cross-examination. So that’s good.”
Steve frowned. “Yes and no.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a two-edged sword-the guy being a derelict, I mean. Yeah, sure, I can cut him up on the witness stand. But the jury’s not gonna like it. ’Cause a guy like that’s basically defenseless. If I tear into him, it’s like picking on a cripple. Sure, I can raise some doubts about the identification. Maybe even get the guy’s testimony struck out. But in the eyes of the jury, I’m a big bully picking on a helpless man, and the result is I wind up antagonizing them and prejudicing them against the defendant.”
Taylor frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Yeah, well I bet Dirkson has. He’s probably happy as a clam the guy’s a bum.”
“You mean you’re not going to try to break down his identification?”
“I’ve got to. That’s my job.” Steve frowned and rubbed his head. “So here’s a job for you. Get one of your men to take some pictures for me.”
“Pictures?”
“Yeah, and then have him blow ‘em up to eight-by-ten glossies.”
“Pictures of what?”
“Kids with green hair. At least five of them. Head shots. Shot from the same angle. Similar photos, you got it?”
“Yeah.”
“And not just green hair. Green mohawks.”
“I understand. Anything else?”
“Yeah. First off, get a shot of Jeremy Dawson. Have the photographer use that picture as a model for the other ones.”
“Where am I gonna get that?”
“Are you kidding me? It’ll be on the wire services. They’re indicting him for murder. It’ll be on the front page of the
“Yeah, right. Anything else?”
“Yeah. Check on all the relatives. Check ‘em for alibis. See what they were doin’ that time of night.”
“Now that I like.”
“Why?”
“Routine, time consuming, and expensive.”
Steve frowned. “Yeah.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Well-”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t got a retainer?”
Steve shrugged. “My client’s a teenage kid.”
“Shit, that’s right.”
“On the one hand, he hasn’t got a dime. On the other hand, he’s got a holographic will that makes him the sole heir to millions.”
“What about that? Can the will stand up? Is it legally binding?”
Steve shrugged. “I haven’t seen it yet.”
“Yeah, but as a general rule-can a handwritten will knock out a prior one drawn up by lawyers?”
“It can if it’s drawn right.” Steve smiled. “And if you’ll recall, Jack Walsh consulted me about how to write the will. So if I knew what I was talking about, the will should stand up.
“Except for one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“One little law I forgot to mention. Not that it would have done Jack Walsh any good.”
“Oh yeah? What?”
“A person convicted of murder can’t inherit from his victim. If Jeremy Dawson killed his uncle, it doesn’t matter what that will says, he can’t touch a dime.”
“Shit, that’s right.”
“Which puts me in the unique position of handling a murder case on a contingency basis. If I get Jeremy Dawson off, he inherits and I get paid. If he’s convicted, he can’t inherit and I get zilch.”
Taylor shook his head. “Shit, what a bummer.”
“Yeah. So get going on the other relatives. Come up with someone else who could have killed the guy.”
“I’ll try, Steve, but Jesus.”
“What?”
“Well, Jeremy’s the one who was seen in the subway, he’s the one who inherits, and it was his gun. Now, I can try to make a case against one of the others, but let me tell you, it sure don’t sound good.”
“I’m not asking you to make a case, Mark. That’s my job. I’m just asking you to get the facts.”
“Yeah, and you’re paying me out of your own pocket. That’s the part I don’t like.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have every intention of being paid for this case. Now, you got anything else?”
“Yeah. It’s just incidental now, but I got a line on Julie Creston.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. She finished filming, showed up back in L.A. My contact out there looked her up. Frankly, what with the murder and everything, I’d forgotten to call him off. I didn’t think of it till he reported in. I’m sorry, ’cause it’s an unnecessary expense, and-”
“Screw the expense, Mark.” Steve held up his hands. “Let me make something clear. I either take a case or I don’t. The size of the retainer doesn’t matter. If I take a murder case, I’m gonna go all out. As far as you’re concerned, I want you to investigate this as if I had a hundred-thousand-dollar retainer. Don’t stint on anything. ’Cause frankly, the case looks pretty bad, and I need all the help I can get. You got it?”
“Yeah.”
“O.K. So what about Julie Creston?”
“Well, the guy looked her up, asked her about Jack Walsh.”
“And?”
“And she didn’t want to hear from him. Acted like the name was poison. She’s out there, she’s got a new life, a new career, she’s livin’ with someone, the name Jack Walsh’s just a big embarrassment to her.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. And she don’t want her boyfriend hearin’ about him, either. She took the detective out in the hall, gave him an earful. According to her, Jack Walsh is a slime and a shit, and she wants nothing to do with him.”
Steve held up his hand. “Wait a minute, wait a minute. When was this?”
“I don’t know the exact time. It was earlier today.”
“Today?”
“Yeah.”
“But she’s talkin’ as if Walsh was still alive. Didn’t your man tell her he was dead?”
“He didn’t know, Steve. The guy’s in California. And this is an assignment left over from last week. I’d completely forgotten about it till the guy phoned in his report.”
“I see,” Steve said. He frowned. “So this Julie Creston-she still doesn’t know Jack Walsh is dead?”
“That’s right.”
“But your man in L.A. said she hates his guts?”
“Yeah.”
“All right. Fine. Look, call him up and tell him to make another pass at her. Only this time give her the dope. Tell her what happened to Walsh. See how she reacts.”
“Sure,” Taylor said. “But what for?”
Steve went on as if he hadn’t heard him. “And tell him to trace her movements. Find out when she finished filming. And find out when she went back to L.A. And whether she went straight back, or whether she had time to make a side trip somewhere, specifically to New York.”
Taylor stared at him. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not at all. Here’s a woman who hates Jack Walsh. From what your man says, she’d like to see him dead.
