Free The Namedropper by Brian Freemantle

on his list.
    The woman shrugged. ‘It’s sometimes done here between solicitors and barristers, on behalf of clients. Maybe it’s to do with the particular circumstances of this situation, different jurisdictions and regulations in different countries, in addition to different American states being involved. I’ve gone through it. I didn’t find any reason why you shouldn’t sign: it’s as much for your protection in an American court as it is for his being paid his fees.’
    â€˜You think they’re reasonable?’ seized Jordan, wanting to concentrate on finance as quickly as possible.
    â€˜I warned you about costs,’ reminded the woman. ‘The court refreshers are $2,000 a day. What can’t be quantified at the moment from what Beckwith provided – or what he hasn’t yet been provide with , from the other sides – is exactly how many days the case might take. It’s obviously a contested case – you contesting the claims against you, presumably as Alyce will be doing even if they are conniving – so it definitely won’t be a short hearing.’
    â€˜Give me a ballpark figure,’ demanded Jordan.
    â€˜Impossible,’ refused the lawyer. ‘You want to do some sums on the back of an envelope, allow a month …’ She paused. ‘A minimum of a month.’
    â€˜Presuming the court won’t sit on a Saturday or Sunday, that will be something like $40,000 in court refreshers alone?’
    â€˜And there’s the hourly $500 for all the preliminary consultations,’ added Lesley. ‘There’ll also be search fees, impossible at this stage to estimate. And if you’re going to have to go back and forth, possibly several times, and pay hotel bills while you’re in New York and Raleigh, you’ve got to calculate travel and living expenses. Also impossible to estimate. And my fees and expenses, which I haven’t got around to thinking about yet. That’s why I can’t give you a ballpark guess. But I did warn you that it wasn’t going to be cheap.’
    â€˜What if all the claims are dismissed, that I’ve been forced to defend myself against marriage destroying allegations that aren’t justified?’
    â€˜In this country a judge would have the discretion to apportion costs, according to culpability. I’ll raise it with Dan when I respond to all the stuff he’s sent over for us to complete today. But you’ve got to bear in mind that you did sleep with her. And that you knew she was a married woman.’
    â€˜That was surely her decision?’
    â€˜I said I’ll raise it with Dan. You ready to start on his stuff?’
    â€˜That’s what I’m here for.’
    The woman isolated a document several pages thick and said, ‘OK, let’s learn all we can about Harvey William Jordan.’ She smiled up. ‘You brought your birth certificate, as I asked you?’
    His hesitation at handing it across the desk to her was instinctive at parting with such an essential tool of his trade.
    â€˜What is it?’ She frowned.
    â€˜I don’t particularly like surrendering personal documents.’
    The frown remained. ‘It’ll be copied, here today, like all the other stuff he wants. And couriered, in the possession of a messenger from the time it leaves here until it’s handed over to Dan’s firm in New York.’
    Another silly lapse, Jordan thought, self-critically. ‘Sure. Stupid of me. I’ve not been involved in anything like this before.’
    â€˜We have to know, with supporting details, what you do for a living,’ she went on.
    â€˜I need to understand something,’ said Jordan, coming to the most highlighted note on his reminder list. ‘There’ll be lawyers acting separately for Alyce as well as those acting for Appleton? And Dan acting for me, right?’
    â€˜Yes,’ the woman agreed,