Special Circumstances (51 page)

“You going to turn me in?” Doris asks.
Actually, I’m prepared to shred my state bar card right now and lose mylicense. But I won’t.
“Nope. You’re a client. I can’t do it.”
“Thanks, Mikey.”
Jesus Christ.
“What are you thinking about, Mike?” Rosie asks.
At eleven o’clock the same night, Rosie and I are sipping champagne onher back porch in Larkspur. Naomi gave us a bottle as we were leaving.I glance at the full moon.
“Nothing, Rosie.”
“You’re a lousy liar.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes the legal system just sucks everythingout of you.
And sometimes, it just sucks.”
She smiles at me.
“Don’t beat yourself up on this one. Your client is free. He didn’tdo it, and now he’s back home with his kids. What’s so bad aboutthat?”
“Nothing, I guess. I’ll probably get to fulfill my lifelong dream ofbeing the first lawyer to grace the cover of a Wheaties box.”
I get a chuckle.
“You’re upset, though.”
“It’s the way I’m drawn.”
“Why do you always do this to yourself? The system got the rightresult this time. That’s not so bad. Half the time it gets the wrongresult and puts the good guys away or sets the bad guys free. Thisisn’t like figure skating. You don’t get style points. Your clientended up in the right place. So for once in your life, take what youcan and enjoy it.”
“Okay, Rosie. But just for tonight. Tomorrow I get to go back and bemy usual guilt-ridden, tortured self.”
“It’s a deal.” She drinks her champagne.
“There’s more to all of this than you’re telling me, isn’t there?”
I remain silent.
“He didn’t do it, did he?”
“He didn’t do it. That’s all there is to it.”
She grins.
“It wasn’t a suicide, was it?”
“I’m not talking.”
“What’s it going to take to get it out of you?”
“I’m not talking.”
“I can be very persuasive.”
“I know.”
“Let’s try this. I’d like you to become a full partner in the firm.”
“Sounds pretty good so far. I’ll have my people talk to your peopleand we can set up a meeting to discuss terms.” We can use thesettlement agreement from our divorce as the model form for ourpartnership agreement.
“Good. Oh, by the way, matrimony is out of the question in thesenegotiations.”
“Absolutely.”
“Now that we’re partners, everything you say to me is completelyconfidential within the confines of our firm.”
“I like the sound of that. Our firm.”
“I thought you would. It’s what we should have done from the start.”
“I know.”
“Now, about your little secret.”
Well, you see, Rosie, my former secretary—the one I’ve been trying toget to come to work for me—murdered two people in cold blood and isgoing to get away with it—scot-free. She probably had a good reasonto kill Bob, but she killed Diana just because she was in the wrongplace at the wrong time. But, hey, don’t worry—she hasn’t killedanybody else in the last four months and she promised me—pinkyswear—that she’d never do it again.
“It’s going to take more than a partnership to get it out of me.”
“What did you have in mind?”
She pours the rest of her champagne into my empty glass.
“If I didn’t know better,” I say, “I’d say you’re trying to get medrunk and take advantage of me.”
“You could say that.”
Her dark brown eyes reflect the moonlight. I remove the elastic bandthat holds her hair in a tight ponytail. I pull her close.
“Where’s Grace?” I whisper into her ear.
She kisses me softly on the mouth.
“Staying with her grandmother.” Her warm breath smells likechampagne.
“I see.” I smile.
“Well, a second ago you said that for tonight, I should just take whatI can and enjoy the moment.”
She shakes her hair.
“After all, you won your big case, but you didn’t get your trip toDisneyland.” She begins to unfasten the buttons on my shirt.
“I’ve got another trip in mind.”
“What do you suppose George Costanza would call it?”
“Victory sex?”
“Victory sex. I like that. It has a nice ring to it.”
THE END