Stone cold

Martin Reagan said, “Rita, let’s wait until we get into court to

try the case. We simply want to question the suspects, and they simply wanted their attorney present.”

“Which would be me,” Rita said. She

glanced at Feldman beside

her, “and of course Barry.”

“Barry Feldman,” the other lawyer said.

Jesse nodded. He looked at Troy Drake.

“You got anything you want to say, Troy?”

Troy Drake was very blond with a full-lipped sulky mouth that made him look vaguely like Carly Simon. His mother was as blond as he was, and had the same sulky mouth.

“I’ve advised my clients not to discuss the case,” Rita

said.

Feldman nodded.

“You all pla

Jesse

said.

No one at the table spoke.

“Okay,” Jesse said. “These

officers will read you your rights

and escort you to your cell.”

“You already arrested me and I got released to my old man,” Bo

said.

“That was for a different crime,” Jesse said. “This is a new

arrest.”

“Can they do this?” Mrs. Drake said.

“I’ll have them out in a few

hours,” Rita said.

“I’m going to ask for remand,”

Reagan said.

“Marty, don’t be ridiculous,”

Rita said. “These are

children.”

“So is Candace Pe

“They can’t put my son in jail,”

Mrs. Drake said. “I know he

didn’t do anything.”

Mrs. Marino was crying. Mr. Marino was red-faced.

“You better keep my kid out of jail,” he said to

Rita.

“Mr. Marino,” Rita said. “I am

the chief criminal litigator at

Cone Oakes and Belding. I’m about as good as it gets. You don’t

frighten me. Nothing does, and it is not in your best interest to a

Marino looked startled.

“The boys may have to spend the night in jail, but we can get

them in front of a judge tomorrow and get them released on bail. I am confident that I can forestall a remand.”

“What’s a remand,” Mrs. Drake

said.

“Remand to jail to await trial.”

“My God, is that what’s going to happen now?”

“No. It won’t happen at all. But now the police will hold your

son until tomorrow when we can get them before a magistrate.”

“They’re children. They can’t

have to be thrown in with the

general prison population,” Mrs. Drake said.

“We’ll hold them here,” Jesse

said. “It’s a four-cell lockup.

They will be the general prison population.”

“This is crap,” Troy said.

His mother put her hand on his arm. Jesse could tell that neither Troy nor Bo Marino liked the talk about them being children.

“You got that right,” Bo said.

“That little wimp prick is

lying.”

“Please be quiet,” Rita said to both boys.

“The wimp prick being Feeney?” Jesse said.

“Sure. You got him and the fucking baby says whatever you want

him to, so he can get off.”

“And Candace?” Jesse said.

“Bitch would say anything to get me in trouble,” Troy said.

“She’s been hot for me since ninth grade, and I won’t give her a

nod.”

“Is she hot for Bo, too?” Jesse said.

“Be quiet,” Rita said to both boys.

“Let ‘em talk, lady,” Joe Marino

said. “Somebody’s trying to

frame my kid and you’re telling him not to say anything?”

“They’re not doing themselves any

good,” Rita

said.

“She hot for Bo?” Jesse said to Troy.

“I don’t know. Maybe Bo did her for all I know, him and Kevin

was always talking about doing this broad and that one.”

“You cocksucker,” Bo said.

Mrs. Marino paused in her crying long enough to say,

“Bo!”

No one paid any attention.

“So maybe they did her,” Troy said,

“and the bitch thought when

she got them she could throw me in there and get even.”

“Shut up.” Rita’s voice was

sharp in the room.

But the genie was out of the bottle.

“So why did Kevin name you as well,” Jesse said.

“Fucking loser,” Troy said.

“He’s always sucking up to

Bo.”

Rita’s hand slammed flat on the tabletop and her voice was like

a blade.

“Shut fucking up,” she said.

Everyone looked at her. The room was suddenly still except for Mrs. Marino’s crying. Joe Marino made a cool it gesture at his son.

Mrs. Drake squeezed Troy’s hand as hard as she could.

“You keep talking and you’ll talk

yourselves right into a mess I

can’t get you out of. Do you understand me?”

No one said anything. Bo and Troy looked suddenly scared.

“Good,” Rita said. “You will

talk to no one unless I’m present,

or Barry. You will say nothing unless I say to, or Barry.”

“Rita,” Marty Reagan said. “This

doesn’t look like one for all

and all for one.”

“I know,” Rita said.

She looked at her clients.

“What Mr. Reagan means is that I can’t represent clients in

circumstances where the best interest of one might collide with the best interests of the other.”

Both families looked a little blank. But she had frightened them

enough to make them docile.

“So,” she said. “Let them stay

here tonight. Tomorrow Barry or

I, it will probably be Barry, will get them out on bail, and then we’ll organize your legal representation.”

“You can’t pull out on us now,”

Joe Marino said.

“I can’t represent both of the

boys,” Rita said.

“So let him represent Troy,” Marino said.

“Same firm, Mr. Marino. I’ll see to it that you are both well

represented, but this is not the place, and now is not the time.”

She turned and nodded very slightly to Jesse.

“Okay, Molly,” Jesse said. “You

and Suit read the words and take

them down to a cell.”

Mrs. Marino’s crying rose to a wail. Both Bo and Troy looked as

if they had trouble swallowing. Joe Marino started to argue. Mrs.

Drake seemed frozen in place. Molly said the Miranda for both of them and she and Simpson took them from the room. Their parents went with them.

“Checking the accommodations,” Reagan said when they were

gone.

Rita Fiore said, “When are you going to arraign them,

Marty?”

“You should have them there at nine A.M.,”

Reagan

said.

“Salem?”

“Yep.”

“Can you take care of that, Barry?”

Feldman nodded and made a small entry in his notebook.

“Now,” Rita said. “In the event

that I’m still representing

someone in this cluster fuck, it seems to me like there are deals to be made.”

“Let’s permit the dust to

settle,” Reagan said, “before we start bargaining.”

“Just as long as you see what I see,” Rita said.

Reagan smiled, and got to his feet.

“We done here?” he said.

Jesse nodded. So did Rita.

“Barry,” Rita said.

“I’ll be along in a little while. Why don’t

you get the car warmed up.”

Feldman stowed the notebook in his inside pocket and stood and picked up his briefcase.

“Nice meeting you all,” he said.

“I’ll walk you to your car,”

Reagan said, and both men

left.

40

Rita stood and came down the length of the table and sat on the

edge of it near Jesse. Jesse understood that she was letting him get a look at her. She knew she was very good-looking.

“I did a little background research,” Rita said.

“Thorough,” Jesse said.

“I am very thorough,” Rita said.

“I also have the resources of a

huge law firm.”

“Fortunate,” Jesse said.

Rita smiled.

“Try not to babble,” she said.

“Hard,” Jesse said.