Page 153 of The Lincoln Lawyer

Forty-two

Ifollowed Minton through the court clerk’s station and into the courtroom. It was empty except for Meehan, who sat at the bailiff’s desk. I took my briefcase off the defense table and headed toward the gate.

“Hey, Haller, wait a second,” Minton said, as he gathered files from the prosecution table.

I stopped at the gate and looked back.

“What?”

Minton came to the gate and pointed to the rear door of the courtroom.

“Let’s go out here.”

“My client is going to be waiting out there for me.”

“Just come here.”

He headed to the door and I followed. In the vestibule where I had confronted Roulet two days earlier Minton stopped to confront me. But he didn’t say anything. He was putting words together. I decided to push him even further.

“While you go get Smithson I think I’ll stop by theTimesoffice on two and make sure the reporter down there knows there’ll be some fireworks up here in a half hour.”

“Look,” Minton sputtered. “We have to work this out.”

“We?”

“Just hold off on theTimes,okay? Give me your cell number and give me ten minutes.”

“For what?”

“Let me go down to my office and see what I can do.”

“I don’t trust you, Minton.”

“Well, if you want what’s best for your client instead of a cheap headline, you’re going to have to trust me for ten minutes.”

I looked away from his face and acted like I was considering the offer. Finally, I looked back at him. Our faces were only two feet apart.

“You know, Minton, I could’ve put up with all your bullshit. The knife and the arrogance and everything else. I’m a pro and I have to live with that shit from prosecutors every day of my life. But when you tried to put Corliss on Maggie McPherson in there, that’s when I decided not to show you any mercy.”

“Look, I did nothing to intentionally—”

“Minton, look around. There’s nobody here but us. No cameras, no tape, no witnesses. Are you going to stand there and tell me you never heard of Corliss until a staff meeting yesterday?”

He responded by pointing an angry finger in my face.

“And you’re going to stand there and tell me you never heard of him until this morning?”

We stared at each other for a long moment.

“I may be green but I’m not stupid,” he said. “The strategy of your whole case was to push me toward using Corliss. You knew all along what you could do with him. And you probably got it from your ex.”

“If you can prove that, then prove it,” I said.

“Oh, don’t worry, I could… if I had the time. But all I’ve got is a half hour.”

I slowly raised my arm and checked my watch.

“More like twenty-six minutes.”