“What happened to my lawyer?” he asked.
“Well, for a detailed explanation I would have to refer you to the police. The shorthand is that somebody killed him last night in his car.”
“And where does that leave me? I’m on trial for my life in a week!”
That was a slight exaggeration. Jury selection was scheduled in nine days and the DA’s office had not announced that it would seek the death penalty. But it didn’t hurt that he was thinking in such terms.
“That’s why I’m here, Mr. Elliot. At the moment you are left with me.”
“And who are you? I’ve never heard of you.”
“You haven’t heard of me because I make it a practice not to be heard of. Celebrity lawyers bring too much attention to their clients. They feed their own celebrity by offering up their clients. I don’t operate that way.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. I could tell I had just scored a point.
“And you’re taking over Vincent’s practice?” he asked.
“Let me explain it, Mr. Elliot. Jerry Vincent had a one-man shop. Just like I do. On occasion one of us would need help with a case or need another attorney to fill in here and there. We filled that role for each other. If you look at the contract of representation you signed with him, you will find my name in a paragraph with language that allowed Jerry to discuss your case with me and to include me within the bonds of the attorney-client relationship. In other words, Jerry trusted me with his cases. And now that he is gone, I am prepared to carry on in his stead. Earlier today the chief judge of the superior court issued an order placing me in custody of Jerry’s cases. Of course, you ultimately get to choose who represents you at trial. I am very familiar with your case and prepared to continue your legal representation without so much as a hiccup. But, as I said, you must make the choice. I’m only here to tell you your options.”
Elliot shook his head.
“I really can’t believe this. We were set for trial next week and I’m not pushing it back. I’ve been waiting five months to clear my name! Do you have any idea what it is like for an innocent man to have to wait and wait and wait for justice? To read all the innuendo and bullshit in the media? To have a prosecutor with his nose up my ass, waiting for me to make the move that gets my bail pulled? Look at this!”
He stretched out a leg and pulled his left pant leg up to reveal the GPS monitor Judge Holder had ordered him to wear.
“I want this over!”
I nodded in a consoling manner and knew that if I told him I wanted to delay his case, I would be looking at a quick dismissal from consideration. I decided I would bring that up in a strategy session after I closed the deal – if I closed the deal.
“I’ve dealt with many clients wrongly accused,” I lied. “The wait for justice can be almost intolerable. But it also makes the vindication all the more meaningful.”
Elliot didn’t respond and I didn’t let the silence last long.
“I spent most of the afternoon reviewing the files and evidence in your case. I’m confident you won’t have to delay the trial, Mr. Elliot. I would be more than prepared to proceed. Another attorney, maybe not. But I would be ready.”
There it was, my best pitch to him, most of it lies and exaggerations. But I didn’t stop there.
“I’ve studied the trial strategy Mr. Vincent outlined. I wouldn’t change it but I believe I can improve on it. And I’d be ready to go next week if need be. I think a delay can always be useful, but it won’t be necessary.”
Elliot nodded and rubbed a finger across his mouth.
“I would have to think about this,” he said. “I need to talk to some people and have you checked out. Just like I had Vincent checked out before I went with him.”
I decided to gamble and to try to force Elliot into a quick decision. I didn’t want him checking me out and possibly discovering I had disappeared for a year. That would raise too many questions.
“It’s a good idea,” I said. “Take your time but don’t take too much time. The longer you wait to decide, the greater the chance that the judge will find it necessary to push the trial back. I know you don’t want that, but in the absence of Mr. Vincent or any attorney of record, the judge is probably already getting nervous and considering it. If you choose me, I will try to get before the judge as soon as possible and tell him we’re still good to go.”
I stood up and reached into my coat pocket for a card. I put it down on the glass.
“Those are all my numbers. Call anytime.”
I hoped he would tell me to sit back down and we’d start planning for trial. But Elliot just reached over and picked up the card. He seemed to be studying it when I left him. Before I reached the door to the office it opened from the outside and Mrs. Albrecht stood there. She smiled warmly.
“I’m sure we will be in touch,” she said.
I had a feeling that she’d heard every word that had been spoken between me and her boss.
“Thank you, Mrs. Albrecht,” I said. “I certainly hope so.”
Fourteen
I found Cisco leaning against the Lincoln, smoking a cigarette.
“That was fast,” he said.
I opened the back door in case there were cameras in the parking lot and Elliot was watching me.
“Look at you with the encouraging word.”
I got in and he did the same.
“I’m just saying that it seemed kind of quick,” he said. “How’d it go?”
“I gave it my best shot. We’ll probably know something soon.”
“You think he did it?”
“Probably, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve got other things to worry about.”
It was hard to go from thinking about a quarter-million-dollar fee to some of the also-rans on Vincent’s client list, but that was the job. I opened my bag and pulled out the other active files. It was time to decide where our next stop was going to be.
Cisco backed out of the space and started heading toward the arch.
“Lorna’s waiting to hear,” he said.
I looked up at him in the mirror.
“What?”
“Lorna called me while you were inside. She really wants to know what happened with Elliot.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll call her. First let me figure out where we’re going.”
The address of each client – at least the address given upon signing for Vincent’s services – was printed neatly on the outside of each file. I quickly checked through the files, looking for addresses in Hollywood. I finally came across the file belonging to the woman charged with indecent exposure. The client who had come to Vincent’s office earlier to ask for the return of her file.
“Here we go,” I said. “When you get out of here, head down Melrose to La Brea. We ’ve got a client right there. One of the ones who came in today for her file.”
“Got it.”
“After that stop, I’ll ride in the front seat. Don’t want you to feel too much like a chauffeur.”
“It ain’t a bad gig. I think I could get used to it.”
I got out my phone.
“Hey, Mick, I gotta tell you something,” Cisco said.
I took my thumb off the speed-dial button for Lorna.
“Yeah, what?”
“I just wanted to tell you myself before you heard it somewhere else. Me and Lorna… we’re gonna get married.”
I had figured that they were headed in that direction. Lorna and I had been friends for fifteen years before we were married for one. It had been a rebound marriage for me and as ill-advised as anything I had ever done. We ended it when we realized the mistake and somehow managed to remain close. There was no one I trusted more in the world. We were no longer in love but I still loved her and would always protect her.
“That okay with you, Mick?”
I looked at Cisco in the rearview.
“I’m not part of the equation, Cisco.”