Even at the sight of her old enemy, Cate felt unusually calm, like Zen Judge. Maybe it was all this perspective she’d been getting. She hoped she hadn’t changed too much. She’d start throwing out Chanel jackets.
“What are you doing here?” Meriden asked, from the threshold to her office, his thin lips pursed. He stood disapproving in his houndstooth topcoat, maroon cashmere scarf, and black leather gloves that would have embarrassed most serial killers.
“Moving in,” Cate answered pleasantly. “I’m the new judge. What are you doing here?”
“I was working late and saw the light under the door, on my way to the elevator.”
“You mean you were killing time in your office until Val left, then you came in to snoop.” Cate smiled, but Meriden frowned.
“You know you’re not permitted in this building. Chief Judge Sherman has ordered your belongings shipped out and your docket reassigned.”
“He doesn’t have the power to do that.”
“Chief Judge Sherman runs this courthouse.”
“Granted,” Cate said, with a shrug, “but might doesn’t make right. He’s overstepped his power. Sherman may be the court administrator, but the Constitution affords him no greater status than it does me.” She remembered, in the beginning, being intimidated that her job description was in the United States Constitution. Now she rather liked the idea.
“He’s chief judge of the Eastern District.”
“I don’t see the words ‘chief judge’ anywhere in Article III. He has that title because he’s the most senior, and that’s all.” Cate slid another of her old casebooks from the box and shelved it with another great thud. It was fun to make noise.
“So you won’t go willingly.”
“Thank you, no. I earned this job, and I want this job. It’s mine and I’m keeping it.”
Meriden arched an eyebrow. “Have you been drinking?”
“No, I’ve been growing up.”
“About time.”
“I agree.”
Meriden snorted. “So you’ll fight us? You’ll sue the court? Your colleagues?”
“If you were colleagues, you wouldn’t try to throw me out. I don’t think of it as a fight. I think of it as asserting the power of the law. No one’s above it, not even judges. Especially not judges.”
Meriden shook his head. “What lawyer would be crazy enough to sue the Eastern District?”
“I would. Thanks.”
“You’re going to represent yourself?” Meriden burst into loud laughter. Cate didn’t like his noise as much as her noise.
“Looks that way. Nobody else wants the job, and I used to be passable at the trial thing.” Cate shelved another casebook. She didn’t need to refer to the fact that she’d kicked his ass, because she was above that now.
“You’re so self-righteous. For a whore.”
“Guilty.” Cate smiled. Even that slur couldn’t trouble her Zen waters. All her secrets having been told, they lacked superpowers.
“This is ridiculous, what’s happening here!” Meriden said, raising his voice, and Cate unpacked another casebook. Thud!
“On that we agree. My working, you watching. Why don’t you help me unpack? Open that box in front of you.”
“I’m calling the marshals.”
“Go ahead, use my phone. Tell ’em I said hi.” Cate gestured at Val’s desk, near him. “But after hours, they don’t have the manpower to answer phones. It’d be faster to go down and get Tony.”
“Is that the way you want it?” Meriden shouted. “You want that indignity? Don’t you ever get enough of embarrassing yourself? They’ll throw you out, bodily!”
“I doubt that. You have no authority to order them to do anything, and my body is way better than yours.” Cate unpacked another book, Prosser on Torts. She had loved that class.
“We’ll see about that.” Meriden turned on his heel and stormed through the reception room, out of chambers, letting the door slam behind him.
Cate smiled and stuck Prosser, thick and green, on the shelf. Thud! She had maybe ten minutes before they came up. God knew what would happen then. She reached for another book.
But only three minutes later, the door to chambers opened again.