Free In Firm Pursuit by Pamela Samuels-Young Page B

with something else to try to screw me? I thought about giving O’Reilly a call to see if he knew anything, but doing that would reveal that Shelia had tipped me off.
    I pulled out the drawer behind my desk to see if I could determine exactly which files Haley had taken. All of the deposition transcripts, the pleadings files and my interview notes were gone. Maybe Porter had decided that he would get the case settled himself. But there was no reason for him to do that without telling me first. And that still didn’t explain why he wanted my cell phone records.
    I tried to finish revising a discovery motion in another case, but I couldn’t think straight. Haley and Porter were up to something and I needed to know exactly what it was.
    I got up and took off toward Haley’s office.

CHAPTER 17
    I knocked lightly on Haley’s open door, but she was staring at her computer screen and apparently didn’t hear me.
    I was practically standing over her desk when she finally noticed me. The girl jumped a good ten inches in her seat, then hurriedly clicked out of her computer screen before I could see what she had been reading so intensely.
    What in the hell was going on?
    Haley swung around to face me. A different bouquet of flowers sat on the corner of her desk. Shelia had told me that Haley had fresh flowers delivered every Tuesday and Friday morning and got her nails done twice a week. She even had a professional masseuse come to the office three times a month to give her a fifteen-minute neck massage.
    â€œI just dropped by to say hello,” I said, unable to come up with something more creative. “Since we’re going to be working together, we might as well get to know each other.”
    The look in the girl’s bold blue eyes told me she saw right through me.
    â€œGreat,” Haley said, her voice just as insincere as mine.
    â€œHave a seat.”
    â€œI finally had a chance to read that trial strategy memo you prepared.” I was hoping that a compliment wouldloosen her up. “You did a really good job. You must’ve seen a lot of trials when you clerked.”
    â€œYes, quite a few.”
    Haley evidently didn’t believe that my friendly overture was legit and was not about to make this easy for me.
    â€œToo bad we won’t be able to take the Randle case to trial,” I said. “It would have been a good experience for you.”
    â€œReally? I heard it was definitely going to trial,” Haley said.
    â€œAnd where did you hear that?”
    â€œOne of my law school classmates works at Hamilton Ellis’s firm. Ellis is apparently pretty psyched about trying the case.”
    I felt my stomach lurch. “Really? What else did your friend tell you?”
    â€œThat was about it,” Haley said.
    I tried to keep my smile from turning into a smirk.
    â€œAnything else going on in the Randle case that I should know about?”
    â€œNope. You’re the senior associate on the case. You would certainly know more than me.” Haley paused and a contemplative look glazed her face. “How well do you know Mr. Ellis?” she asked.
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œI hear he’s pretty active with the local African-American Bar association. You ever have an opportunity to interact with him?”
    What was she getting at? “That’s a rather strange question,” I said.
    â€œOh…well…I just think it’s good to learn as much as you can about your opposing counsel. His habits, his weaknesses, his likes, his dislikes. You never know what little tidbit can help you at trial.”
    â€œI tried a case against him a few years ago,” I said.
    â€œNone of that ever came into play. I tend to focus on the facts of the case. Not the idiosyncrasies of the attorney who’s trying it.”
    Haley shrugged and twirled one of her blond ringlets around her finger. “I’m just curious. What’s he