First To Fall. Carys Jones

ranging from Horse and Hound to Vogue, all clearly out of date. The hardwood flooring was surprisingly tasteful and the walls were painted a calming pale shade of green. Aiden guessed that the room had recently been decorated, leaving the ancient-seeming furniture, including the leather couches, one of which he was rapidly sinking into. He hoisted himself up using the arm into a less comfortable-looking position.

      ‘Oh, Mr. Cope.’ Betty had pressed the intercom on her desk. ‘I have Mr. Connelly for you.’

      ‘Send him in.’

      ‘In you go then, dear. Best of luck,’ she smiled. Aiden nodded and lifted himself up from the absorbing couch and entered the door beside Betty’s desk, which he assumed was the office as the only other door in the room was marked ‘lavatory’.

      The main office was a large room, painted in the same soothing green as the waiting area. Two large desks with computers occupied a majority of the space and numerous filing cabinets lined two of the walls. The desk nearest to the door was immaculate whilst the other was awash with papers and files. A man hastily got up from the cluttered desk and quickly smoothed down his blue shirt.

      Edmond Cope was getting on in years. As his hairline decreased his waistline had expanded until now he was basically bald and quite rotund. It was common knowledge that he enjoyed his drink; if Aiden played his cards right he would learn of the generous amount of liquor the old man kept in his desk drawer. It had been common practice for himself and his old partner, Howard May, to indulge in an afternoon tipple when work was slow. Since Howard’s death, the afternoon tipple had increased to occasionally include mornings too. Three years was a long time to be in an office alone and Edmond was a sociable man. He loved nothing more than entertaining his large family at his equally large home. In all honesty he had opened up the position for a new partner out of loneliness rather than necessity. When he read Aiden’s profile he could scarcely believe his luck: a young hotshot lawyer wanting to work in Avalon? With his pending retirement looming he was hoping that Aiden may well indeed be someone who could take over the business. But this was all jumping the gun somewhat. Edmond stuck out his podgy hand and Aiden shook it enthusiastically.

      ‘Edmond Cope, welcome, welcome!’

      ‘Thank you, Mr. Cope.’

      ‘Please, Edmond, Mr. Cope was my father! Your desk is there, my boy, do take time to familiarise yourself with it. The computer is all set up, she may not look it but Betty is a whiz with technology!’

      Aiden smiled but was inwardly flinching at the ‘my boy’ comment.

      ‘I would give you a tour of the place but there isn’t much to see. There is the waiting area where Betty is, the toilets and here, the epicentre of it all! I expect you are used to much bigger places but this serves us all right.’

      ‘Bigger is not always better.’

      ‘True, true. So…’ Edmond was still standing in the centre of the room, his ample chest puffed out in an attitude of grandeur. ‘Cope and May has been serving the legal needs of Avalon for a good thirty years come this fall. I myself founded the company, along with my dear friend and colleague Howard May, God rest his soul. We went to college together you see, studied law, wanted to make a change and that. We thought about going to work in the city but were perhaps too attached to our families and whatnot to leave. But the town has been good to us; we are never short of work.’

      ‘Glad to hear it.’

      ‘That was why the position of partner came up. I was getting bogged down by it all, some days I wasn’t getting home until 6pm! The wife said enough is enough! I work to live, I don’t live to work. You know, son?’

      ‘I hear you loud and clear.’

      ‘Good, good.’ Edmond now settled himself once more at his desk.

      ‘When I read your profile I knew you could handle things here. It will most likely seem a doddle compared to what you had to deal with in the city. The thing is to remember that Avalon is full of good people, for the most part. There is the odd bad apple but most cases are property disputes, drunken brawls, that kind of thing. Nothing too wayward. It may seem menial at times but it is ultimately rewarding. Like I said, it is a town full of good people and they are always more than grateful for our help. Only the other day Mrs. McKenzie from the small farm down the road sent me a basket of lovely apples to thank me for helping her husband when he got sentenced a DUI.’

      Aiden nodded.

      ‘We get a lot of DUIs. Folk just don’t think, but we have a good relationship with the local law enforcement who keeps us up to speed on things. Buck Fern is the local sheriff and has been as long as I can remember. Straight as an arrow that man. Folks round her respect him and that’s important in keeping the peace and all that. I’ll get him to pop by later this week; no doubt he’ll be keen to meet you.’

      ‘Yes, of course.’

      ‘You got family, Mr. Connelly?’

      ‘Yes, a wife and daughter.’ Aiden’s reply clearly pleased Edmond. ‘And please, call me Aiden,’ he added.

      ‘Well Aiden, how old is your little ray of sunshine?’

      ‘Meegan turns two next month.’

      ‘Two, how wonderful! My grandson Grant was two just last week. Lovely age. Well, I suppose I need to stop smacking my gums with you and get down to working. We are starting to sound like a couple of hens with our cackling!’

      Aiden could feel himself warming towards the old man. You couldn’t help but like him.

      ‘But first things first, you cannot work without coffee.’ Edmond pressed the intercom on his desk. ‘Betty, my dear.’

      ‘Yes, Mr. Cope.’ Her response came back crackly through the machine.

      ‘Can we have two coffees?’ To Aiden he whispered, ‘You do drink coffee, son?’ Aiden nodded. ‘Yes, two coffees please, Betty.’

      ‘Right away.’

      ‘Thank you, my dear.’

      After Betty has bustled in with two steaming coffees and a plate of biscuits, Edmond handed Aiden a thin brown file. On the front it read:

       White, Brandy

      Case no. 2315

      Aiden assumed it was a routine DUI and was about to read the notes when Edmond stopped him.

      ‘Now that there is an unusual case. It is pretty much open, shut, not much to be done. I’m giving it to you as I thought you would have experience in that sort of thing, and being new to town, folk might not want you delving into their personal matters quite so fast.’

      Intrigued, Aiden opened the file.

      ‘A murder case?’ He could not conceal his shock. A shiver of excitement ran down his spine. He was prepared to deal with domestic disputes, unruly neighbours, but a murder! This was legal gold!

      ‘Don’t get too excited there, Aiden. Like I said, open, shut. Mrs.White is a resident here in Avalon, we represent her as an obligation, not through choice. She has already confessed to the crime and is awaiting sentencing over at Eastham Ladies Penitentiary, about twenty miles east of here.’

      ‘I see,’ Aiden muttered, his eyes scanning the records before him.

      ‘She murdered her husband in cold blood, terrible matter. Shook the town to its core. He was a beloved town hero. She must have been possessed by the devil himself to do such a thing.’

      ‘When is the hearing?’

      ‘Three weeks from now. You just need to go over, give her legal support, explain what will likely occur after her guilty plea.’

      ‘So, she is down for first degree murder?’

      ‘Yes, sir.’

      ‘So under state law…?’

      ‘It