There were footsteps in the hall. A moment later, the two law clerks spilled through the doorway, laughing. Imani was tall and stylish, with braids that skimmed her shoulders. Sean wore his hair in a man-bun and had on a Hawaiian-print tie with his business suit. The courtroom was the last refuge of formal business attire, and Madison was here for it, wearing a skirt and blazer herself. She got to her feet with a smile. They were her supervisors, but she expected they’d become friends.
“Here’s the fresh blood. Hard at work already, I see,” Sean said.
Imani gave Madison an appraising look. “Have we met?”
“You probably don’t remember, but I was one of the peons on law review last year, when you were in charge.”
Recognition dawned in her eyes. “Oh, I do remember. You’re the girl who was dating Ty Evans.”
Madison laughed in astonishment. “That’s how you remember me?”
“Hell, yeah. Ty’s like king of the law school.”
“No. I’m the queen, and he was my consort.”
“Was? You let that boy slip away?”
“Yep. He’s with Chloe Kessler now.”
“Humph, I know her. Legacy admit,” Imani scoffed.
“Imani, give it a rest,” Sean chided. “You’ll drive Madison away, and we can’t afford to lose another intern.” He turned to Madison. “Please forgive my co-clerk. She can be quite opinionated, but she has a heart of gold.”
“Oh, we want to keep you. Ty’s not the only thing I remember about you. You were a good little researcher if I recall.”
They joked around a minute longer. Madison felt comfortable enough to ask the awkward question.
“Hey, I hope you don’t mind my asking, but what happened to the last intern? Is it true she was fired? I’m trying to figure out what not to do.”
Sean threw an anxious glance over his shoulder at the hallway.
“I’m not sure we should get into that,” he said.
Imani gave him an impatient look, lowering her voice to a near whisper.
“C’mon, Sean. We have to give her a heads-up, if only out of self-interest. I’ve got a pile of research I need done.”
“All right, but can we talk somewhere else? I’d feel more comfortable.”
“She should come to lunch with us,” Imani said.
Sean nodded. “We usually go to the salad place. Come along, and we’ll give you some survival tips.”
Survival tips? That didn’t sound good.
“Great,” she said.
In the reception area, Kelsey’s desk was empty. The door to Judge Conroy’s office stood open, and Madison could hear her voice, low and calm, talking to someone. She craned her neck toward the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the judge.
Imani noticed the direction of her gaze.
“The judge doesn’t eat lunch with us except for special occasions like birthdays and so on.”
“Though you will get to sit in on court regularly, so you can observe her there. It’s just, when it comes to the judge, interns are expected to be seen and not heard,” Sean said.
“Oh, yeah, I got an earful from Nancy—”
Imani looked horrified, drawing a finger across her throat just as Nancy’s flinty voice rang out from the judge’s office. They quickly left chambers.
“Sorry,” Madison said once they were outside.
“Oh, no worries as far as we’re concerned,” Imani said. “But watch your back with Nancy. That woman has nooo sense of humor.”
Outside, it was raining again, with a bitter wind coming from the north. They ran across the street and ducked into an office building that had a takeout salad place. Lunch out wasn’t in her budget, but sometimes you just had to network. She looked forward to the day she was a real lawyer, when money would not be an issue. They got their salads and found a table under a glass atrium streaked with rain, making small talk about the usual subjects as they ate. Which classes Madison was taking, gossip about people they knew in common at the law school, that sort of thing.
“It’s amazing that you’re taking a class from the judge,” Sean said. “What’s she like as a teacher?”
“Very charismatic. Really organized. Lots of inside scoop on the justice system. It’s amazing. I’m lucky to have the chance.”
“I suppose you got a leg up in getting the internship, since you knew her from school.”
“It definitely helped. Although I can’t say I know her. It’s hard to get a word with her after class, and she doesn’t do office hours as much as some of the other professors.”