She expelled a thin puff of smoke. “Jesus, I don’t even know where to begin. We got a case today involving a young man who had been accused of murdering another guy over some drugs. When I questioned him, he admitted to shooting the other boy, but claims it was in self-defense. He and the other boy were arguing over who had the right to hustle on that corner. Things got a little heated and he reached inside his jacket, that’s when my client shot him.”

“Damn, was the other kid strapped?” Paul asked.

“Yeah, they found a gun on him.”

“So, what’s the big deal? Shorty was just trying to protect himself.”

“Yes, it’s easy to look at it like that on the streets, but in a court of law it’s a whole different ball game. To them its not a boy trying to protect himself, it’s a drug-related shooting. If I can’t convince them otherwise, they’re gonna try and fry that kid.”

“Sucks to be you,” Paul said offhandedly.

Marlene got up from the recliner so fast that she almost knocked Paul on the floor. “I don’t see the joke, Paul. There’s a young man’s life at stake here.”

“Come on, Mar. You know I didn’t mean it like that. All I’m saying is, you and I know how it can be in the hood, but these crackers that run the show ain’t got a fucking clue. Now, what if your client hadn’t hesitated? He’d probably be deader than all hell, and it’d be the other boy who got prosecuted. It’s like you can’t win with these pricks.”

“You’re telling me.” She walked over to the entertainment system and switched the CD. Lyfe Jennings’s “Must Be Nice” replaced the first lady of Bad Boy. “Sometimes I wonder what the fucking point is. Who knows, maybe Monday morning I’ll just go in and quit.”

“Who the fuck are you kidding?” Paul swigged his beer. “You love your job too much. Besides, if you were to quit, how would you keep up the mortgage on this little mansion here?” He looked around the room.

“I’d manage. I’ve got some money tucked away for a rainy day, and I could do legal consulting. Besides, you’d take care of me, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course I would. I ain’t got much, baby, but whatever I have is yours,” he said seriously. “You’re my beginning and my ending. Whatever you need, you have but to ask.”

“Glad you feel that way, Paul. So when are we moving in together?”

Damn, walked right into that one, he thought to himself. “Come on, Marlene.”

“Come on? Are we going somewhere?” she asked sarcastically.