* Editing notes: Chapter 2 -> confirm Dad’s rules

** Personae dramatis:

– Carleton “Cal” Clarke, lead investigator;
– Marilyn (maternity) and Phil (appendix), investigators on leave;
– Five legal beagles;
– Harrison Matthew James III, founder and senior partner in
– Lila Matthews, James’ assistant
– Haggerty (1950s), McCleod (1960s), other partners
– Maxwell Jennings, father, divorced
– Maria Jennings, mother, divorced
– William Clarke, Cal’s deceased father
– Melanie Jennings, daughter, deceased (car crash) and goddaughter to James
– Michael Jennings, son, missing
– Detective Daniel Moorcroft, detective, Bayport PD
– Jim Peterson, drunk boyfriend in car crash
– Chris “Kit” Markle, patrolwoman, Bayport PD

START CHAPTER 3:

I drove past the entrance to the Uplands neighbourhood. It was an area of high-end homes, high taxes, frequent police patrols, golf courses, and a country club. Somewhere amidst the nicely manicured lawns and three-car garages with roundabout laneways were my grandparents.  » Read the rest

I usually get to my office around 7:45 a.m., giving me enough time to sort through emails from the lawyers in my firm asking for legal research from my team of legal beagles or occasionally investigatory support from myself and my two field personnel, before any meetings that might be scheduled starting at 9:00 a.m. As the head of Research and Investigations, I don’t generate revenue for the firm, so I’m exempt from most of the law firm’s business meetings. But we have enough case meetings to attend throughout the week that my team of eight — five researchers, two investigators and myself — are kept hopping. For all eight of us, it is feast or famine. We’re either swamped and trying to keep our heads above water or we’re having daily “in-house team meetings” where we play trivia at lunch.

August is usually famine time. Most of the lawyers take vacation in August, the courthouse is a virtual ghost town, and the number of requests coming to my team slow to a trickle.  » Read the rest