Capitol Crimes. H.L. Katz

bobbed his head and smiled at Callie. He said nothing. She wondered for a moment what exactly Barry did at the firm. His expensive suit and Bruno Mali shoes did little to cover up his thinning black hair and uncomfortable smile. It was evident from the outset that he did not possess the same confidence that Derek did. She assumed that Barry was the managing partner while Derek excelled at the hand-grabbing and schmoozing that’s required on the Hill.

      “By the time most applicants get to us, they’re all questioned out. The good news is, we only ask one.” Derek smiled at her again. “Why do you want to work at our firm?”

      Callie slipped her hair behind her left ear, exposing a silver bamboo hoop earring, which drew the attention of both men. She clasped her hands together and rested them on top of her knee, before giving her answer.

      “I want to help people, nothing more, nothing less. Far too many citizens in this country are disenfranchised and feel they have no say in our political process. I want to be their voice. I want to make a difference in the lives of people who don’t have access to the decision-makers.”

      As Callie answered his question, Derek stared at the stunning young woman who sat across from him. He was distracted by her heart-shaped face and the light brown hair that fell slightly below her shoulders. He did his best to remain professional, but her long legs kept drawing his eyes back to them.

      “Callie, we think you are exactly what we’re looking for,” Derek said, finally lifting his eyes to meet hers.

      Barry Miller all but confirmed Callie’s original assessment of the partnership. “Ms. Wheeler, we’ve had quite a number of accomplished lawyers apply for this position, but no one has impressed our committee more than you have. We would like to offer you a job here at Miller & Gladstone. You’ll start at $140,000.00 with full benefits.”

      “All we need to know from you is, would you like to work here?” asked Derek.

      Callie had waited weeks to hear those words and took no time at all in giving her response. “When can I start?”

      Derek handed her a contract. Callie spent a few minutes reading the fine print, much to the approval of the two men sitting across from her. “If you have any questions, Callie, please do not hesitate to ask,” Derek said.

      “We know how daunting something like this can be,” Barry said, playing his part in the double team approach.

      Callie signed the contract and handed it back to Barry who placed it on the coffee table in front of her. Derek stood up and held out his hand. “We shall see you in the morning, Ms. Wheeler.”

      Callie was barely able to contain her excitement, having landed the job she had wanted since her sophomore year in college. She gracefully stood up from the couch and met Derek’s hand. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

      “It is great to have you aboard.”

      A few moments later, Callie confidently strolled out of Derek’s office. Her smile extended from ear to ear. Standing in the lobby, it struck her that she would be working a few short blocks away from the most powerful legislative body in the world. Not bad for a small town girl, she thought.

      “How cool is this?” Callie said to no one as she stepped inside the empty elevator.

      Following Callie’s departure, Barry began to pace the room. Derek took a seat behind his desk. “I mean is she not perfect? Do you have any idea what she will do for this firm?” Barry said. “She will own the Capitol.”

      Derek smiled as he thought about the possibilities. “Smart,” he said. “Ambitious, focused and not to mention she’s breathtaking. She’s about to cause some ridiculous damage, Barry.”

      Derek removed a pen and a small notebook from his jacket pocket and began to jot something down then stopped and shook his head. “What do you think Bannon’s gonna say when he gets a load of her?” he asked. He laughed proudly thinking of the former president’s penchant for women like Callie.

      It had been almost two years since M&G was the toast of K Street and no matter what they had tried, the firm could not attain the success they once enjoyed. They watched helplessly as others moved in on what used to be their exclusive territory. The time had come to change the game and Derek could not wait to unleash Callie on the public.

      • • •

      Six years later, Callie did own the Capital as Barry had predicted, but that meant nothing to Whitaker Jordan.

      “I agree, Barry, our clients should be our top priority on this and I vote to move forward on the entire agenda you put on the board.”

      “Are we all in agreement on this?” Barry asked. He surveyed the room and noticed the large number of hands that assented with the motion Jordan put forward. Across the table, Callie was visibly agitated. “Why waste the political capital on legislation that has already passed through Congress?” she asked. “Am I the only one who sees that?”

      Barry wasted no time in responding. “No, you’re not, but we are running a business...”

      “And we used to be a legitimate one,” Callie said. “Since when did we start billing new clients for work we completed for someone else?”

      “I guess we aren’t privy to your outstanding efforts, Callie,” Jordan said, dripping with more sarcasm than usual.

      Callie looked at Barry. She raised her eyebrows anticipating he would speak up on her behalf. No words were forthcoming.

      “Seriously?” Callie asked looking at him in response to his ten seconds of silence.

      “We’ll move on these today,” Barry said as if Callie was no longer in the conference room. “Whitaker, you take the lead on Alford Chemical and I’ll divvy up what’s left within the hour. Callie, you stay here; the rest of you are free to go.”

      Callie leaned back in her chair as she watched the other lawyers shuffle out. After the last attorney exited the boardroom, Barry walked slowly to a seat across from Callie, but stayed on his feet.

      “Don’t you ever throw me under the fuckin’ bus again,” Barry said, as he pointed his finger at the only other person in the conference room.

      “Me, throw you under the bus? You’re kidding me, right?”

      “What do you call it?”

      “You asked my opinion and I gave it to you,” Callie said.

      Barry leaned across the table and drew his face closer to Callie’s. “I asked your opinion as a courtesy, not to have you piss all over me.”

      “Since when do we rubber-stamp shit around here?” Callie asked, glaring right back at her boss.

      “Don’t do it again.” Barry pointed at her a second time then turned and started for the door.

      Callie picked up her pen and legal pad and prepared to go. “You ever gonna pull your pit-bull off me?”

      Barry slowly rotated his body back towards her. “My pit-bull?”

      “You know what I’m talking about.”

      “Whitaker gets it done,” Barry said, more to piss her off than anything else.

      “That’s bullshit, Barry and you know it.” Callie dismissed his last comment with a wave of her hand.

      “Don’t do it again, Callie.”

      “Is that a threat?”

      “Don’t do it again,” he said as he stepped out of the conference room, leaving Callie alone in her thoughts. She thought about Derek and just how different things had become since his departure. The void his absence created changed the fortunes of so many lives, but most notably, her own.

      Three

      The sound of gunshots hitting their target were usually not distinctive in relation to other shots