Weather
Clear and sunny, no precipitation
Temperature: 58.5°F (14.7°C)
Wind: Light breeze (NW) 4-7 MPH (6-11 KPH | 3-6 KN)
Harriet dismounted from her horse and headed inside her office to change into something more suited for meeting with the mayor of Kalispell. The meeting invitation came as a bit of a surprise, especially as it arrived the day after the town council meeting. She attended all open to the public meetings so this summons was all the more curious. She shrugged her shoulders and decided that there was no speculating what was on the Mayor's mind.
After changing into a suitably business-like skirt, blouse, and jacket in a soft dove-gray color, she sat down to dust off her dark, low-heeled riding boots which the skirt hid from sight for the most part. She complemented the dark gray piping on the jacket and skirt by tying a slim lady's bow tie around the collar of the white, ruffle-fronted blouse. Stepping in front of a full-length mirror, she decided she was suitable for seeing clients and the Mayor. Nodding with satisfaction, she finished by hanging up her riding clothes and applying a new coat of pale pink lipstick.
Rather than hitching up her in-town buggy, Harriet chose to stroll down the sidewalk to the Kalispell Municipal Building. She paused to do some window shopping and talk with an acquaintance or two. Still, she arrived slightly before the time of the appointment as requested by the mayor's office. After checking in with Mayor Wentworth's clerk, Harriet took a seat in the waiting area with a copy of the Kalispell Union.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
The weekly meeting with Kurt at the hotel had just finished with an inspection of one of the rooms that needed some repairs taking longer than expected. Now, he was running a little bit late for his morning meeting with Harriet Mercer. He had discussed the matter further the night before with Judge Townsend who agreed that the position needed to be filled as soon as possible. Kalispell was growing and unfortunately, so too had the court calendar, with more civil matters, inquests and crime to deal with it.
Stepping into his mayoral office at the courthouse, Matt took off his hat and saw Harriet sitting there reading the newspaper. "Ahh...good morning Harriet. Sorry, I'm late...business matters."
He smiled as he showed the way to the door of his main office, "Please come in, and take a seat. I hope that you've had a pleasant ride."
@ [Stormwolfe
"Please do not apologize, Mr. Mayor," Harriet responded, rising to her feet and following him to his office.
He smiled as he showed the way to the door of his main office, "Please come in, and take a seat. I hope that you've had a pleasant ride."
At his invitation, she entered and took one of the guest chairs, secretly relishing its comfort. "I quite enjoyed the ride in and even the walk here. It is such lovely weather after the months of winter. And, I hope your business matters were routine and nothing overly urgent." Harriet paused briefly before adding, "I have to say that I was rather surprised to receive your invitation, sir. I hope I am not about to be run out of town or have my law license revoked?" She laughed softly, humor lighting her smoky gray eyes.
Would that not just take the cake? She inwardly cringed at the thought of having to tell Quentin she had lost her right to practice in the state of Montana. Worse yet, she could hear Shade's loud laughter. Ugh! She repressed an outright shudder at her thoughts.
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It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
Matt smiled, "No...nothing like that. In fact, you could say it's a promotion of sorts that I have to offer you."
He sat in his chair and leaned forward a little, "As you well know, Kalispell is growing and unfortunately, so is the crime rate. Thankfully, nothing too major now, except for those unsolved murders, which I am assured that Marshall Guyer and his men are working on as best as they can with the little evidence they have to follow. However, when they do find the culprit, we will be needing someone to prosecute...someone to represent the town and county, perhaps even the state, since murder is a federal crime."
Taking a deep breath, he went on, "What I am saying is that we need a District Attorney to work with Judge Townsend on local and state cases. This person will also have to work with the federal circuit judges as well. Basically, Harriet, I've talked to those people and, well...I am asking if you would be interested in the position."
@ [Stormwolfe
Harriet listened to the mayor as he talked, concentrating on his tone of voice and what he was saying. With some relief, she relaxed her rigid spine somewhat. Matt was completely correct, of course. As the town had grown, so had the crime rate. Fortunately, the majority of it was petty crimes and the odd fisticuffs. That was likely to change if the railroad chose Kalispell as one of its stops, not to mention the growing ranching and mining businesses. The recent spate of three murders was not normal for the burgeoning town. Harriet felt an internal chill down her spine as she thought of the murders. Something about them disturbed her on a level she wasn’t able to explain…yet.
But…District Attorney?! D.A. Harriet Mercer!
She had always been a criminal defense attorney rather than a prosecutor. Later, of course, she had built a large and stable corporate clientele. Still, that had stayed in her bailiwick of being a voice against unfair state and federal practices. Harriet had even taken on her share of cases where she defended folks against the excesses of some of the big timber, steel, mining, and railroad conglomerates.
Was she even the best-qualified candidate in the region?
Harriet ran other possible candidates through her mind. She could not say that she had more courtroom experience than some of them. However, she could guarantee that she would always be fair and ethical.
“I am quite interested, Mr. Mayor,” Harriet heard herself answering the man.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
"Splendid," Matt replied, "I do have to advise you that there's not much to do at the moment but that's certain to change. In the meantime, you should be able to continue with your own practice...as long as your clients or business doesn't interfere with your position as district attorney and whatever cases you may be working on in that capacity."
He leaned back a little, "Now, before we continue, I want you to be sure that you want to do this. Are there any questions or concerns you have that might cause you to have second thoughts now or further down the line?"
Harriet considered Matt’s words, although her mind had already raced ahead to analyze which clients might have to be dropped because of a conflict of interest. Truthfully, very few of them would impact her duties in Montana. Most were out-of-state corporate clients and her associate, Alistair Fang, handled most of them. That left the one elephant in the room…
“I would naturally recuse myself in the event of any conflicts of interest,” Harriet responded forthrightly. “That would mean we would need a trustworthy person to act in my stead in that event.”
“The one client I cannot hand off to another attorney is Lost Lake Ranch as I am one of the executors for the Thornton twins.”
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
"We took that into consideration when we were discussing your appointment. Unless your duties as executor involves representing the twins in a state case, which I highly doubt that will not be a problem," Matt replied.
"Most of the work as the District Attorney will involve criminal cases. You won't have much to do in ones that are civil as most of them will be handled by Judge Townsend," he said just before pausing for a moment. "If they are no further objections, then I'm guessing that the answer is yes."
Harriet thought about her current responsibilities to her client list. Fang handled the majority of these nowadays since he'd also attained his law degree. Since most of her longest-term clients were familiar with him as her fixer future conflicts were unlikely. She might have to transition any criminal cases to an interim prosecutor unless the town council would eventually allow her to hire an ADA, Assistant District Attorney, that could prosecute cases Harriet had to recuse herself from. If Shade and Quentin continued to stay out of legal trouble, that would never be an issue.
Smiling, Harriet leaned forward and offered her hand to Matt, "I accept the position, Mr. Mayor, with gratitude." She would also need an investigator dedicated to her office. That would also have to wait for her to get established. If it weren't for needing him to manage her client list, Harriet would have tapped Fang to serve as her investigator. Perhaps, it was time to consider hanging up her civil law practice entirely.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
Matt stood up before taking Harriet's hand and shaking it gently, "Thank you for accepting. The job won't be easy but I'm sure you will have no problems with and perhaps, maybe enjoy it a little."
Letting go of her hand, he walked around his desk to face her, "Now, I guess what we need to do is let Judge Townsend know and begin the formalities of appointing you. We can do that now or wait until another time. It's up to you."