Higher Hope: Tides of Truth, Book 2 - Softcover

Jackson, Neta

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1595544496 ISBN 13: 9781595544490

Verlag: Thomas Nelson, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

In the second Tides of Truth novel, Tami Taylor's faith becomes the key to her law firm's latest case, but with so much competing for her attention--and her heart--finding the truth won't be as easy as she thinks. John Grisham meets Charles Martin in this powerful legal drama.

Competition is tough at the Savannah law firm where Tami Taylor serves as a law clerk. But Tami's work sets her apart--and the firm's partners see something special in her. So they assign her to a libel case against an abrasive, outspoken preacher who is either a prophet or a lunatic.

On the surface it appears to be an open and shut case; the preacher seems fully outside the bounds of law. And Tami's strict religious upbringing could be the firm's ace-in-the-hole. But as the investigation continues, Tami is troubled by the preacher's uncanny prophetic abilities. And their client seems to be hiding something.

Tami returns to her hometown, struggling with several critical choices--as two very different men from the firm vie for her heart. Just when the challenges seem insurmountable, hope for Tami arrives from a surprising place. And it's a higher hope than she's ever imagined.

In a city where courtroom battles collide with questions of faith, young attorney Tami Taylor must learn to discern truth from deception while staying true to her convictions. Perfect for readers who love John Grisham and Francine Rivers, Higher Hope is a gripping, faith-infused legal drama that blends Southern charm, spiritual depth, and just the right touch of romance.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Robert Whitlow is the bestselling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. He received his JD with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. Website: robertwhitlow.com; X: @whitlowwriter; Facebook: @robertwhitlowbooks.

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HIGHER HOPE

By ROBERT WHITLOW

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2009 Robert Whitlow
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-59554-449-0

Chapter One

Putting my hand on the brass doorknob, I glanced at my watch before opening the door. Zach and I wouldn't get to Powell Station before dark unless we left Savannah within the hour. Mama and Daddy shouldn't see the young lawyer's light brown ponytail for the first time after sunset.

On the wall of the conference room hung a massive painting of the Savannah waterfront before the Civil War. At the end of the shiny table sat Joe Carpenter, the managing partner of Braddock, Appleby, and Carpenter. To his left was Myra Dean, a litigation paralegal. Across the table was a man I'd never met.

"Tami," Mr. Carpenter said, "this is Mr. Jason Paulding."

Paulding, a balding, stocky man in his early forties, wore an open-collared shirt with a steel beam embroidered on the front. His round head would be the perfect resting place for a hard hat.

"Any projects you have to finish before the end of the day?" Mr. Carpenter asked me.

"No, sir, but-"

"Good," the tall, gray-haired lawyer continued. "As soon as Jason started going over his problem, I knew this was a case for you. You know something about fanatic religious groups, don't you?"

"No, sir, except what I read in the paper. I've never been to the Middle East."

Mr. Carpenter smiled slightly. "I don't mean terrorists. I'm talking about the lunatic fringe of the church, fundamentalists who don't know where religion stops and tolerance begins." The lawyer turned toward Paulding. "Tami is one of the sharpest summer law clerks we've ever had at the firm. She goes to church every time the doors open, but her beliefs make her tougher, not softer. There's no 'turn the other cheek' in her version of the Bible. A week ago she stared me down in a criminal matter when I challenged her judgment."

His assessment of my conduct in State v. Jones made me wince.

"Mr. Carpenter, that's not quite accurate-"

"Don't argue with me, now," the senior partner said, cutting me off. "Save your ammunition for Ramona Dabney, the dime-store preacher who claims Mr. Paulding is the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler."

"It's worse than that," Paulding said, "and I want it stopped. I offered the church twice the appraised value for its property. All I got back was a bunch of harassing phone calls to people all over town."

"Jason and his staff have done some of the homework for us," Mr. Carpenter said, sliding a sheet of paper across the table. "This is a list of people contacted by Dabney."

"She even organized a protest outside our corporate office."

"Myra, copy this list for Tami, divide the names, and interview all of them. There may be more. Get affidavits or recorded statements from those willing to sign one, then provide a summary to me."

