John Grisham - The Litigators

“Did the doctor say it was lead poisoning?”

She nodded. “Yes.” No hesitation.

David nodded too as he let this soak in. “Does your grandson live with you?”

“Next door. Apartment.”

He looked at Toni and asked, “Do you know where she lives?”

“Rogers Park. It’s an old apartment complex. I think everyone there is from Burma.”

“Zaw, is it possible for me to see the apartment where the boy lives?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Why do you need to see the apartment?” Toni asked.

“To find the source of the lead. Could be in the paint on the walls or in some of his toys. It might be in the water. I should have a look.”

Zaw rose quietly and said, “Excuse me, please.” A few seconds later, she was back with a small plastic bag, from which she removed a set of pink plastic teeth, complete with two large vampire fangs. “He like these,” Zaw said. “He scare his sisters, make funny noise.”

David held the cheap toy. The plastic was hard, and some of the coloring, or paint, had chipped off. “Did you see him play with these?”

“Yes. Many time.”

“When did he get these?”

“Last year. Halloween,” she said, without the H sound. “I don’t know if it make him sick, but he use them all the time. Pink, green, black, blue, many color.”

“So there’s a whole set of these?”

“Yes.”

“Where are the others?”

“Apartment.”

——

It was spitting snow when David and Helen found the apartment complex after dark. The buildings were 1960s-style blocks of plywood and tar paper, a few bricks on the steps, a few shrubs here and there. All the units were two stories, some with boarded windows and obviously abandoned. There were a few vehicles, all ancient imports from Japan. It was easy to get the impression that the place would have been condemned, with bulldozers to follow, but for the heroic efforts of the Burmese immigrants.

Zaw was waiting at 14B and led them a few steps to 14C. Thuya’s parents looked to be about twenty years old, but were really closer to forty. They looked exhausted, sad eyed, and as frightened as any parents would be. They were appreciative that a real lawyer would come to their home, though they were terrified of the legal system and understood nothing about it. The mother, Lwin, hurried about preparing and serving tea. The father, Zaw’s son, went by Soe and, as the man of the house, did most of the talking. His English was good, much better than his wife’s. As Zaw had said, he worked for a company that did all manner of tree work. His wife cleaned offices downtown. It was obvious to both David and Helen that there had been a lot of discussion before their arrival.

The apartment was sparsely furnished but neat and clean. The only effort at decor was a large photograph of Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner and most famous dissident in Burma. Something was on the stove in the kitchen, and its pungent aroma reeked of onions. In the car, the Zincs had vowed not to stay for dinner in the unlikely event they were invited. Thuya’s two sisters were not to be seen or heard.

The yellowish tea was served in tiny cups, and after a sip or two Soe said, “Why do you want to talk to us?”

David took his first sip, hoped it would be his last, and said, “Because if your son has in fact been poisoned by lead, and if the lead came from a toy or something here in the apartment, then you may — and I emphasize the word ‘may’—have a case against the maker of the dangerous product. I would like to investigate this matter, but I am making no promises.”

“You mean we could get money?”

“Possibly. That’s the purpose of the case, or lawsuit, but first we need to dig a little deeper.”

“How much money?”

Here, of course, Wally would promise them anything. David had heard him promise — or practically guarantee — a million or more to several of his Krayoxx clients.

“I can’t answer that,” David said. “It’s too early. I would like to investigate, see if we can put together a case, and take it one step at a time.”

Helen was watching her husband with admiration. He was doing a fine job in an arena where he knew nothing and had no experience. He’d never seen a lawsuit at Rogan Rothberg.

“Okay,” Soe said. “What now?”

“Two things,” David said. “First, I’d like to have a look at his things — toys, books, bed — anything that might be a source of lead. Second, I need for you to sign some papers that will allow me to begin accumulating his medical records.”

Soe nodded at Lwin, who reached into a small box and removed a plastic ziploc bag. She opened it and on the small coffee table lined up five pairs of fake teeth and fangs — blue, black, green, purple, and red. Zaw added the pink ones from the afternoon visit, and the set was complete.

“These called Nasty Teeth,” Soe said.

David stared at the row of Nasty Teeth and for the first time felt the twinge of excitement of a big lawsuit. He picked up the green ones — hard but pliable plastic, flexible enough to open and close easily. He had no trouble seeing a pesky little brother with these in his mouth, growling and snapping at his sisters.

“Your son played with these?” David asked. Lwin nodded sadly.

Soe said, “He like them, kept them in his mouth. Tried to eat dinner with them one night.”

“Who bought them?” David asked.

“I did,” Soe said. “I bought a few things for Halloween. Cost not too much.”

“Where did you buy them?” David asked, almost holding his breath. He hoped for an answer like Walmart, Kmart, Target, Sears, Macy’s — some chain with deep pockets.

“At market,” Soe said.

“What market?”

“Big mall. Near Logan Square.”

Helen said, “Probably the Mighty Mall,” and David’s excitement waned a bit. The Mighty Mall was a hodgepodge of cavernous metal buildings housing a maze of cramped stalls and booths where one could find almost anything of legal value and many items from the black market. Cheap clothing, household goods, old albums, athletic gear, counterfeit CDs, used paperbacks, fake jewelry, toys, games, a million things. The low prices attracted large crowds. Virtually all business was in cash. Record keeping and receipts were not priorities.

“Did these come in a package?” David asked. A package would provide the name of the manufacturer and maybe the importer.

“Yes, but it gone,” Soe said. “In garbage, long time ago.”

“No package,” Lwin added.

The apartment had two bedrooms — one used by the parents, the other by the children. David followed Soe as the women stayed in the den. Thuya’s bed was a small mattress on the floor near his sisters’. The children had a small, cheap bookcase filled with coloring books and paperbacks. Next to it was a plastic tub filled with boy toys.

“This his,” Soe said, pointing to the tub.

“May I look through it?” David asked.

“Yes, please.”

David dropped to his knees and slowly went through the box — action figures, race cars, airplanes, a pistol, and handcuffs, the usual assortment of inexpensive toys for a five-year-old boy. When he stood, he said, “I’ll look at these later. For now, just make sure that everything stays here.”

Back in the den, the Nasty Teeth were ziplocked again. David explained that he would send them to an expert on lead poisoning and have them evaluated. If the teeth did indeed contain unsuitable levels of lead, then they would meet again and discuss the lawsuit. He cautioned that it might be difficult to pin down the maker of the toys, and he tried to dampen any enthusiasm for the thought of one day collecting money. The three — Zaw, Lwin, and Soe — seemed as puzzled and apprehensive when the Zincs were leaving as they’d been when they arrived. Soe was on his way to the hospital to spend the night with Thuya.