Character Witness (6 page)

''
Louise was Lionel Booker's wife,'' Gerry explained. Kathleen nodded and raised a hand, hoping to get a word in edgewise in order to make her escape. She wasn't quick enough.

''
Ex-wife, thanks to you,'' Louise cooed, lobbing the ball gently back Gerry's way.

''
It's wasn't a terribly difficult divorce,'' he admitted humbly.

''
Only because you handled it so well.'' Louise pursed her lips and threw Gerry a kiss. Gerry blushed, pleasing his client. A tingle of distaste ran up Kathleen's spine.

''
But Lionel died. Tragic. Tragic.'' Gerry shook his head sadly. Kathleen swung hers toward Louise and waited for the explanation she knew would come. It wasn't the one she expected.

''
Jerk. Idiot. Asshole.'' Louise cried. She gave Kathleen a curt look, '''Scuse me. But the man did it on purpose.''

''
He died on purpose?'' Kathleen crossed her legs, her skirt slid up an inch. Louise watched, assessed the competition and then checked out her own gams. Satisfied of her superiority she then satisfied Kathleen's curiosity.

''
I suppose a lady would put it that way but I've never been accused of being a lady.'' This didn't seem to bother her. ''The fool killed himself. He killed himself on purpose. Get it? Suicide?''

She mocked Kathleen like she was an idiot child.

''
Look, look.'' Louise reached over the desk and took the paper from Gerry, handing it to Kathleen. A pink diamond encrusted nail poked at the third paragraph. ''I was supposed to get his life insurance if he died. I was supposed to still be paid for the years - the best years! - I gave him when he was alive.''

She shook the paper.

''
Shit happens. I read my horoscope every day and I know how fickle things can be. So Gerry,'' She batted her lashes Gerry's way. In profile Kathleen could see those lashes were no more real than her formidable breasts. ''Gerry went to court. He convinced the judge that I needed to be cared for in the event of my ex-husband's death. You're a man among men, Gerry. You saw how hard it was for me to cope. I have no skills to speak of.''

Back to Kathleen.

''
So then the fool dies. In the john where he worked no less. Can you believe it? Ugh.'' She shivered and the light from her faux jewels danced across her rigid jaw. ''I don't know that I'd expect anything less. He was a wimp. Worked in an ant hill, lived in the forest, died in the john in a stall. He hid from the world. No backbone.''

''
Louise, please. You said yourself Lionel was a good man,'' Gerry reminded her, but her memory was more selective.

''
I
thought
he was a good man with a future,'' Louise shot back, forgetting her Sunday manners. This was a woman thing anyway. She put one hand on the arm of Kathleen's chair. With the other she reached for Kathleen's champagne. She downed it in one gulp. ''You know what I mean. The disappointment in finding out the man you love isn't the man you think he is. Devastating. It's all about character and ambition. Well old Lionel had plenty of character, but he had the balls of a flea. A woman like me can't live with a man like that. I have needs.'' She finished off the champagne. ''You understand? Now it seems he didn't even have any character either. I was duped.'' She lowered her lashes and patted Kathleen's forearm. ''That means taken advantage of, honey.'' She didn't wait for Kathleen to indicate she understood. ''Oh, he was wily. All that sweetness and accommodating crap. The man planned and schemed and did it on purpose just to spite me. He killed himself on purpose and I want justice.''

''
Kathleen, please?''

Gerry motioned for the letter. It passed between them. Gerry pulled out his glasses and looked again as Kathleen watched. Concentrating on business, Gerry dropped the solicitous attitude and checked out the document. When he looked up, that sweet, sweet smile was in place.

''
Louise, I would be doing you a disservice if I told you the insurance company wasn't within their rights. Had you read the policy, my girl?''

''
Don't be ridiculous,'' Louise sniffed and crossed her legs. Her toenails winked pink. Elvis looked up her skirt from her big toe.

''
Well, the insurance company knows what's in their documents. There is twenty-four month exclusion, Louise. If Lionel did himself in within twenty-four months of the issuance of the policy, the policy became null and void. They owe you nothing.'' He shook his head and passed the letter back. Louise ignored it.

