Deep Six - Chapter 32

Sam McRae Mystery #4

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Mears and I talked for a half hour or so. I spent half that time filling him in on the financial realities of practicing law—the crap shoot of taking contingency cases, the clients who never pay anything once the retainer is used up, the tradeoff between suing for payment versus the resulting hike in one’s malpractice rates. Not to mention that, once you enter your appearance in a case, it’s nearly impossible to get a judge’s permission to drop out just because your client won’t pay you. We ended up with a payment plan I could live with, even if it would take me forever to pay it off.

After he left, I found an online listing for William E. Graybeck of Vienna, Virginia. A woman answered and I asked for Graybeck. After a few moments, a voice that rang with authority and wealth said, “Yes?”