Chapter
Thirteen
Mia had agreed to meet Walt at the coffee shop, as he preferred to talk to her in person. She’d given him a call immediately after she had learned the name of the man who had attacked her and asked for Walt’s assistance.
She felt a little bad because she knew he was so eager to help her because he had a crush, but she’d been completely up front about how she felt about him. And he still said he wanted to assist.
She waited patiently as she sipped her mocha—a special treat that she felt like she needed today. After a few minutes, Walt arrived, but today he wasn’t smiling. Her lanky, blond friend was a good-looking guy, but she couldn’t help that she felt zero spark toward him.
He gave her a quick hug and sat across from her.
“Do you want something to drink?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. We should get right to it.”
“What is it?”
His blue eyes honed in on her. “This guy you asked me to run down, Mia. Before I get into what I found, I need to know—are you in some sort of trouble? I can help you if you are, but I need to know.”
“No. It’s not like that.” She explained why she was interested. She had tried her best to keep him out of it, but he needed to understand what this was about.
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m worried about your safety.”
“Tell me what you found out.”
“Liam Morrow is bad news. He’s a hired mercenary who will do anything for a price. The majority of his business dealings have been with Van Thompson’s militia group, but he’s also worked for a few different organized crime groups as well. He’s known as being ruthless and highly efficient at his job. Simply said, he’s a pro. And if you’re on his radar, then you’re in trouble.”
“But if he really wanted to kill me, he could’ve already done so.”
“Sounds like he warned you to drop it, but you’ve kept digging. His warning may turn into action next time.” Walt placed his hand on top of hers. “I’m really worried. I think you need some type of protection until this is sorted out.”
She nodded. “I’m working with someone who can help on that front.”
He moved his hand away from hers. “My questioning has raised some eyebrows. You know I’d do anything I can to help you, but at some point, people are going to get suspicious as to why I’m trying to get all of this info.”
“You’ve done so much for me already, Walt. And I know you have a ton on your plate right now. I’m forever grateful to you for looking into all of this.”
He crossed his arms. “You want to give me the bottom line about what this is really about?”
Mia bit her lip. This would be the first time she’d said the words out loud. “I think Morrow was hired to kill Chase and have McDonald take the fall.”
“So whoever put out the hit had to have known about McDonald’s past.”
“Bingo. But as you’ve shown me, if you have the right contacts, you can find out these things. I’m guessing the possibilities for this type of knowledge are endless?”
“I wouldn’t say endless, but if you’re well connected and know the right people, you can get the intel. No question about it. But on this point I don’t even have to speculate, because there’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What?”
“My FBI contact told me that I haven’t been the only one asking about McDonald.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I can’t trace back who was making the ultimate ask, but through a series of contacts, someone got to my guy and asked about McDonald before I started digging around. This is bigger than you think. And much more dangerous.”
Owen sat in his office for a closed-door meeting with Noah Ramirez from K&R Security. Thankfully, no one could see into his office, and the closed door gave them privacy.
“Thanks for jumping on this so fast.” Owen sized up the man in front of him. Looking at Noah reminded him that he needed to pry himself away from his desk more often and get back to hitting the gym. He guessed Noah was in his thirties, and from the research he’d done, Noah came highly recommended. Mia had also sung his praises, and Owen hoped it would pay off, because they were in dire straits at the moment.
Noah looked at him. “I’m ready when you are.”
“What do you need from me?” Owen was generally comfortable around most technology, but he assumed this would be much more complicated.
“Are you logged in to your computer?” Noah’s dark eyes questioned him.
“Yeah.”
“All right. Can we switch seats? I need to get onto your computer, but I will have some questions as I go.”
“Of course.”
Owen stood up, and Noah moved to his seat. Noah’s hands started pounding away at the keyboard at a crazy rate. Owen considered himself a proficient typist, but this guy was on another level. He was just glad that Noah was on their side and not on the other. Although whoever the sellout was had to be proficient at technology or know someone who was, especially given the data corruption issue. Owen was convinced the mole had done that to try to destroy evidence of his traitorous acts.
