Read Online Notorious by Michele Martinez - Free Book Online

Abdullah had come up, would he keep that to himself, or would he sell Atari Briggs out? He was pushing pretty hard to get a name; suspiciously hard, and Mark had said the Abdullah angle was to remain a closely guarded secret. She couldn’t take the risk.
    â€œLike I said, ask him yourself.”
    â€œTo go to him blind, not even knowing what you want out of him?” Diamond shook his head. “I don’t think so. Cooperation isn’t my thing anyway. I don’t like rats, and I don’t like representing them.”
    â€œSo I’ve heard.”
    â€œYeah, I know. As far as you people are concerned, representing a few narcotics defendants makes me the equivalent of Pablo Escobar. Let me tell you, honey, if you want to make a living in this business, it’s either the kingpins or the white-collar guys, and frankly the kingpins are better people.”
    â€œI don’t care who pays your bills, Evan. But if you’re an honestlawyer, you’ll take my proposal to your client. You don’t have a choice.”
    â€œOf course I do. I represent him; I make the decisions about what’s in his best interests.”
    â€œIf you don’t tell him about this, I’ll have a duty to inform the judge.”
    â€œThe judge? Your former boss, you mean. You two go girlfriend shopping together at lunchtime, or what?”
    Melanie laughed. “You don’t know Bernadette. She spanks us every chance she gets. But I can tell you, she won’t tolerate you refusing to communicate a valid offer of cooperation to your client. That’s the equivalent of turning down a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card. I’ll make sure she hears about it.”
    They stared at each other in silence. Melanie refused to look away. She needed him to understand that she was serious.
    Diamond blinked first.
    â€œYou came all the way uptown to make this offer,” he said. “I’d hate to see you leave empty-handed. I’ll convey your proposal to Atari. He’ll likely take it as a sign that your case is weak and you’re panicking. But I could be wrong. If you lose this trial, you go home to your family at the end of the day. If Atari loses, he gets twenty to life.”

11
    I n the vestibule outside Diamond’s office, weak winter light filtered through the etched glass door, revealing a graceful staircase curving upward. Lester Poe had lived up there in a grand apartment. His wife—his widow—was probably at home right now.
    Melanie couldn’t explain why she’d been so shocked by the news that Lester was married. Her father had cheated on her mother. Her ex-husband had cheated on her. Then she’d fallen for somebody new, and he’d cheated, too—well, close enough, anyway. She attracted them somehow. She shouldn’t let this one bother her; she’d barely known Lester. She looked at her watch. It was time to get back to the office.
    Outside, she couldn’t help noticing something she’d missed on the way in. There was a second buzzer under the one with the large brass plaque beside it proclaiming P OE & D IAMOND in engraved letters. This one was unmarked. Presumably the only people who pressed it were those who knew to look for it.
    Melanie’s hand wavered, then reached out of its own accord.
    â€œWho is it?” asked a woman’s voice, low and cultured.
    â€œIs this Brenda Gould?”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œI’m Melanie Vargas. I’m an Assistant U.S. Attorney, from the federal prosecutor’s office. I—I’d like to speak to you about your husband’s death.”
    There was a pause. And then the heavy door that had swung closed behind her a moment before buzzed again. Melanie pushed it open and headed up the curving staircase.
    At the third-floor landing, a woman waited. She was skeletally thin, with dark eyes that burned in a pale face and short salt-and-pepper hair, wearing black slacks and a mannish black