“It’s not for me. I have a partner. He’s owed a substantial share.”

“A worn-out drunk, from what I hear,” the Judge said in an arch tone, which he immediately dropped. “He’s not worthy, Ted,” he said, ladling on an unctuous false sympathy, as though Lester were an unfortunate relative.

“I could tell you that I owe him, but that kind of loyalty to a man like Lester wouldn’t make any sense to you.” There was more to Lester than the Judge could ever imagine. But Ted held off. The Judge would sneer at emotion, but a reasoned argument presented by one legal mind to another might get through. “He knows as much as I do about all of this and he’s smart. He’ll figure out the rest. You can’t scare him off. Pay him a fair cut. Or you can order a more permanent solution, though I don’t think the cabal can afford another of those. The police have been struggling with the Richie Rubiano murder case, but a second body would be the thing they need to tie that to the attack on McKenzie Zielinski, and then you’d all be well and truly screwed. I don’t doubt that you could do it—and get away with it again—but why? There’s no shortage of loose cash lying around. Pay him.”

“Who is this Richie you mentioned?”

Ted didn’t let this half-hearted evasion stop him. “The point, Your Honor, is that you can no longer bear the scrutiny of the police. For a relatively small sum, you can divest yourselves of a potential threat. My way, the risk disappears. Your way, it simply shifts—and increases.”

The Judge stroked the side of his long, thin nose. “We can arrange something,” he agreed.

The weight of anxiety in Ted’s chest lifted a touch. He hoped it didn’t show. He wasn’t done.

“What would you suggest?”

“Half a mil.”

“Too much. One hundred thousand.”

“Three hundred thousand,” Ted said. “That’s half of my half of what I would have recovered for Barbara Miller. That was my deal with Lester.” Ted felt entirely comfortable lying about this. Lester had earned every last dollar.

“It would be cleaner if we allowed Ms. Clavette to pursue those particular funds on behalf of the client. The money will go to Miss Miller and help to pay for her care. It will leave a convincing paper trail, should it be needed. We can find another way of paying your friend.”

“And speaking of Jackie, what’s your proposal there? Jail or disbarment?”