“Plaintiff’s verdict?”
“Maybe,” Knox said.
“Damn,” Jason said. “Did the family sue their lawyer for legal malpractice?”
“I don’t think so, but I know that Trudy Cowan reported Braxton and the CRNA to the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Nursing. I had to assist him through that too.”
“Did the board find anything?”
“Not against Braxton,” he said. “But . . . Maples was suspended for a short time and made to pay a fine.”
“How could that be?”
He took a sip of beer. “I think she chose to respond herself without legal counsel. That was a mistake.”
“And a reason to be mad at Braxton.”
“Right. And since Braxton didn’t leave your sister, that would be another reason for her to be angry.”
“True,” Jason said.
“So which alternative gives you a better chance?” Knox asked. “Maples or Cowan?”
“They’re both appealing for different reasons.”
Knox downed the rest of his pint. “Too bad the killer’s confessed that your sister paid him to do it.”
Any positive vibes Jason had begun to feel dissipated with the obvious reality check.
“Sorry,” Knox said. “I’m going to get another beer. You want something?”
“Let me get it,” Jason said. He ordered the beer and a water for himself and brought the drinks back to the table. He had one more line of questions he wanted to go down.
“Did you meet my sister during the trial?”
“Yes indeed. Jana Waters.”
“And what’d you think of her?”
“Attractive, smart, and competitive. And she seemed to be one hundred percent behind her husband.”
“Seemed to be? Why do you put it that way?”
“Because she had an obvious issue with Maples, which reared its head right before trial. When Maples was on the stand, I was just as scared of Jana doing or saying something stupid as I was of what Maples might say. Your sister is a volatile woman. A few days before the trial started, I met them both at Braxton’s office to go over the jury venire list and talk about our witnesses. When it got time to discuss Maples, she threw a fit and started asking Braxton where in his office he’d screwed her. She went from one piece of furniture to the next, just ranting at him, telling him that his dalliances were going to cost them everything. I finally asked her to leave.”
“Great,” Jason said and took a long sip of water.
“Sorry.”
For a moment, they sat in silence and drank their beverages. “Let me ask you something,” Knox finally said. “How’d you get bullied into taking this case?”
That was an interesting choice of words, and Jason almost smiled. “It’s a long story.”
“I bet,” he said.
Jason stood to leave. “Mr. Rogers, I appreciate your time. When your office has those deposition and trial transcripts ready, I’ll send a runner to get them and obviously pay for the copying costs and any time associated with putting that together.”
“I think we have all that stored electronically. I’ll send you a couple thumb drives. That work?”
“Perfect.” Jason paused and gazed down at the veteran lawyer. “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why are you helping me? I can see in your eyes and tone that you don’t think much of me as a lawyer or person.”
Knox crossed his legs. “Because Braxton Waters was my client, and I liked him.”
“I may be representing his killer.”
Knox’s eyes flickered. “Well, I can tell by your demeanor and tone that you don’t believe that. Besides, that handyman killed him. You’re representing the person accused of hiring the man to do the deed.”
“Not much of a distinction in the criminal world. She’ll be sentenced to death if found guilty.”
“It’ll make a difference to the jury,” he said. “I worked a couple years in the Madison County District Attorney’s office before branching off into civil work. I tried a lot of criminal cases as a prosecutor. We didn’t have a lot of murder cases, but we had a few, and one was a murder-for-hire case involving coconspirators.” He gazed up at the sky. “The defense attorneys had a field day with the deal we’d cut with the killer, and I suspect you will too.” He chuckled. “Judging by your press conference yesterday, it sounds like you’re already digging in. I imagine Judge Conrad gave you a tongue-lashing after that?”