Page 158 of The Lincoln Lawyer

I nodded.

“Why don’t you all go out to the hallway and I’ll be out in a minute. I have to finish up some things here with the clerk and Mr. Minton.”

I turned back to the table. I then went around it and approached the clerk.

“How long before I can get a signed copy of the judge’s order?”

“We’ll enter it this afternoon. We can send you a copy if you don’t want to come back.”

“That would be great. Could you also fax one?”

She said she would and I gave her the number to the fax in Lorna Taylor’s condominium. I wasn’t sure yet how it could be used but I had to believe that an order to dismiss could somehow help me get a client or two.

When I turned back to get my briefcase and leave I noticed that Detective Sobel had left the courtroom. Only Minton remained. He was standing and gathering his things.

“Sorry I never got the chance to see your PowerPoint thing,” I said.

He nodded.

“Yeah, it was pretty good. I think it would have won them over.”

I nodded.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. See if I can ride this out and somehow hold on to my job.”

He put his files under his arm. He had no briefcase. He only had to go down to the second floor. He turned and gave me a hard stare.

“The only thing I know is that I don’t want to cross the aisle. I don’t want to become like you, Haller. I think I like sleeping at night too much for that.”

With that he headed through the gate and strode out of the courtroom. I glanced over at the clerk to see if she had heard what he had said. She acted like she hadn’t.

I took my time following Minton out. I picked up my briefcase and turned backwards as I pushed through the gate. I looked at the judge’s empty bench and the state seal on the front panel. I nodded at nothing in particular and then walked out.

Forty-four

Roulet and his entourage were waiting for me in the hallway. I looked both ways and saw Sobel down by the elevators. She was on her cell phone and it seemed as though she was waiting for an elevator but it didn’t look like the down button was lit.

“Michael, can you join us for lunch?” Dobbs said upon seeing me. “We are going to celebrate!”

I noticed that he was now calling me by my given name. Victory made everybody friendly.

“Uh…,” I said, still looking down at Sobel. “I don’t think I can make it.”

“Why not? You obviously don’t have court in the afternoon.”

I finally looked at Dobbs. I felt like saying that I couldn’t have lunch because I never wanted to see him or Mary Windsor or Louis Roulet again.

“I think I’m going to stick around and talk to the jurors when they come back at one.”

“Why?” Roulet asked.

“Because it will help me to know what they were thinking and where we stood.”

Dobbs gave me a clap on the upper arm.

“Always learning, always getting better for the next one. I don’t blame you.”