All Chapters of Rannigan's Redemption: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Chapter 52: Words You Can't Take BackHer last day at Murphy, Rannigan was harder than Maggie had imagined. There was a surprise going-away party that afternoon in the conference room and she'd had to fight back tears. She knew she'd miss her colleagues on the 50th floor. She was grateful that Michael was still away. I don't think I could deal with him as well. After the cake was cut, she slipped back to her office to pack up her personal things. She looked lovingly at each photo as she put it into the small box she'd pilfered from the supply closet. She had very good memories from her time here. Mostly. The thought of Jean-Luc LeRoi caused her to wince. Well, no more of that kind of thing. On Friday afternoon, Michael took the elevator to the 50th floor. He'd ended his vacation a couple of days early. Two weeks is really too long to be gone, he reflected. He figured he'd check up on what had happened in his absence then join the gang at Docs. He had Maggie's bracelet

Chapter 54: The New NormalMaggie was early for her first day with the District Attorney's office. The commute is shorter, she observed. That was one good thing. She met with Rance for about half an hour as he discussed her responsibilities, then he showed her to her office. It was one of several off the main space, a small square room with three bare cinder block walls painted beige. There was a tiny window positioned high on the outer wall. The fourth wall featured the door and was made of glass, affording a view of rows of beige cubicles in the center of a large room. A small metal desk was positioned under the window. Maggie noted that it was dented; looking around she saw that part of the beige rubber baseboard was missing and there was a snag in the beige industrial carpet.Rance watched her taking it all in. "I guess it's not what you're used to over at Murphy, Rannigan."Maggie forced a smile. "It's fine, just fine. I'll just…it will be great," she said around the

Chapter 56: A Familiar ClientThe New Year took off quickly with Michael's caseload piling up. Which, I suppose, is better than the alternative, he thought. Amy made for an efficient second. She was thorough and attentive to detail. But she was also about as much fun to talk to as a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal. Plus, she was married, hurrying home to the hubby every evening. She was no Maggie.He thought about Maggie from time to time, and heard through the grapevine that she was doing very well working for Rance. According to those in the know, she won the majority of her cases, a fact that didn't actually surprise him. He hadn't talked to her since Christmas, but he glimpsed her occasionally at the courthouse. Her red hair always made her stand out from the crowd.Michael's personal life carried on in usual form. Obviously, Gwen was off his list and Vivian wasn't returning his calls. But he'd added a new blonde or two to his collection, and he never had to wonder whether or n

Chapter 58: It's On Like Donkey KongIt was mid-July when the trial of Jean-Luc LeRoi finally began. Prior to that, there had been weeks of filing motions and the typical back and forth between the defense and prosecution. They'd spent a full week in jury selection. On the morning of the first day of the trial, Maggie and Malik were standing at the prosecutor's table arranging their notes and files when Michael and Amy entered the courtroom. While Amy set to work getting their things in order at the defense table, Michael walked over to Maggie and Malik. "Ms. Flynn, Mr. Dawson, good morning." He smiled shrewdly, and his eyes crinkled as he reached to shake hands with each of them."Mr. Rannigan," Maggie returned, suppressing a smile. "Let's do this thing," she said softly.He leaned close to her ear. "Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong," he whispered, and he returned to Amy and the defense table. Maggie had to cough to cover her outburst of surprised laughter. Michael winked at h

Chapter 60: A Lovely DistractionIn the months that followed the LeRoi trial, Michael was busy with various cases, mostly smaller ones, a couple of larger ones, and of course, Jean-Luc's appeal. He found himself lacking the motivation to do even the smallest amount of research or preparation and was appreciative of Amy's practically OCD nature when it came to the details. The thought occurred to him that it might be time to find something else to do, but what that might be he couldn't imagine.He hadn't seen Maggie since that night at Pete's Tavern after the LeRoi verdict. She had expected an appeal, but Rance had handed the case to someone else, probably, Michael surmised, at her request. He didn't blame her; she'd never liked LeRoi and to top it off he'd attacked her in court that day.One night in late January, Michael attended a black-tie gala at the Met. His date Kimberley had canceled at the last minute, suddenly called out of town for an emergency photo shoot. She was repl