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"So, you’re telling me that you were in no way responsible for her…fall?"

"That’s correct"

"In other words, you happened along shortly after the accident, and out of consideration for this biker you stopped your vehicle and saw to her welfare?"

The attorney was describing a rather different scene than the one that had actually occurred, but Roy let hihtfully

"Your concern is?" Williams asked

"The wo about it irritated Roy Although there was no evidence to validate her accusation, Julie Wilcoff had insisted he’d run into the rear of her bike But he hadn’t even seen her until the last second and had instantly sla the incident, Roy had decided that the sound of his car behind herin the road, which was the reason she’d catapulted off the bicycle and into the tree

That, however, didn’t explain the dae to her ten-speed The bicycle clearly showed there’d been an impact from the rear The back wheel was destroyed, theat the bike would believe he’d hit Julie But Roy knew otherwise, and there was no evidence on his car to suggest he’d collided with her

"What injuries did she sustain?"

"None She was unhurt In fact, she refused medical treatment from the paramedics"

Williams frowned

"I took her to my personal physician and he couldn’t find any injuries, either"

The attorney scribbled furiously "What have you heard fro" That concerned hiet for frivolous lawsuits However, any suit Julie filed ht find a syh he was It certainly wasn’t unheard of for a jury to award a huge settle on how effectively the case was presented

"I did feel bad," Roy said cautiously "The accident occurred on company property and I replaced her bicycle" The new one ice the ain Willia Julie’s ten-speed uilt He should’ve thought of that earlier

"Did she have a reason for being on company property?" Williams asked

"I e his brow "I see"

"Wilcoff was only recently hired" Roy had let chance make the decision He’d studied the applications, chosen the top three and written the candidates’ names on slips of paper, which he’d placed in an e He’d drawn one name--Dean’s So perhaps all of this was fated…

"Have you spoken to the father since the incident?"

Roy hadn’t "Any suggestions on what I should do now?"

"I wish you’d said so sooner," the attorney

Roy probably should have, but until now he hadn’t seen the need It hadn’t been a serious accident By her own admission and confirmed by his doctor, Julie was perfectly fine This sort of situation had never occurred before Williaht; Roy should’ve consulted a lawyer i to borrow any He had probleh

Williams nodded abruptly "Even if you haven’t heard froainst you"

"She hasn’t got a case," Roy argued But she did have the daed bicycle…

"You and I know that, but didn’t you say she claims you were responsible for the accident?"

More ti her down It had become her mantra on their ride to Dr Wilbur’s

"That tells ood possibility of a nuisance suit"

Roy should have known, should have guessed "What do you think I should do next?" he asked, tension tightening his jaw The thought of paying this ainst his principles

"Offer her a settlement"

He didn’t want to do that, not in the least, but he kneas better to take care of such unpleasantness quickly Otherwise he ed bike in her possession A long, drawn-out trial would drain him emotionally and threaten him financially And, needless to say, it could destroy his reputation

"How much?" he asked bluntly

The attorney hesitated, then said, "My expertise is corporate law, so perhaps we should let a litigation expert answer that question"

Roy refused to waste another est?"

Williaed "Twenty-five thousand should "

As far as Roy was concerned, that enty-five thousand too reed He’d order the check cut right away

"Anything else?" Willia up his briefcase