"You went to urgent care?" he interrupted.
"I'm fine now."
"That wasn't my question."
"I went. I'm fine."
There was a long silence. She could hear movement in his office, then the sound of a door being closed. When he spoke again, his voice was steady and unfamiliar, the voice she knew he used when someone needed clarity more than comfort.
"First, are either of you in immediate danger?"
"Not now."
"Second, do you have copies of everything away from the apartment?"
"Some. Most are here."
"Make digital copies tonight and send them to the lawyer I'm going to recommend. Don't confront Caldwell alone. And don't open the door if he comes back without a proper reason."
"Thomas, I don't want you using your position for us."
"Neither do I, Mom. I won't. If this reaches a court where I have any connection, I'll disclose it and stay away from the decision. But I'm still allowed to be your son. I can make sure you have counsel and that nobody talks you into believing an unsigned notice is an eviction."
She smiled through sudden tears. "You've always sounded like your father when you're angry."
"Dad doesn't sound anything like me when he's angry. He gets quieter."
"That's true."
"I can come tomorrow. We'll go over the file together before the hearing."
James took the telephone and assured Thomas they were safe, though his son's questions made him realize how little safety they could honestly promise. Thomas requested copies of the building lease, the lease renewals, the recorded incidents, and the urgent-care notes. He also asked them not to speak to reporters yet. He would help them find independent representation, then step back from anything that required judicial action.
After the call, Eleanor looked at her husband. "He's coming."
James nodded. "Good."
"Are we going to be all right?"
He reached for her hand. "We have been doing everything right. Now we get somebody to make Richard answer for doing everything wrong."
Across the city, Richard sat in the driver's seat of his Mercedes speaking to Gregory Hamilton. He had filed a rushed petition seeking possession, attaching the alleged lease violations and a statement about emergency repairs. Hamilton warned that the court might ask for the documents underlying those claims. Richard told him the Washingtons were elderly, unrepresented, and unlikely to understand the process.
"There's a judge I know who might be handling the calendar," Richard added. "I've contributed to his election campaign."
Hamilton stiffened. "Do not suggest that a contribution buys a ruling. And do not say that to anyone else."
"You're nervous about everything."
"I'm nervous about clients who mistake a courthouse for a private office."