Better Late Than Dead: Episode 16

  This is episode sixteen of the novel Better Late Than Dead. It is the 7th book in the Rich Larsen Adventure Series. An episode will be posted every Monday and Friday. However, it can be purchased on Amazon in the Kindle or paperback versions.  

Rich has returned to the home he ran away from six years earlier. He’s back living with his parents, hoping to make amends for the pain he caused them. Two years have passed since returning home. That’s where this story begins. 

Episode 16 (Originally posted on the Jittery Goat)

Over the next two days, Rich, Hiram, and Miss Winslow studied volumes of additional records of evidence. They continued to find holes in the evidence. Hiram stayed late at the office. He looked as if he had slept in his clothes or hadn’t shaved.

On the third day, Rich woke and showered. He dressed for another day at Hiram’s office. He spat into the sink after brushing his teeth. The phone rang.

“Hello,” Rich said.

“Rich, this is Miss Winslow. Have you had breakfast yet?”

“No,” Rich said.

“I’m buying,” Miss Winslow said.

“Then I’m choosing,” Rich said. “Where?”

“There's this diner on Clark Street,” Rich said. “The waitress is an old friend from school. She won’t spit in our food. As for the cook, he spits in everybody's food.”

“Sounds like my kind of place,” Miss Winslow said. “See you in half an hour?”

“Perfect.” Rich hung up.

Half an hour later, Rich and Miss Winslow were sitting across from each other in a booth. Jane approached the table.

“Jane,” Rich said, “this is Miss Winslow. She works for my lawyer, but my lawyer says he works for her. If you ever get in trouble, she’s the one. And Miss Winslow, this is Jane, a friend from school. She’s one of the few folks in town who—I don’t know—who doesn’t treat me like, is that who I think it is?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jane,” Miss Winslow said.

“Same here,” Jane said.

“Don’t let the high heels fool ya,” Miss Winslow said. “I waited tables for four years. And I worked the back grill when the cook was too drunk to stand.”

“Wow,” Rich said, “a lady with a past. What else?”

“The cook was my ex,” Miss Winslow said.

“We have a lot in common, then,” Jane said.

“You’re married to a drunk cook?” Miss Winslow asked.

“No,” Jane said, “we both have exes. Mine couldn’t hold down a job. He couldn’t even hold his liquor.”

“Sounds like you ladies have a lot in common besides me,” Rich said. “How ‘bout if I find another table and let you two talk it out?”

“I’m not into that crying in my beer routine,” Miss Winslow said.

“That goes for me, too,” Jane said and smiled. “So, Rich, I get you your usual, and Miss Winslow, what do you have?”

“Jane,” Miss Winslow said, “two eggs over easy, but I don’t want them runny. Put ‘em on top of some hash browns because that’s where they’ll end up anyway. And lay three strips of bacon on top of that.”

“I’ll get your coffee,” Jane said and rushed away.

“Did you notice that?” Miss Winslow said.

“What?” Rich said.

“She didn’t write it down,” Miss Winslow said. “I bet she can wait on four tables of truckers and memorize every order. That’s a smart gal.”

“Is that what you can do?” Rich said.

“I made so much in tips as a waitress that I had to think it over before going to work for Hiram.”

“So why don’t you become a lawyer?” Rich asked.

“I take the bar exam next week,” Miss Winslow said.

“So, technically, I have two lawyers?” Rich said.

“I suppose,” Miss Winslow said.

“Does that mean you might go out on your own?” Rich asked.

“Hiram’s going to make me a partner,” Miss Winslow said.

“So, why are we here?” Rich folded his hands on the table and leaned forward.

Jane brought back the coffee. She sensed they were in a deep conversation and said nothing. Rich and Miss Winslow thanked her. And she darted away.

“Tell Hiram he’s looking terrible,” Miss Winslow said. “He needs to slow down. If he continues like he is, I may be running the practice on my own.”

“It takes breakfast to tell me that?” Rich said.

“He worries me,” Miss Winslow said. “I’ve never seen him this focused or aggressive. He’s the kind of guy who can walk like it’s a sunny day in a rainstorm. He has ice water in his veins.”

“Is there something different about this case?” Rich asked.

“He has instincts,” Miss Winslow said. “He keeps telling me there is something about this situation that is different. And I agree, there is something different.”

“What is it?” Rich asked.

“I don’t know if he’s picked up on something or not,” Miss Winslow said. “He’s not talking to me about it, and that’s unusual; he is very forward. He told you that from the beginning, but I feel as if he’s holding something back.”

“I trust what you’re saying,” Rich said. “You know him better than I.”

“I left the office at 6:00 PM last night,” Miss Winslow said. “My mother called last night. She forgot to fill a prescription, so I went out and got it for her. I drove by the office at a quarter past ten. Hiram’s car was still in the parking lot, and the lights in his office were still on.”

“Is he getting out at all during the day?” Rich asked.

“I’ve seen him get intense,” Miss Winslow said, “but he turns it off at the drop of a hat. He has an associate down the hall, and he’s sending everything to him.”

“What do you think I can do?” Rich said.

Jane brought the meals and left without a word.

“She’s savvy,” Miss Winslow said. “She knows something’s going on. Most waitresses would try to say something cute.”

They began eating.

“Maybe you could subtly say something about how hard he’s working, and if he becomes overworked, he’s no good to you.”

“How do you think he’d take that coming from a client?” Rich asked.

“He’d say if you don’t like the way he works, find another lawyer,” Miss Winslow said. “Then you’d say you’re just concerned, and he’ll come back with something smart. You’ll buckle, and after you go, he’ll relax, go home early, take a shower, and get a good night’s sleep.”

“It sounds like you’ve been through this with him a few times,” Rich said.

“I have, but this is different, and I think he might take this better from you,” Miss Winslow said.

“What if he really gets upset and tells me to get out?” Rich asked.

“Get in your Jeep, drive back to your room. The phone will be ringing about the time you walk in,” Miss Winslow said.

“You have really got this down pretty good,” Rich said.

Miss Winslow smiled and sipped her coffee. “I plan to be just like him.”

They finished and drove to the office. Rich waited ten minutes before going in. Rich walked into the office.

“He’s in,” Maxine said, tossing her head to go ahead into Hiram’s office.

Rich walked into the office. He looked at a rumpled and ghastly-looking Hiram. “You look like crap,” Rich said. “And if you don’t take care of yourself, I’m getting a new lawyer. Miss Winslow told me to be more subtle, but that won’t work with you or me.”

Hiram stood. “I’m going home to rest. You and Miss Winslow can take care of things today. I have a whole stack of stuff in the conference room that will take you two at least a day to get through.”

Hiram walked to the door. Rich caught an unpleasant odor. “Hiram!”

Hiram stopped as he grabbed the doorknob. “What?”

“Take a shower.”

“Yeah,” Hiram said. “My wife called last night. She said if I ever decide to come home, I’ve got to get to the truck stop first and take one of those trucker showers before I come home.”

Indeed, Hiram left a couple of stacks of folders on the conference room table.