After the Dance

By Vibert Miller

Two brothers, both attorneys,navigate the challenging and sometimes mysterious world of law. One brother is dealing with the heartbreak of finding his wife cheating on him with two men while the other is searching among the shifting and forbidding channels of a Louisiana bayou, for his lost love.  And both find themselves dancing to the beat of a diferent drummer..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grimshaw Enterprises
• Release date: Mar 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224099450

Vibert Miller

Vibert Miller is the author of fourteen books, msot of them romantic thrillers with a touch of paranormal and science fiction. He lives in the Pioneer Valley of Western Masssachussetts.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

So, what happened next? my brother said.

I took my time answering because I wanted to give nothing away and settled on, nothing.

Ted raised his head to stare at me, then he looked out over the lake. Okay, he said, that’s the way you’re gonna play it. I can live with that. But sooner or later you’re gonna have to give me more.

My brother is Theodore ‘Ted’ Samuels and I, the older of the two, am Justin Samuels. I’ve always been called Justin, because, I think, it would make no sense to call me .Just. Although a few people shortened my last name to Sam.

Ted and I were standing on the balcony of room 703 in the Balwin hotel in downtown Chicago. The balcony gave a spectacular view of Lake Michigan and we could spot several sailboats moving on its surface. There was even a freighter plodding along in the distance. We could distinguish the bow wave she was tossing up.

Probably an ore carrier, I said, heading to some factory up north.

He grunted and then to  elaborate, wasn’t here where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down with all hands?

No that happened in Lake Superior I said.

Yeah, I remember now. They made a song about it

Gordon Lightfoot, I said, he immortalized the Fitz in song.

I would like to come back to the business at hand, Ted said leaning his back on the railing, to face me. you have to make a decision pretty damn soon.

I said I will and it will be done, I said, don’t push me. We still have a couple days.

Got it. Have to run. I’ll catch up with you later. He walked through  the sliding glass, disappeared into the living room and I heard the outer door open a close.

My brother and I were both attorneys doing business with the firm Lomax, Hoover and Bryce. LHB for short. Ted was married for a while to a beautiful woman two years his junior, named Amelia, and they had a son named Michael. But his marriage dissolved when he found undeniable proof Amelia was having an affair with a colleague. The divorce that followed was amicable since both he and Amelia wanted to end things without undue pressure on their young son. But, in truth, Amelia didn’t have a choice because she was caught red-handed, cheating on her husband.

There were five years between us, me being the older brother and the one who encouraged Ted to go to law school and to apply to LHB after he passed the bar. And also, the one who kept him afloat after his marriage crashed.

Two days later I was sitting at my desk going over some notes I had made about a case I was shepherding through the courts, when my secretary knocked and entered. She told me our receptionist had called her about a man who wanted to see me without an appointment.

Did he say why he wanted to see me? I asked.

He told Becky it was a private matter that he did not want to disclose.

Did he give her a name? I asked.

Yeah. Thomas Burnside.

Did you say Burnside?

Yes. You know him?

Maybe. I attended law school with a Burnside. I didn’t know him personally. I think his name was Thomas.

So, he’s a lawyer? my secretary asked.

Maybe. I don’t know if he passed the bar or anything about him.

Do you want to see him?

I thought for a minute trying to recall who the man is, but came up empty. I had no other appointments for that morning nor did I have to be in court so I told Jenny, my secretary to bring him in.

She left and returned a minute later with a thin, short man in a rumpled suit. He must have been battling premature baldness because he was wearing a toupee that was easily discernible as a toupee.

Attorney Samuels, Jenny said waving in my direction as she left without introducing the man she had brought in.

Justin Samuels, I said sticking my hand out, and you are?

Thomas Burnside. You probably don’t remember me but we met in law school.

Oh, sorry, I said, I do have a vague recollection of having met you at a mixer. What can I do for you?

I’m going to come right out and say it. I lost my license to practice and I want you to help me get it back.

That’s a tall order. I need to know why your license has been pulled in the first place.

I was framed. I have been accused of money laundering and fraud. But I’m completely innocent of those charges.

So, you’ve pleaded not guilty and have been given bail, I said.

Yeah. I remembered you won a mock trial of a similar case in law school. That’s why I’m here. Can you take my case?

I told Burnside I needed more information about his case before I could decide if I would take it on. I knew the District Attorney never pressed charges against a lawyer for fraud and money laundering unless the office had solid proof. I told him I wanted a day to think it over before I made a decision. My plan was to contact the DA’s office and try to discover how solid their case was. What I found out was they had a very flimsy case. Everything they knew came to them by hearsay. It seemed to me that Burnside was telling the truth. It had all the signs of a set-up. If this were true, I had to find out who was behind it. And that meant detective work. I had to remind myself I am an attorney not a detective.

I decided to consult with my boss and I brought my brother into it because he knew an attorney at the DA’s office. He and the man were part of a group that gathered once a month to play cards.

I was not planning to use Ted as a mole but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend on the inside so to speak. I called Burnside and asked him to come in to get his case started. The man who walked into my office looked different and I realized it was because he was not wearing his piece. He saw me looking at his head.

I decided I didn’t need it, he said. Decided to go natural.

Okay, Mr. Burnside, I said, let’s begin. Our office policy is to record conversations rather than a secretary taking notes. It is for both our benefit. I hope you don’t mind. If you’re about to give me very sensitive information just let me know I will turn off the recorder.

Okay with me, he said. We have the same policy where I work. Or I should say worked.

How are you managing without an income?

Well, the only silver lining here is my father who ran a textile business and was very successful. He passed away a year ago and left me with a substantial inheritance. Plus, I had a fair amount of money in investments. So, there is no need for you to be concerned about your fee.

I’m glad to hear that, I said, but in truth I was not really concerned. I assumed you would not have come to me if you did not have a means of covering legal fees. My secretary will come in and take information from you to open a file.