My girlfriend, Beth, and I are both 29. We met a little over five years ago at a wedding. I was a groomsman and she was a bridesmaid. I was the third groomsman and she was the third bridesmaid so we were paired off. Beth was by far the best looking of the bridesmaids and neither of us had dates. Wanting to continue the tradition of groomsman and bridesmaids hooking up at weddings, I did what I could to convince Beth of the importance of that custom. She made it clear she was not into that tradition. We spent a lot of time together at the wedding but it was all talk. And one kiss. We enjoyed each other's company and she agreed to go out with me. We have been together ever since.
I got my law degree, passed the bar and was hired by a medium sized law firm located in a medium sized city on the east coast. My specialty is in criminal law. Most of what we do is represent white collar defendants but sometimes we represent criminals with different colored collars or no collars at all. Basically, we'll take on anyone who can pay. I'm as associate at the firm trying to make partner. I work at least 80 hours a week mostly assisting partners in the firm with their cases. I've recently started to handle some less important cases, less important to the partners, on my own. I've been told I'm doing a good job and I make decent money. A few more years of this and I'll make partner and can begin to put in normal hours. It will be my turn to exploit the associates.
Beth got her degree in hospitality, hoping to work in hotel management. She got a job out of college with an event planning company. They plan weddings, corporate events, anniversaries, confirmation parties, bar mitzvahs. You name it, they'll manage it for you. Beth's company helps her clients find the right locale, sends the invitations, supplies the food, the entertainment and cleans up. Whatever the client wants. Beth works on a salary plus commission. She also makes good money. Clients love her. Like any business, it relies on word of mouth. Beth gets lots of referrals.
After a year of dating, we moved in together. I had an efficiency apartment which I used only to sleep in, make coffee and store my clothes. My meals were takeout which I mostly ate at work. Or, when we could, Beth and I went out to eat. Beth had a much nicer apartment and I was spending so much time there, Beth suggested I move in with her. I did. Our careers are complementary. I work late every night and on most Saturdays and some Sundays. Beth plans the events for clients but also attends them to make sure that everything runs smoothly. She's at an event until the tables and chairs are put away and the cleanup is done. She meets with clients and plans the events during normal business hours but the events are almost always in the evening or on weekends. So our schedules are more or less the same. We both work days, nights and weekends. Neither of us complains about the other person working too much. We both work too much. But, in the past, I've always arrived home later than Beth. Not anymore.
During last year's election season, Beth was assigned a client who was running for mayor of our mid-sized city. Let's call him Jack. Jack began his career as an assistant D.A. He made his reputation by being lead prosecutor in a very brutal murder case involving a victim who was a young woman. The case got a lot of publicity because of the viciousness of the crime. I'm not going to go into details of the crime. Just understand that it was horrific. Jack got a conviction and the press made him a hero. He rode that press to being his party's nominee for mayor. Jack is around 30 years old, single and someone who never met an adult female he didn't try to sleep with.
Jack's campaign needed someone to handle events. They hired Beth's firm and Beth was assigned his account. Jack had lots of events. If he attended a house of worship, assisted living facility, a local business gathering, Lion's club or a VFW hall, Jack wanted food there. He believed that people will stay for the free food and listen to his spiel while they ate. And be so grateful for the free food that they'll vote for him. Lots of work for Beth. Most of these just involved setup, food and cleanup. Jack's fundraisers were mostly small affairs in someone's home, which Beth worked, but he also hosted plenty of larger fund raisers. The larger fund raising dinners lasted well into the night and sometimes into the morning. So Beth started to get home some nights even later than I did.
The first big fundraiser Beth handled for Jack was early last February, a few weeks after she was given Jack's account. It was on a Saturday night. Beth still wasn't home at 2am so I texted her. She immediately texted back a picture of people folding up tables and chairs at the event. She apologized, they were finishing up and told me she'd be home within the hour. When she arrived home, she said that these guys stay all night wanting to talk politics with Jack. She can't tell Jack or the donors that the event is over. It's over when Jack leaves. And they can't finish the clean up until he leaves. Jack held these large and small fundraisers at least once a week. Beth was always present and always came home late. I thought, "At least this will be over after the election in November."
Neither Beth nor I were particularly political. I am more interested in office politics than national or local politics. Beth was the same. Other than one of us telling the other that this or that politician is a jerk, Beth and I never talked politics. Not because such discussions resulted in fights. We just didn't have time to worry about politics. Or we just didn't care enough. That changed for Beth after a few weeks working with Jack. She became a true believer, Jack's staunchest supporter.
