The E-Mail Mystery (Nancy Drew Book 144) Read online

  Mr. Drew’s office law library was lined with oak bookshelves, which were filled with heavy volumes of law books and old case files.

  Since most legal research was now conducted online, Mr. Drew had turned his law library into the office computer center, too. In the center of the room was a long oak table with several stations on either side. Each station had a pull-out keyboard tray under a monitor, and special file boxes for storing floppy disks.

  Nancy chose a computer station, turned on the machine, and waited for it to boot up. She looked through the first file of papers her father had given her and saw they were the papers for Bob Jamison, the man who had called to ask her father to settle his case earlier that morning. She noted that he had come in to see her father for the first time just the week before.

  I wonder what made him want to settle so soon? Nancy asked herself as she began the time-consuming process of searching through all the memos and documents related to the settled case. Then she copied the files off the computer and onto floppy disks for storage. Finally she cleared the files off the main computer system.

  It was a tedious job that required a lot of crosschecking to make sure she hadn’t missed any files. Often, the documents were not clearly labeled, and Nancy found she had to read a number of letters and memos to make sure they did relate to the case.

  She learned that Bob Jamison was a building contractor injured in a fall from a faulty ladder. He had been offered a low settlement by the manufacturer’s insurance company.

  When she had transferred all the Jamison files to storage disks, she read about more people who had settled cases.

  Jeannette King was a bank manager. She had sued her employer because she’d claimed she had been passed over for a promotion that she felt she deserved. The new job had been given to a male employee with much less experience. She’d dropped the suit and accepted a raise in pay as a settlement. James Fox was a local councilman, who was well-known as a crime fighter. He had agreed to settle a case in which he had been injured in a car accident. Harriet Wasser was a landlord who’d agreed to sell a building to her tenants rather than confront them in court.

  Nancy couldn’t find any notes about the previous criminal cases her father had said he had handled for these clients. She wrote the four names down on a list and put it in her portfolio.

  Nancy decided that when she had a break in her file-copying work she would look up the old criminal case files in the storage area.

  After a couple of hours Nancy interrupted her file copying to do something a little different. The stacks of material her father had given her included copies of the settlement letters prepared by her father and his legal assistants. Nancy’s father had asked her to transmit these letters via E-mail to Williams & Brown, the law firm representing the opposition in all the recently settled cases. Original copies of the letters and other documents would have to be hand-delivered later.

  Nancy exited the directory listing the settled cases and returned to the main computer directory. She entered the “virtual mailroom.” There she addressed the copies of the settlement documents to the phone number listed for Williams & Brown and dialed them on the modem.

  She heard the familiar whirring and whine as the computer modem dialed the computer at the other end of the line, waiting until a metallic click confirmed that she had a connection. Then Nancy pressed the Send key to transmit the files.

  Nancy read through the information on the screen as it was being sent through the phone lines to the other office: law firm name; phone number; address; name of her father’s client and Williams & Brown’s client.

  When the transmissions were complete, Nancy returned to her file copying. She pressed the key to view one of the files.

  Suddenly Nancy was looking at an E-mail log file with a list of all E-mail sent regarding the settled cases. She saw several transmissions to the same computer phone number she had just E-mailed, that of Williams & Brown.

  Nancy furrowed her brow. “That’s odd,” she muttered to herself. What was disturbing her about the information in this file? Then her eyes opened wide. The dates! She checked to see if her memory was correct. Bob Jamison had come in the past week, and on that same day someone in her father’s office had transmitted E-mail to someone at Williams & Brown.

  Nancy checked the dates of the first visits of all the clients. In each case, someone had transmitted E-mail to Williams & Brown on the first day the case had been received.

  Nancy sat back in her chair and thought for a second. She had learned a lot about the law over the years from her father. She knew that anything that a client told a lawyer was called privileged information. That meant the information was secret. Was someone from her father’s office sending privileged information to help Williams & Brown?

  3

  An Unexpected Encounter

  Don’t jump to conclusions, Nancy scolded herself. She knew attorneys on both sides of a case must share information with each other at some point during a trial.

  Nancy looked up at the rustle of papers and saw that Byron Thomas, the intern, had sat down at one of the other computer stations in the library. He popped a floppy disk into his computer, looked up at Nancy, then quickly back at his computer screen.

  Nancy stood up to stretch her legs, then walked over to Byron. “Excuse me. Do you mind if I ask you a question?” she said.

  “Go ahead,” he replied. Nancy noticed that he had put some handwritten papers inside one of the heavy law books sitting on the desk next to the computer. “What is it?” he asked. He did not look up at her as he continued to type on the computer keyboard.

  “You’re a law student, right?” Nancy asked. “So, maybe you know the answer to this one. When does one lawyer have to share information about his case with the other side?”

  Byron continued tapping away at the keyboard as he answered Nancy’s question. “It usually doesn’t happen until well into the trial, when the judge orders it. Sometimes you have to send a list of documents, or of witnesses who will testify. But that’s about it.”

  “Is there material one lawyer’s office would need to send to the opposing attorney’s law firm on the first day a client comes into their office?” Nancy persisted.

