TRADING IN THE PUMPS

FROM:  Attorney Rita Colletti

OF:       The Bad Luck Cat Mysteries

BY:       Kay Finch

No one is more surprised than I am about my decision to leave the practice of law in Houston and move to Lavender in the Texas Hill Country to become a sole practitioner. I came to Lavender initially to handle a matter for a wealthy landowner that I’d done some corporate work for in the past. Then the murder took place, and everything went – as they say – to hell in a handbasket.  

My original project got delayed because of the murder, but I managed to snag a local divorce client. Easy enough to draft an original petition for her and get it filed with the court. I could handle the case from my desk in Houston if need be, but Lavender started to grow on me. I would definitely not miss Houston traffic. No doubt this little burg could use a lawyer with my qualifications. Here in the country, I wouldn’t have to dress up for work if I didn’t feel like dressing up. I could trade in my high-heeled pumps for flats, or sandals, or western boots for that matter.  My feet would thank me.

 There is the problem of staff to consider. I need someone with a brain to do the work while I handle the clients. Imagine my relief when I realized Sabrina Tate – my former paralegal – lived right here in Lavender. She might have told me where she was going when she resigned, but I don’t log in trivial details. Sabrina is the only paralegal I’ve ever had who can not only read my handwriting, but can draft a perfect response to even the most ridiculous accusations from opposing counsel. Maybe I never told her I valued these qualities. I was shocked when she refused in no uncertain terms to work for me in Lavender. She can’t go on forever with her little hobby of trying to write a book, can she?

There’s a black cat – name of Hitchcock – constantly hanging around Sabrina, and he watches my every move. I never knew what to make of the cat. Then a psycho killer targeted me for some crazy reason, and I ended up in the hospital. When the killer tried to get Sabrina, the cat flew into action. She needs to keep that heroic little fellow around – I’ll even let him come to the office with her when she finally caves and accepts my job offer.  She will accept my offer - eventually - won't she?

Attorney Rita Colletti makes her first appearance in The Black Cat Knocks on Wood, Bad Luck Cat Mystery #2, following Black Cat Crossing.  She appears again in The Black Cat Sees His Shadow.

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Kay Finch is the National Best-Selling author of the Bad Luck Cat Mysteries by Berkley Prime Crime.  Though her character, Sabrina Tate, has left the paralegal profession behind to move to the Texas Hill Country, Kay still works as a paralegal at a Houston, Texas law firm. She resides in a Houston suburb with her husband and pets where she is working on Bad Luck Cat Mystery #4 – The Black Cat Steps On a Crack. Visit her at www.kayfinch.com.