Dupree's Resolve, Page 3
Micheal Maxwell
“License and registration,” The deputy said without acknowledging the angry man’s onslaught of insults.
“Are you kidding me? Do you know who I am?”
“License and registration.”
“My company keeps this backwater cesspool of inbreds breathing!”
“Look big shot, I don’t care who you are. If you don’t get me your license and registration, you’ll be sitting in the back of my car while they tow your road rocket to the impound lot.” The deputy was calm but forceful and showed signs of losing his patience.
Without responding the driver pulled his license from his wallet and handed it to the deputy. He then went to the passenger side of his car and attempted to open the door. The door was jammed. In a fit a rage he kicked the side of his car three times, in the fury, he lost his shoe and hobbled to the driver’s side door to get the registration.
The sight of the expensive shoe flying through the air brought cheers of laughter and applause from the group watching from the sidewalk. The deputy turned and winked at the group.
“Alright, Mr. Carlsson, let’s hear what happened.”
“This yokel hit me as I turned to go to my company.”
“Did he run the stop sign?” the deputy asked.
Carlsson looked in the direction of the corner. “No. There is no stop sign.”
“No there isn’t. So, did you run the stop sign?”
“No,” Carlsson said emphatically, the chilly wind snapping the cuffs of his suit pants.
“Is that right? Then how is it he hit the passenger side of your car? That could only happen if you pulled out in front of him. It would be pretty hard to inflict that kind of damage on a car pulling away from a stop sign. That took some speed. Now, would you like to rethink your answer?”
“I may not have come to a complete stop.” Carlsson realized his account wouldn’t hold up.
“Do you know the speed limit on this section of town?”
“No idea.”
“I can see from your tire marks,” the deputy pointed to where the sports car spun around from the impact, “that you were probably exceeding it by twice.”
“I need you to give Mr. Weston your insurance information. I will be citing you for excessive speed, failure to stop, and reckless driving.”
“What! You can’t…”
The deputy raised his gloved index finger in a gesture of warning. “Don’t press your luck.”
Carlsson moved toward Weston with his insurance card outstretched.
“Show’s over folks. Your coffee’s getting cold.” The deputy was all business.
The whirling yellow light on top of the big yellow Chet’s Towing truck announced its arrival. One of the men who checked on Weston patted him on the back and pointed to a green GMC pickup parked on the side street.
“Scott’s taking him to school.” The other man approached the dwindling group on the sidewalk.
“No extra charge for the entertainment!” Dara propped open the door to the café. “Who needs a refill?”
It wasn’t long until the voices and laughter of the morning crew were back to normal. Only now the topic was the crash, Carlsson’s filthy mouth, and poor ol’ Weston’s car.
Dara glanced at the clock, eight-fifteen. She glanced out the front window and softly said, “Sorry sweetie. Hope everything’s OK.”
Dupree worked half days, sometimes less, at his office above Olson’s Stationery. He was grateful every day he didn’t give it up when the position at Ecomm came along last year. It felt good to go up the stairs and have the issue of his secret desire to leave Kanaal settled.
There were five messages on the answering machine. Only one required attention, he deleted the rest. His big leather chair felt good. He looked around the office. The old moldings, the glass in the outer office door were a throwback to days before Dupree was born, let alone practiced law. It was funky, homey and the perfect place for him to serve the people of the county.
He took a scrap of paper from his pocket and dialed the number.
“Hello.”
“Tomi?”
“Yeah?”
“This is Dupree. We spoke yesterday?”
“Hello, Mr. Dupree.” He could tell her nose was still stuffed up from crying.
“I was wondering. How would you like a new job?”
“Are you trying to buy me off too?” Tomi bristled.
Dupree couldn’t help but laugh. “No, Miss French. I would like to talk to you about working for me.”
“I’m not sure I want to come back.”
“That’s good. It seems I won’t be going back either. How would you like to come to my office downtown and we’ll have a chat?”
The silence on the other end of the phone was deeply uncomfortable. Dupree didn’t want to say anything.
“I’m not sure if…” Tomi took a deep breath.
“You know the Quarter Moon Café downtown?”
“Of course.”
“How about I buy you lunch and we can talk there.”
“Aren’t you married?” Tomi hesitated. “That wouldn’t look good.”
“I am. There’s someone who I want you to meet. Alright?”
“We won’t be alone?”
“No, I’ll see you there. Twelve on the dot.” Dupree didn’t wait for an answer, he hung up.
The morning passed with Dupree making follow-up calls, reviewing briefs, and mentally trying to wrap his head around the future.
He needed to work. Since coming to White Owl, even the word ‘work’ took on a new meaning. He loved the fulfilling nature of helping people. Where once he fought corporate America for the last dime he could squeeze from a deal, today he wanted to help the old couple losing their home. He loved getting an abandoned mother the child support she was due from her deadbeat husband, and God help the company that tried to cheat one of his clients. His years of legal, bare-knuckle brawling in board rooms was totally unexpected by the small-town lawyers, company reps, and State bureaucrats that came up against him. It was righteous, it was invigorating, and it was fun.
