“If you fire me,” Lucy said, “you’ll hurt yourself in a way that isn’t necessary.”

“I have no intention of hurting myself. Or you. I have no intention of hurting the case. Tell me what you want to do,” Berger said.

“I want to teach you a few things about recovering overwritten files, because as you pointed out, people don’t realize it’s possible. You can expect opposing counsel to go after you on this one. As you’ve noticed, I find analogies helpful. So here’s one. Let’s say you visited your favorite vacation spot. Sedona, for example. Let’s say you stayed in a certain hotel with a certain person. For the sake of simplicity, let’s say you stayed with Greg. Images, sounds, smells, emotions, tactile sensations are captured in your memory, much of it not conscious.”

“What are you doing?” Berger asked.

“A year later,” Lucy went on, “you and Greg take the same flight to Sedona on the same weekend, rent the same car, stay in the same room of the same hotel, but the experience isn’t going to be identical. It’s altered by what has gone on in your life since then, altered by your emotions, your relationship, your health, his health, by what preoccupies you, preoccupies him, altered by the weather, the economy, road detours, renovations, every detail right down to the flower arrangements and chocolates on your pillows. Without being aware of it, you’re overlaying old files with new ones that aren’t identical, even if consciously you don’t notice the difference.”

“I’ll state this clearly,” Berger said. “I don’t like people snooping into my life or violating my boundaries.”

“Read what’s out there about you. Some nice, some not so nice. Read Wikipedia.” Lucy held her gaze. “I’m not saying anything that isn’t public information. You spent your honeymoon with Greg in Sedona. It’s one of your favorite places. How is he, by the way?”

“You have no right to research me.”

“I have every right. I wanted to know exactly what I’m dealing with. And I think I do. Even though you haven’t offered much in the way of honesty.”

“What have I said that you think is dishonest?”

“You haven’t said. You haven’t said anything,” Lucy replied.

“You have no reason to distrust me, and you shouldn’t,” Berger said.

“I’m not going to abort what I’m doing because of boundaries or a possible conflict of interest. Even if you order me to,” Lucy said. “I’ve downloaded everything onto my server, so if you want to take the laptops and walk out of here, go right ahead. But you won’t stop me.”

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

“It wouldn’t be smart.”

“Please don’t threaten me.”