PART 4
Laura was comparing notes with Mark, the two of them seated at the front of the
courtroom. The judge was reading out his preliminary remarks. Mark asked her
again if she was OK, because she looked rough, and she snapped back at him that
she was, that she was fine thank you.
She had watched Feierlein as he had entered the court, late as usual,
accompanied by Jacobs and some sundry junior lawyers. He sat, also at the front
of the room, across the central aisle. He had not caught her eye and she found
to her surprise that his presence had virtually no effect on her state of mind.
This gave her further confidence.
"Now, Miss Kodgy" announced the judge, turning to her. "would you like to begin
with your statement?" He looked benignly at Laura, as if he were a little sweet
on her.
Laura stood and began with her statement. Despite a little early hesitation, she
got rapidly into her stride. The words came easily -she had after all lived with
the case for two years. Again, her confidence rose.
She glanced over at Feierlein and the sight of him caused her to stumble over
her words. The man was casually playing with an elastic band. Stretching it
between his fingers, he allowed it to ping off and fly through the air. It
landed in the middle of the floor. He tutted to himself.
Laura was speechless and stood transfixed, staring at the small piece of rubber
on the wooden floor.
"Miss Kodgy?" came a voice, the judge's.
"Er..." Laura looked uncertainly between the band, Feierlein and the judge.
"I..."
"Do you need some time, Miss Kodgy?" the judge enquired.
"No, thanks, I'm...fine, thank you" replied Laura, regaining her composure.
She looked at Mark, who was staring at her, urgently. She looked down at her
notes and found the place where she thought she had trailed off. She continued
with her statement.
She kept glancing at Feierlein, whom she saw whispering to one of the juniors.
The boy rose and withdrew to the back of the room. He returned a minute or two
later with a glass of water, which he set down on the table in front of his
boss. Laura lost her train of thought and, as Mark poked her in the hip, looked
down again at her notes, finding the place with difficulty.
Laura looked up again and over to Feierlein. Her jaw dropped in horror. The man
had produced a packet and, with a teaspoon, was measuring out heaps of white
powder and stirring them into the glass. Laura felt her throat constrict and her
stomach twist and wrench. Her heart beat audibly and she started to breathe in
short, sharp breaths. Both Mark and the judge observed that her hands were
shaking.
Then, Feierlein took the glass to his lips. Laura saw him swallow, his Adam's
apple bobbing up and down. At this, sheer panic overwhelmed her. The room
started to spin and she dropped her notes to the floor. She cried out, softly,
and stumbled back against her chair. Reeling, she caught sight of the door at
the back of the chamber and fixed her eyes on the handle. Then she lunged
towards it, knocking her chair aside, colliding with the desk behind. The room
churned and the handle floated from side to side, but somehow she managed to get
to it and grab it, yanking it down and staggering through, out into the hall.
Half falling, half running, she crossed the hall and collapsed on a wooden
bench. She hung her head between her knees to stave of the darkness encroaching
from the periphery of her vision.
"Laura!" She looked up to see Mark coming through the door. Across the marble
floor, she saw that she had left a trail of urine. Her thighs were wet, too.
Mark saw the liquid too but hid his distaste.
"God Laura, what's the matter?" he looked at her, fearfully.
"Picked up something" she managed to reply, holding her head in her hands. Mark
put his arm around her, uncertainly.
After a couple of minutes, Laura looked up. "I'm OK now, thanks."
"I'm sorry" he replied. "You should have said. I had no idea" he pled, rather
pathetically. "Will you be OK?"
"Yes...I'll just rest here a while." She was afraid he might want to take her to
the doctor but, true to form, he saw the exit.
"I need to go back inside. They're waiting for me. Here's your bag, in case you
need something...I don't know. Will you wait here until we finish?" Yes, she
said she would. Mark walked away, looking back, worriedly.
Laura stood up and staggered out into the fresh air, breathing deeply, clearing
her head. A line of taxis waited at the kerb. She got into the first and sat
back into the soft leather.
"Where to, love?" she was asked.
She had not thought that far. "Er...just a minute" she replied, leafing through
her bag. There were papers, an envelope. Her name was on it. "Here" she said,
handing it to the driver. The cab pulled away.
She continued to leaf through the papers. Then another thought crossed her mind.
"Um...excuse me" she said to the driver. "I think...please, this one" she asked,
handing another piece of paper through the divide.
***
Feierlein strode out of the courtroom, Jacobs and the boys trotting to keep up
with him. He was elated, almost euphoric. His driver opened the door of his
limousine and Jacobs got in beside him.
"Well, how about that?" he said to Jacobs as they sped off.
"Yes", agreed Jacobs, "I don't know how you did it. Total disarray on their
part. After Koczy left it was almost embarrassing" he chuckled.
"I told you she was the key to the whole thing" said Feierlein, putting his hand
on Jacobs' knee. "The rest of that firm is completely useless!"
"Still", retorted Jacobs, "I wish you'd trusted me to win without separate
intervention."
"Listen, Jacobs", Feierlein said harshly, "if I'd left it to you I'd be one
hundred percent screwed by now and you know it. In fact, I don't know why I
haven't sacked you yet. Maybe now would be a good time."
Jacobs shrank back into his seat and looked at his knees, wishing that he had
kept his mouth shut.
The limousine pulled up outside the mansion, gravel crackling under the wide
tyres. The door was opened by Feierlein's butler. "Welcome back, sir" he said,
genially. "I trust all went well?"
"Swimmingly," replied Feierlein, exuberantly, striding through the front door.
"Any calls?" he asked.
"No sir, but, well there's a young lady here to see you, says she's a lawyer and
that you know her. I'm afraid I've forgotten her name. I took the liberty of
showing her into the reception room. I hope that is in order."
Feierlein turned to him and paused. "Yes, Henry, that is quite in order."
Hartmann had told him to expect this but frankly he had not believed him. Jesus.
That guy was a real artist, a genius maybe. Again his judgement had been proved
right, that he had put his faith in him. Well I never, he thought.
But as he walked towards the oak door to the reception room, he hesitated. Maybe
Hartmann's wrong. Perhaps she's here with a gun, to kill me. Quite possible. Or
maybe she's wired, in league with the police. She'd be brave enough to do it,
for sure. He rested his hand on the brass knob. No, he thought, trust your
instincts, Charlie. They haven't let you down yet. He opened the door and
entered the room.
His instincts proved correct. Laura was waiting for him in the middle of the
room, facing the door. She was on her knees, and stark naked. As she caught
sight of him, she straightened her upper body and stared at him, searchingly.
Looking around, he saw her clothes folded in a tidy pile on a chair, her shoes
arranged neatly below.
The girl started breathing heavily as he approached, her ribs rising under her
taught skin. Her thighs quivered slightly. He felt himself stiffen at the sight.
As soon as he was within reach, her eyes fell to his crotch and she started
grabbing at his belt. Within seconds she found his penis and pulled it out. Then
she had it in her mouth, sucking it hungrily, slobbering, tugging, stretching
his foreskin almost painfully as she drew her lips up and down.
"Easy, girl" he said, taken aback. The girl responded instantly, slowing her
pace but keeping up her concentrated effort. He could see her eyes streaming.
What a cracker, he said to himself. I'll definitely keep her for a while. As a
plaything. Maybe even get some legal advice from her. Whatever. He closed his
eyes and sighed.
Laura gripped the base of Feierlein's penis as she worked the shaft with her
mouth. She was trying to make it good for him, hoping that he would enjoy her.
Hoping that he would keep her. Please, she prayed, do what you want with me, do
anything to me. Just keep me.
