Part 19 (2/2)
Jesse Quiller had always fancied tall, sylphlike, sophisticated blondes. Then he had met Emily and fallen in love with her. Emily was a prematurely gray dumpling of a woman, from an Iowa farm-the exact opposite of other women Quiller had dated. She was a caretaker, mother earth. They made an unlikely couple, but the marriage worked because they were deeply in love with each other.
Every Tuesday, the Singers and the Quillers had dinner and then played a complicated card game called Liverpool.
When Sandra and David arrived at the Quillers' beautiful home on Hayes Street, Jesse met them at the door.
He gave Sandra a hug and said, ”Come in. We've got the champagne on ice. It's a big day for you, huh? The new penthouse and the partners.h.i.+p. Or is it the partners.h.i.+p and the penthouse?”
David and Sandra looked at each other.
”Emily's in the kitchen fixing a celebration dinner.” He looked at their faces. ”I think think it's a celebration dinner. Am I missing something?” it's a celebration dinner. Am I missing something?”
David said, ”No, Jesse. It's just that we may have a-a little problem.”
”Come on in. Fix you a drink?” He looked at Sandra.
”No, thanks. I don't want the baby to get into bad habits.”
”He's a lucky kid, having parents like you,” Quiller said warmly. He turned to David. ”What can I get for you?”
”I'm fine,” David said.
Sandra started toward the kitchen. ”I'll go see if I can help Emily.”
”Sit down, David. You look serious.”
”I'm in a dilemma,” David admitted.
”Let me guess. Is it the penthouse or the partners.h.i.+p?”
”Both.”
”Both?”
”Yes. You know about the Patterson case?”
”Ashley Patterson? Sure. What's that got to do with-?” He stopped. ”Wait a minute. You told me about Steven Patterson, in law school. He saved your mother's life.”
”Yes. He wants me to defend his daughter. I tried to turn the case over to you, but he won't hear of anyone but me defending her.”
Quiller frowned. ”Does he know you're not practicing criminal law anymore?”
”Yes. That's what's so d.a.m.n strange. There are dozens of lawyers who can do a h.e.l.l of a lot better job than I can.”
”He knows that you were were a criminal defense lawyer?” a criminal defense lawyer?”
”Yes.”
Quiller said carefully, ”How does he feel about his daughter?”
What a strange question, David thought. ”She means more to him than anything in the world.” David thought. ”She means more to him than anything in the world.”
”Okay. Suppose you took her case. The downside is that-”
”The downside is that Kincaid doesn't want me to take it. If I do, I have a feeling that I'll lose the partners.h.i.+p.”
”I see. And that's where the penthouse comes in?”
David said angrily, ”That's where my whole G.o.dd.a.m.n future comes in. It would be stupid for me to do this, Jesse. I mean really stupid!” stupid!”
”What are you getting mad about?”
David took a deep breath. ”Because I'm going to do it.”
Quiller smiled. ”Why am I not surprised?”
David ran his hand across his forehead. ”If I turned him down, and his daughter was convicted and executed, and I did nothing to help, I-I couldn't live with myself.”
”I understand. How does Sandra feel about this?”
David managed a smile. ”You know Sandra.”
”Yeah. She wants you to go ahead with it.”
”Right.”
Quiller leaned forward. ”I'll do everything I can to help you, David.”
David sighed. ”No. That's part of my bargain. I have to handle this alone.”
Quiller frowned. ”That doesn't make any sense.”
”I know. I tried to explain that to Dr. Patterson, but he wouldn't listen.”
”Have you told Kincaid about this yet?”
”I'm having a meeting with him in the morning.”
”What do you think will happen?”
”I know what's going to happen. He's going to advise me not to take the case and, if I insist, he'll ask me to take a leave of absence without pay.”
”Let's have lunch tomorrow. Rubicon, one o'clock.”
David nodded. ”Fine.”
Emily came in from the kitchen wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. David and Quiller rose.
<script>