“I realize that normally I’d be working with IT, but the situation here is too risky to do that.” Noah kept typing as he spoke. “I know you have other things you’d rather be doing.”
“Yeah, of course. But there’s nothing more important than this. Though I must admit, this is my first time dealing with circumstances like these.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of what’s going on. It just may require more patience than any of us really have.”
Noah proceeded to ask him a string of technical questions about their server and how their systems worked. Luckily, Owen had enough knowledge to be able to answer him.
“What exactly will you be looking for?” Owen asked.
“I’ll be doing a few things. Right now I’m creating a way to remote into your computer so I can do most of my work offsite. I don’t want anyone to get tipped off if they see me here too much. People will start asking questions, and we don’t want that. Better to stay under the radar.”
“That’s a good idea.” And one Owen hadn’t thought of.
“If anyone asks, just say I’m a friend of yours.”
“Will do.” Owen paused. “Is this always so spy-like?”
Noah shook his head. “No. Most of my cases aren’t like this. But every once in a while, we get a hot one.”
“I’d prefer it be cold, but I guess we don’t get any control over that. Once you’re into the system, what will you do?”
“I’ll look for the source of the malware, and then I’ll do a sweep to see if I can find any other communication between employees here and Baxter Global. After I complete that, I’m going to do a specific deep dive on the executive team.”
“Including me?”
“You got anything to hide?” Noah raised an eyebrow.
Owen laughed. Noah’s straight-to-the-point approach was a welcome change of pace. But he didn’t have anything to hide. “If only I was so interesting. I’m married to this job, man. I’ve got nothing exciting going on in my life.”
“I can relate to that.” Noah continued to type.
“Sometimes I wonder why we put ourselves through all this.” He wasn’t sure why he was having this conversation with Noah, but the words just came out.
Noah stopped typing and looked over at him. “Don’t you like being a lawyer?”
Owen considered the question carefully. “I don’t hate it. But I don’t love it either. I don’t know many people who do have a true passion for it. Especially not on the corporate law side. What about you?”
Noah’s fingers resumed flying over the keys. “I love having my own business. It’s great. The work is challenging, and I can take on things I really want to do.”
Owen didn’t know whether this case would be a fun challenge for someone like Noah or a thorn in his side. “So you wanted this case?”
“Yes. And Mia asked me.”
“Are you two close?”
“We share mutual friends.”
That was a pretty evasive answer, but it wasn’t any of Owen’s business.
“Aha,” Noah said.
“I’m good to get in the system. Question for you. I need you to answer honestly.”
“Shoot.”
“How good are your IT guys?”
Owen thought about it for a moment. “Good. Given the sensitive nature of our work, we try to hire highly competent people. But this is coming from someone who is only mildly competent with technology. I can handle the standard gadgets and programs, but that’s as far as it goes. Our IT people operate on a different level from that. They’ve always been able to quickly diagnose and resolve any issues I’ve had.”
“I figured as much. Do you know how aggressive they are at monitoring system intrusions?”
“I’ve never heard any of them mention any specific protocol or issue surrounding that. If there were a corporate directive to engage in monitoring, I’d be fully in the loop on that, given the legal and compliance implications. Honestly, the biggest issue we have is keeping everyone from chewing up the bandwidth on social media. But Lew refused to use a blocking program to keep people off of it, so IT goes crazy over that. They will seek you out and give you a reprimand if you’re streaming too much content, unless you’re an executive. The rules of bandwidth don’t apply to that level, but everything below the executive team is monitored for usage, since Lew wouldn’t go for the blocking software.”
“Lew is building up goodwill, huh?”
“He believes it’s more important to be a loved CEO than a feared one.”
Noah tilted his head. “Sometimes fear is good, though.”
Owen let those words sink in. Given the situation they found themselves in, he felt Noah was right. “Well, this thing has rocked Lew, so I imagine there will be changes going forward. I just hope he doesn’t get freaked out and swing too far the other direction and get all command-and-control on us.”
“I’m ready.” Or at least he hoped he was.
