Show of Evil

questioned Darby about the slip with her phone number on it. She told him her sister was dying down in Texarkana and she had to go immediately. Her sister lives in California and is in perfect health. She hasn't heard from Poppy Palmer in five years.'

Rainey, a very shrewd lawyer, leaned back in his chair and studied Vail's face, then he looked at Parver. His eyes narrowed, but he kept quiet. At this point, he knew he would learn more by keeping his mouth shut.

'We are going to issue a subpoena on Palmer and I'm seriously considering taking out a warrant against her for perjury,' Vail said. 'She made the statement about her phone call from Ramona Darby under oath. We contend she's lying - there never was a phone call. Then I intend to go to the FBI and swear out a warrant against her for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.'

Rainey fell deep into thought. He drummed his fingertips on the table but still maintained his silence.

'You're already in, Paul. You want to go pro bono from here on, representing a killer in a case you can't win? You owe it to yourself, your peace of mind, to get the truth out of him. Explain the options. Either he takes twenty years, no parole, or he goes to death row and gets fried - or spends the rest of his life staring down the hall at the chair, waiting to.'

'You want me to sell out my client because he can't pay,' Rainey said with an edge.

'Not at all. What I'm saying, Paul, is you need to satisfy yourself about this. Then consider all the angles and do the best thing for you and your client. Either he pleads to second-degree and takes his medicine or he goes down for murder one. It's up to you. In your hands. Just one thing - if he turns rabbit, he'll never make the county line.'

Rainey slumped back in the chair. He stared at Vail, at the warrant, then back at Vail.

'He'll say he was confused,' Rainey said. 'He walked in, she was aiming the gun at him, he cut loose with the shotgun -'

Parver cut him off. 'It's the head shot,' he said. 'That's what's going to get him in the end. Do you really think any jury's going to believe she kept blazing away at him with a hole the size of Rhode Island in her side? The head shot had to be the first shot. Listen to the tape.'

'The hell with the goddamn tape. The tape doesn't mean shit and you know it!'

'You're an old hand at getting to the truth, Paul,' said Vail. 'If he sticks to his story' - he tapped the tape recorder - 'he's lying to you.'

Rainey took a sip of water, tapped his lips with his napkin, and dropped it on the table. He toyed with the warrant, sliding it around on the tabletop with his fingertips.

'We're playing straight up with you, Paul,' said Vail. 'I could've had the sheriff pick him up last night and he'd be sitting in the cooler right now.'

Rainey pocketed the warrant and got up.

'I'll be in touch,' he said. Then he leaned over the table and, with a smile, said very softly in Vail's ear, 'I've been in this game ten years longer than you and this is the first time a DA ever offered me a deal before he even arrested my client.'

'It's the times,' Vail said, smiling back. 'Everybody's in a hurry these days.'

'There's something not right about this,' Rainey said with a scowl.

'Yeah, your client, that's what's not right about it,' Parver said.

'I was having a pretty good day until now. You two're a real item. Buy a guy lunch, then do your best to make him lose it.'

Rainey left the table. Parver didn't say anything. She looked down at the tablecloth, moved her water glass around on it.

'Okay, what's bothering you?' Vail asked.

'Nothing.'

'Uh-huh. C'mon, spit it out.'

'Why let Darby off the hook? I mean, why even offer a plea bargain? We can take this guy, Martin. We can take him all the way, I know we can.'

'All you have is an elderly woman who heard the shots. Paul Rainey'll chew her up and spit her out. We have no backup on Mrs Shunderson and Poppy Palmer powdered on us and we haven't a clue where she is. Suppose you get a soft jury? Darby could walk. Or maybe get voluntary manslaughter, in which case he'd be back on the street in