Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Trish Conwanagh sat on the floor in jeans and a faded Nalu sweatshirt.When she took out the law books from the carton and put them on the shelf one by one, she heard footsteps behind her.A man with dark brown curly hair and a wide smile leaned against the door of her new office.Tracy's heart suddenly froze, and she was surprised to feel that she would be attracted by the man in front of her immediately.At this moment, she wished her dark brown skin could hide the warm flush on her cheeks. "You must be the new partner. I'm Barry Flem, Matthew's investigative researcher."

Flem is about six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and is dressed in blue overalls and khaki slacks.His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his fluffy little arms.Trish stood up quickly, dusting her hands on her jeans before reaching out to greet the smiling Flem. "Arranging things?" Flem asked with concern, staring at the piles of cardboard boxes. "Oh, yes." "Do you need help?" "Thank you! But my property is not too much." "Have you found a place to stay?" "Well, I have a nice apartment by the river. I lived there before I came here."

"Then you live in Sharon, don't you?" Trish nodded, "I used to be a clerk in the Supreme Court." "With which judge?" "Alice Shessel." "I was Clerk to Judge Lafcombe five years ago." Trish looked confused because she was sure Flem had said he was an investigator. Flem snorted and laughed. "You must be wondering why I don't look like a practicing lawyer at all, do you?" "I..." Trish looked a little embarrassed because her thoughts had been seen through. "It's okay, I'm used to lawyers looking at me that way. I didn't get kicked out of the courts for failing an exam. After five years of clerking for Judge Lafcombe, Matthew asked me to come to his Here I come to be a lawyer. However, I prefer to be an investigator, so when his original investigator resigned, I took the initiative to ask to take over the job. Although the salary is not as high as before, I don’t need to be trapped all day long. Behind a desk, of course, you don't have to wear a tie."

"So, did Mr. Reynolds put you in charge of any legal work?" "During the period of time before your arrival, although we all had heavy workloads, he would not ask me to help unless we had to. The previous partner left in a hurry, which caught us off guard." "Why did he leave?" "I can't keep going. Matthew has very high expectations of people, and some of his demands are often beyond what people can bear." "Like...?" Trish hoped Flem could tell her some gory examples of how Raynor tortured his men, so she could prepare herself for the worst.

"Let's put it this way! Matthew's cases are spread all over the country, and sometimes he expects his partners to be proficient in the laws of other states." "That doesn't sound very reasonable." "I've seen him assign cases like this to poor fools a week before trial." "Are you joking?" "It's absolutely true." "Please! That's too difficult!" There was a trace of worry in Tracy's tone.Although there was a lot of pressure when working in the Supreme Court, Judge Shessel always emphasized that good education is far more important than working speed.Tracy wished such a terrible job hadn't happened to her.

"Do you think you're up to it?" Flem asked. "I'm a quick learner, but it depends on the situation. Dogs jump over walls, though. If the situation here is urgent enough, I think I can handle it!" "That's good." Flem's smile became brighter, "because you have to go to Atlanta next Monday." "what!?" "Did I tell you that Matthew told me to play blackface too? No! Well, I tell you, I'm the bloody messenger that everyone shouts and beats." "What do you want me to do in Atlanta?" Trish looked incredible, "I haven't even opened it yet!"

"You have to be Levi Stone's deputy in this case. The archives are in the library, you'd better go get them as soon as possible. And clear some of your luggage, because the archives are very thick." "What kind of case is this?" "Death penalty cases. Matthew rarely takes on other types of cases. This case is quite tricky. However, if you work hard for a week, you should be able to catch up smoothly. There is a good take-out Chinese restaurant a few streets ahead, They usually open very late." "You mean, Mr. Reynolds wants me to not only become a legal expert in Georgia, but also to understand the whole case in just five days?"

Tracy still had an expression of disbelief, as if she thought it was just a joke to scare new recruits. Flem raised his head and laughed a few times, "I couldn't be more excited to see such an expression on someone's face. Take heart! I heard that Atlanta's scenery in August is quite charming—— 120 percent haze with 100 percent humidity." After finishing speaking, Flem laughed wildly again; people had disappeared from Trish's sight, and his laughter was still trailing.Trish slumped back on the floor, staring at the unopened cardboard boxes scattered all over the floor in a daze.She had planned to go for a few laps after tidying up the office, but now it was all ruined.From this point of view, the only activity left for her in the future is probably to keep moving these legal books up and down.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," Matthew Raynor said very politely when Abijill Griffin invited him into the office.It was the first time they had met since their courtroom confrontation three weeks ago. "I don't have much of a choice," Abby replied, flicking the court ruling on the 'Franklin v. State' case in her hand. "The court bought your account. Are you searching Mrs. Lin's house?" "I've called California, and the criminologist I'm working with can come by on Tuesday, and my people in Portland will be on hand."