''
Well, la-de-da. What do they know? This isn't a situation like in the policy. I mean that's talking about a crazy person, and, believe me, I know Lionel wasn't crazy. What I didn't know was how mad he was at me. He planned this, Gerry, down to the last minute of his life. Lionel was the smartest man I know. He read everything. He knew everything. He understood this policy, and he waited until the right time. This was like a big joke.

''
I tell you, Gerry, he knew about this thing - this exclusion deal - and he killed himself just before we made it over the hump. One lousy day to go. And I admired that twerp long enough to marry him. I thought if nothing, else he was on the up-and-up. Now I see he was just like every other man. Selfish. Selfish. Selfish.''

Kathleen opened her mouth, raised a finger then thought twice about adding her two cents. Who was she to point out that Louise was the one who had married the man in the first place? Who was she in any of this except someone who wanted to leave in the worst way? So she said:

''
I think I should just come back some other time.''

''
Louise,'' Gerry chuckled.

''
Gerry.'' She talked over him but glared at Kathleen who sat back down rather than disturb Louise further. ''I don't want to hear about it. I don't want any double talk, and I sure as heck don't want to sit here and chat. I just want to go to court.''

''
I have no double talk for you, Louise, but I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that you don't have a leg to stand on, dear. The agreement is very clear. I tell you that in front of a witness. I would be hard pressed to take your money fighting a cause like this.'' He gave Kathleen a look filled to bursting with such embarrassing affection she thought she'd die.

''
Money, schmoney,'' Louise scoffed. ''It's the principle of the thing. I want what's mine. I want it if it takes forever. Honey,'' she poked Kathleen with the pads of her fingers for fear of breaking a nail. ''You watch. I'll get what's mine. You take note. Now, let's get the ball rolling.''

''
Well, if you insist.'' Gerry stood up and gave Louise a little bow, walked around the desk and was at the door with his hand on the knob when she shrieked at his back.

''
Gerry! I want to get started now.''

''
Of course, Louise,'' Gerry said sweetly as he slipped through the door. ''I'm leaving you in the best of hands. Kathleen Cotter? This is Louise Booker, your client. Louise, this is Kathleen Cotter, one of the best attorney's on the face of God's green earth and the newest associate of O'Doul & Associates.''

There were five Styrofoam cups on the desk in front of Kathleen. Four sported perfect pink lip prints. The hue had an underlying neon glow that undulated against the white spongy stuff. The fifth was still untouched and filled with cold coffee the color of bark. Even a more-than-healthy serving of cream couldn't make the coffee palatable. Fortunately, the client's taste was a little broader. She seemed to love the stuff.

The coffee suited Louise just fine as did the chair in which she sat. Louise Booker had made herself right at home while Kathleen was still trying to get over the shock of being railroaded by Gerry O'Doul. She had tried to object but Gerry had flown the coop. She could hear Louise in the private office squawking that time was awastin' so Kathleen returned, vowing only to take notes so Gerry could pick up where she left off. After the third hour, Kathleen stopped taking notes and started wondering how she was ever going to stop Louise from talking.

''
Did I tell you how we met?'' She popped another breath mint.

Kathleen shook her head, trying to regroup and keep her eyes from crossing. Her eyes itched. She wanted to rub them but resisted the urge knowing she would only succeed in annihilating the eyeliner on one eye while leaving the other intact. Unfortunately, Louise took that negative little shake and the quick blink of Kathleen's eyes as a sign that she had somehow missed a really important part of her story. Once again, she launched into the saga of Lionel and Louise.

''
We met in college.'' She slipped off a shoe, crossed her ankle over her leg and checked out her pedicure. Her skirt rode up high enough to give the impression it was nothing more than a wide belt. Obviously satisfied she slipped the shoe back on, propped her feet on the chair opposite and gave her Styrofoam cup a kiss before sipping at her sixth cup of coffee. Kissing the lip of the cup before drinking was a sure fire way to keep your lipstick intact according to Louise wisdom. There was enough wisdom to fill volumes. Kathleen was sure she'd heard it all.

