Page 28 of The Lincoln Lawyer

“Ventura Boulevard. I had a drink at Nat’s North and then I went down the street a ways to Morgan’s and I had a drink there, too.”

“Those places are pickup bars, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes. That’s why I went to them.”

He was matter-of-fact about it and I appreciated his honesty.

“So you were looking for someone. A woman. Anyone in particular, someone you knew?”

“No one in particular. I was looking to get laid, pure and simple.”

“What happened at Nat’s North?”

“What happened was that it was a slow night, so I left. I didn’t even finish my drink.”

“You go there often? Do the bartenders know you?”

“Yeah, they know me. A girl named Paula was working last night.”

“Okay, so it wasn’t working for you there and you left. You drove down to Morgan’s. Why Morgan’s?”

“It’s just another place I go.”

“They know you there?”

“They should. I’m a good tipper. Last night Denise and Janice were behind the bar. They know me.”

I turned to Levin.

“Raul, what is the victim’s name?”

Levin opened his file to pull out a police report but answered before having to look it up.

“Regina Campo. Friends call her Reggie. Twenty-six years old. She told police she’s an actress working as a telephone solicitor.”

“And hoping to retire soon,” Dobbs said.

I ignored him.

“Louis, did you know Reggie Campo before last night?” I asked.

Roulet shrugged.

“Sort of. I’d seen her around the bar scene. But I had never been with her before. I’d never even spoken to her.”

“Had you ever tried?”

“No, I never could really get to her. She always seemed to be with someone or more than one person. I don’t like to have to penetrate the crowd, you know? My style is to look for the singles.”

“What was different last night?”

“Last night she came to me, that was what was different.”

“Tell us about it.”

“Nothing to tell. I was at the bar at Morgan’s, minding my own business, having a look at the possibilities, and she was at the other end and she was with some guy. So she wasn’t even on my radar because she looked like she was already taken, you know?”

“Uh-huh, so what happened?”