Read Online Compelling Evidence by Steve Martini - Free Book Online Page B

poor propagate children. We pass a few pleasantries; it's an awkward context for small talk. There are the obvious regrets, the universal human emotion following any suicide ‐‐‐ some expressions of self‐recrimination for what we might have done to prevent it For his part, it soon becomes a litany of reminiscences‐‐nostalgic tales of him and Ben as young men struggling in the jungle of a provincial and crude local judicial system to carve out civilization. He stops in mid‐sentence, looks at me as if some matter of high consequence has just crawled in from the subconscious. "What the hell happened between the two of you, anyway?

    One day you're there and the next you're history."

    It is as I expected. Ben kept his own counsel in the matter of ray affair with Talia. True to form, he was a man much possessed of appearances, and pride. In the eyes of his closest confidants, my departure from the firm continues to be viewed as the result of some falling‐out over an obscure matter of business. "It was between the two of us," I say. "One of those things that happens sometimes between friends."

    "You make it sound like you were pokin' his wife." He laughs, turns, and snaps his fingers for a drink. For an instant I think that he's been talking to an oracle. no waitress is on us before'he can L‐11 1@' my eyes. finally turns to face me again, his expression is a vacant smile.
    I I I I special talent for clairvoyance. me buy ya a driw' he says. "Got two already." I hold up a full glass. He orders a double bourbon and returns to the subjec firm and my leaving. I make a mental note to use a line if asked the reasons for my departure from the fire future. As it turns out, Cooper was right. Two days after our c tion at the Emerald Tower I was visited by the cops, a q agent in tow. They asked me about my conversation wi at Wong's. I bit my tongue and lied, a little white omis *" s' them of his disclosure to me, the fact that he was destinec court. I left out our heart‐to‐heart about Talia. They final it. They wanted to know why I left the firm. Any disa hard feelings between Potter and me? I denied it roun capped our conversation with Ben's offer to have me serv trustee of the Sharon Cooper memorial fund. This was so they could check with the law school, a little corro lasted less than ten minutes. They seemed satisfied as
    "What the hell was it? You guys
    argue over a case or so says Skarpellos. "Something," I say. "You know, you should've come to me."

    "Why's thatt' "I had a good amount of influence with Ben. He me. I say nothing but our eyes meet, and this time he mind. "No, it's true. Ben did respect my judgment."

    I wonder what the Greek's been smoking. "We'd been together too long not to have developed degree of mutual respect," he says. I remove the smirk from my face, turn serious, but ing. "There was no reason to lose talent like yours. I'll bet I patched it up between the two of you."

    "Well," I say. "One thing's for sure."

    "What's thatt' "We'll never know now, will wet' "Mat's true," he says.
    "Ain't that the truth."

    There's a translucent quality in his eyes. I can sense searching for something lyrical, a little poignancy to be bered later, repeated to others, a message from Ben's the world. Verse dies on his lips as the waiter arrives drink. He takes the glass, and by the time he looks back he's forgotten what it was he was searching for, "Been meanin' to call ya," he says. "Somethin' we need to talk aww", I look at him‐‐a question mark. "It's a little delicate," he says. This has never stopped Skarpellos, I think. "You got a client‐the Hawley girl?" i nod, wondering what interest he could have in Susan Hawley. "A good piece of tail, from what I've heard." He gnaws on a little ice. "What's your interest?"

    "Got a client in a little pickle‐a little trouble," he says. If Tony's client knows Hawley, it's more likely that his pickle got him in that trouble. "Maybe this Hawley broad can help," he