Free The Return of the Fallen Angels Book Club (A Hollis Morgan Mystery 3) by R. Franklin James Page A

in four months. The part I dread the most is having to find new clients.”
    Hollis wondered when they started letting seventeen-year-olds take the bar. “It’s not so bad; sometimes they seem to fall out of the sky.” She turned to leave. “Good luck with the bar. Let me know if I can be of help.”
    She dropped the last packet in the overnight mail to the Fallen Angels; they should each get their copy the next day. She wanted them to have a few days to look over the material before their next meeting.
    “Uh, Hollis,” Tiffany said in a hushed tone from the doorway. “Sorry for the interruption.”
    “What’s the matter? Come on in.”
    “I can’t. I’ve to get back to the front desk.” She looked over her shoulder and whispered, “There’s a couple waiting for you in the main conference room. They don’t have an appointment.”
    “They must be drop-ins. Why are you whispering?”
    “You’re starting to have a lot of drop-ins.” Tiffany spoke in her regular voice but her expression was stern. “I’m sorry; I’m being silly. I know they can’t hear us. But I want to be able to see your meeting from the lobby.”
    “Why? What’s wrong? Who are they?”
    “They said their names are Joy and Sonny Patterson. I think they’re related to that other guy who came last week.”
    “Oh.” Hollis got up grabbed a pad and pen. She steered Tiffany out into the hallway. “If it’s who I think it is, they’re brother and sister, not a couple.”
    Glancing into the conference room as she entered the lobby, Hollis could immediately see what had caused Tiffany’s alarm. Shelby’s brother looked like a coiled snake ready to strike. Hollis could even sense his glare from where she was standing. Joy, while less intimidating, wore her attitude of unease in the set of her jaw. They were both wearing jeans and sweatshirts that advertised a 2010 jazz festival. Joy was clearly her father’s daughter—brown-skinned, attractive, tall, with piercing dark eyes. She paced the room. Her brother Sonny, who was slightly taller with acne-scarred cheeks, sat sullenly in a chair.
    “Good afternoon,” she said, not moving to offer her hand. “My name is Hollis Morgan. How can I help you?”
    The young woman sat down and spoke first. “We’re Shelby’s brother and sister. I’m Joy and this is Sonny. We came to tell you that if Shelby sells our house, she still can live on campus, but if you take our house we won’t have a place to sleep.”
    “I know this is unfortunate. I tried to get your dad to understand—”
    “No, you don’t understand.” Sonny stopped slouching and sat up straight. “Shelby doesn’t have to go to college now; she can get a job and go to college later. She doesn’t need that house.”
    Hollis looked over at him with sympathy, but addressed her comments to Joy, who seemed the calmer of the two. “I’ve been hired to process a valid legal claim. It was your grandmother’s house and she chose to give it to your stepsister. Shelby’s not to blame.”
    Sonny jumped up and pointed his finger in Hollis’ face. “Look, we’re not gettin’ out of that house. We can make her and you real sorry if you try to make us.”
    Hollis flashed back to her time in prison, where intimidation was an everyday tactic and standing up for yourself was the only survival option.
    She spoke between clenched teeth. “Look, you slime bug, get your finger out of my face. You threaten me or my client again, and you’ll find a home all right. You’ll be checking into the rooms in county jail.”
    “Sonny, cut it out.” Joy put her hand lightly on his arm. She led him back to the table and they both sat down. “He didn’t mean anything. It’s just that we’re trying to get our own place and—”
    “Don’t be telling our business, Joy. She don’t want to hear it,” Sonny said in a much subdued voice. “She just wants her big-time lawyer fees. Let’s go.”
    Joy looked at her brother, then Hollis. She