-*From The How Did We Get Here Series*-
**Now**: The co-owner of the law firm Carlton Jacobs couldn’t believe his eyes. His friend and founding partner Jim Nettles was laying in a bloody mess at the bottom of the elevator shaft. His lifeless eyes staring into nothing with his head bent at an unnatural angle. Jim obviously didn’t survive the fall. How could this have happened? He wondered to himself. He took every precaution.
**Before**: Jim Nettles was finished with this day before it had even began. His phone was dinging every few minutes to indicate a new message and he wondered to himself how everyone could be so needy? He had a secretary to filter his calls throughout the work day but in the early morning hours, he was on his own.
The day didn’t get much better from there. It was about 10 am when Jim decided to silence his notifications all together. It was getting out of hand. He had been working on a case that the law firm would try in the coming weeks but Jim didn’t like to wait until the last minute to get his notes together. He would spend the next few days rehearsing for the jury.
It was about 10:30 am when Jim decided to head down to his partner’s office on the 5th floor to confirm his notes and to also get Carlton’s opinion on the “tone” of his speech. He pushed the elevator button like he had done a thousand times before. He turned his notifications back on. He watched the notifications pop up one by one as the elevator doors opened. His eyes were glued to the screen as he stepped onto…nothing. The elevator car was missing as Jim flailed about trying to find purchase on anything. Jim was unsuccessful and fell ten stories to his untimely death.
The cellphone was cushioned from the fall by his body and went he hit, the phone jumped up a couple feet falling back onto Jim’s chest display side up with a single notification showing.
Jim – This is Carlton. I wish you would answer your phone. Don’t use the elevator. It is out of order. Take the stairs. I have a team coming in to repair it within the hour.
