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Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She picked the card off the desk and held it in her hands as she smiled at me. “Is that the only reason you’d like me to call?”

“Unless you’ve got a line on who I should bet on in the World Series, yes. Now I’ll need your info and the bartender’s.”

20

20

We sat at a fashionable restaurant at the Bellagio. I ordered the most expensive wine they had and steaks for everyone. Will said, “No wine, thanks.”

“That’s idiotic. Have a glass. It lubricates conversation.”

“He doesn’t drink,” Jia said. She took a sip of the wine and said, “That’s the best wine I’ve ever had.”

“Maybe, maybe not. The question is, if I had told you that wine was eight dollars a bottle at the grocery store, would you still think that?”

“Probably not.”

“Perception is everything. Forget reality. Reality has no place in life or in a courtroom.”

“Is that in one of your chapters?” Will said.

“No, just a fact. But when you get into that courtroom, remember that the perception of how the jury sees the defendant and the victim is all that matters. That is one of my chapters: juries vote with their emotions. Forget legal reasoning; perception is what molds emotion, and emotion tells the jury how to vote.”

Will took a bite of his steak and said, “How’d you guess the owner of Skid Row was dealing out of the bar?”

“She’s surrounded by fifty casinos and probably a hundred bars better than hers, but that sign behind the bar said they’ve been in business for twenty-five years. Now how’s a little crap bar surrounded by better bars survive for twenty-five years?”

Jia said, “If the bar is just a front for something else.”

“Bingo.”

Will shook his head. “That’s crazy. So are we going to call the LVPD?”

“Hell no, we’re not. Farah’ll clam up and not tell us anything ever again. And since we don’t have jurisdiction, the defense might be able to get anything she said to us suppressed, and then fruit of the poisonous tree would apply to anything we found. Russell Pritcher is the smartest attorney, with the exception of moi, that you’ll ever meet.”

Will took some fancy ketchup that was on the table and poured it over his steak like it was ambrosia. He tore into it, and Jia and I stared at him. He wiped his lips with a napkin and said, “What? I like ketchup.”

Jia said, “Are you five years old?”

“Don’t knock something till you try it.”

I had bought a replacement phone and got a call from Gates.

“Hey.”

“Hey. You know when you’re going to have my team back? We got a motion hearing at four.”

“What type of case?”

“Drug distribution.”

I checked my watch. “I’ll have ’em back by then.”