeffrey Taylor’s agenda was, he was going to represent Elizabeth Blaine and the District Attorney had better be ready for a fight.

Jeffrey Taylor suddenly found his backbone and did not hesitate to respond. Jeffrey explained to Mr. Griffith his opinion of criminal defense attorneys and that they were no better than the clients they represented, looking for any technicality in the law to allow someone they knew was guilty of a crime to go free so they could commit other crimes. He was walking out the office door when he turned back to Mr. Griffith and stated: “I was going to offer you a deal to keep your client from spending the rest of her life in jail, but I will make sure Ms. Blaine never gets out now.” Charles Griffith smiled as he returned to his computer screen and resumed his work. He knew the only reason the District Attorney would have come to his office personally was because he had problems with his case. Charles Griffith was determined to find out exactly what those problems were and expose them to the world.