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really don’t have a choice.
    Hike, Sam, Willie, and Marcus have come to the house, as requested, to begin the process of defending Pete. Laurie is here as well, but she lives here, and Ricky, who for the time being also lives here, is upstairs playing with some toys that Laurie got him.
    “Pete doesn’t know much either, at least not about the evidence. He knows that Danny informed on him for something, but doesn’t know what it could be. That leads me to assume that they believe the motive was revenge, but that wouldn’t be enough to make an arrest.”
    “So what can we do now?” Willie Miller asked the question, and I’m not surprised that he’s anxious to get started. I met Willie when he had already spent seven years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and I defended him successfully in a retrial. Of all people, he would be the most upset about Pete facing the same fate he suffered.
    Willie does not really have a role to play here, but he usually finds a way to be helpful. He’s a black belt in karate, and knows how to handle himself very well. He’s tough as nails; not Marcus tough, but a good guy to have on our side.
    “Really nothing,” I say. I just wanted to get everybody together to tell you to be ready, that we want to hit the ground running. “We’ll get the information soon enough in discovery. Hike, did they assign a prosecutor yet?”
    He nods. “Richard Wallace.”
    On balance, that’s good news. Wallace is one of the few prosecutors I have a good relationship with. He’s honest and fair, and actually was mentored by my father, when he ran the prosecutor’s office. Wallace will be relatively forthcoming and easy to deal with concerning discovery, which can occasionally be a contentious procedure.
    Having said that, the only negative about Richard Wallace handling the case is a significant one. He is a tough, smart adversary, and remains unflappable in the face of my courtroom bullshit. When it comes to prosecutors, I prefer weak, dumb, and completely flappable. Unfortunately, that’s a rare breed.
    Edna walks in and says, “Sorry I’m late.” She sits down and opens a pad to take notes, a surprisingly business-like approach. Maybe the tournament experience has changed her.
    We take a little more time to set up the structure, which is no different than always. Hike will work with me, Marcus with Laurie, and Willie will freelance if we need him. Sam is an entity unto himself, and will wait to see if we need his computer skills.
    I adjourn the meeting, after telling the group that we will be using my house as our headquarters, rather than the office. I move to the den and call Richard Wallace. He takes the call, starting with, “Andy, I figured you’d be the one Pete would turn to.”
    “Turns out Clarence Darrow is dead.”
    He laughs. “No wonder I haven’t seen him around the courthouse lately.” Then, “Haven’t seen you there in a while, either.”
    “That’s the way I like it. Can I come down?”
    “Sure. I was just going to lunch,” he says. “You hungry?”
    “No, but if the county is buying, I’ll eat like a pig.”
    “You’re on.”
    He picks a restaurant called the Bonfire, which is much closer to my house than it is to his office. He’s not being gracious or accommodating by making this choice; it’s more about his not wanting to be seen dining with an adversary.
    I get up to leave, but before I can do so, Edna comes in and closes the door behind her.
    “Can we talk?” she asks.
    “Sure, but I’m heading for lunch with Richard Wallace in a few minutes.”
    “I won’t be long. I’m going to stay through this case, because I care about Pete, but then I’m going to be resigning.”
    “Why?” This has truly taken me by surprise.
    “I finished eighth in the tournament, Andy. Eighth.”
    I’m not sure if she considers that good or bad, but I think it’s fantastic, so that’s how I react.
    It turns out, she agrees. “No one has ever finished that