  “The first day?” Byron asked, lifting his eyes from his work for the first time. She noticed he had deep brown eyes behind his tortoise-shell-framed glasses. “Absolutely nothing. Well—maybe just notification that you’ll be representing the client. But even that usually doesn’t go out for a day or two after you’ve signed an agreement with your client. Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, no reason,” Nancy said quickly. “I was just curious. I want to learn as much as I can while I’m here.”

  Maybe it was just a notification letter, she thought to herself. I don’t want to blow this out of proportion. She changed the subject. “So, when do you graduate from law school?” she asked.

  “Next year, I hope,” Byron said, returning to his computer screen.

  “It’s a lot of work isn’t it?” Nancy asked.

  “It sure is. And a lot of money, too,” Byron said bitterly. “My parents are helping, but even with loans and summer jobs and work-study, I’m barely making it. I had to take last year off to earn money to pay this year’s tuition. It’s going to take me more than five years to get this law degree.”

  “You must really love the law to go through all of this,” Nancy said.

  “It’s my parents’ idea, really.” Byron closed his eyes for a moment and ran his fingers through his hair. “They just want what’s best for me, I guess,” he said. Nancy thought he didn’t sound convinced.

  Just then the door to the law library opened, and Nancy’s father walked in. “I see you’ve met Byron.”

  “Yes,” Nancy said. “We were just discussing how hard it is to get through law school.”

  “I hope you didn’t make it sound too difficult,” Nancy’s father said with a twinkle in his eye. “And I’m afraid Byron’s going to be jealous of yo
ur next assignment, Nancy. I’m sending you out for some fresh air. You’ll be seeing enough of each other in this stuffy library for the next few days, anyway.”

  Carson handed Nancy a manila envelope, stuffed with papers. “Here are some of the signed and notarized settlement documents on those cases. There’ll be more to come in the next few days, all for Williams and Brown.”

  “I already E-mailed them the files you noted in the folders,” Nancy said. “In fact, there’s something I wanted to ask you about—”

  “I’m afraid it’ll have to wait until later,” Mr. Drew said. “I need you to hand-deliver these documents to their offices as soon as possible. They’re waiting for them. Not everything can be done by E-mail,” he added with a smile.

  “Williams and Brown’s offices are located in that new high-rise at the corner of Maple and Grove, right?” Nancy asked her father.

  “Right,” he replied.

  Nancy took the package, said good-bye to Byron, and waved to Ms. Hanson on her way out of the office. She didn’t bother to put on her suit jacket, figuring that the day had become even warmer while she was in the office.

  Nancy walked through the streets of the old downtown area. She squinted against the reflections of the strong sunlight on the mirrored surface of the new steel-and-glass building in which the Williams & Brown offices were located. Pretty fancy, she thought, as she entered the cool marble lobby, blinking in the sudden darkness.

  The central hall of the new building was designed as an atrium, allowing pedestrians to look up and see plants and interior offices high overhead. Nancy walked up to the uniformed lobby guards at the security desk.

  “What floor is Williams and Brown?” she asked. “I have to deliver these papers.”

  “Fifteen, miss. You’ll need a pass for the elevator bank.” The security guard handed her a sticker with the date on it and “W&B” at the top. She put the sticker on her blouse and headed for the elevator bank marked 11-20. There she stood with a crowd of office workers waiting to go upstairs.

  Next to her, two men in business suits were in conversation. “You guys are the best,” one of the men said. “I’m impressed with how you manage to settle these cases so early and so advantageously. I’ll be sure to recommend you to my colleagues.” He patted the other man on the back.

  The two men entered the elevator with Nancy, and all three rode up to Williams & Brown. The second man replied, “We’re a family firm, you know. My partner’s son, John Junior, joined us just last year after he graduated from Walker Law. We all work together for the benefit of our clients. I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

  The elevator doors opened directly into the plush reception area of Williams & Brown. As the two men walked through, the receptionist called, “Hello, Mr. Williams.” Nancy realized she had been in the elevator with one of the partners of the firm. Nancy guessed from their conversation that the other man was from an insurance company.

  Nancy walked over to the receptionist and gave her the manila envelope with an explanation of what it was. The receptionist thanked Nancy and assured her that the files would reach the proper people.

  Nancy looked around the Williams & Brown office reception area, noting the leather-and-steel couches, the deep carpeting, the elegantly carved mahogany bookcases, and the oil paintings hanging on the walls. Pretty impressive, Nancy thought to herself.

  On her way out, Nancy was joined in the elevator waiting area by a handsome young man about Byron Thomas’s age, dressed in a carefully tailored suit. His brown hair curled around his collar. He was with an older man, who had just exited from the other partner’s private office.

  “Well, son,” the older man said, “Bill tells me you’re doing a great job handling these insurance cases. I’m sure it will benefit the firm as a whole, and it’s a big improvement over your performance at Walker Law. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” the young man replied smugly. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

  Nancy kept her mouth shut, but she realized this must be the other partner, John Brown, and his son.

  Nancy knew that a trial could be expensive for an insurance company. Williams & Brown could save their insurance company clients a lot of money by getting people to settle out of court. Some of her father’s clients had even agreed to settle for very low sums.

