I filled out the paperwork and chatted with the women for a few minutes. Katie stood, slipped on a cute leather jacket, and got ready to leave.

The manners my mother had beaten into my brother and me demanded that I stand as well.

She gave me a quick hug. “Thank you for everything you’re doing.”

“I really haven’t accomplished anything yet. But I’m not giving up.” I didn’t tell her that now I was prepared to take drastic measures to help my brother and find my friend’s killer. You can only put up with bullshit for so long, and I was at my limit.

Once Katie had left, Lise looked at me and said, “I thought I said I didn’t need any help on your brother’s case.”

“I’m not doing it for you.”

She shook her head and looked down. “I hope to make some progress at the evidentiary hearing scheduled for next week. If the gun gets thrown out for any reason, your brother will be free to go.”

I leaned in and said, “I heard you represent all the drug dealers in town.”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because you represent my brother, Pete, and Alton Beatty.”

“Alton has me on retainer. But that’s really all I can say. Why? Is there something I need to know?”

“Did Pete or Alton ever tell you about some kind of big score they made in the city?”

“As I said, ethically, I can’t tell you anything a client has discussed with me. That being said, typically, my clients don’t call me unless there is some kind of problem. I don’t hear about the successful business transactions.”

I thought about how she could discuss this so casually and blurted out, “Does what you do for a living ever bother you?”

“You mean upholding people’s rights?”

“I mean figure out ways for felons to get back out on the streets.”

Lise said, “Like your brother?”

She hit the target on that last comment. I had no real retort other than to bow my head and say, “Touché.”

There was an awkward silence that one of us needed to break.

Lise said, “Natty told me you were in school to be a Navy SEAL. He said it was all you ever wanted to be. How does a SEAL recruit become a paperboy and PI?”

“I had all the skills. I could run. Was great with weapons. I took karate since I was eight so I knew how to move. There was just one thing I underestimated.”

“What’s that?”

“Swimming. I could swim, but not the way I needed to. Upstate New York is not the best environment to become a great swimmer.”

“You didn’t know that going in?”