The Lincoln Lawyer

couldn’t accept it. It’s more than generous but I can’t.”
    “But the California bar isn’t here, Mick. And we don’t have to treat it as a performance bonus. It’s just part of the fee schedule. Because, after all, you will be successful in defending me, won’t you?”
    He looked intently at me and I read the threat.
    “There are no guarantees in the courtroom. Things can always go badly. But I still think it looks good.”
    Roulet’s face slowly broke into a smile.
    “What can I do to make it look even better?”
    I thought about Reggie Campo. Still alive and ready to go to trial. She had no idea whom she would be testifying against.
    “Nothing,” I answered. “Just sit tight and wait it out. Don’t get any ideas. Don’t do anything. The case is coming together and we’ll be all right.”
    He didn’t respond. I wanted to get him away from thoughts about the threat Reggie Campo presented.
    “There is one thing that has come up, though,” I said.
    “Really? What’s that?”
    “I don’t have the details. What I know I only know from a source who can’t tell me any more. But it looks like the DA has a snitch from the jail. You didn’t talk to anybody about the case when you were in there, did you? Remember, I told you not to talk to anybody.”
    “And I didn’t. Whoever they have, he is a liar.”
    “Most of them are. I just wanted to be sure. I’ll deal with it if it comes up.”
    “Good.”
    “One other thing. Have you talked to your mother about testifying about the attack in the empty house? We need it to set up the defense of you carrying the knife.”
    Roulet pursed his lips but didn’t answer.
    “I need you to work on her,” I said. “It could be very important to establish that solidly with the jury. Besides that, it could swing sympathy toward you.”
    Roulet nodded. He saw the light.
    “Can you please ask her?” I asked.
    “I will. But she’ll be tough. She never reported it. She never told anyone but Cecil.”
    “We need her to testify and then we can get Cecil to testify and back her up. It’s not as good as a police report but it will work. We need her, Louis. I think if she testifies, she can convince them. Juries like old ladies.”
    “Okay.”
    “Did she ever tell you what the guy looked like or how old he was, anything like that?”
    He shook his head.
    “She couldn’t tell. He wore a ski mask and goggles. He jumped on her as soon as she came in the door. He had been hiding behind it. It was very quick and very brutal.”
    His voice quavered as he described it. I became puzzled.
    “I thought you said the attacker was a prospective buyer she was supposed to meet there,” I said. “He was already in the house?”
    He brought his eyes up to mine.
    “Yes. Somehow he had already gotten in and was waiting for her. It was terrible.”
    I nodded. I didn’t want to go further with him at the moment. I wanted him out of my house.
    “Listen, thank you for your offer, Louis. Now if you would excuse me, I want to go to bed. It’s been a long day.”
    I gestured with my free hand toward the hallway leading to the front of the house. Roulet got up from the desk chair and came toward me. I backed into the hallway and then into the open door of my bedroom. I kept the knife behind me and ready. But Roulet passed by without incident.
    “And tomorrow you have your daughter to entertain,” he said.
    That froze me. He had listened to the call from Maggie. I didn’t say anything. He did.
    “I didn’t know you had a daughter, Mick. That must be nice.”
    He glanced back at me, smiling as he moved down the hall.
    “She’s beautiful,” he said.
    My inertia turned to momentum. I stepped into the hall and started following him, anger building with each step. I gripped the knife tightly.
    “How do you know what she looks like?” I demanded.
    He stopped and I stopped. He looked down at the knife in my hand and then at my face. He spoke calmly.
    “The picture of her on your desk.”
    I had forgotten about the photo. A small framed shot of her in a teacup at Disneyland.
    “Oh,” I said.
    He smiled, knowing what I had been thinking.
    “Good night, Mick. Enjoy your daughter tomorrow. You probably don’t get to see her enough.”
    He turned and crossed the living room and opened the front door. He looked back at me before stepping out.
    “What you need is a good lawyer,” he said. “One that will get you custody.”
    “No. She’s better off with her