  As they rode down in the elevator, Nancy’s mind raced. Was someone at Williams & Brown getting her father’s clients to accept early settlements? Could this young man be involved, hoping to impress his father and the other partner?

  “So, where do you want to eat today, Johnny-boy?” the older man asked as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor.

  “Don’t call me that, Dad, you know I hate it,” the young man said, annoyed. “How about the Steak and Ale.”

  “Yes indeed, John Junior—sir—the Steak and Ale it is. Anything for our rising star.” John Brown Sr. smiled affectionately at his son. Nancy faced the front of the elevator and exited ahead of the two men.

  Nancy was sure there was something going on, but how were they making it work? And who was behind it? She walked slowly through the lobby of the office building, her head down, deep in thought about how these cases might have been settled early, and about the mysterious E-mail log she had discovered earlier.

  “Excuse me,” she murmured as she bumped into someone. Looking up, she saw it was Blaine Warner!

  4

  A Stranger in the Shadows

  “Blaine!” Nancy exclaimed. “Hi. I’m just coming from an errand to Williams and Brown. Do you have an appointment there?”

  “No. Why would I be going there? I don’t have anything to do with Williams and Brown,” Blaine said sharply. “And I thought you were supposed to be working in the law library,” she added.

  “I’m on my way back right now,” Nancy said, struggling to hide her annoyance behind a professional demeanor.

  “I’m going to lunch,” Blaine explained. “I just had to stop at the bank first. The branch is on the other side of the atrium lobby. I’ll see you later back at the office. I know you’ve still got a lot of file copying to get done. Do you think you’ll have completed all of it by tomorrow?”

  Nancy smiled but wondered why Blaine wanted her out of the office so quickly. “Oh, no,” she said. “There really is a lot of it. It’s going to take several days, especially if I have to interrupt the computer work to run errands like this one.”

  Blaine checked her watch. “I guess I’ll have to skip the bank, or I’ll be late for lunch. I’ll see you later.” She exited ahead of Nancy and hurried up the street. Nancy saw her enter the same steak-house where John Brown Sr. and John Brown Jr. had made plans to eat lunch.

  What a coincidence, Nancy thought after she grabbed a quick sandwich and continued back to Carson Drew’s law firm.

  • • •

  When Nancy arrived at the office, she greeted Ms. Hanson in the reception area, then proceeded to the law library to continue her work. Henry Yi had replaced Byron Thomas at one of the other computer terminals. He looked up as Nancy entered.

  “Hi,” he said. “Solve any mysteries on your lunch hour?”

  “I didn’t have time. I ran some papers over to Williams and Brown for my father. Where’s Byron?”

  “Oh, Blaine has him doing research for her over at the courthouse. I’m just making some notes for her. The poet is great at writing, but I get stuck with all the technical stuff. You know, no law office runs without a great paralegal, and that’s me.”

  Nancy looked down at Henry’s elegant script. He was making notes in the margins of his computer printout.

  Nancy repeated, “The poet? Do you mean Byron?”

  “One and the same,” Henry replied. “He’s always scribbling away at something. Maybe he’s writing love letters.” He grinned mischievously up at Nancy.

  Nancy decided to change the subject. “You certainly have distinctive handwriting,” she said, her eyes drawn to the artistic swoop of his
carefully drawn letters.

  “Thank you,” Henry said “Even though I’m no poet, I’ll bet I could pen a few romantic lines myself . . . if the right woman came along.”

  Nancy rolled her eyes, then went to log on to her computer again. She looked for the password Ms. Hanson had given her that morning, but couldn’t find it.

  “What are you looking for, Nancy?” Henry asked. “Anything I can help with?”

  “Ms. Hanson wrote down a temporary password for me to get into the computer system this morning,” Nancy said. “And now I can’t seem to find it.”

  “Oh, I know all the passwords around here,” Henry said. “This should work.” He tapped on her keyboard.

  Nancy looked up at Henry, who was leaning over her shoulder as he typed. “Does everyone know one another’s passwords in the office?” Nancy asked.

  “Sure,” Henry replied. “We’re always finishing up work for one another, so we have to be able to access one another’s files. It’s no big deal.”

  Henry continued to stand behind Nancy and study the screen as she accessed some files, preparing to copy them onto a floppy disk.

  “What are you working on this afternoon?” Henry asked, leaning again over her shoulder.

  “Same thing as this morning,” Nancy replied. “And I find it a little difficult to concentrate with you hovering over me like that,” she said firmly.

  “Sorry. I’m always sticking my nose into everything,” Henry said. “I’ll just mosey on over here and get back to my own work.”

  Henry walked away. Nancy checked to make sure he was safely back at his own computer terminal before calling up the suspicious computer E-mail log file that showed that someone had sent E-mail to the opposing attorneys on the same dates as the initial client interviews.

  Nancy studied the log file carefully, and decided to print out a copy of it so she could check it out later. She thought that perhaps she would ask Bess Marvin for her opinion, too.

  I should also show this to Dad and ask him what it means, Nancy thought. As the printer whirred, she decided not to worry her father until she had more information.