'Yes.'
Leeland opened his mouth and closed it. He looked around the room. Nobody else said anything.
'On what basis?' he said.
'What was your last criminal case?' Cleary said.
'I . . .' Leeland said. He waved his hand aimlessly and shook his head.
'Exactly,' Cleary said. 'You are not, by training or experience, competent to represent someone in a case of this nature. You tried to help out the family, like a good friend, but now, as we are beginning to push and shove, it's time to let you off the hook.'
Leeland looked around the room. No one interceded on his behalf. He picked up the handout that Rita had given him and folded it and put it in his briefcase. He stood up.
'I guess there's no reason for me to stay,' he said.
'I'll take that as your resignation speech,' Cleary said.
'Yeah,' Leeland said. 'Sure.'
He walked out of the conference room and closed the door behind him.
'Turning to the next matter,' Rita said, 'I understand that both Mr. Spenser and Dr. Dix, as a condition of the interview with Jared Clark, reached an agreement with Mr. Cleary that Dr. Dix's findings not be used in court.'
Cleary took a drink of his coffee and frowned and looked at it for a moment and put the cup back in the saucer.
'The situation has changed,' Cleary said. 'I am willing to waive that agreement.'
A secretary came softly into the conference room and said something to Rita.
'Alex,' Rita said. 'Phone call. You can take it in my office.'
'You tell them I was in a meeting?' Taglio said.
'It's your office, sir,' the secretary said. 'They insisted.'
'No cell phone?' Rita said.
'I shut it off,' Taglio said and got up and went out.
'Now that we are mostly on the same page,' Rita said, 'do we have a plan?'
'The case has to go to court,' Cleary said. 'We don't try these kids and convict them of something, Bethel County will go crazy.'
Rita nodded.
'I understand that,' she said.
'And,' Cleary said, 'even if that were not a consideration, I believe these kids should be tried, convicted, and punished for what they did.'
'No big argument here,' Rita said.
'I believe the system works,' Cleary said, 'when the playing field is level. I plan to prosecute vigorously, expect you to defend vigorously, and see what happens. Thanks to you, pal,' Cleary nodded toward me, 'things have leveled up.'
'He is industrious,' Rita said. 'How about Beth Ann Blair and Royce Garner.'
'We should be able to come up with some suitable charges against them, plus what Boston does on the assault charge. I'll prosecute them vigorously when I'm through prosecuting the kids vigorously.'
'If you bring the charges before we try the kids,' Rita said, 'it'll give us some leverage to ensure their full cooperation.'
'As long as we all remember that this is not a cooperative venture.'
'I know,' Rita said. 'It's an adversarial procedure. But, at least in theory, our goal is the same.'
'Justice?' Cleary said.
Rita shrugged.
Taglio came back into the room and sat down.
'We were going to talk about severance?' he said.
'I was going to get there,' Rita said.
Taglio shook his head. 'Somebody shanked Wendell Grarit.'
'Dead?' Cleary said.
'Yep.'
'He was supposed to be kept separate,' Cleary said.
'I know,' Taglio said.
Rita looked down at the yellow pad on the table in front of her and crossed off an item.