"Then I will first inform Mrs. Franklin that you will come over on Tuesday. However, she really doesn't want to see you again, so there will be a policeman there who will give you the key and let you open the door and search." "I'm going to Atlanta for a few weeks to fight a lawsuit that my investigator, Barry Flamm, will be working on with the court commissioner." "I'm leaving here for a few days, too." "Oh?" "It's not as exotic as Atlanta. I'm just going to spend a week's vacation at my little seaside villa. Dennis Heka will take care of things here for me, and I've already told him."

"Can we have a set of photographs of the crime scene, and a diagram of the scene drawn up by your court personnel?" "of course can." Abby called her assistant through the intercom and asked her to fetch the information that Renault wanted.As she spoke, Raynor took a sneak peek at the line of Abby's jaw and the smooth, delicate skin.She was wearing black trousers with a pale yellow shirt. A gold necklace with a narrow border was looped around her slender neck. In the center of the necklace was a shining diamond, which matched the pair of diamonds she was wearing. Earrings to match. Abby turned around and happened to meet Renault's eyes suddenly.His face blushed for a while, and he quickly looked away. "Wait a few minutes, please." Abby said nonchalantly, "Would you like a cup of coffee?" "thanks." Abby leaves, giving Matthew a little respite.He stood and looked around the entire office.He had expected to see some pictures of Abby and her husband, but was surprised to find that there was nothing personal in the room.Abby's desktop is almost overwhelmed by stacks of police reports and archives, one wall is covered with her degree certificates and various awards, and the other is covered with framed newspaper clippings, all about her work in the United States. Reports of outstanding performance in the courtroom, these are the best examples of Abby's excellent interrogation skills and her unyielding spirit.In the cases she has handled, it is either the death penalty or the major criminal who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Oregon court.Abijill Griffin will not show mercy to her opponents at all, she will definitely block and block them completely. Matthew noticed a void in the wall.The framed newspaper clipping that had hung there was flipped face down on the filing cabinet.Matthew turned it over and read the headline on the news: Bombers Convicted.The photo shows Charlie Deam, handcuffed, being led out of the courthouse by three tall, burly police officers. "I forgot to ask if you wanted creamer or sugar." Abby was back in the office, two cups of coffee in hand. Renault didn't hear the sound of her entering the door. "Pure is fine." His tone trembled slightly, as if a little boy was caught by his mother for stealing biscuits.Abby reaches out to hand him the coffee, then notices what Raynor's eyes are on. "I'm sorry about Tim's case," Raynor told her. "I never thought that I would hear Matthew Raynor lamenting so much because of the turnaround of the death row prisoner!" "I don't see any conflict between being against the death penalty and failing to keep people like Dim in jail." "You know that guy too?" "He originally asked me to defend him, but I refused." "why?" "There's something about Tim that I don't like. Are you going to do him again?" "I can't. The court has expunged Tim's statement at the police station. Without his confession, there's nothing we can do about him. He's at large now." "Are you worried about your own safety?" "Why do you ask that?" "Dim gave me the impression that he was the kind of person who could hold a grudge." Abby froze, hesitated for a while.She had almost forgotten about the man who tried to break into her house.Originally, I always thought that it was just a simple night thief, but now that Lei Nuo asked him this question, another possibility arose. "Dim may be very happy that he survived the catastrophe, and maybe he has forgotten my existence." Abby replied with a smile. Abby's assistant walks in with a brown paper bag.After checking the documents in the bag, she handed it to Matthew. "I want to make an appointment with you," she said. "After your investigator has inspected that house, I want to know what your next steps will be. Remember to keep in touch with me." "Thank you for your assistance." Renault blurted out, as if signing a business letter. "I will return the photos after our work is over." What a special person!When Raynor left, Griffin wondered alone, so stern, stiff, and unsmiling, definitely not the kind of guy you'd want to go out for a beer with; and, besides, so awkward and dull when confronted by her, Flushed at every turn, like those stiff-necked South Pacific priests who don't know what to do with a naked Tahitian woman.If it weren't for knowing him a little bit, she would have thought that this man was interested in her. Abby thought about it for a while.She doesn't care if Renault really has special feelings for her, she must let that man die ugly in court, so any sharp edge that can be used to counter the attack must be firmly in her hands .Reynolds may be an unattractive duck, but he is definitely a shrewd and capable lawyer, an opponent she must struggle with.