finished his cigarette and ground it out in an ashtray.
“Double feature, huh?” he said finally. “Society gets a human sacrifice and you bust my balls at the same time.”
Shoat puffed on his cigar and thought about that for a moment before nodding.
“I like that, Counselor. That’s quite an accurate appraisal of the situation. Double feature—punishment and retribution. My two favorite subjects.”
Outside, it had begun to sleet again. A county worker was sprinkling salt on the icy steps and Vail went down them slowly, hanging on to the brass railing. The fender bender had been cleaned up, but a dark blue limo was now parked in front of the courthouse. Some big shot working late, Vail thought. Maybe it’s Shoat’s car? But as Vail reached the bottom step a face appeared for a moment in the rear window, then moved back into the shadows. It was Roy Shaughnessey. The driver got out, scurried around the car and opened the door.
Vail peered in at Shaughnessey.
“There’s not a cab running in town,” Shaughnessey said. “Get in, I’ll run you home.”
Vail got in. The limo driver got in the front seat and turned back toward Shaughnessey.
“One-oh-two, Fraser,” Shaughnessey said. “It’s out in the Yards.” He turned to Vail. “How about a brandy?”
“Oh, what the hell. Why not?”
Shaughnessey opened a compartment in the back of the front seat. It revealed a small bar stocked with three-ounce airline bottles of liquor. Shaughnessey opened two of them and emptied the contents into old-fashioned glasses.
“Sorry I don’t have snifters,” he said. “Always thought that was a lot of bunk anyway, swirling it around in those glassesand sniffing it.” He held up his glass. “Here’s to you, Martin—okay if I call you Martin?”
“Sure, Roy.”
“You’re one helluva piece of work,” the old war-horse said, clinking Vail’s glass. “Ever thought about moving up in the world?”
“Up to where?” Vail asked.
“Look, son, you’re tighter than a nun’s pussy when it comes to talkin’ about yourself. I know you come from downstate. No credentials. No family to speak of. Some bad breaks along the line. I pulled the package on you. Hard pull up by your own bootstraps. All that crap.”
“What’s your point?”
“Time to let it out. You’re Robin Hood right now. Start capitalizing on that hard road up. Self-made man, overcoming the odds, it’ll sell, know what I mean?”
“I don’t have anything to sell right now.”
“C’mon, son, you know how hard it is to break into these platinum law firms without a pedigree. You’re the best lawyer in the state. Nobody wants to go up against you.”
“Is this some kind of an offer?”
“Let’s just say it’s part of your continuing education. You’ve got to slick up a little.”
Vail laughed. “You mean go legit?”
Shaughnessey laughed harder. “That’s exactly what I mean,” he said, “go legit.”
“Why bother?”
“Because you want to move to the other side of town. You want what everybody wants, bow and scrape, tip their hat, call you Mister and mean it. You don’t want to cop pleas for gunsels the rest of your life. Ten, twelve years from now you’ll have the bank account but you’ll be sick of having scum for clients. You still won’t be legit, as you put it.”
“Is that why you dumped this Rushman case on me?”
Shaughnessey laughed. “Don’t give it a thought. You need a little humility, Martin. Besides, they want a monkey show out of that trial and you’ll give it to them. You’ll make them work for that conviction.”
“So that’s what it’s all about, getting a good show and teaching me a little humility?”
“It’s the way the process works. You don’t go anywhere without help, Martin. You can’t do it alone, you need friends.”
“Oh, so this was a friendly gesture?”
“You’re getting a favor and doing a favor at the same time. Now’s a good time to start planning your
“Double feature, huh?” he said finally. “Society gets a human sacrifice and you bust my balls at the same time.”
Shoat puffed on his cigar and thought about that for a moment before nodding.
“I like that, Counselor. That’s quite an accurate appraisal of the situation. Double feature—punishment and retribution. My two favorite subjects.”
Outside, it had begun to sleet again. A county worker was sprinkling salt on the icy steps and Vail went down them slowly, hanging on to the brass railing. The fender bender had been cleaned up, but a dark blue limo was now parked in front of the courthouse. Some big shot working late, Vail thought. Maybe it’s Shoat’s car? But as Vail reached the bottom step a face appeared for a moment in the rear window, then moved back into the shadows. It was Roy Shaughnessey. The driver got out, scurried around the car and opened the door.
Vail peered in at Shaughnessey.
“There’s not a cab running in town,” Shaughnessey said. “Get in, I’ll run you home.”
Vail got in. The limo driver got in the front seat and turned back toward Shaughnessey.
“One-oh-two, Fraser,” Shaughnessey said. “It’s out in the Yards.” He turned to Vail. “How about a brandy?”
“Oh, what the hell. Why not?”
Shaughnessey opened a compartment in the back of the front seat. It revealed a small bar stocked with three-ounce airline bottles of liquor. Shaughnessey opened two of them and emptied the contents into old-fashioned glasses.
“Sorry I don’t have snifters,” he said. “Always thought that was a lot of bunk anyway, swirling it around in those glassesand sniffing it.” He held up his glass. “Here’s to you, Martin—okay if I call you Martin?”
“Sure, Roy.”
“You’re one helluva piece of work,” the old war-horse said, clinking Vail’s glass. “Ever thought about moving up in the world?”
“Up to where?” Vail asked.
“Look, son, you’re tighter than a nun’s pussy when it comes to talkin’ about yourself. I know you come from downstate. No credentials. No family to speak of. Some bad breaks along the line. I pulled the package on you. Hard pull up by your own bootstraps. All that crap.”
“What’s your point?”
“Time to let it out. You’re Robin Hood right now. Start capitalizing on that hard road up. Self-made man, overcoming the odds, it’ll sell, know what I mean?”
“I don’t have anything to sell right now.”
“C’mon, son, you know how hard it is to break into these platinum law firms without a pedigree. You’re the best lawyer in the state. Nobody wants to go up against you.”
“Is this some kind of an offer?”
“Let’s just say it’s part of your continuing education. You’ve got to slick up a little.”
Vail laughed. “You mean go legit?”
Shaughnessey laughed harder. “That’s exactly what I mean,” he said, “go legit.”
“Why bother?”
“Because you want to move to the other side of town. You want what everybody wants, bow and scrape, tip their hat, call you Mister and mean it. You don’t want to cop pleas for gunsels the rest of your life. Ten, twelve years from now you’ll have the bank account but you’ll be sick of having scum for clients. You still won’t be legit, as you put it.”
“Is that why you dumped this Rushman case on me?”
Shaughnessey laughed. “Don’t give it a thought. You need a little humility, Martin. Besides, they want a monkey show out of that trial and you’ll give it to them. You’ll make them work for that conviction.”
“So that’s what it’s all about, getting a good show and teaching me a little humility?”
“It’s the way the process works. You don’t go anywhere without help, Martin. You can’t do it alone, you need friends.”
“Oh, so this was a friendly gesture?”
“You’re getting a favor and doing a favor at the same time. Now’s a good time to start planning your
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