In the last year, he turned away more business than he accepted. With his commitment to Ecomm and the enjoyment and camaraderie there, he didn’t need or want to spend extra hours in the office. When Dara went home, so did he. Now, it was time to expand. Not that he would forgo his evenings with Dara, he would just go to work when she did. The quiet of an empty, pre-business hours office was a time he could really focus, and get a lot of things done without interruptions, appointments or ringing phones.
On a scrap of yellow pad paper, Dupree sketched the rearrangement of his office. He was getting so excited he didn’t hear the front door close behind a woman who entered the outer office.
“Anybody home?” The woman called.
“Hello, yes!” Dupree replied as he made his way to his office door. “Hi, I’m Dupree.”
“Peggy. Peggy Grimes. I don’t have an appointment.”
“No problem. Neither do I.” Dupree gave her a big smile and motioned for her to come into his office.
“Are you open? I mean in business?” Peggy queried as Dupree motioned for her to sit down.
Dupree laughed. “I have been spending a lot of time at Ecomm, I mean Kanaal.”
“I see. Then maybe this won’t work.” Peggy stood motionless.
“How’s that?”
“Our case, I mean. If you work for them you can’t take a case that is against them, can you?”
“You are absolutely right. The good news is, as of yesterday I no longer work for them, so there is no conflict. How can I be of service?”
“We, that is, my late husband and I, own the little place just this side of their building. They’ve got permission from the city council to split the road and put in another building and parking lot.” Peggy paused. “They want to put the road right through my house. They have offered to buy my place. I don’t want to sell, mister…”
“Dupree. Just Dupree.”
“I can completely understand.” Dupree agreed. He waited for her to continue.
“Two days ago, their real estate lady came and gave me what she said was their final offer. She said if I wouldn’t sell, the city council would declare eminent domain and just take it. She said I was standing in the way of city progress, jobs and a bunch of other stuff. She was very threatening. It really scared me. She said I wouldn’t get a penny. They can’t do just that, can’t they? I’ve seen it on the news before. Right?”
“Alright. First, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Eminent Domain does allow the government to take property or a piece of land. It must be shown to be vital to the completion of a public works project like a freeway, or bridge, something like that. It does not allow anyone to take your property without giving you fair market value.
“Eagle Valley Road dead-ends about a quarter-mile beyond the business complex, right?”
“That’s right. It is at the south edge of town and connected to the State forest grazing land, and has since anybody can remember.” Peggy definitely was well informed.
“Alright, now I’ve learned something. OK, so you don’t want to sell. That is your right. The bar is pretty high for the City to just claim Eminent Domain. There is plenty of land on the other side of the complex for easement and expansion. The other thing is the roads around here are maintained by the county. That means they are county roads. White Owl is growing, but it is nowhere near being able to afford a full-time road maintenance department. Who patches the potholes out there?”
Peggy grinned. “It has been so long ago I think the wagon was pulled by horses. Part of the permit for Ecomm, now that they were good neighbors, was that they repave the road as part of the improvements. They sold before it got done.”
“I tell you what. I’ll look into all this and see what’s going on. This could be just a big misunderstanding. Let’s get some more information about you and your place.”
“And what is this going to cost me?” Peggy asked softly.
“Today there’s no charge. It is our policy to give the first consultation at no cost. I’ll do the checking around. If it seems there is enough to cause us concern and legal action we’ll talk fees then. If I can settle this with a couple of phone calls there won’t be any charge.”
“Well, I can’t beat that!” Peggy said with genuine surprise.
“We need to keep those grandkids in the field playing with the goats and sheep.” Dupree smiled.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Dupree. To be honest you aren’t anything like what I imagined a lawyer to be.”
“Thank goodness for that!” Dupree stood and offered his hand to Peggy. “I think this may not be as scary as you think. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but I’ll do my best before turning into what you thought I’d be.”
Peggy shook his hand and smiled.
“I’ll see you out. As a matter of fact,” Dupree looked at his watch, “I’m supposed to meet someone in just a few minutes. We can go downstairs together.”
CHAPTER 4
The cold wind bit Dupree’s ears and sent a chill up his back as he watched Peggy Grimes walk to her car. As he turned to make his way to the Quarter Moon Café, a light snow began to fall. Being an old southern California boy, snow still held a fascination for Dupree. He reached out his hand and watched as several large feathery flakes landed in his palm.
The air was cold and dry and the snow fell in silent beauty. On the bench in front of Wharton’s furniture, regular as clockwork, Toby Wharton sat watching the snow. He was bundled up in several layers. In the time since Dupree came to White Owl, the boy had grown considerably. His new height and substantial girth seemed to exaggerate the limited mental capacity of the young man’s Down Syndrome.
“Hi, Dupee! You love the snow?” Toby called from across the street.
“Hey, Buddy!” Dupree called out as he crossed the street to where Toby sat. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“Mom says snow is God sweeping out heaven.” Toby offered.
“Sounds reasonable to me. I love it. Aren’t you cold sitting out here?”
“I got lots of clothes on today. My PJs, a t-shirt, a warm shirt, a sweater, and my coat. I am toasty warm.”
