“But Billy is innocent,” Lawrence says, looking stricken. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem?” Cocking his head, the lawyer gazes at Lawrence. “That’s not how things work, Lar. There’s a justice system. We have to act within its confines. Innocent boys go to prison every day—even white ones.”

“I realize that, Peter. Of course, I do. But I’m hoping we could, I don’t know, circumvent the . . . move things a bit faster. My wife is—”

He’s interrupted by the waitress, who sets down our food and asks if we need anything else. No, we tell her; all good. “Let me know!” Her eyes linger on Nate for a moment before she rushes off.

“We can’t circumvent anything,” DeFiore tells Lawrence. “The process is the same for everyone—slow and painful. In the morning, Billy will be transferred to the courthouse. He’ll appear before the judge. The DA will do his thing. We’ll do ours. Ten, fifteen minutes, tops.” He sits back. “So, as we discussed, I still have a lot to review but it’s unlikely I’ll recommend a trial—”

“This just happened, Peter,” Nate says. “How can you know what you’ll recommend?”

“Regrettably, Nate, your brother got himself in a shitty spot. In he-said/she-said situations, everyone’s a little bit innocent and little bit guilty. Lawyers hate these cases, especially in New Jersey, because plaintiffs have an advantage here. Plus, Mercer County is a political minefield.”

“What do you mean?” my brother asks, a challenge in his tone. Like Lawrence, he wants DeFiore to cut to the chase and set Billy free.

“Several years ago, the previous DA, a guy named Jameson Halliday, was charged with assaulting three female paralegals. This was right after Harvey Weinstein exploded, so his case got a lot of ink. On one side you had Halliday, an older man who wielded enormous power. On the other, you had a large contingent of vocal women with very real grievances.”

“Whose side were you on?” I ask.

“Great question, Cassie. I’ll plead the Fifth. Halliday was a manipulative asshole with a long, dirty history. But it was a hard case to prosecute. The evidence was weak. Two of the women made lousy witnesses. They ended up settling. It was the right call, but Halliday got off easy. Though he resigned and paid a hefty fine, he didn’t have to admit guilt or give up his pension. Everyone left the table unsatisfied.”

I snort. “But why would this one case—”

“The next DA comes in and cleans up. Doubles down on victim’s rights, reinstates rape shield protections, implements new sensitivity programs, et cetera. Now plaintiffs have an advantage here unlike any other county in the Tri-State area, maybe the whole East Coast.”

“And? What does this have to do with Billy?” Nate asks.