Wolf in the Shadows - Marcia Muller [30]
“Fortunately for you and me, we got to realize those dreams. You right wrongs through the legal system; I do it by getting at the truth and trying to salvage a bad situation. Maybe my method doesn’t have as sweeping an effect as yours, but it makes the best use of my abilities. Makes a much better use of them than if I were logging in cases and making sure paralegals do their jobs. I’m a damned good investigator, and if you ask anybody who’s been around here awhile, you’ll find that I’ve pulled this co-op out of a bad spot more than just a time or two. So don’t talk to me about how I’m not returning what All Souls has given me, because I have, over and over.”
Gloria was silent, staring at the rubber plant again. After a moment she said, “You have an answer for everything, don’t you? And you’ve had it so easy. You can’t possibly understand.”
“How do you know I’ve had it so easy? You don’t know anything about me—haven’t even bothered to ask. I haven’t experienced as much hardship as you, but my life hasn’t been so wonderful, either. Especially not when it comes to prejudice. You may have noticed, although you’ve never remarked on it, that I have Indian blood—I’m one-eighth Shoshone. Bigots don’t like half-breeds—or eighth-breeds.”
She studied my face now, her expression puzzled, and I realized that she’d been so caught up with her own minority status that she’d ignored what should have been obvious.
I glanced at my watch and stood. “Gloria, I’ve given you all the time I can. I’ll consider the promotion, but strictly on its own merits. But let me ask you this: whose idea was it for you to approach me this way?”
“… What do you mean?”
“You’re not a woman who easily shares the details of her personal history. Was it you or Mike who decided this was a good way to play on my emotions?”
“I would never—”
“Sure you would. You’re an excellent attorney. So is Mike. Nothing wrong with working on the emotions of a jury, so why not mine?”
She stood, too. “You’re right, Sharon. Why not? You do what you have to.”
“That’s not the way we operate at All Souls.”
“We. Meaning the old guard. The privileged. The ones who feel they can ignore the rules.”
Maybe she had a point. We, the old guard, might have subtly excluded her, Mike, and any number of other new personnel. “I think we should talk more about that,” I said. “When we have some free time, why don’t we get together?”
She shrugged and moved toward the door, but before she stepped into the hall, she turned. “Maybe you don’t know All Souls as well as you think you do, Sharon. You asked about who came up with the scheme to work on your emotions? Well, it was all of us—the partners. And maybe it wasn’t the best of schemes, but it was well intentioned. None of us want to see you leave.”
As her footsteps tapped angrily down the hall, my spirits took a swift downward spiral. I didn’t know All Souls anymore. Didn’t know my old friends, the partners.
Seven
When I finally found Crazy Horse Road it was already four-ten. True to form, traffic had jammed at San Rafael, and then I’d missed a couple of turns coming out of downtown Novato. By now I felt irritable and concerned about catching a flight to San Diego in time to accomplish what I needed to do tonight.
The road was narrow, winding through the countryside near the Indian Tree Open Space Preserve. I saw few houses, mainly mailboxes standing in groups at the ends of private