Between Black and White by Robert Bailey Read Free Book Online

have just paid off.”
    Rick left the car running, and he and Tom got out of the Saturn. The man blocking their exit walked briskly toward them, a toothy grin playing on his face.
    “Gentlemen, aren’t we being a little rash? The mediation hasn’t even been going an hour.”
    “Jameson, you knew our position before we ever got here,” Rick said. “You knew we wouldn’t settle for less than the limits. This was a dog and pony show for your client so a mediator could tell them to pay out. You know what’s going to happen at trial. It will be Willistone all over again.”
    Jameson Tyler, managing partner of Jones & Butler, the largest law firm in the state of Alabama, crossed his arms, his smile fading away. “Big talk for a boy who didn’t have much to do with that verdict. As I recollect it, the Professor here saved your ass in Willistone while your case was dying on the vine.” Jameson took a step closer. “Must be nice riding Tom’s coattails, Rick.”
    Rick’s face flushed red, and he started to step forward, but Tom moved in front of him. “That’s enough, Jameson. Rick is right. We told you beforehand that we wouldn’t budge from the limits.”
    Jameson sighed in exasperation. “Tom, practicing law is as much a business as it is a profession. My clients are businesspeople. They deal in dollars and cents.”
    Tom squinted at Jameson and stepped toward him, invading his space so that the other lawyer had to take a step backward. “You continually disappoint me, Jameson. Exactly when did you sell out, son? When did the billable hour become your moral compass in life?”
    Jameson didn’t flinch or blink. “You’re one to talk, Professor. You’re nothing more than an ambulance chaser now, collecting settlement checks like the rest of them. Have you tried a case since Willistone?” He paused, leaning forward. “Willistone was a fluke, Tom, and we both know it. But you and your minion here have used it to scare a few insurance companies into shelling out big money to settle instead of dealing with the circus of trying a case against you in Alabama. Here’s a news flash for you, Tom. We’re all sellouts, and you’re no different than anyone else.”
    Tom felt his cell phone vibrate again in his pocket, but he didn’t move to answer it. He was shaken by Jameson’s words. Like his former student, though, he didn’t flinch. His expression and demeanor remained exactly the same. “See you in court, Jameson.”
    Tom turned to go, motioning for Rick to do the same. When his hand touched the door handle, Jameson’s voice stopped him.
    “No, you won’t.”
    Tom glanced at Rick, who was unable to suppress a smile. Then he peered back at Jameson. “Excuse me?”
    “My client doesn’t want to go to the circus either. They’ll pay the limits.”

    Twenty minutes later the mediation settlement agreement was signed, and Rick and Tom were back in the Saturn, heading toward the office. Rick had just called Maurice London with the good news and, after clicking the “End” button, plopped his cell phone in the drink holder.
    “How was he?” Tom asked.
    “Ecstatic,” Rick said. “He just kept thanking me over and over again.”
    Rick smiled, but it was obvious to Tom that the boy was still perturbed by Jameson’s comments in the parking lot. His young partner seemed to carry a perpetual chip on his shoulder, never appearing to be satisfied with the success the firm achieved. It was like Jameson Tyler’s voice was always ringing in the boy’s head, telling him that he wasn’t good enough.
    Rick had been given an offer to work for Jones & Butler when he was in law school, but the offer was withdrawn by Jameson when Rick got into an altercation with Tom after a law school trial competition. Though Tom and Rick had reconciled and had eventually teamed up for the huge verdict in the Willistone case last summer, Rick still carried the scar of his rejection with him like a badge. Tom wondered if that was