The Lincoln Lawyer

got nothing and that means they don’t have enough.”
    “You’re wrong. There is enough. They have the parking ticket and there have to be witnesses who can put him in The Cobra Room. Even Menendez can ID him there.”
    “You know as well as I do that Menendez is a scratch. He’d identify anybody to get out. And if there are other wits from The Cobra Room, then it’s going to take some time to run them down. The parking ticket puts him in the neighborhood but it doesn’t put him inside her apartment.”
    “What about the knife?”
    “They’re working on it but that’s going to take time, too. Look, we want to do this right. It was Smithson’s call and, believe me, he wanted to keep him, too. It would make that fiasco you created in court today a little more palatable. But it’s just not there. Not yet. They’re going to kick him loose and work the forensics and look for the witnesses. If Roulet’s good for this, then we will get him, and your other client will get out. You don’t have to worry. But we have to do it right.”
    I swung a fist impotently through the air.
    “They jumped the gun. Damn it, they shouldn’t have made the move today.”
    “I guess they thought nine hours in interrogation would do the trick.”
    “They were stupid.”
    “Nobody’s perfect.”
    I was annoyed by her attitude but held my tongue on that. I needed her to keep me in the loop.
    “When exactly will they let him go?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. This all just went down. Kurlen and Booker came over here to present it and Smithson just sent them back to the PD. When they get back, I assume they’ll kick him loose.”
    “Listen to me, Maggie. Roulet knows about Hayley.”
    There was a horribly long moment of silence before she answered.
    “What are you saying, Haller? You let our daughter into -”
    “I didn’t let anything happen. He broke into my house and saw her picture. It doesn’t mean he knows where she lives or even what her name is. But he knows about her and he wants to get back at me. So you have to go home right now. I want you to be with Hayley. Get her and get out of the apartment. Just play it safe.”
    Something made me hold back on telling her everything, that I felt that Roulet had specifically threatened my family in the courthouse.
You can’t protect everybody.
I would only use that if she refused to do what I wanted her to do with Hayley.
    “I’m leaving now,” she said. “And we’re coming to you.”
    I knew she would say that.
    “No, don’t come to me.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because
he
might come to me.”
    “This is crazy. What are you going to do?”
    “I’m not sure yet. Just go get Hayley and get somewhere safe. Then call me on your cell, but don’t tell me where you are. It will be better if I don’t even know.”
    “Haller, just call the police. They can -”
    “And tell them what?”
    “I don’t know. Tell them you’ve been threatened.”
    “A defense lawyer telling the police he feels threatened… yeah, they’ll jump all over that. Probably send out a SWAT team.”
    “Well, you have to do something.”
    “I thought I did. I thought he was going to be in jail for the rest of his life. But you people moved too fast and now you have to let him go.”
    “I told you, it wasn’t enough. Even knowing now about the possible threat to Hayley, it’s still not enough.”
    “Then go to our daughter and take care of her. Leave the rest to me.”
    “I’m going.”
    But she didn’t hang up. It was like she was giving me the chance to say something more.
    “I love you, Mags,” I said. “Both of you. Be careful.”
    I closed the phone before she could respond. Almost immediately I opened it again and called Fernando Valenzuela’s cell phone number. After five rings he answered.
    “Val, it’s me, Mick.”
    “Shit. If I’d known it was you I wouldn’t have answered.”
    “Look, I need your help.”
    “My help? You’re asking for my help after what you asked me the other night? After you accused me?”
    “Look, Val, this is an emergency. What I said the other night was out of line and I apologize. I’ll pay for your TV, I’ll do whatever you want, but I need your help right now.”
    I waited. After a pause he responded.
    “What do you want me to do?”
    “Roulet still has the bracelet on his ankle, right?”
    “That’s right. I know what happened in court but I haven’t heard from the guy. One of my courthouse people said the cops picked him up