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“Won’t help”

“She said no?” Julie asked, frowning

“Yeah Be sure and spread it around: Winona turned her back on us” She kissed Noah’s plu with his diaper bag

Noah went to his aunt happily, i with her beaded necklace

“You want me to coht when Vivi Ann called her

“I love you for offering, but no I need to start doing things onto be a lot of that in my future” She started to leave

Julie’s hand on her wrist stopped her “Not everyone thinks he’s guilty,” she said

“Thanks, Jules”

All the way to Olympia, Vivi Ann practiced what she would say, how she would convince a stranger to take her husband’s case At the first address, she strode into the squat brick building, gave the receptionist her name, and waited impatiently Almost twenty minutes later, James Jensen came out to meet her

She shtly when he finally appeared “Hello, Mr Jensen Thank you for seeing me on such short notice”

“When one is looking for a criminal defense attorney, it’s often a rush Here, come into my office and sit down”

For the next twenty ave him the facts of the case, at least as much as she knew She was careful to be professional and unemotional; she didn’t want to look like one of those women who stupidly believe the best of their husbands When she’d exhausted the limited facts, she talked about what a wonderful husband and father Dallas was Then she waited for him to speak

At last, he looked up

She had waited for that look Noould ask if Dallas was innocent and she’d nod and tell him how she knew that to be true

“So, Mrs Raintree I would need a thirty-five-thousand-dollar retainer Then we could get started”