vultures of the fourth estate feast on new carrion.'
Rosa brought the meatball soup, the ice water, and my Carta Blanca. The heat of the cafe had made me sweat, and the beer hit my tongue with a frigid burst. Souza swallowed a spoonful of steaming soup without apparent discomfort.
'The question is, Doctor, do you feel comfortable aiding in that strategy?'
'I haven't finished my evaluation - '
'Yes, I understand. Your thoroughness is admirable. But have you begun to form an opinion regarding competence?'
'I plan to wait until the data are in before forming any opinions.'
'Hmm.'
He returned his attention to his soup, sipping and savouring, emptying the bowl, and sopping up the last drops with a piece of tortilla.
The food came on heavy white Mexican china - a platter for him and a plate for me.
'Enjoy, Doctor.' And he dug in.
We ate without talking, surrounded by laughter. The salad was excellent, the strips of meat tender and slightly piquant, the vegetables firm and fresh in a lemon and pepper dressing. The spice and the heat brought beads of moisture to my brow, and I felt my shirt begin to stick. Souza made his way resolutely through a mountain of refried beans, ate most of the stuffed chili, and drained the water pitcher. Rosa was quick to refill it.
When all that was left was the steam of the chili and some stray grains of rice, he pushed the plate aside. Rosa brought a plate of candied cactus chunks. I tried one and found it too rubbery. Souza nibbled at one with strong, blunt teeth, snipping off pieces until all the candy was gone. He wiped his mouth and looked straight at me.
'So you have absolutely no idea of where your evaluation will lead you?'
'No, not really. The times I've seen him, he hasn't appeared competent, but his history is one of remission and relapse, so it's impossible to know what he'll be like tomorrow.'
'Tomorrow doesn't concern me. Would you sign your name today to a declaration stating that during the two occasions you attempted to interview him he wasn't competent?'
I thought about it.
'I suppose so, if the wording was sufficiently conservative.'
'You may word it yourself.'
'All right.'
'Good, that's taken care of.' He ate another candy. 'Now then, as far as diminished capacity, am I correct in assuming you're choosing to opt out?'
'I was planning to evaluate further - '
'Dr. Delaware' - he smiled - 'there's really no need for that anymore. If everything goes as planned - and given the outrageous negligence of the jail staff, I'm sure it will -it will be some time before he comes to trial. Though I know how ambivalent you are about the insanity defence -and wouldn't want to tax your conscience - you'll be welcome to participate in the defence at that time.'
I took a long swallow of beer.
'In other words,' I said, 'you've found other expert witnesses who don't share my ambivalence.'
He raised one eyebrow, licked a speck of sugar from his lip.
'Please don't be offended,' he said lubriciously. 'My obligation is to do whatever I can to help my client. When
we agreed to work together, I accepted your terms, but that didn't restrict me from talking to other doctors.'
'Who do you have?'
'Chapin from Harvard and Donnell from Stanford.'
'Have they examined Jamey?'
'Not yet. However, from my description of the case they feel confident a dim cap will be forthcoming.'
'Well, then, I guess they're your guys.'
'I do want to say that I - and the Cadmus family -appreciate all you've done, therapeutically as well as evaluatively. Heather told me that talking to you lifted her spirits, and that's no mean feat, seeing what she's been through.'
He called Rosa over, handed her a twenty and a ten, and told her to keep the change. She tittered gratefully and brushed his jacket with a whisk.
Back in the limousine, he reached over and patted my shoulder.
'I respect you as a man of principle, Doctor, and trust there's no ill will between us.'
'Not at all.' I remembered something Mal Worthy once said. 'You're a warrior, and you're doing your best to win the war.'
'Exactly. Thank you for seeing that.' He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a large chequebook.
' How much more do I owe you?'
'Nothing. In fact, I'll be returning the first five thousand.'
'Please don't do that. It will disrupt my firm's accounting schedule, but more important, it would rob our association of professionalism should it ever come under scrutiny; the court distrusts anything that's not paid for.'
'Sorry. I don't feel comfortable taking it.'
'Then donate it to your favourite charity.'
'I have a better idea. I'll send it to you, and you donate it to your favourite charity.'
'Very well,' he said, the broad features constricting with anger before settling back into forced serenity. - A petty victory, but it came at the right time.
Antrim drove back to the jail. The glass partition was
closed, and from the movement of his head I could tell he was listening to music. Souza saw me watching him and smiled.
'A free spirit. But the man's an excellent mechanic.'
'He must be to maintain this.'
'Oh, yes. This and much more.'
He got on the phone again, called the office, and jotted down his messages. None was sufficiently important to merit his attention, and he instructed the secretary to pass them on to Bradford Balch.
'One more thing,' he said, putting down the phone, 'and I mention it as a formality only. Now that you're no longer on the case, you realise that having served as my consultant, you're forbidden to discuss it with anyone.'
'I realise that,' I said coldly.
'Yes, I know you do,' he said, writing on a yellow pad. I made out my name amid the scrawl.
We reached the jail parking structure. The Rolls entered and cruised until coming to a stop next to my Seville.
'Well, Doctor, it's been a pleasure,' said Souza, gripping my hand and squeezing it.
I smiled noncommittally.
'There's one thing I'd like to ask you, Mr. Souza.'
'What's that?'
'Do you think Jamey killed all those people?'
He let go of my hand, leaned back into a sea of grey felt, and made a tent with his fingers.
'That's not a question I can answer, Dr. Delaware.'
'Why's that?'
'It's simply not relevant to my role as an advocate, and even to begin to think along those lines would hamper me in the execution of my duties.'
He flashed me another smile and turned away. The chauffeur came around and opened the door. I got out. Before I reached the door of my car, the limousine had vanished.
I put my attache down and stretched. It was the first time in my life I'd ever been fired. Strangely enough, it felt damned good.
