Honey and Leonard Read Online Free Page B
Author: Mark Paul Smith
me like this?"
"I'll tell you what. I'm glad you called me. I know exactly what you need to do."
"You do?"
"Yes, without a doubt. You just sit tight and wait by the phone. You're going to be getting a call this morning from somebody I highly recommend."
"Who is it?"
"He's a criminal defense attorney from Fort Wayne by the name of Robert Nimmo."
"Good, I don't want anybody from North Manchester handling this case."
Nearby Fort Wayne, IN., population 300,000, was definitely the big city compared to North Manchester, population 6,300.
* * *
"I'm innocent," Honey said, trying to be brave as she swung open the front door to usher the forty-two-year-old attorney into her home. It was a little after noon. "Thank you for coming so quickly and on such short notice."
"We got lucky," Attorney Nimmo said. "I had a trial scheduled for today that was continued to a later date. I've got some time."
"Good," Honey said. "So, as I was saying, I really am innocent. Do all your clients say that?"
"I only represent the innocent," Nimmo laughed as he shook her hand and looked into her eyes with a confidence Honey found instantly reassuring. He was as tall as Detective Perkins but much more trim. His hair and beard were a little long, but well-trimmed and with enough gray to show experience. His suit was expensive, and his dress boots with side zippers were well shined. She noticed his briefcase was Oleg Cassini with gold trim as he laid it on her dining room table and snapped it open to take out a writing tablet. He was handsome. He didn't wear glasses.
"I usually don't make house calls," Nimmo joked, "but when Jim Tech told me about you I figured I might as well check out the scene of the crime."
"There's been no crime committed here." Honey said.
"I know, I know. Sorry about that. I'm just using a little comic relief here to help you lighten up. I know how hard this must be for you. But let me tell you, everything's going to be all right."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. So listen, before I start asking you a bunch of questions like some cop, let me tell you where we are. No charges have been filed against you. It's my job to make sure charges are never filed in this case. In other words, I'm here to nip this case in the bud. Good attorneys plea bargain, better attorneys charge bargain."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean we're not going to sit around and wait for them to file a criminal charge against you so we can then negotiate a plea bargain. We're going to do our homework now so they never file charges in the first place. Then we'll make the newspaper print that news as big as today's story."
"I like the way you think."
"I know the prosecutor. That doesn't mean she'll bend the rules to give me special deals. She's good that way. She doesn't do favors for her friends. We've known each other for years. She's a fair person. Apparently, you two know each other quite well?"
"Oh, yes. I've known her since she was a young lawyer. She got mad when I knew it was arsenic they said poisoned Leonard."
"Arsenic, huh? Sounds kind of old school, don't you think? Who would want to poison Leonard Atkins?"
"Nobody," Honey said. "In fact, I don't think he was poisoned. I think Gretchen is making all this up. And now she's got a no-contact order or something that says I can't even go see him even when he needs me."
"Hold on, slow down. Who's Gretchen?"
The attorney nodded and took notes as Honey told him the story of Leonard's niece, Gretchen Atkins, trying to get him declared incompetent so she could maintain control over his estate.
"You know," Nimmo said, "I do enough estate litigation to know the vultures often start circling long before anyone dies."
"That's the thing," Honey said. "He's not even close to dying. He's only 76. That's young these days. It's one year younger than me, and let me tell you, I got a lot of living left to do and so does Leonard. And we intend to do it together."
Honey got up from her chair and slammed
"I'll tell you what. I'm glad you called me. I know exactly what you need to do."
"You do?"
"Yes, without a doubt. You just sit tight and wait by the phone. You're going to be getting a call this morning from somebody I highly recommend."
"Who is it?"
"He's a criminal defense attorney from Fort Wayne by the name of Robert Nimmo."
"Good, I don't want anybody from North Manchester handling this case."
Nearby Fort Wayne, IN., population 300,000, was definitely the big city compared to North Manchester, population 6,300.
* * *
"I'm innocent," Honey said, trying to be brave as she swung open the front door to usher the forty-two-year-old attorney into her home. It was a little after noon. "Thank you for coming so quickly and on such short notice."
"We got lucky," Attorney Nimmo said. "I had a trial scheduled for today that was continued to a later date. I've got some time."
"Good," Honey said. "So, as I was saying, I really am innocent. Do all your clients say that?"
"I only represent the innocent," Nimmo laughed as he shook her hand and looked into her eyes with a confidence Honey found instantly reassuring. He was as tall as Detective Perkins but much more trim. His hair and beard were a little long, but well-trimmed and with enough gray to show experience. His suit was expensive, and his dress boots with side zippers were well shined. She noticed his briefcase was Oleg Cassini with gold trim as he laid it on her dining room table and snapped it open to take out a writing tablet. He was handsome. He didn't wear glasses.
"I usually don't make house calls," Nimmo joked, "but when Jim Tech told me about you I figured I might as well check out the scene of the crime."
"There's been no crime committed here." Honey said.
"I know, I know. Sorry about that. I'm just using a little comic relief here to help you lighten up. I know how hard this must be for you. But let me tell you, everything's going to be all right."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. So listen, before I start asking you a bunch of questions like some cop, let me tell you where we are. No charges have been filed against you. It's my job to make sure charges are never filed in this case. In other words, I'm here to nip this case in the bud. Good attorneys plea bargain, better attorneys charge bargain."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean we're not going to sit around and wait for them to file a criminal charge against you so we can then negotiate a plea bargain. We're going to do our homework now so they never file charges in the first place. Then we'll make the newspaper print that news as big as today's story."
"I like the way you think."
"I know the prosecutor. That doesn't mean she'll bend the rules to give me special deals. She's good that way. She doesn't do favors for her friends. We've known each other for years. She's a fair person. Apparently, you two know each other quite well?"
"Oh, yes. I've known her since she was a young lawyer. She got mad when I knew it was arsenic they said poisoned Leonard."
"Arsenic, huh? Sounds kind of old school, don't you think? Who would want to poison Leonard Atkins?"
"Nobody," Honey said. "In fact, I don't think he was poisoned. I think Gretchen is making all this up. And now she's got a no-contact order or something that says I can't even go see him even when he needs me."
"Hold on, slow down. Who's Gretchen?"
The attorney nodded and took notes as Honey told him the story of Leonard's niece, Gretchen Atkins, trying to get him declared incompetent so she could maintain control over his estate.
"You know," Nimmo said, "I do enough estate litigation to know the vultures often start circling long before anyone dies."
"That's the thing," Honey said. "He's not even close to dying. He's only 76. That's young these days. It's one year younger than me, and let me tell you, I got a lot of living left to do and so does Leonard. And we intend to do it together."
Honey got up from her chair and slammed
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