The Deposit Slip by Todd M. Johnson Read Free Book Online

and his pit bull Whittier. Especially one up here in Ashley.
    He looked at Erin. She had taken his mug to the counter to refill it during his silence. He liked her and so far he believed her. He definitely liked the idea of a fight against a bank stealing money from a farmer—even illegal money.
    Jared surveyed the room. It looked vintage seventies; probably when it was last remodeled. Maybe by Erin’s mother. The cabinets were pine, the scarred sink porcelain, and the counters lime green. A cookie jar in the shape of a bear sat on the window ledge over the sink. It echoed from back before the Larson family suffered the loss of a young man’s wife and the theft of a young girl’s mother. He wondered how much Paul Larson had changed after that. Was the father Erin knew when this room was frozen in time the same man who walked into a bank twenty years later with ten million dollars?
    “I don’t know,” Jared answered when Erin sat down once more. “I need to do some research.”
    Her voice grew strained. “You know I have until next Wednesday to find a new lawyer.”
    “I know.”
    She shook her head, her eyes fading to resignation. “It’s not fair.”
    The look made him want to say yes. It was definitely time to go. Jared stood and reached for his jacket.
    “I assume you want me to handle this on a contingent fee basis,” he said awkwardly. “I typically keep one-third of the recovery as my fees, and I cover the costs.”
    She shrugged. “I have no other way to pay you. I’m living off savings and a couple of small life insurance policies my father had, and that’s running out.”
    Jared nodded as he slipped on his coat. “All right. I’ll get back to you Monday.”
    She looked him directly in the eye. “I’m not sure who to trust anymore. What advice to accept. Since I found this deposit slip, everything seems like it’s about the money. Is it?”
    Jared didn’t respond and she didn’t press.
    They parted in the yard shaking hands. As Jared drove away, he thought about the moment. Surrounded by bare fields, vacant pens, and the stillness of the barren farmyard, the suddenness of her warm skin felt like a fire in a cold and empty room.

7

    J ared left his car on the far side of Ashley Central Park. He planned to start at the bank. The building would tell him nothing and he knew he couldn’t question the bank employees without a subpoena, but starting at the bank seemed appropriate. He had parked here, a few blocks away, because he also felt like taking a walk downtown after so many years away from Ashley.
    Crossing the park to reach Main Street, Jared thought about Erin—her isolation on her father’s farm and the imprint of sadness behind her eyes. He heard again the strain of uncertainty in her voice when she assured him that she “had to know.” Her face reappeared in his mind, especially the expression when he elicited the brief laughter.
    Jared reluctantly stopped the last train of thought. She was a potential client, and there were rules about that.
    How long had it been since he’d dated anyone, though? Or thought about dating someone? He shook his head.
    Lawyers in love: it was an oxymoron. A third of his law class ended up marrying classmates. The same percentage of Paisley lawyers ended up marrying secretaries—if not the first time around, the second. Because who else did you see, working day and night and spending weekends looking down onto the city streets from the office?
    He’d thought about dating Jessie when he first met her at Paisley. She was bright, empathetic, full of energy. Attractive too, though in a different way than Erin—less on the surface and more in how she carried herself. But he’d recoiled at following the same pattern as all the other lawyers, and now he’d gone and hired her and there were definitely rules about that too.
    Jared arrived at Main Street. To the north, the sidewalk sloped down into the retail stretch of Ashley. The familiar sight of downtown