tell me what you've found and what you suspect.'
'Where'd you go to law school, Corky?' I said.
'Bradford School of Law,' he said.
'In Haverhill,' I said.
He nodded.
'And you graduated?'
'Three years ago.'
'And passed the bar?'
'Last year,' he said.
I nodded.
'Mum's the word,' I said.
'Excuse me?' Corky said.
'I don't want to tell you what I've found and what I suspect,' I said.
Corky seemed startled.
'Why not?' he said.
'Don't see anything in there for me,' I said.
'Don't you care about justice?'
'I do,' I said. 'Also truth, and the American way. But I am not so sure about civil litigation.'
'Are you asking to be paid?' Corky said.
'No.'
'Then I don't understand,' Corky said.
'I'm sure you don't,' I said. 'I am still working on the case, and I don't want you, or even the implacable Morris, stepping on leads and tripping over suspects while I'm trying to work.'
'Who is your client?' Corky asked.
'Nope,' I said.
'Well, who do you recommend I talk with?' he said.
'Captain Martin Quirk,' I said. 'Boston Police Department. He's in charge of the case.'
Corky wrote it down.
'Do you think he'll cooperate?' Corky said.
'Serve and protect,' I said. 'But it would be good not to annoy him.'
'Do I annoy you?' Corky said.
'Let me count the ways,' I said.
42
I WAS DRINKING BEER from the bottle, and Susan had a plastic glass of pinot grigio. We were sitting on the deck of the Institute of Contemporary Art in South Boston. Generally I found the art at the Institute somewhat too contemporary for me. I was more a Hudson River School guy. But the view of the Boston waterfront along the curve of the harbor was peerless. And in nice weather, we both liked to sit there and look at it.
'Wouldn't it be wiser for the Lopatas to wait?' Susan said. 'I should think it would make their case stronger if he were convicted in criminal court.'
'One would think,' I said.
A big glassy excursion boat full of people drunk in the mid-afternoon cruised past us, heading for a tour of the harbor and islands.
'And maybe they wouldn't need to sue,' Susan said.
'If they were after revenge,' I said.
Susan sipped a small amount of white wine.
'Yes,' Susan said. 'If the criminal trial seemed to be a miscarriage of justice, then you could bring civil suit, try for some justice.'
'Seems so,' I said.
'But if you wanted money . . .' Susan said.
'Then maybe you'd get right to it,' I said. 'Greed being what it is.'
'It seems to argue that justice is not the motivation,' Susan said.
'Does,' I said. 'Of course, human motivation is generally more than one thing.'