"What are we asking them?" I asked.

"Everything you can think of," Mr. Carpenter said. "Don't let anyone try to tell you what they think is important; find out for yourself. Persistence is one of your strengths. Use it."

Mr. Carpenter's mind could race ahead so fast it was difficult to see more than a cloud of dust in the distance. If patient, I hoped a fuller explanation of my task would emerge when he came back into view. I pushed my long brown hair behind my ears.

"When do you want the summaries and affidavits?" Myra asked.

My stomach turned over. A twenty-three-year-old summer clerk wasn't supposed to work overtime, but Mr. Carpenter had started treating me more and more like a junior associate.

"In the next few weeks."

I sighed in relief.

"Why wait?" Paulding asked indignantly. "With what I've told you and prepared in advance, don't you have enough to file suit?"

"Our representation is similar to your company building a shopping center. We follow a carefully laid-out plan to make sure we're thorough."

"I don't want a fancy lawsuit that takes three years," Paulding said, his voice rising. "Last week this woman wrote my wife a letter accusing me of all kinds of stuff. I know how lawyers drag things out. If you're not going to do anything, I'll find a cheaper lawyer who will. I want a court order putting a stop to this. And I want it now!"

"No you don't," Mr. Carpenter replied calmly. "It's good for you and your business if Ms. Dabney continues."

"What?" Paulding burst out, the veins in his neck bulging. "That's crazy. Are you an idiot?"

Stretching my long fingers, I put my pen on the table, certain Paulding was about to be ushered out of the office. Mr. Carpenter had plenty of business; he didn't need to put up with abuse from a prospective client.

"Who referred you to me?" Mr. Carpenter asked calmly.

Paulding rubbed the top of his head. "Frank Newsome."

"Did he accuse me of wasting time by churning his file to make a big fee?"

"No."

"What did he tell you?"

"That you saved his company when he thought he was going to lose everything."

"How is his business doing now?"

"Fine. He does a lot of subcontracting work for us. The Dabney woman went to see him with one of her crazy visions. He ordered her out of his office and told me to call you."

Mr. Carpenter pointed at me. "Ms. Taylor can work on your file for a fraction of my hourly rate. Does that sound like I'm trying to take advantage of you?"

"No, but it doesn't make sense that you want this preacher woman running her mouth all over town. If this keeps up, she's going to hurt our business. She already has."

"Good, good, that's even better," Mr. Carpenter replied, holding up his hand before Paulding could explode again. "Hear me out. How much profit did you expect to make from the development your company was going to build on the site that included the church?"

"I gave up on that deal. The church parcel was in the middle of the entire tract. Without it, the project wouldn't work."

"Was it a good opportunity?"

"Yeah, one of the best ever."

"So, what did you hope to clear?"

Paulding scratched his chin. "At least a million and a half after costs, maybe more. The anchor tenants were already lined up."

"Would you still like the deal to go through?"

"Sure. We were counting on it so much that I passed on another great opportunity. The whole thing left us losing money for the quarter, probably for the year."

Mr. Carpenter picked up a sheet of paper. "According to the copy of the deed in your file, the property is owned by Ramona Dabney, individually, not the church."

"That's what my real-estate lawyer told me."

"Tami, what do you think about that arrangement? An individual owning the property where a church is located?"

"Most church property is owned by trustees selected by the congregation or held by a denomination."

"That's the way it is at my church," Mr. Carpenter said. "Not so at the Southside Church. God's green acres on Gillespie Street are controlled by Reverend Dabney."

Mr. Carpenter's sarcastic tone made me uneasy. All ministers deserved at least token respect.

The older lawyer continued. "Jason, would you be happy if I could get an injunction ordering Dabney to stop defaming you and set her up so that if she violates the order, a judge would hold her in contempt and put her in jail?"

"Now you're talking."

Mr. Carpenter turned to me. "Tami, is obtaining an injunction difficult when there haven't been threats of physical violence?"

"Yes, sir. It would be a prior restraint...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1595544496
• ISBN 13: 9781595544490
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 432
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: HarperCollins Publishers; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; Fullham Palace Road 77-85; London; W6 JB; Vereinigtes Königreich