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"Why, you son of a gun," he said "I understand the self-styled Will of the People knows he's licked now that you're on the case"

Ages ago, when I turned in old shield and moved out on my wife and sons, I took a room at the Hotel Northwestern on West Fifty-seventh Street just east of Ninth Avenue I've coraphy is not one of them The Pare Vendome, where Elaine and I have our apartment, is on the don side of Fifty-seventh, directly across fro ets much use It's no place to meet clients, and the records I keep there would fit easily in a closet or cupboard across the street

"Adrian Whitfield," Ray Gruliow said "I ran into him don earlier today As a matter of fact I found myself at loose ends, so I sat down and watched hi a case, as I'm sure you know"

"I haven't spoken to hi up?"

"He doesn't look so hot," he said, "but it could be that he's just plain exhausted I can't turn ona mike in front of his face outside of the Criot hiht, doing a remote from their New York studio"

"What did he talk about?"

"Moral aspects of the adversary systeo, and to what extent do we hold hi, but then they took questions fro to the lowest coenerally pretty low"

"And dreadfully common"

"All the sa You knohat Saed in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully' "

"Great line"

"Isn't it? I'ed it out as evidence of the efficacy of their panacea for the world's ills"

"I hope you're not getting ready to ht haul out Dr Johnson next tiuarded Your doing, I understand"

"Not really I ave hi body armor"

"He's supposed to be," I said, "and I wish he'd keep hisit, he'll go for a head shot instead"

"Well, Will's not going to hear it from me Of course, we don't knoho Will is, do we?"

"If we did," I said, "he'd cease to be a problem"

"For all you know," he said, "I could be Will myself"

"Hmmm No, I don't think so"

"What antly phrased"

"You son of a bitch He does have a ords, though, doesn't he?"

"Yes"

"Alet a letter fro I'm not proud of You know my immediate reaction when I saw the open letter to Adrian?"

"You figured it should have been you"

"No the hell did you know that? Or aht?"

"Well, what else would you be ashamed of?"

"I didn't say I was ashamed I said I wasn't proud of it"

"I stand corrected"

"It's true, though You reht bulb?"

"I heard it but I forget"

"Five One to climb the ladder and four to say 'That should be me up there!' Trial lawyers aren't all that different In this case,for the part my whole professional career Who's the most hated man in New York?"

"Walter O'Malley"

"Walter O'Malley? Who the hell… oh, the cocksucker who ers out of Brooklyn He's dead, isn't he?"

"I certainly hope so"

"You're an unforgiving son of a bitch, aren't you? Forget Walter O'Malley Who's the most hated lawyer in New York?"

"If that's another joke, the answer is they all are"

"The answer, as you well know, is Raymond Gruliow"

"Hard-Way Ray"

"You said it I'm the one with the most loathsoers who said he never met a et out much"

"And he never met my list of clients Arab terrorists, black radicals, psychotic mass murderers Warren Madison, who only shot half a dozen New York police officers Who did Whitfield ever defend who can compare to Warren Madison?"

"Richie Vollmer," I said "For openers"

"Warren Madison's as bad as Richie Vollmer You blame the system for Vollmer's acquittal For Warren, you have to blaet humble Humility's no asset in this line of work You know the Chinese curse, my friend? 'May you be represented by a hu to be all right?"