When Holt approached his house, there was a familiar-looking beat-up car parked in front with the hood up. It was Cecil Burkdale. Holt pulled into his driveway, then got out.
“Still having car trouble?”
“Where have you been?” Burkdale demanded. “I’ve been coming by every day since I saw the article in the newspaper. Stevens thinks he’s destroyed you, but we’ll turn the tables on him. All we have to do is—”
“Greg Stevens didn’t kill Rex Meredith, and he’s not a threat to Valerie,” Holt interrupted.
“What? We sat in your car and watched the video.”
“But we didn’t see what happened before the tape started rolling.”
“Tell me! I have a right to know!”
“I can’t.”
Burkdale eyed Holt suspiciously. “How did Stevens get to you? What is he paying you?”
“No comment.”
Burkdale’s face reddened. “I believed you were different,” he spit out. “But I was wrong.”
“No, I was wrong. And I strongly suggest you stop spying on Meredith Enterprises. Otherwise, you might end up in jail.”
Burkdale got out of his car, slammed the hood shut, and drove off.
Holt spent the next few days repainting the inside of his house and building a ramp so Henry could run up to the top of his doghouse and survey his domain.
Late one afternoon, Holt was scrubbing his hands at the kitchen sink and thinking about the future. Angelina had offered to let him open a law office in one of the vacant rooms at the salon. At first Holt laughed at the suggestion, but now he was considering it. Rumors about his past would linger, but a few satisfied clients would help ease the transition. And if business was slow, he could always get a manicure. There was a knock at the door.
Henry yelped and took off for the foyer. Holt followed, rubbing his hands with a paper towel. It was Greg and Valerie Stevens. Valerie had Peps in her arms.
“Henry looks great,” Valerie said as the Jack Russell sniffed her foot.
“He’s making a comeback,” Holt replied. “How are you doing?”
Valerie leaned over and scratched Henry’s head. “I’m feeling thankful to you,” she said.
“Can you come in for a minute?” Holt asked. “All I have to offer is a bottle of water.”
“Sure,” Greg replied. “And I have something for you.”
From behind his back he pulled out a gorgeous bamboo fly-fishing rod and handed it to Holt.
“I can’t—” Holt said.
“Yes, you can, and you will,” Valerie cut in.
Holt took the rod in his hand and felt the lacquered ridges of the bamboo.
“Thanks. I’ll finally have time to go fishing,” he said, then paused. “Wait here, I have something for you.”
He returned from the spare bedroom with the surveillance video and the DVD copies. He handed them to Greg.
“As far as I’m concerned, these no longer exist,” Holt said.
Greg took them and glanced at Valerie. She handed Peps to Greg and took a tissue from her purse.
“Do you think Peps and Henry can play?” she asked after she touched the corner of her eye with the tissue.
“Let’s hold them nose to nose and see,” Holt suggested.
The two dogs sniffed, then Henry licked Peps.
“They can run around in the backyard,” Holt suggested.
“Isn’t that where Henry killed the snake?” Valerie asked anxiously.
“Yes, and I’m sure he’d love to show Peps where the fight took place. It’s fenced in. We’ll sit on the deck so we can keep an eye on them.”
Holt brought out two more chairs, and they watched Henry prance around the yard with Peps trailing after him.
“Greg and I have been talking,” Valerie said. “And, uh, we’d like to do more than give you a fishing pole.”
“That’s kind,” Holt replied. “But you can see I don’t live that extravagantly, and I can get by for a couple of months while I decide what to do next.”
“What we have in mind is a bit more comprehensive than a rent check,” Greg said. “A lot of companies smaller than Meredith Enterprises have in-house counsel. If you’re interested, I’m sure we could come up with an acceptable job description and generous compensation.”
“I don’t have any experience in the corporate area, and you don’t know why I was fired.”
“Yes, I do,” Greg answered.
Greg smiled. “I have my sources. And it doesn’t make any difference to us. I do realize you’re a trial lawyer, and as a second option, I’d like to talk to the partners at Spratt, Ayers, and Goldfarb and see if they might have a position for you. Meredith Enterprises would become one of your clients.”
“Mr. Spratt made it clear to Skip Patrick that any interest the firm had in me ended when I was fired by the DA’s office.”
“With the proper persuasion from me, I think the firm would reconsider.”
“No, I wouldn’t feel right getting a job like that.”
“Then what about option one?” Valerie asked earnestly. “We really want to help you.”
“You already have. The fact that you’ve come over here means a lot.”
They watched the dogs scramble from beneath the bushes and shake off the dead leaves and twigs. Holt told Greg and Valerie about the possibility of opening his own office at Angelina’s place.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Valerie said cheerfully. “Everybody in town would know about it because the women who come to the salon would spread the word.”
“I hope no one expects legal advice while getting a pedicure.”
Valerie laughed. It was a sound that made Holt feel good. Henry raced across the yard with Peps on his heels.
“And it would be great not having to worry about a snake from my past coming out of the bushes to bite me,” Holt said. “Bishop Pennington told me the other day that from God’s point of view, confessed sin is not only forgiven, it’s forgotten.”
Valerie reached over and took Greg’s hand in hers, then looked at Holt. “And sometimes he uses people to bring that truth from heaven to earth.”