Noah locked eyes with him. “I need your best assessment. If your life depended on it and you had to say today who you think the mole is, who would it be?”
Owen cracked his knuckles. “You’re putting me in an awkward spot.”
“It’ll be a lot more awkward if this blows up.”
Owen knew Noah was right. “If you held a gun to my head, I’d say Howard Brooks. But that’s just because he’s been acting a little on edge lately, and he’s the top technology officer of the company. He has access to our top-secret projects and wouldn’t need to go through anyone to get to them. He has that level of control and autonomy, plus the know-how.”
“That would be one bold move, would it not?”
“Yeah, and deep in my gut, I don’t really think he would sell out, but you asked for my best guess. That’s what I’ve got.”
“I’ll start with him.”
“Good.”
Noah turned. “You know I’ll also be looking through all your stuff.”
“Yeah. Like I said, knock yourself out. It’s as boring as it comes.”
“It just seems wrong not to be upfront about my snooping.”
“I get it. Whatever you need, any time of day or night, you call my cell.”
“Thanks. I’m going to go back to my office and start working.”
“Good luck.”
As Mia sat in the Fulton County courthouse, she couldn’t believe how gutsy Bonnie Olson was. Well, actually she could believe it, because Bonnie was quickly becoming her least favorite person on the planet. Even given all the extenuating circumstances, Bonnie had filed a motion to compel—and a scathing one, at that—claiming that LCI was intentionally withholding key documents.
When the motion had popped up in her inbox, Mia thought she might go through the roof. The little email full of smart comments from Bonnie only pushed her further toward the edge. She was mad at herself for letting Bonnie get so far inside her head. There had to be a way out of Bonnie’s nasty web, because right now Mia felt like Bonnie was in control, and she didn’t like it one bit.
Hopefully the judge would see how preposterous this motion was and summarily dismiss it. But butterflies jumped through Mia’s stomach. This was her first time arguing on this case, and she desperately wanted to make a good impression on the judge. The judge would know the circumstances of the change of counsel, and she hoped he would be reasonable about the timing of the document production.
Mia was also in an impossible position because she wasn’t ready to talk to Bonnie about the missing data. She had to be armed with all the information to have that conversation. There was a risk—and a big one—in not bringing it up, but she had to consider the bigger picture here and deal with the fallout later.
Judge Andrews entered the courtroom, and everyone stood.
Mia glanced over at Bonnie, who was wearing a bright red power suit and black heels that were taller than any Mia would ever attempt to wear. Everything about Bonnie was larger than life. Mia preferred a more understated approach, like the dark gray pantsuit and one-inch heels she wore today.
“Please be seated,” Judge Andrews said. “This is a specially set hearing on EPG’s motion to compel the production of documents. Who do we have here today representing the parties?”
“Bonnie Olson for EPG, Your Honor. Nice to see you again.”
“Thank you, Ms. Olson. And for LCI?”
Mia stood and straightened her shoulders. This was no time to let her nerves show. She was no shrinking violet. “Mia Shaw, Your Honor.”
“Ms. Shaw, nice to have you here today.” He paused. “Although I’m sure we all wish it were under different circumstances.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Hopefully his comment meant he would be sympathetic about the situation. Everyone in the entire Atlanta legal community knew about Chase’s murder.
“Ms. Olson, this is your motion, so please, the floor is yours.”
Bonnie strode up to the podium, steady as a rock on her monster heels. Mia almost wished she would trip, but knew that wasn’t a very nice thought.
Bonnie glanced over her shoulder, giving Mia a cutting look. Mia did her best to remain expressionless and not flinch. This was going to be a battle of wills.
“Your Honor,” Bonnie began, “obviously it goes without saying that our hearts and prayers are with everyone at Finley & Hughes over this tragic loss. But on the other hand, this case still has to proceed, and my client’s economic and business interests are also important here. They shouldn’t be punished because of this tragedy. That’s why I’ve filed the present motion to compel. We served our discovery requests immediately upon filing the complaint, well before Mr. Jackson’s tragic death. Therefore, most of LCI’s arguments will ring hollow to Your Honor’s ears. We’ve been exceedingly patient, working with the new counsel for LCI. Ms. Shaw is an associate at Finley & Hughes, and I realize this case is a lot for her to take on.”
