The Defense: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

see me as a fixture in the court, as a friend. There was no need to search a friend. It must have been the adrenaline, the shock of my situation hitting me, or the booze or the knock on the head from the big Russian, but for some reason, I hadn’t remembered anything about the medal until Barry had mentioned it.
    “Don’t you know who this guy is?” said Barry. “This is Mr. Eddie Flynn. I forget you haven’t been here that long. This guy’s the best lawyer in New York. You look after him and he’ll look after you. He needs anything, you call me.”
    Reluctantly, Hank nodded and turned to the person behind me to call them through the metal detector. Barry was probably busting this kid’s balls every minute of every shift.
    I watched the fat guard turn and walk away.
    That was close, far too goddamn close.
    “Barry, I really got to go, man. I’m so late. I’m in the mob trial starting this morning, and I don’t even know what court I’m supposed to be in.”
    “I didn’t know you were representing that scumbag. You’re in luck anyways: Judge Pike is hearing that case, and she’s still having breakfast. Edgar and I have to go get her in fifteen minutes. Sorry about the kid. Been trying to teach him something, but he’s too stupid to learn. Come on, just over here. It won’t take a sec.”
    Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone from Volchek’s crew in the line. But they could have other eyes I hadn’t spotted yet. My ears rang with the sound of my pulse. I didn’t know what Barry wanted. What if he had a whiff of something from Jack? What if the Russians saw me in whispered conversation with Barry?
    I had to talk to him. He would know something was up if I didn’t.
    “Sure,” I said, my head spinning in all directions as we walked to the corner of the lobby. Barry gestured for me to come in close.
    “It’s Terry,” said Barry. “He meant to speak to you about his RSI case.” I thanked God silently. Barry wanted to catch a freebie for his pal. I liked Barry. He was in his sixties and close to retirement, an ex-cop who just wanted to sit behind an X-ray machine until he finished his shift and then hit the bar.
    “Terry’s with Hollinger and Dunne, and they’re costing him a fortune. I told him to go see you at the start of all this, but he wanted to go with the union lawyer. I couldn’t talk him out of it. They’ve taken sixty grand already, and he’s only seen one doctor. Could you take a look at his case file?”
    At that moment I would have given Terry a kiss and a seven-course meal at the Ritz if it got me away from security, never mind a free ride on a repetitive strain injury case.
    “Tell him I’ll represent him for free,” I said.
    Barry smiled. “I’ll tell him, all right. I’ll call him right now. He’s up on twelve.”
    “Look, I really gotta split, Barry.”
    “No problem. And thanks. I’m gonna tell him right now. He won’t friggin’ believe it.”
    I got out from under Barry’s spell quicker than I’d hoped, and he sprang back to his seat behind the scanner.
    I was in .
    Turning, I put my back to the cool marble and felt the bomb clinging to my spine as I took in the line of people pouring through the entrance.
    My watch read nine thirty. We had maybe a half hour before the trial began.
    Arturas came through security and then hefted a large, Samsonite suitcase off the rollers after it had been through the X-ray scanner. He put it down on the floor and wheeled it behind him as he came over.
    “Well done,” he said.
    I said nothing. He reached behind me and pressed the elevator button.
    The elevator doors opened, and I pressed the button for the fourteenth floor, which housed court sixteen. Arturas pressed the top floor, floor nineteen.
    “We’re in court sixteen. It’s on the fourteenth floor,” I said.
    “We have a room upstairs. You need to change for court,” said Arturas.
    The doors closed, and I heard the counterweight take off as we began to slowly