I am not going to discuss political issues here. Just Beth's new found interest in Jack's politics. Beth began talking incessantly about Jack's campaign. She was convinced that he was right about almost every issue. He should be running for president instead to the two bozos who were currently running. Someday, she was convinced, he would be president. The mayor's race was a stepping stone to a more important political future. She told me nothing was more crucial than getting Jack elected. He was going to save the country from itself. I listened without comment. If there was a pause in her constant patter about Jack, I tried to change the subject. Usually, unsuccessfully.
Early one Monday morning last April the managing partner at my firm called me into his office. He asked me to sit down and handed me a local newspaper. The newspaper had an article with pictures of Jack's big fundraiser from the previous Saturday night. A few of the pictures were of Beth and Jack together. One of them dancing closely together, smiling at each other. Another of them talking with a group, Jack's arm around Beth's waist. The captions read, "Who is Jack's new girlfriend?" The article mentioned Beth and her company. The article made it seem like she was there as Jack's date and not as his event planner. The reporter asked Beth how long she's been dating Jack. Her reply was that they've known each other a few months but were just friends. She said nothing about her already having a boyfriend, me, or that she was at the fundraiser because it was her job.
I finished reading and looked up at the managing partner. He, like everyone else at the firm, has met Beth numerous times with me at work events over the years. He said, "I thought you and Beth were together."
I replied, "We are. We're living together. Beth is just Jack's event planner."
He stared at me for a while and said, "OK. Does Beth talk about Jack's campaign?"
"She talks about his politics and his events. That's pretty much it."
He then asked, "Do you know that I'm backing Jack's opponent in the mayor's race?"
"That's what I heard but this is just a job for Beth. Just managing his events."
He said, "I have no problem with that. But I have a big problem with Jack. He's a sleaze. I want him to lose. What are you working on now?" I went through the cases I'm involved with. He continued, "I want you to find something on Jack. Jack's conviction of the guy in the horrific crime that made him famous stinks to high heaven. Even people in the D.A.'s office think they convicted the wrong man. I want you to pass some of your cases to other associates and take a look at the conviction. See if Jack did everything on the up and up. The convicted man, whose name is Cole, had a public defender who was probably working 100 cases at the time. Go and talk to the public defender. The case went to trial. Public defenders rarely take cases to trial. Find out why he didn't plead Cole's case out. Go and talk to Cole and his wife. Tell them we will look at the case and try to get it reopened. We'll take on the case Pro Bono." The managing partner emphasized, "This is very important to me."
I asked, "Will I have any help?"
He told me, " You can use one of the firm's investigators as much as you need. If you find anything and want more assistance, just let me know. Keep me updated on any progress. Make this your priority. I want Jack discredited and out of the race. In jail, if you can manage that too." He thought for a minute and continued, "Keep an eye on Beth. Jack likes the ladies and seems to like them more if they're married or involved with someone."
I went back to my office, passed most of my caseload on to others, put in an expedited request for the trial transcript and called the public defender. We set a meeting at his place the next morning. I was able to contact Cole's wife, whose name is Becky, after she got off work. I introduced myself and told her, "I want to take another look at Cole's case. Can we talk?"
She told me, "If you're some ambulance chaser looking for a quick buck, I have no money to pay you."
I replied, "I will never ask you for a cent."
She was very skeptical but agreed to see me that night. "Cole is doing life with the possibility of parole after 30 years for something he didn't do. My husband is innocent." I got Becky's current address and we set a meeting for 7pm at her home.
The D.A.'s office is full of people who are more interested in their careers than in justice. But there's one woman there who seems to be interested in just outcomes as much as career advancement. We've been adversaries in court but I've come to respect her. I believe the respect is mutual. I called her and invited her to lunch. I told her I'm interested in Cole's case. She said she's glad someone's taking another look at that. We set up lunch for the next day. She told me she'd try to look through the case file before we meet.
Becky, Cole's wife, is in her mid-twenties. She's really pretty but looked haggard, worn down by life and having a husband in jail. They have 2 kids, 3 and 5. The second kid was born shortly after Cole's arrest. As soon as she let me in, she said. "I can't afford you. I'm barely making enough money to pay for food and rent. If you're looking for a pay day, you've come to the wrong place."
I looked around. They were living in a tiny one bedroom. The kids shared the bedroom while she slept on the couch. I said, "We're taking the case Pro Bono." She wasn't sure what that meant so I said, "My boss has taken an interest in your husband's case and assigned me to look at it. We're not charging you anything. You and your husband will never have to pay anything to me or my firm." She started to cry, upsetting her kids. She told them they were happy tears.
