CHAPTER 2
The Ringo Effect
Buckle up, Buttercup
A well-to-do widow in Chicago’s exclusive Jefferson Park neighborhood uncovers ugly secrets about her beloved late husband, threatening her carefully constructed world with disgrace and ruin.
CHAPTER 2
Outside the 18th floor office of Jerome Samuels, the Ringo’s longtime attorney, the city is gripped by a heatwave. You can almost see the sun’s blistering rays rise from the surface. But inside the office it’s crisp and cool as Dahlia adjusts the collar of her linen dress. It’s been a week since the funeral. It’s time now to focus on the family businesses.
Jerome freshens her coffee and places the cup and saucer carefully in front of her, across a massive walnut desk piled high with thick law books and manila folders. While most lawyers his age are digital, Jerome is stubbornly old school preferring briefcases, legal pads and a steady supply of BIC writing pens. That’s what Richard liked about him most of all.
After a few moments of mindless chitchat about Chicago politics, sports, and the warm weather, he opens a red leather binder. The Ringo files. Years of contracts and paperwork bulge inside the pockets. Dahlia sets down her cup. The one thing on her mind right now is finding someone to run the stores and hopefully Jerome can point her…
