Sycamore Row

disclosure, I must tell you that I’ve hired a new intern. Portia Lang, Lettie’s oldest daughter. A bright girl who thinks she might want to be a lawyer.”
    “Smart move, Jake, and I really like that girl.”
    “So, no problems?”
    “None. I’m not in charge of your office.”
    “No conflicts of interest?”
    “None that I can see.”
    “Me neither. If Sistrunk shows up, or comes slinking around, we’llknow it soon enough. Simeon is still AWOL, but I suspect he’ll come home eventually. He may be trouble but he’s not stupid. She’s still his wife.”
    “He’ll be back. There’s something else, Jake. The will leaves 5 percent to a brother, Ancil Hubbard. That makes him an interested party. I’ve read your report and the affidavits and I understand we’re proceeding as if Ancil is dead. But that troubles me. Since we don’t know for certain, then we should not assume he is dead.”
    “We’ve searched, Judge, but there are no clues anywhere.”
    “True, but you’re not a pro, Jake. Here’s my idea. Five percent of this estate is over a million dollars. It seems prudent to me to take a smaller sum, say fifty thousand or so, and hire a high-powered detective agency to find him, or find out what happened to him. What do you think?”
    In situations like this, Judge Atlee did not really care what you thought. The decision was made, and he was just trying to be polite.
    “A great idea,” Jake said, something all judges like to hear.
    “I’ll approve it. What about the other expenses?”
    “Well, Judge, delighted you asked. I need to get paid.” Jake was handing over a summary of his time on the case. Judge Atlee studied it, frowned as if Jake were robbing the estate, then said, “One hundred and eighty hours. What rate did I approve?”
    He knew exactly what he had approved. “One fifty per hour,” Jake said.
    “So a total of, let’s see.” He was peering down his nose through the thick reading glasses perched on the tip, still frowning mightily as if he’d been insulted. “Twenty-seven thousand dollars?” His voice rose with fake incredulity.
    “At least that much.”
    “Seems a bit steep?”
    “On the contrary, Judge. It’s a bargain.”
    “It’s also a nice start to the holiday season.”
    “Oh yes, that too.” Jake knew Atlee would approve his fees if his hours had been doubled.
    “Approved. Other expenses?” He reached into his coat pocket and removed a tobacco pouch.
    Jake slid over more paperwork. “Yes, Judge, quite a few. Quince Lundy needs to get paid. He’s showing 110 hours, at a hundred bucks per. And we need to pay the appraisers, the accountants, and the consulting firm. I have the documentation here, along with orders for youto sign. May I suggest that we move some cash from the bank in Birmingham to the estate account here at First National?”
    “How much?” he asked, striking a match and waving it over the bowl of tobacco.
    “Not much, because I don’t like the idea of anybody at the bank seeing the money. It’s tucked away over in Birmingham, let’s leave it there as long as we can.”
    “My thoughts exactly,” Judge Atlee said, something he often said when confronted with a good idea. He discharged a blast of thick smoke that engulfed the table.
    “I’ve already prepared the order,” Jake said, shoving over even more paperwork and trying to ignore the smoke. Judge Atlee pulled the pipe from his teeth, a trail of smoke behind it. He began scribbling his name in his distinctive style, one that could never be deciphered but was recognizable nonetheless. He paused and looked at the order transferring the money. He said, “And with the stroke of my pen, I can move half a million bucks. Such power.”
    “That’s more than I’ll net in the next ten years.”
    “Not the way you’re billing. You must think you’re a big-firm lawyer.”
    “I’d rather dig ditches, Judge.”
    “So would I.” For a few silent moments he smoked and signed his name, alternating between puffing and scribbling. When the stack was finished, he said, “Let’s talk about next week. Is everything in order?”
    “As far as I know. Lettie’s deposition is set for Monday and Tuesday. Herschel Hubbard is Wednesday, his sister Thursday, and Friday we’ll do Ian Dafoe. That’s a pretty grueling week. Five straight days of depositions.”
    “And you’re using the main courtroom?”
    “Yes sir. There’s no court, and I’ve asked Ozzie to give us an extra deputy