Solomon & Lord Drop Anchor (33 page)

Holding her high-heeled black shoes in one
hand, Connie waved her hairbrush at him with the other. “Don’t do
this, Sam! Don’t do this to me. I’m going stir crazy in this damn
shoe box.”

“I know it seems silly or quaint, or just
plain stupid, but a Supreme Court Justice has to live like a monk.”
He thought of the chief, who wasn’t right about many things, but on
this one, he was. “Some justices won’t even attend the President’s
State of the Union address because of separation of powers. Even
those who go refuse to applaud.”

“You’re right, Sam. It is stupid. Now, are
you getting dressed or not?”

He looked into her eyes, which were ablaze
with hostility. All the disappointments and frustrations of a life
that didn’t turn out the way she planned seemed to be reflected in
her glare, in her bearing, in the way she pointed the hairbrush at
him as if it were a Saturday night special manufactured by one of
her brother-in-law’s clients.

“I can’t, Connie. I’m sorry, but I can’t”

She threw the hairbrush at him. He slipped
his head to the side like a boxer dodging a punch, and the brush
clattered against the wall. She hastily pulled on her shoes,
smoothed her dress over her flat stomach, and looked at him, her
upper lip quivering with anger. “All right, Mr. Supreme Court
Justice,” she said, spitting out the words. “Be a monk. Be a bishop
or a cardinal or the damn pope for all I care.”

She turned dramatically and left the room,
looking like a leading lady playing her big scene in her shimmering
black dress. She started down the narrow staircase, two flights to
the ground, her stiletto heels clapping against the wooden stairs
like rifle shots. “But I’ll tell you this,” she called out, “I’ll
be damned if I’m going to be a nun!”

This and other e-books by
Paul Levine may be found at
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JAKELASSITER

About the Author

The author of 14 novels, Paul Levine won the
John D. MacDonald fiction award and was nominated for the Edgar,
Macavity, International Thriller, and James Thurber prizes. A
former trial lawyer, he also wrote more than 20 episodes of the CBS
military drama “JAG” and co-created the Supreme Court drama “First
Monday” starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. He is the author of
the “Jake Lassiter” series, the “Solomon vs. Lord” series, and the
thriller “Illegal.” His next novel will be “Lassiter,” due from
Bantam in Fall 2011. Visit his Web site at 
http://www.paul-levine.com
.

E-books by Paul Levine may be found at
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JAKELASSITER