Mia felt her cheeks redden. She couldn’t believe Bonnie had called her out like that. She rose from her seat. “Your Honor, I fail to see how Ms. Olson’s editorializing about me is relevant here.”
“I tend to agree. Get to the point, Ms. Olson.”
Bonnie glanced at Mia again with daggers in her eyes. “The point is that Ms. Shaw is in over her head, but that is not my client’s problem. There has been adequate time to review and produce the requested documents, and all I’ve received so far are hard-copy files that are close to worthless. We’re eagerly awaiting the electronic documents and have given two extensions.” Bonnie held up two fingers for dramatic flair. “I’ve still failed to receive anything, nor have I gotten a date certain that we will. So I am urging the court to compel production by a date certain, one week from today. I think that’s more than reasonable, given how much time they’ve had.”
“Ms. Shaw?” the judge asked.
Bonnie’s little theatrical show was enough to make Mia sick. “Your Honor, Ms. Olson only presents part of the picture. She fails to account for the sheer volume of data we’re dealing with. Because Ms. Olson didn’t budge on search terms, we are literally having to wade through terabytes of data. It’s a problem entirely of her own making. If she had been reasonable about search terms, she could’ve already had the relevant documents.”
“Is that true, Ms. Olson?” Judge Andrews asked.
“It’s true we didn’t agree to their overlimiting search terms that were purely self-serving. They didn’t propose a reasonable option, so we declined to engage in further discussions and sought a full production without the usage of search terms. Once again, Ms. Shaw highly simplifies the situation, but of course, I can hardly blame someone of her experience level.”
Mia jumped back in. “Your Honor, the lack of reasonableness is clearly apparent here, and it’s not on LCI’s part. We’re working as fast as we can and as diligently as we can to respond and respond quickly. But there are only so many hours in a day.”
Judge Andrews looked at her. “You could add more staff, though. Finley & Hughes is the second largest law firm in the city.”
Ouch. That wasn’t very accommodating. “We could, but it would take those attorneys days to get up to speed. The core team knows all the facts and players, and we are relying on them to efficiently review the documents. Our client shouldn’t have to pay for inefficiency caused by the unreasonableness of opposing counsel’s document requests.”
The judge nodded. “I’m sympathetic to that. What is your best estimate on timing here, Ms. Shaw?”
“A month before we can get a substantial production out the door.”
“That’s too long,” Bonnie interjected. “My client will be severely prejudiced if it takes that long. Then a month turns into two, and the next thing you know, it’ll be summertime.”
The judge sighed loudly. “Counsel, I’m disappointed that the two of you, two highly competent and seasoned attorneys from sterling law firms, couldn’t work this out yourselves. But now you have come here and given me the power to decide. You may or may not like the way I see this.”
Neither woman responded, because it wasn’t smart to spar with the judge after that dressing down. But Mia knew this was ultimately Bonnie’s doing, and hopefully that would play in her favor.
“Very well.” The judge removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I have great sympathy for the position you’re in, Ms. Shaw.”
She let out a breath.
“But I also want to make sure we move this along so both sides can get their fair hearing. The motion to compel is granted in part and denied in part. The date for production shall be three weeks from today. That’s it.” The judge stood.
Mia couldn’t help but smile as she looked over at Bonnie. She’d said a month to give herself a cushion.
Bonnie scowled and walked over to her. “You can only play the sympathy card for so long, Mia. The judge will get tired of it and see through your poor, sad routine.”
“You know, you don’t have to be so nasty to me. I’ve never done anything to you.”
“You don’t have to have done anything to me.” Bonnie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re opposing counsel. That’s all that matters.”
“You and I practice law very differently.”
Bonnie crossed her arms. “Watch and learn.”
Mia didn’t want to engage any longer and turned to pack up. This was a victory. Sometimes the good guys won, and today was one of those days.