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suggest she could have killed Maxine Shapiro accidentally, so I didn't bother. But what kind
of a witness would she make against the likes of John Milton?"
"Bob, John Milton and Associates have won or done well with every criminal case they've
been involved in," Kevin replied. "If you examine the court records carefully, you'll see that.
And note the kinds of clients... many are guilty beyond doubt, but they get their sentences
reduced or..."
"Any defense lawyer would try to do that, Kevin. You know that."
"Or they find ways to get evidence thrown out."
"Just good defense lawyers, Kevin. That's their job. We understand that. Why do you think
I'm on the tails of the police all the time? They're so fed up and eager, they make mistakes,
and they hate me and the other AD's for pointing out what they can and can't do."
"I know all that. I know all that," Kevin said impatiently. "But there's more to it here, Bob.
They  especially he enjoy getting guilty people off. He's the true defender of evil, the
devil's advocate, if not the devil himself."
McKensie nodded and sat forward. "What else do you have to support such a wild story,
Kevin?"
"I just came from the office. I went in and used the computer to review all the firm's cases. As
I said, they haven't lost one. They had me in there, too, but not only credited with the
Rothberg case. They had my first real criminal case, the one I tried on Long Island."
"Defending an elementary schoolteacher accused of sexually abusing children." Kevin looked
at him sharply. "I had my people do some research on you, Kevin. I had to know what kind of
an attorney I was up against."
"It was eerie seeing it there in John Milton's firm's file. It was almost as if he thought I was working
for him when I was defending Lois Wilson. Then I thought to myself, maybe I was."
"I don't understand."
"I think in my heart I knew she was guilty of fondling one girl, but I deliberately ignored my in-
stincts to attack the prosecution's case where I knew it was weak."
"That's what you were paid to do," McKensie said dryly.
"Yeah, but I didn't realize at the time that I was auditioning for a position at John Milton and
Associates, a firm that seeks attorneys who will go that extra mile to get a defendant exonerated,
even a guilty one. Anyway, what shocked and frightened me the most in the computer was a file
entitled 'Futures.' It listed crimes that would be committed over the next two years and clients we
would have."
"Predictions?"
"Not just predictions, positive predictions robberies, rapes, murders, extortions, embezzle-
ment I saw the whole gambit. It read like a description of the graduating class of Hell University."
"Actual names of people and what they would be charged with?"
"Yes."
"Did you run off a copy of this?"
"I tried, but I couldn't get the computer to do it, and then I lost the file and was unable to bring it up
on the screen again, but if you go over there..."
"Easy, Kevin. I can't see myself marching into John Milton's office with a subpoena to look at
a computer file listing crimes yet to be committed. Anyway, if he's got the power you think he
does, he would have it deleted before I arrived anyway, wouldn't he?"
Kevin nodded, his frustration building. "Paul Scholefield's wife's in Bellevue," he said
quickly. "She told me things last night, told me that John Milton was evil and had a spell over
everyone, even our wives. She said he was responsible for Richard Jaffee's death."
"She said he pushed Richard Jaffee off his patio?"
"Not literally, but Jaffee felt responsible for what had happened to his wife and felt guilty
about the things he had been doing as a John Milton attorney. The way Helen put it, Richard
was the only one with a conscience."
"Helen Scholefield told you these things?"
"Yes."
McKensie nodded and sat forward again, resting his long right hand over his left. "Milt
Krammer told me about her today. News travels quickly in the legal community. Nervous
breakdown, right?"
"It's just a coverup."
"So you're saying they're all in on it Dave Kotein, Ted McCarthy, and Paul Scholefield?"
Kevin nodded. "I really think so now."
"And their wives?"
"I'm not sure about the wives."
"But definitely not Paul's?"
"You see, she had done this painting, an abstract work, but terrifying..."
He stopped. McKensie was shaking his head slightly, and Kevin realized he was losing it.
"Let's be calm for a moment, Kevin, and review what you've been telling me so far. Okay?"
"Bob, you have to listen to me."
"I'm listening, and I haven't laughed at you or called for the men in white coats, have I?"
"No."
"Okay. You're worked up. Beverly Morgan apparently lied to cover her own ass. John Milton
knew about her crimes. Whether or not he knew through supernatural powers remains to be
seen. He might have done some investigating himself. He has good private dicks out there. I
should know.
"You've looked at his firm's history, and you've discovered it's a very successful firm. But
none of the cases they won were won using any supernatural power. They took advantage of
police procedural errors whenever they could, negotiated settlements whenever they could,
and won cases outright when circumstantial evidence came under question.
"Stop me when you think I've said something wrong."
"No, I know how that all looks, but..."
"But you saw this other computer file that you can't reproduce or call up again. It lists
possible crimes."
"Not possible, definite."
"You say they're definite because you believe John Milton started to research the Rothberg
case before Maxine Rothberg was murdered, but you also admit you first thought it was a
clerical error. You want to refer to the testimony of a woman who is now in Bellevue and
diagnosed with a nervous breakdown or the testimony of a known alcoholic who may or may
not be a murderer and a thief herself.
"Kevin," McKensie said, leaning forward. "Why don't you just quit the firm? Go back to
practicing on the Island?"
"How many cases have you tried against clients represented by John Milton?" Kevin asked as
calmly as he could.
"Personally? Five, including yours."
"And you lost every one of them, right?"
"I can't question why I lost them. The reasons were all logical. Nothing supernatural at work.
Look, I've known John Milton for a while. You saw me at one of his parties. Other AD's have
been to his parties, too. The boss has been there. No one's ever felt he was in the presence of
the devil or the devil's advocate, believe me, although some of those parties were a bit
risqué."
Kevin nodded, a terrific sense of defeat coming over him. Suddenly he felt very tired, very
old. "I'm sorry, Bob. I wish there was some way I could make you understand."
"If you really believe you and your wife are in the presence of some evil, Kevin, you should
get out."
"I intend to, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to stop it because I had contributed to it." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]