The Lincoln Lawyer

Roulet interjected.
    “We have to assume the fingerprints will be from the man who turned it in,” I said.
    “Atkins,” Levin responded.
    “Right, Atkins,” I said, turning to Louis. “But it would not surprise me to find prints from you on it as well. There is no telling what occurred while you were unconscious. If she put blood on your hand, then she probably put your prints on the knife.”
    Roulet nodded his agreement and was about to say something, but I didn’t wait for him.
    “Is there any statement from her about being at Morgan’s earlier in the evening?” I asked Levin.
    He shook his head.
    “No, the interview with the victim was in the ER and not formal. It was basic and they didn’t go back with her to the early part of the evening. She didn’t mention the guy and she didn’t mention Morgan’s. She just said she had been home since eight-thirty. They asked about what happened at ten. They didn’t really get into what she had been doing before. I’m sure that will all be covered in the follow-up investigation.”
    “Okay, if and when they go back to her for a formal, I want that transcript.”
    “I’m on it. It will be a sit-down on video when they do it.”
    “And if crime scene does a video, I want that, too. I want to see her place.”
    Levin nodded. He knew I was putting on a show for the client and Dobbs, giving them a sense of my command of the case and all the irons that were going into the fire. The reality was I didn’t need to tell Raul Levin any of this. He already knew what to do and what to get for me.
    “Okay, what else?” I asked. “Do you have any questions, Cecil?”
    Dobbs seemed surprised by the focus suddenly shifting to him. He quickly shook his head.
    “No, no, I’m fine. This is all good. We’re making good progress.”
    I had no idea what he meant by “progress,” but I let it go by without question.
    “So what do you think?” Roulet asked.
    I looked at him and waited a long moment before answering.
    “I think the state has got a strong case against you. They have you in her home, they have a knife and they have her injuries. They also have what I am assuming is her blood on your hands. Added to that, the photos are powerful. And, of course, they will have her testimony. Having never seen or spoken to the woman, I don’t know how impressive she will be.”
    I stopped again and milked the silence even longer before continuing.
    “But there is a lot they don’t have-evidence of break-in, DNA from the suspect, a motive or even a suspect with a past record of this or any sort of crime. There are a lot of reasons-legitimate reasons-for you to have been in that apartment. Plus…”
    I looked past Roulet and Dobbs and out the window. The sun was dropping behind Anacapa and turning the sky pink and purple. It beat anything I ever saw from the windows of my office.
    “Plus what?” Roulet asked, too anxious to wait on me.
    “Plus you have me. I got Maggie McFierce off the case. The new prosecutor is good but he’s green and he’ll have never come up against someone like me before.”
    “So what’s our next step?” Roulet asked.
    “The next step is for Raul to keep doing his thing, finding out what he can about this alleged victim and why she lied about being alone. We need to find out who she is and who her mystery man is and to see how that plays into our case.”
    “And what will you do?”
    “I’ll be dealing with the prosecutor. I’ll set something up with him, try to see where he’s going and we’ll make our choice on which way to go. I have no doubt that I’ll be able to go to the DA and knock all of this down to something you can plea to and get behind you. But it will require a concession. You -”
    “I told you. I will not -”
    “I know what you said but you have to hear me out. I may be able to get a no-contest plea so that you don’t actually ever say the word ‘guilty,’ but I am not seeing the state completely dropping this. You will have to concede responsibility in some regard. It is possible to avoid jail time but you will likely have to perform community service of some sort. There, I’ve said it. That is the first recitation. There will be more. I am obligated as your attorney to tell you and make sure you understand your options. I know it’s not what you want or are willing to do but it is my duty to educate you on the choices. Okay?”
    “Fine. Okay.”
    “Of course, as you know, any concession on your part