The Lincoln Lawyer

all goes to shit, you’re still going to be my first customer, right?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “The Lincoln Lawyer Limousine Service. You’re in, right?”
    “Haller, it doesn’t sound like this is a time to be making jokes.”
    “It’s no joke, Maggie. I’ve been thinking about quitting. Even before all of this bullshit came up. It’s like I told you that night, I can’t do this anymore.”
    There was a long silence before she responded.
    “Whatever you want to do is going to be fine by me and Hayley.”
    I nodded.
    “You don’t know how much I appreciate that.”
    She sighed into the phone.
    “I don’t know how you do it, Haller.”
    “Do what?”
    “You’re a sleazy defense lawyer with two ex-wives and an eight-year-old daughter. And we all still love you.”
    Now I was silent. Despite everything I smiled.
    “Thank you, Maggie McFierce,” I finally said. “Good night.”
    And I hung up the phone.

Tuesday, May 24

THIRTY-THREE
    T he second day of trial began with a forthwith to the judge’s chambers for Minton and me. Judge Fullbright wanted only to speak to me but the rules of trial made it improper for her to meet privately with me about any matter and exclude the prosecution. Her chambers were spacious, with a desk and separate seating area surrounded by three walls of shelves containing law books. She told us to sit in the seats in front of her desk.
    “Mr. Minton,” she began, “I can’t tell you not to listen but I’m going to have a conversation with Mr. Haller that I don’t expect you to join or interrupt. It doesn’t concern you or, as far as I know, the Roulet case.”
    Minton, taken by surprise, didn’t quite know how to react other than to drop his jaw a couple inches and let light into his mouth. The judge turned in her desk chair toward me and clasped her hands together on the desk.
    “Mr. Haller, is there anything you need to bring up with me? Keeping in mind that you are sitting next to a prosecutor.”
    “No, Judge, everything’s fine. Sorry if you were bothered yesterday.”
    I did my best to put a rueful smile on my face, as if to show the search warrant had been nothing more than an embarrassing inconvenience.
    “It is hardly a bother, Mr. Haller. We’ve invested a lot of time on this case. The jury, the prosecution, all of us. I am hoping that it is not going to be for naught. I don’t want to do this again. My calendar is already overflowing.”
    “Excuse me, Judge Fullbright,” Minton said. “Could I just ask what -”
    “No, you may not,” she said, cutting him off. “What we are talking about does not concern the trial other than the timing of it. If Mr. Haller is assuring me that we don’t have a problem, then I will take him at his word. You need no further explanation than that.”
    She looked pointedly at me.
    “Do I have your word on this, Mr. Haller?”
    I hesitated before nodding. What she was telling me was that there would be hell to pay if I broke my word and the Glendale investigation caused a disruption or mistrial in the Roulet case.
    “You’ve got my word,” I said.
    She immediately stood up and turned toward the hat rack in the corner. Her black robe hung there on a hanger.
    “Okay, then, gentlemen, let’s get to it. We’ve got a jury waiting.”
    Minton and I left the chambers and entered the courtroom through the clerk’s station. Roulet was seated in the defendant’s chair and waiting.
    “What the hell was that all about?” Minton whispered to me.
    He was playing dumb. He had to have heard the same rumors my ex-wife had picked up in the halls of the DA’s office.
    “Nothing, Ted. Just some bullshit involving another case of mine. You going to wrap it up today?”
    “Depends on you. The longer you take, the longer I take cleaning up the bullshit you sling.”
    “Bullshit, huh? You’re bleeding to death and don’t even know it.”
    He smiled confidently at me.
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Call it death by a thousand razor blades, Ted. One doesn’t do it. They all do it. Welcome to felony practice.”
    I separated from him and went to the defense table. As soon as I sat down, Roulet was in my ear.
    “What was that about with the judge?” he whispered.
    “Nothing. She was just warning me about how I handle the victim on cross.”
    “Who, the woman? She actually called her a victim?”
    “Louis, first of all, keep your voice down. And second, she
is
the victim in this thing. You may have that