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As he entered the hallway that led to his office Pacey saw a familiar figure chatting to his secretary; Pacey glanced quickly at his watch noting that he wasn�t late for work, at least not yet. Puzzled as to why the senior partner of Holbrock and Simmons might be waiting for him when there were no known problems or appointments, Pacey approached his office somewhat apprehensively. �Pacey. How are you, son?� Mr Holbrock asked. Mr Holbrock was the grandson of the original Mr Holbrock from Holbrock and Simmons; he was also 65 years old and a kindly looking gentleman, which disguised his sharp intelligence, wit and cunning. �I�m good sir. And how are you?� �I�m fine. Just fine.� Mr Holbrock replied. �I was wondering if we could both step into your office and talk.� Nodding his assent Pacey entered his office with Mr Holbrock following. Pacey�s secretary Tina followed, a gorgeous, immaculate blonde in which most men would kill to date and whom Pacey had no interest in other than purely professional. �Would you like some coffee sir?� Pacey queried. �Coffee would be good.� Mr Holbrock replied. �Two coffees, Tina.� Pacey instructed. Tina nodded and exited Pacey�s office. There was no need for her to ask what type of coffee Mr Holbrock would like, he was one of the partners and Tina�s climb up the secretarial ladder was dependent on knowing these little details. The fact that she was Pacey�s secretary spoke volumes about Tina�s skills and future. From the very first day Pacey had joined Holbrock and Simmons it was known that he was earmarked for partner. Through the secretarial grapevine, Tina had a fair idea about why Mr Holbrock had come to see Pacey today and with any luck she would be moving upwards with him. Glancing across Pacey�s office, Mr Holbrock smiled as he examined the various photographs of Joey. �You have a very lovely wife.� Mr Holbrock commented. �She�s beautiful.� Pacey agreed, his eyes lighting up the way they always did when he spoke of Joey. �So how is marriage life treating you?� �I�m loving every single moment of it.� Pacey confessed with abandon. �Honestly I can�t imagine not being married.� Mr Holbrock beamed. �That�s wonderful to hear son. And the two of you have known each other since you were children. Quite marvelous really.� A knock on Pacey�s door interrupted their conversation, before Tina entered with two cups of coffee. Mr Holbrock�s was white with no sugar and Pacey�s was black. �That will be all Tina.� Pacey directed. �Thank you.� She smiled and then quickly left the room. Both Pacey and Mr Holbrock settled down comfortably on the chairs as they sipped their coffee. �Pacey.� Mr Holbrock said, now serious. �All the partners have met recently to discuss Holbrock and Simmons� future. We are all extraordinarily pleased with your work and we believe now might be the time to discuss partnership.� Pacey was somewhat astounded. Pacey had known that partnership was a very real, close possibility for him but all of a sudden it felt like everything was happening so quickly. �Currently we have an empty office space on the top floor which is being prepared and furnished for you. I�ll also have my secretary talk to yours. Some of your schedule will need to be rearranged because there are a few cases and clients we are planning for you to handle once you become partner. In the meantime, here.� Pacey took a folder that Mr Holbrock had presented him. �It basically outlines your contract as a partner but there are points we should negotiate and discuss.� Mr Holbrock explained. �There is also, in this folder, this one particular case which has just come up that we would like you to handle. One of our major corporate clients, a Mr Oliver, has recently been charged with murder. The press has yet to get a hold of this information but we won�t be able to hold them off for long.� Pacey quickly skimmed the rest of the contents of the folder and frowned. �From what I understand this is a criminal case. I�m corporate law. Why do you need me?� �We want you there in partner capacity. A demonstration to Mr. Oliver that we are behind him 100%. You might attend a few briefings, sit in trial for a while and generally make sure that Mr Oliver is satisfied with our handling of the case. Frank Kubziki, one of our top criminal lawyers will be handling the actual case. However we still expect and hope to have business with Mr Oliver and his company, in terms of the corporate side of law, and we�re expecting you to secure the status of our current accounts. Maybe organize some form of legal arrangement in terms of Mr Oliver�s business if he does happen to end up convicted. It�ll also give you a good feel on what might be expected of you when you take on the role of partner.� �Okay.� Pacey nodded with understanding. �Familiarize yourself with the case. I�ll get Tina to re-organize today�s schedule. Mr Oliver was placed under arrest and has been held in jail early this morning. It would be a good idea to visit him some time today. Sooner rather than later. By the way, if I remember correctly you have some connections in the DA�s office. You might try and use some of your influence to see what they�re planning in regards to Mr Oliver.� Mr Holbrock got up. �Congratulations on making partner Pacey. I�m sure you�ll do very well. There�s a luncheon at my place this Saturday. I�ll leave the details with your secretary. I hope to see you and your lovely wife there. Oh, and once you�ve finished visiting Mr Oliver, why not take the rest of the day off. Go home early and celebrate your promotion with your wife.� Shaking Pacey�s hand in congratulations, Mr Holbrock exited the office leaving Pacey to contemplate the file he held in his hand. |
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