Mickey Haller 4 - The Fifth Witness

are going to like the spectacle this will cause—or the headlines. You know, DA grills fourteen-year-old, calls the kid a liar. Kind of tawdry, don’t you think?”
    Freeman turned her back and took a step to walk away from me but then stopped. I knew I had her. She should walk away from me and the case, but she couldn’t. She wanted the case and all that it could bring her.
    She turned back to me. She looked at me as though I were not even there, as if I were dead.
    “Again, what do you want?”
    “I’d rather not file this tomorrow. I’d rather just withdraw the motions I had to make to get my client’s property back and to see the WestLand documents. All I want is cooperation. A friendly give-and-take on discovery. I want it to start flowing now, not later. I don’t want to go to the judge every time I want something I’m entitled to.”
    “I could complain to the bar about you.”
    “Good, we can make cross-complaints. They’ll investigate both of us and find that only you acted inappropriately by discussing the case with defense counsel’s ex-wife and daughter.”
    “I didn’t discuss it with your daughter. She was just there.”
    “I’m sure the bar will make that distinction.”
    I let her twist for a moment. It was her move but she needed one final push.
    “Oh, and by the way, if I file the motion tomorrow I’ll be sure to drop a dime to the Times. Who’s their court reporter? Salters? I think she’d find this to be an interesting little side story. A nice exclusive.”
    She nodded as though her predicament had just become crystal clear in front of her.
    “Withdraw your motions,” she said. “You will have everything you asked for by the end of the day Friday.”
    “Tomorrow.”
    “That’s not enough time. I have to pull it together and get it copied. The copy shop is always backed up.”
    “Then Thursday by noon or I file the motion.”
    “Fine, asshole.”
    “Good. Once I go through it all, maybe we can start talking about a plea. Thank you, Andy.”
    “Fuck you, Haller. And there isn’t going to be a plea. We’ve got her nailed and I’m going to be looking at you, not her, when the verdict comes in.”
    She pivoted and started to walk away, but then turned right back to me.
    “And don’t call me Andy. You don’t get to call me that.”
    She marched away then, moving in long, angry strides toward the elevator lobby, totally ignoring a reporter who trotted up to her and tried to get a quote.
    I knew there would be no plea agreement. My client wouldn’t allow it. But I gave Freeman the opening so she could throw it back in my face. I wanted her to go away angry but not that angry. I wanted her to think she had salvaged something. It would make her easier to deal with.
    I looked around and saw Lisa waiting dutifully on the bench I had earlier pointed her to. I signaled her to get up.
    “Okay, Lisa, let’s get out of here.”
    “But what about Herb? I drove in with him.”
    “Your car or his?”
    “His.”
    “Then he’s fine. My guy will drive you home.”
    We walked into the elevator alcove. Thankfully, Andrea Freeman had already caught a ride down to the DA’s office on the second floor. I pushed the button but the elevator didn’t come soon enough. We were joined by Dahl.
    “What, were you leaving without me?”
    I didn’t respond to his question and quickly dispensed with any guise of civility.
    “You know, you’re fucking me up by talking to the media like that. You think you’re helping the cause but you’re not—unless Herbert Dahl is the cause.”
    “Whoa, what’s with the language? We’re in a courthouse.”
    “I don’t care where we are. Do not speak for my client. Do you understand? If you do it again I’m going to call a press conference and you’re not going to like what I have to say about you.”
    “Fine. That was it. My last press conference. But now I got a question. What’s goin’ on with all these people I’ve been sending your way? Some of them called me back and said they were treated pretty rudely by your staff.”
    “Yeah, you keep sending them and we’ll keep treating them that way.”
    “Hey, I know the business and these are legitimate people.”
    “The Grind Side.”
    Dahl looked confused. He looked at Lisa and then back at me.
    “What’s that mean?”
    “The Grind Side. Come on, you mean you haven’t heard of The Grind Side?”
    “You mean The Blind Side? The movie about the lady who adopts the football