Diehl, William - Show of Evil Read Online Free PDF

the room, for he represented a
potential danger to every lawyer at the party: a loose-cannon
prosecutor, unpredictable, unbuyable, unbeatable, who had spent nine
years on their side of the fence before switching sides and becoming
their worst nightmare, a prosecutor who knew all the tricks and was
better at the game than they were. In ten years he had successfully
prosecuted two city councilmen, a vice mayor and a senator for
everything from bribery to malfeasance in office and had wasted a local
bank for money washing. They would treat him cordially but at a
distance as he worked his way through the room, subtly letting him know
that he was not one of them. It was the only part of the ordeal Vail
enjoyed, for he revelled in the role of the untouchable outsider.
    Otherwise, he despised the annual ritual dance of the state's legal
power players and their fawning associates. The corporate partners used
these occasions to study the young sycophants and their wives and to
reaffirm their choices. How did they handle themselves in this social
bullring? Did they have the proper social graces? Did the women dress
properly? Did the young lawyers drink too much? Express unacceptable
political views? Hold their own in social debate with their peers? And
perhaps most important of all, did they discuss the business of the
company? Like pledges at a fraternity party, the young bootlickers
performed for their bosses, fully aware that their performances would
be discussed later and in harsh detail in the halls of the kings.
Divorce had even been suggested after these forays.
    They drank too much and they bragged too much and it was business.
Big business. They talked about lobbying for this bill or that; which
PACS they contributed to because they 'got the job done'; which
congressmen and state legislators were 'spinners', those whose opinions
could be influenced with a free dinner at a four-star restaurant or a
hunting trip to some exclusive lodge in Wisconsin or Minnesota; which
were 'bottom feeders', cheap sellouts who could be bought for a bottle
of good, hearty Scotch and a box of cigars; and which were 'chicken
hawk' neophytes who could be lured into the fold with flattery and
attention. They scorned the 'UCs', uncooperatives whose votes were not
available at any price and subtly shunned them until they were
'seasoned' and learned the first rule of the game: compromise. These
conversations were not about the law, they were about business and
politics, enterprises that had little use for the law or ethics or
integrity.
    As Vail entered the room, he passed a group of five lawyers, all
performing for a tall, white-haired potentate with smooth pink skin who
was obviously enjoying the playlet.
    'It'll be tacked on House Bill 2641,' said one. 'Furley will take
care of it, he's already spun. It'll glide right through.'
    'How about Perdue and that new joker, what's his name, Eagle?'
suggested another.
    'Harold Eggle,' another intoned. 'A chicken hawk, nobody pays any
attention to him.'
    'And Perdue's a bottom feeder,' said still another. 'Send him a
bottle of Chivas and forget him.'
    'It's a done deal. Nobody will buck Tim Furley except the usual UCs
and they'll be laughed out of the chamber,' the imperious senior
partner sneered, ending the conversation.
    Vail sighed as he passed them, knowing he would drift aimlessly from
one group to the next, nodding hello, smiling, and moving around the
room until he was close enough to a side exit to slip out and flee the
event.
    But tonight was different. As he walked into the room, he was
deluged with handshakes, smiles, pats on the back. He was overwhelmed
with goodwill. It took a few moments for it to sink in, for him to
realize what was happening.
    Across the room, he was being observed as he made his way through
the swarms of people. Jane Venable watched with a smile. Tall, distant,
untouchable, classy, arrogant, self-confident, Venable had it all. From
the tip of her long, equine nose to her long,