The Lincoln Lawyer

down the street a ways to Morgan’s and I had a drink there, too.”
    “Those places are pickup bars, wouldn’t you say?”
    “Yes. That’s why I went to them.”
    He was matter-of-fact about it and I appreciated his honesty.
    “So you were looking for someone. A woman. Anyone in particular, someone you knew?”
    “No one in particular. I was looking to get laid, pure and simple.”
    “What happened at Nat’s North?”
    “What happened was that it was a slow night, so I left. I didn’t even finish my drink.”
    “You go there often? Do the bartenders know you?”
    “Yeah, they know me. A girl named Paula was working last night.”
    “Okay, so it wasn’t working for you there and you left. You drove down to Morgan’s. Why Morgan’s?”
    “It’s just another place I go.”
    “They know you there?”
    “They should. I’m a good tipper. Last night Denise and Janice were behind the bar. They know me.”
    I turned to Levin.
    “Raul, what is the victim’s name?”
    Levin opened his file to pull out a police report but answered before having to look it up.
    “ Regina Campo. Friends call her Reggie. Twenty-six years old. She told police she’s an actress working as a telephone solicitor.”
    “And hoping to retire soon,” Dobbs said.
    I ignored him.
    “Louis, did you know Reggie Campo before last night?” I asked.
    Roulet shrugged.
    “Sort of. I’d seen her around the bar scene. But I had never been with her before. I’d never even spoken to her.”
    “Had you ever tried?”
    “No, I never could really get to her. She always seemed to be with someone or more than one person. I don’t like to have to penetrate the crowd, you know? My style is to look for the singles.”
    “What was different last night?”
    “Last night she came to me, that was what was different.”
    “Tell us about it.”
    “Nothing to tell. I was at the bar at Morgan’s, minding my own business, having a look at the possibilities, and she was at the other end and she was with some guy. So she wasn’t even on my radar because she looked like she was already taken, you know?”
    “Uh-huh, so what happened?”
    “Well, after a while the guy she was with gets up to go take a leak or go outside for a smoke, and as soon as he’s gone she gets up and slides on down the bar to me and asks if I’m interested. I said I was but what about the guy she’s already with? She says don’t worry about him, he’ll be out the door by ten and then she’s free the rest of the night. She wrote her address down for me and said to come by after ten. I told her I’d be there.”
    “What did she write the address down on?”
    “A napkin, but the answer to your next question is no, I don’t still have it. I memorized the address and threw out the napkin. I work in real estate. I can remember addresses.”
    “About what time was this?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Well, she said come by at ten. Did you look at your watch at any point to see how long you would have to wait until then?”
    “I think it was between eight and nine. As soon as the guy came back in they left.”
    “When did you leave the bar?”
    “I stayed for a few minutes and then I left. I made one more stop before I went to her place.”
    “Where was that?”
    “Well, she lived in an apartment in Tarzana so I went up to the Lamplighter. It was on the way.”
    “Why?”
    “Well, you know, I wanted to see what the possibilities were. You know, see if there was something better out there, something I didn’t have to wait around for or…”
    “Or what?”
    He still didn’t finish the thought.
    “Take seconds on?”
    He nodded.
    “Okay, so who’d you talk to at the Lamplighter? Where is that, by the way?”
    It was the only place so far I was unfamiliar with.
    “It’s on Ventura near White Oak. I didn’t really talk to anybody. It was crowded but there really wasn’t anybody I was interested in there.”
    “The bartenders know you there?”
    “No, not really. I don’t go there all that much.”
    “You usually get lucky before you hit the third option?”
    “Nah, I usually just give up after two.”
    I nodded just to buy a little time to think about what else to ask before we got to what happened at the victim’s house.
    “How long were you at the Lamplighter?”
    “About an hour, I’d say. Maybe a little less.”
    “At the bar? How many drinks?”
    “Yeah, two drinks at the bar.”
    “How many drinks in all did you have last night before