“I should have done the same thing. I’m freezing. I’ve got to get going. Are you working today?”
“Nope, it is my day off.”
“Good for you! See you later.” Dupree continued down the sidewalk.
A minute later Dara watched as Dupree jaywalked across the street in front of The Quarter Moon Café. He began stomping and dusting off a covering of snow as he hit the parking lot.
“Ever heard of a coat?” Dara teased as Dupree came through the door.
“What’s this?” Dupree held both hands out.
“A suit jacket. Want some coffee?”
“Maybe later. Table for two please.”
“Oh, I can’t sweetie, we’re shorthanded. TJ’s baby is sick.”
“It wasn’t for you.” Cole teased. “I have an important business lunch. There is someone I want you to meet.”
“Well then, take your pick.” Dara waved her hand in a broad gesture across the café.
Dupree moved to where she stood and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, hey! We’ll have none of that!” Realtor Ray Perlang, White Owl’s resident wannabe comedian, called from his seat at the counter.
Dupree ignored Perlang and kissed Dara on the lips. “I’ll grab the one by the window. Be on the lookout for a pretty, young redhead.”
“Funny.”
“I’m serious. Her name is Tomi. Combination client and hopefully new receptionist, and Person Friday.”
“Ooh, aren’t we PC today.” Dara teased.
“Never too old to change.” Dupree bobbed his head from side to side as he moved to a booth by the window.
“Hey, Pete, what do you call a bus full of lawyers going over a cliff?”
“A good start!”
The table laughed and all looked toward Dupree.
“Oh, I got one, I got one.” A red-faced man facing Dupree asked excitedly. “What’s the difference between a lawyer and God?”
The other three at the table shrugged and said they didn’t know.
“God doesn’t think he’s a lawyer.”
Dupree shook his head. “A lawyer awoke from surgery, and asked, ‘Why are all the blinds drawn?’” The nurse answered, “There’s a fire across the street, and we didn’t want you to think you died.”
“Ha! That’s a good one!”
“Got any more?”
“How many lawyer jokes are there?” Dupree asked.
“I dunno.”
“Hundreds?”
“Nope. Only three. All the rest are true stories.” Dupree settled into the booth with his back to the group.
“I don’t get it, Pete.”
“Shut up Jimmie.”
Dupree chuckled to himself and looked at the snow out the window. The tops of the cars were now covered and the sidewalks were starting to turn white. How could a sky so black produce something so white, he wondered.
At the end of the parking lot, a blue Honda Civic pulled in and stopped. Dupree glanced at the counter where a couple was laughing with Dara. When he looked back a figure in a hooded cape was making their way to the front door.
Dupree watched as the figure pulled back the hood of the cape to reveal Tomi French. Her hair was pulled tightly back and in a thick braid. She wore a cotton blouse that looked to belong to someone far beyond her years. What Dupree really found unusual was the heavy, denim, ankle-length skirt she wore. The overall impression was that of a Mennonite or one of the ultra-conservati
ve Pentecostal women that lived in small communities in the countryside.
He watched as Dara pointed out the row of heavy pegs along the wall for coats. Tomi hung her cape. They exchanged smiles and Dara pointed to where Dupree sat. Both women waved and Dupree stood.
“You braved the storm.” Dupree offered her a seat at the booth.
“I was most of the way here when it really started coming down. I should be fine. Living out as we do, snow is just something we deal with.”
“Here you are,” Dara said placing a menu in front of Tomi.
“It’s on me,” Dupree smiled. “So long as it’s a cheese sandwich.”
“Alright.” Tomi frowned slightly.
“He’s teasing.” Dara shot Dupree a “bad boy” look.
“Tomi, this is my wife Dara, founder and proprietor of this fine establishment. And yes, I was teasing. Have anything you want. I hope you join us for a bit, later.” Dupree nodded as if to say please as he looked up at Dara.
“I would love that.”
“Me too,” Tomi added.
“He really is quite nice once you get to know him.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“Yes you did, and I don’t blame you. That’s why I wanted to meet here, and to have you meet my better half.” Dupree gave her a reassuring smile.
Dara made her way back to the man waiting at the register.
“I never figured to have you brave a blizzard when we spoke this morning. I’m a Southern California guy and this white stuff is really foreign to me.”
“First, this is just a dusting, not a blizzard.” Tomi giggled. “You’ll know a real blizzard when you see one. All this,” she nodded toward the window, “will be gone by supper time.”
“So I’m safe to walk back to my office?”
“Where is it?”
“Just up the street across from Wharton’s.”
Tomi chuckled and gave Dupree a look that was a charming combination of curiosity and disbelief. “You’re teasing right?”
“Yes, but I will probably freeze to death along the way.”
They both laughed as Dupree pulled at his jacket sleeve.
“The reason I wanted to talk to you is that I was let go from Kanaal Communications. Not for any wrongdoing, they’re bringing in their own guy from California. That means I will be expanding my personal practice.” Dupree smiled. “Tell me about you. Who is Tomi French? What are your likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, family, whatever you think is important.”
