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“Oh” His candor was refreshing “Were you buying or selling?”

“She was selling and I was her source When she got busted, she didher killer”

“And that’s why you’re doing all this? As a posthumous favor to Shanae?”

“I told you Tina is basically a good kid And she deserves better Why else?”

I didn’t know, but ut said there was more to it

Sheila had taken off by the tiot to the office A stack ofwheat from chaff as I went I spied an envelope with the divorce interrogatories Flipping through the pages, I groaned at how often the defendant refused to answer a question—and on the flirounds I tossed them onto the desk and rubbedwith Slippery Steve—ood faith” effort to work out our differences—before we took our dispute to the judge Judges enjoy resolving discovery disputes—especially in divorce and custody cases—about astoilets with a toothbrush There has to be an easier way, I thought

On the plus side, I’d gotten a decent offer to settle the “bruised knee” case I called Daria the Dancer, hined that it wasn’ttheher that she wasn’t perence would be near impossible and, if it went to trial, she’d end up with bupkes The McDonald’s “hot coffee” fiasco and celebrity cases aside, I was incapable of arguing that Dancer Daria would be the next Twyla Tharp if not for her spill at Safeway I copied the offer and sent it to Daria with a bid for her final “yea” or “nay”

I was updating

“Sa of guilt I was supposed to be doing the heavy lifting for him “Brad’s been arrested for Jones’s murder”

“When?”

“This afternoon The cops found a gun in his apartht be the murder weapon”

I slumped in my chair “What did Brad have to say?”

“He thinks soun”

“Like someone planted the money in his office” I hoped the cynicism in my voice wasn’t too obvious

If it was, Walt ignored it “Brad’s bail hearing is to Can you co our strategy”