Page 123 of The Lincoln Lawyer

“Have you talked to an attorney about this case?”

“I haven’t hired anybody to sue him. Right now, all I am interested in is seeing that justice is—”

“Ms. Campo,” I interrupted. “I didn’t ask whether you hired an attorney or what your interests are. I asked if you hadtalkedto an attorney—any attorney—about this case and a possible lawsuit against Mr. Roulet.”

She was looking closely at me, trying to read me. I had said it with the authority of someone who knew something, who had the goods to back up the charge. Minton had probably schooled her on the most important aspect of testifying: don’t get trapped in a lie.

“Talked to an attorney, yes. But it was nothing more than talk. I didn’t hire him.”

“Is that because the prosecutor told you not to hire anybody until the criminal case was over?”

“No, he didn’t say anything about that.”

“Why did you talk to an attorney about this case?”

She had dropped into a routine of hesitating before every answer. This was fine with me. The perception of most people is that it takes time to tell a lie. Honest responses come easily.

“I talked to him because I wanted to know my rights and to make sure I was protected.”

“Did you ask him if you could sue Mr. Roulet for damages?”

“I thought what you say to your attorney is private.”

“If you wish, you can tell the jurors what you spoke to the attorney about.”

There was the first deep slash with the razor. She was in an untenable position. No matter how she answered she would not look good.

“I think I want to keep it private,” she finally said.

“Okay, let’s go back to March sixth, but I want to go a little further back than Mr. Minton did. Let’s go back to the bar at Morgan’s when you first spoke to the defendant, Mr. Roulet.”

“Okay.”

“What were you doing at Morgan’s that night?”

“I was meeting someone.”

“Charles Talbot?”

“Yes.”

“Now, you were meeting him there to sort of size up whether you wanted to lead him back to your place to engage in sex for hire, correct?”

She hesitated but then nodded.

“Please answer verbally,” the judge told her.

“Yes.”

“Would you say that practice is a safety precaution?”

“Yes.”

“A form of safe sex, right?”

“I guess so.”

“Because in your profession you deal intimately with strangers, so you must protect yourself, correct?”