Mistress of Justice

of sciencemean zip compared with the power of greed and ambition, it’s one of the essential principles.
    Donald Burdick sensed the undercurrent of this energy surrounding each partner as he or she entered the big conference room. Mostly they were uneasy. They lingered at the door, pretending to leave messages with the conference room secretary, pretending to wait for comrades so they might enter with human shields, or at least with allies to deflect the glare of the partners representing the other side of the merger issue from theirs.
    As always, few of the younger partners would make eye contact with Burdick but this morning he felt this evasion was due not to distance in social station but to hostility on the part of his opponents and shame in the hearts of those who had betrayed him.
    The Danish pastries on the Limoges china, the coffee in the sterling urn were practically untouched. Burdick, looking down, reviewed a loan document that did not need reviewing. He heard conversations about the Jets and Giants, about concerts, about vacations, about closings, about the faux pas of opposing counsel, about the Supreme Court’s latest excursions to Olympus, about rumors of other law firms breaking up.
    Finally, at eleven o’clock, Burdick started to call the meeting to order. He was about to ask for a quorum vote when:
    “Excuse me,” said Randy Simms, whom Donald Burdick couldn’t help but picture as a handsome leech.
    “Yes?” Burdick drew the word out threateningly.
    Simms said, “We’re not all present.”
    Eyes coursing leisurely around the table, Burdick said, “But we have a quorum.”
    “Well, Mr. Clayton isn’t here.”
    “Either we have a quorum, in which case the meeting proceeds, or we do not, in which case it doesn’t. Whom that quorum is made up of is not, to my memory, an issue of any concern in
Robert’s Rules of Order.”
    “I’m just thinking that it might be appropriate—” But the slick young sycophant’s words were interrupted by a bold knock. The door opened and Burdick’s secretary walked inside with a sealed envelope. Ignoring everyone in the room, the older partner took it, slit the seal open with his gold pen and read the note. He handed it to Bill Stanley, who blinked in surprise.
    Burdick said, “If you’ll excuse us for a moment please. There’s something that needs attending to. We’ll adjourn for fifteen minutes. Bill, you come too.”

     
    Donald Burdick was as angry as Taylor had ever seen him. He glanced at her and she looked away from his towering fury.
    They sat in Burdick’s office. Bill Stanley was on the couch, a fat ankle resting on a fat knee, and read over the papers Taylor had found in Clayton’s office.
    Stanley muttered, “What a stupid, stupid thing to do.”
    But Burdick was venting at Reece. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me about the note?”
    Reece said, “It was a judgment call. I didn’t want word to get out. I had my own way of handling it.”
    “You almost lost the case,” Burdick spat out. “You almost got yourselves killed.”
    Reece withstood the anger easily. “Clayton wasn’t going to hurt us. I’m sure the car incident was just to scare us. As far as losing goes, well, yes, I took that chance.”
    “You risked our client because you were afraid you’d lose your job.”
    The associate fired back, “Of course that was one reason. But it was also because if word got out it would be bad for the firm. In my assessment we had to act covertly.”
    “ ‘Covertly.’ You sound like a damn spy.” Burdick took the papers and the tape recorder from Stanley. “He wanted the merger so badly, he’d do this?” Burdick’s anger was giving way to astonishment.
    Stanley considered something. “You introduced the note into evidence, right?”
    Reece nodded. “Hanover’s agreed to settle. We’re going to close in Boston next week.”
    “Well, then Clayton will’ve heard you found it. He’ll know he’s in trouble.”
    Burdick nodded. “That’s why he’s not at the meeting.” The old partner rubbed his eyes. “What a mess.”
    “Fucking scandal,” Stanley growled. “Last thing we need.”
    “Give me some thoughts on the damage assessment,” Burdick said to the rotund partner.
    “Probably not terrible.” He nodded at Reece and Taylor. “They didn’t tell anyone.” A piercing glance at Taylor. “Right? You didn’t mention it to anybody?”
    “No, of course not. When I found those things in Clayton’s office