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on something that shaky!”
    He narrowed his eyes. “And what law school did you say you graduated from?”
    It took all the self-control I possessed not to do him bodily harm. “I watch Court TV whenever there’s a rerun on Animal Planet,” I said dryly.
    He actually seemed to accept that as a valid explanation. “Okay, then you’ll understand that on top of all that, they also got a powerful motive: jealousy. This Thorndike lady was boffing Suzanne’s ex.”
    “Actually, Cassandra Thorndike and Suzanne’s ex-husband were engaged to be married,” I pointed out.
    “Yeah, I seem to remember something about that.”
    My blood quickly went from simmer to boil. “If you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t seem to be putting a lot of effort into this case.”
    He shrugged. “Look, I been doin’ this a long time. It gets to be routine, y’know? I guess what I mean is, I don’t sweat it the way somebody who’s brand new at this might.”
    “Does that mean you can’t be bothered to remember the facts of the case correctly?”
    “Hey, when the time comes, I’ll read through my notes. Right now, I got three different dope dealers, an armed robbery at a florist, and a guy running cock fights in the basement of the local elementary school. D’you believe that?”
    “Quite an illustrious list of clients,” I observed, already planning what I was going to say to Suzanne the moment I left Jerry Keeler’s office. She simply had to listen to reason. “By the way,” I asked, “how many murder cases have you handled?”
    He squirmed in his seat. “You mean including this one?”
    That wrecking ball that had started slamming against my stomach a few minutes ago was back in action. “Yes, including this one.”
    “Well, now, let’s see.” He screwed up his face as if he was thinking very, very hard. And as if he found the effort painful. “One, two...three...”
    I stood up. “I think I’d better talk to Suzanne about finding another lawyer.”
    “Hey, I’m practically doin’ this for nothing!” he cried, sounding hurt. “It’s a real favor to Marcus, since we’ve been friends for so long!”
    “I’m sure your intentions are good,” I said, even though I didn’t believe that for a minute. “I just want to make sure Suzanne has the best possible representation. And so it only makes sense that she consider more than one attorney.”
    “Whatever.”
    “Well, thanks for your time,” I said.
    A glazed look came into his eyes. “Listen,” he said, his voice suddenly as smooth as chocolate pudding. “There’s this great little Greek restaurant I know, not too far from here. You should see what they can do with their couscous.” His eyebrows were jumping up and down as if he were the villain in a silent movie. “How about if, later on, you and I...”
    I wondered if the college Marcus Scruggs and Jerry Keeler had attended offered a major in Hitting on Women Who Aren’t the Least Bit Interested in You. Or maybe this particular skill was something their fraternity specialized in, like chugging beer and vomiting it back up again in an exceptionally short period of time.
    “Thanks, but I’m involved with somebody.”
    “Too bad. For you, I mean!”
    I considered forcing a polite smile, then decided it wasn’t worth the effort.
    “Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me,” he went on. Grinning, he added, “And if you don’t, the cops do.”
    He leaned across his desk and handed me his business card. I took it reluctantly, then glanced down, just to check. Sure enough; like the sign on his door, it read, Jerry Keeler, Attorny At Law.
    “You know, you really should fix your sign. And your business cards.”
    “Huh?”
    “There’s an e in attorney.”
    “No shit. Hey, if you’re accusing me of being a bad speller, then I’m guilty as charged!” Jerry shrugged. “But believe me, I got plenty of other assets—and being innocent isn’t one of them!”
    As I left his