“Leo?” Rose said, anxious, when he finally picked up.
“Babe, I was going to call you, but I’m crazy busy. Got people with me in the conference room. Hold on a sec.” Leo covered the phone. “Folks, gimme five minutes. Be right back. Mark, hold the fort.”
Rose waited while there were some voices, then the sound of a door closing, and she used the time to take a deep breath.
“Okay, I’m back,” Leo said, himself again. “So Canton quit?”
“Yes. She couldn’t take the pressure.”
“What’s wrong, babe? You sound weird. Did something happen at the wake?” Leo’s voice carried no judgment, and Rose loved him for it.
“Yes, but that’s not the problem. Did you see the TV news tonight?”
“Are you kidding? I don’t have time to pee.”
“Eileen implied that she asked the D.A. to bring criminal charges against me. What does she mean? What did I do that’s criminal?”
“Really.” Leo paused. “I expected a civil lawsuit, but criminal charges?”
“What is she talking about? Should we call the D.A. and ask?”
“No, that’s the worst thing to do. Wait, hold on again.” Leo paused, then his voice sounded muffled. “They’re in the file on my credenza, with the eagle statue.”
Rose waited, panicky. It was bad enough to lose the house. It was impossible to go to jail. It seemed inconceivable, but then again, so did school fires and a little girl in a coma.
“Honey, did she say the District Attorney? Are you sure?”
“Yes, the D.A. That’s criminal, right? That’s different from civil, right?”
“Yes, sure. Criminal charges are criminal, with criminal penalties. A negligence suit would be civil, that’s money damages only. Wait, wait.” Leo covered the phone again, his tone newly tense. “The back credenza, under the eagle. Next to the softball trophy.”
“Does this mean they won’t try to charge me with something or they will?”
“Please, hold on.” Leo sighed heavily. “A credenza is a file drawer. Is this a hard one? How’s Melly?”
“She’s sad about Kristen.”
“Babe, tell you what. The trial looks like it’ll take two weeks, and we’re all staying in Philly, at the Omni near the courthouse. But we need to get ahead of this criminal thing, if they’re talking about charges against you. Let me get a hold of somebody who can answer your questions. Dean will know a criminal lawyer. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Hang in, and I’ll get back to you. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” Rose said, relieved, but Leo had already hung up.