City of Mist: Soilse in the Spotlight

[GinkyGotBack]

The Countdown till Daylight

A roaring fireplace bathes the living chambers of a well off individual in a warm orange glow. Beside the fire sits the affluent man in question, his eyes locked firmly on a large tome he holds loosely with one hand. Whilst he continues reading, the man reaches out with his free hand to take a drink from a cold mug kept off to the side on a table. He brings it to his lips and takes a small, restrained drink before placing it back down. He mindlessly licks the remainder of his drink off his lips, smiling slightly as he turns to the next page in his book. On the table, a drop of a dark amber liquid slides slowly down the side of the cup, leaving a red trail behind it made bright by the fire's light.

​

"I didn't do anything wrong," says a man with a heavy Irish accent. Maya Smithson sits across from the red-haired man in a dull white office, taking in his features. He's dressed in a plain white shirt under a pair of blue overalls, wearing one of those duckbill hats you see golfers wear, the ones that tend to make people look like a jackass. Her client, Dell 'Todd' O'Doyle is no exception as he wipes the coffee off his mouth and orange mustache with his arm. "I tell you, everyone's got it out for me in this city. I do my job better than anyone else can and they have the balls to say that I'm scamming them. Where the fuck do they get off? Cheap bastards, every last one of them. I've half a mind to pack up shop and relocate someplace else, you know what I mean Ms. Smithson?"

dae mec

 

[dae mec]

Maya gives him her trademark lawyer smile, with just the right degree of professionalism-to-sympathy to make a client feel reassured and heard. "I know what you mean, Mr. O'Doyle. Sometimes, it feels like this city wants to eat us alive." She jots a note down on her legal pad—nothing important, just his name for the second time. (Pretending to take notes was another lawyer technique, and a time-honored one too.) "Could you tell me a little more about what's happened? Your job, and the claims these people are making?"

 

[GinkyGotBack]

O'Doyle is practically frothing at the mouth as he begins to recount his experience with these two particular clients.

"It's these two broads that live with each other, right? They hire me to come to their place and get the rats out of their friggin' basement. I tell them, 'no problem, love,' and I hop over there lickity-split. Now this place is crawling with rats, right? Absolutely infested beyond all fucking belief. So I tell them, 'It's not going to be a cheap job,' but they say they can pay so I get to work anyhow. Now, I'm the best in the extermination business, yeah? I mean the friggin' best. So I corral those little fuckers out of there in no time. The broads pay me and I leave with the vermin to take 'em back to my shop.

"Now, they call me the next day saying there are more rats in their basement. Says I didn't do my job. Like hell! So I head back to their humble abode and what do I see except they've left their fuckin' window open! And I'm thinking, 'Fuck me, these two are absolutely dense!' I tell them, 'Of course more of the blighters are going to show up when you keep your bloody window open!'

"But they're not having it, ya see? They tell me that I opened that window and let the buggers back in! Why the hell would I do that? I'm a bonafide fucking professional, I am! They tell me they want their money back, tell me that I'm trying to run a scam on them. They cancel the friggin' payment and now I'm out 800 bucks! So I say, 'That's it! I'm getting my lawyers for this!' Let me tell you Ms. Smithson, us public service people don't get any fuckin' respect around here."

 

[dae mec]

"Wow, that's really something. And I hear you, public service really gets no respect." Maya shifts to her expression to a sympathetic frown as she actually takes notes. "When did this happen? What are their names? And do you have any written proof of your agreement, even just a text message?"

 

[GinkyGotBack]

"This happened about a week ago, I've got recordings of all my business calls on my office phone. I should have some recordings of them calling me up for the job and of them complaining. I can't remember their names, but I've got their contract here with me. It'll have their full names and signatures on it along with their home address, even."

O'Doyle slides the document over to Maya. It doesn't take her long to find the names of O'Doyle's clients. Jan and Jenny Burton, two girls that Maya knows all too well. You remember them mentioning that they had a bit of a rat problem and they'd have to leave their house for a day or two, but it would appear that they had indeed hired O'Doyle to take care of this problem for them.

"I've got an email on my computer too saying that they canceled their payment. One of them even had the stones to make a Facebook post a day ago saying what an awful person I am and for people not to hire me. That's slander, that is. Plus, she might drive potential customers away! I might end up losing business because of that girl!"

 

[dae mec]

She's done this for too long for there to be a visible change in her expression, but her gut twists. What have those two gotten into this time? "I see. Well, I'm afraid that I can't be your lawyer, Mr. O'Doyle. I'm... unfortunately familiar with the two people you intend to sue. But I can forward your case to a different lawyer in Bay Area Legal Services, or I can refer you to someone else entirely separate."

 

[GinkyGotBack]

O'Doyle frowns and his eyes pop out in a way that reminds you of ping pong balls. "What? You're going to turn down my case just like that! I thought you was a good lawyer, protecting the interests of the little folk and all that! Your boss told me herself she'd have her best representing me in court!"

 

[dae mec]

Her expression turns flat at the mention of her boss. Of course she made promises on Maya's behalf without even asking her. "I'll... get back to you on that, Mr. O'Doyle. I need to talk to my boss first. I appreciate the vote of confidence, but there are other good lawyers in our organization. I don't know if I'd call myself the best."

 

[GinkyGotBack]

"Well, I'll be having a chat with your boss myself. I come to your door with hat in my bloody hand, I'm promised the best of the best, only to be turned right around and have that same door hit me right on the arse. I'll not be made a fool of and I won't be cheated again. Good day, Ms. Smithson." O'Doyle stands up from his chair and exits your office, slamming the door behind him. You can already tell this isn't going to end well for you.

 

[dae mec]

Maya sighs, and when he leaves, indulges in a bit of theatrics by putting her head down on the desk. Then, she takes in a deep breath, picks up her phone, and calls her boss. Emily really needs to stop promising her on cases without consulting her, but Maya isn't going to hold her breath.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

The phone rings once or twice before you hear the sound of your boss Emily Young's voice. "Yes, Maya, how can I help you?" she asks in a very uninterested and busy tone. Chances are Maya is at her desk working on something, but luckily she always makes time for your calls.

 

[dae mec]

"Hello, Emily." Maya does a good job of keeping her voice light and polite, even as she pushes away the irritation. "Did you send Mr. O'Doyle to me? The one with the rat case?"

 

[GinkyGotBack]

"Yes, I did. Mr. O'Doyle is a very important client, so I decided to entrust this case to our best lawyer." She says matter-of-factly, strongly emphasizing the word 'best'. Emily tends to do that either when she's stressing how good of a lawyer you are or whenever she's chewing you out. However, you're not sure what context the context is this time. "I trust everything went well with today's appointment?"

 

[dae mec]

"Unfortunately, no. I have a massive conflict of interest, Emily. The people he wants to sue are my neighbors and friends. I can't take the case." She makes her voice two parts apologetic, treading a little cautiously now.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

"Well, I'm very sorry Maya but this is an important case for our firm. Mr. O'Doyle is a well-respected client of Bay Area Legal Services and he has always come to us when in need of legal aid. I understand that this is difficult for you, considering your friends are the defense but you must understand that they have committed a crime. To let this go unpunished would not only be a blight on this firm but on the law itself and we can't have that, can we Ms. Smithson?"

 

[dae mec]

Maya holds back some very inappropriate, unprofessional curses and keeps her tone light. "Fine. I guess I'll have to take the case. I just wanted to let you know, so if anyone makes any comments about conflict of interest, then it won't be a surprise to you. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"