''
Well, I wasn't really in college. I was waitressing at What a Dish Pizza just around the corner from where Lionel was living. He used to come in all the time. A cheese man. Simple, you know. I swear, I think of it now, the place where he lived, and I think it really wasn't more than a flop house. But he was a college man. He seemed so romantic. Suffering before conquering the world, you know,'' she waved her hand in the air and Elvis went flying. Mesmerized, Kathleen watched - the pink lips, the pink nails, the blue shaded eyes that never left hers. She had to give Louise credit. She looked you in the eye when she talked.

''
Anyway, I thought it was just damn romantic. This guy with long hair was so pretty. Kind of slim with those hip huggers they used to wear in the sixties. He was like, from another time. I wasn't that old when I met him so that's probably what marred my judgment about Lionel.'' This time the painted Elvis found its way beneath the beehive hair-do and gave her head a little scratch. Kathleen decided this was Louise Booker's equivalent to Pinocchio's nose growing.

''
Mrs. Booker, I think. . . ''

Kathleen's voice seemed to strike a chord. Louise leaned forward. She wasn't about to lose her audience. The nails danced on the wood. Kathleen sat up straighter, her posture even more perfect in defiance of Louise's proposed domination. It didn't help. Louise could talk faster than Kathleen could become indignant.

''
Well, it doesn't matter how old I was, does it? I married him. We did it in a field - I don't mean did it,'' she guffawed at this seemingly hilarious double entdre and Kathleen saw beneath the flamingo pink lips Louise Booker had a charming over-bite. She smiled. A mistake. Louise, egged on by Kathleen's obvious distaste for her humor, charged ahead. ''And don't call me Mrs. Booker. Where was I? Yeah. Okay. I meant we got married in a field. I had this great dress. Spent every last dime I had on it. Figured, what'd I need money for? Lionel was about ready to graduate with a degree in business management. He was going to graduate school while he worked. It was going to be wonderful!'' Storm clouds darkened the horizon of her memory. ''The jerk. The idiot. He promised me the world - right there in our wedding vows - the world!''

Louise flopped back against the chair, her lips pulled tight. Her overbite now seemed predatory. She was mad. Kathleen was fascinated. Riding Louise's emotional roller coaster was an eye opening experience. Kathleen ran her fingers through her spiky, almost-platinum bangs then let her head rest on her hand.

''
Well, Lionel had a pretty funny view of the world. I thought he meant we'd be on easy street, you know? Stuff. Clothes and traveling. Maybe go to Graceland. Maybe get me a diamond. Maybe even a house. I didn't really want kids, but what the heck. If he held up his part of the bargain and wanted a few little yard monkeys I'd oblige. But noooooo. Lionel wanted to be part of the world. I mean really part of it! Geez, can you imagine? He wanted to commune with it. Every hour he wasn't working he was out listening to the sound of the wind, reading poetry, walking in the damn fields. It was one thing to be married in one; I didn't want to live in one.''

Louise closed her eyes, thinking back and back, her edges softening with each memory that presented itself. Kathleen thought Louise was like one of those weird puzzles where plastic squares were moved around until the picture was whole. But Louise Booker's pieces moved in the wrong direction and every time Kathleen thought she was ready to click the last piece into place, she was fooled.

''
I don't know, I think I really did love him at first. I mean, there were so many things. He was gentle. He was kind. He thought of others before himself. I liked that. Always others before himself.'' she smiled sweetly, her eyes still closed. Then they opened, narrow little slits through which sparkled eyes that had been opthamologically altered to match her shadow. ''And then that all got so damn annoying, if you know what I mean. Ever had anyone do everything you wanted?''

''
No, I haven't.''

Thrown off guard, Kathleen's intent to dominate deflated. Her memories were of an overbearing and didactic father and a mother so cautious and needy that Kathleen had caught her fear of everything. Finally there was Jim Farley, her fiancé. Like a boy, he was easily satisfied, preferring to be led rather than lead. Kathleen had mistaken that quality for maturity and contentment. She was an idiot. She had waited and waited for the kind of passion Louise talked about. This woman scoffed at it, Kathleen just now understood that she would kill for it.

''
No, I've never had anyone want to give me the world,'' Kathleen said quietly.