Page 48 of The Attercop

Good. I want to talk to you about a planned outing tonite. Wondering if you or Declan needed to join…just in case Mommy should strike.

She signed off with a scary-face emoji.

Charlie muttered, “She’s never going to take this seriously.”

He sent another quick reply.

We’ll discuss it after you arrive.

Crash!

Charlie knew Declan’s routine.That should be the last one.

As if to mock him, there was one more crash.

Charlie counted to fifty, but there was only silence from upstairs. Declan must be done.

The door alarm chirped and he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He checked the time. It wasn’t ten o’clock yet. Charlie peered out the door and saw an older-looking man come in.

“Harold,” Mrs B chirped.

Charlie was surprised. Mrs B never chirped.Who is this guy?

“Joan, it is a delight to see you as always. Frankly, at my age, it’s a delight to see anyone.” He laughed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead, but I’ve been cramped up in the office and needed to get out, so I thought I’d just take the chance and pop over. I see that you have your ever-present guardian on duty.”

Duck had placed himself between Mrs B and the strange man. Duck stared at him.

“I suspect that you’re here to see Charlie?” Mrs B said.

“Always the astute businesswoman,” he replied. “Is Mr Watts available?”

Charlie stepped into the main room. “I’m here.”

“Charlie,” Mrs B said, “I’d like to introduce you to our lawyer, Harold Vanstone.”

Charlie’s heart sank. He’d been so busy that he had pushed the thought of the lawsuit out of his head.

“Good lord,” Vanstone said with a laugh. “I’m your lawyer, not your executioner.” He walked toward Charlie, his hand extended. Charlie shook it.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” the lawyer said.

“Thank you. Same here,” Charlie replied. “Uh…would you like to come into my office?”

Charlie led him in and the lawyer closed the door behind him. The loud click of the latch triggered images of a gallows trapdoor dropping.

Charlie sat uncomfortably in his chair as the lawyer sat opposite.

“So, Mr Vanstone—”

“Please, call me Harold.”

“Harold,” Charlie repeated. “So, is it safe to assume that you’re here about the lawsuit?”

“Yes. I had hoped to wrap up this pesky annoyance posthaste. I see you are a real stickler for detail, and your case notes are impeccable, which is always good.”

Charlie felt a weight lifting from his chest. “So, you think we can wrap this up quickly?”

“That’s what I thought…until I received the plaintiff’s statement.”