Page 37 of The Devil's Advocate

I couldn’t bear it if something happened to them because of me.

My teeth ground together.

I wasn’t going to abandon Andy no matter what happened.

THE THIRD DAY

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EDDIE

Kate shook me awake at eight that morning. She was already showered and dressed in a suit. Sneakers on her feet and two-inch heels in her hand.

‘Priorities today: we file a change of venue motion for Andy, motion to suppress his confession and we get him bail. He’s not going to get a fair trial in this town, and the longer he’s in that cell the easier it is for the sheriff to lean on him.’

‘Agreed. How about breakfast first?’

‘Harry told me what happened in the diner yesterday. Maybe we can get breakfast and do a little work there?’ she said.

Kate showed me a voice-recording app on her phone, and a wicked smile.

‘Kate, you’re a good lawyer, but you’re spending far too much time with me,’ I said.

I looked around, getting my bearings. I was still in a shit hotel room, in a shit town, with a bad case, and about to piss off a whole bunch of people who might want to kill me for it.

I showered, changed into a fresh shirt, fresh suit and felt better. The shampoo in the bathroom smelled of lavender, but that was better than smelling of dried blood. We were out the door early and drove to the diner where Harry and I had been barred the previous morning by the owner, Gus.

We got out of Kate’s rental car, and I followed behind. Bloch leading the way. The same faces as yesterday seemed to be around, sitting in the same places, maybe eating the same food.

We followed Bloch to a booth at the window. She wanted to be seen, I guessed.

Kate and Harry sat by glass, Bloch beside Kate, at the outside, ready to step up, and I slipped in beside Harry.

Gus, the same guy in the greasy apron who refused to serve us the day before, came over, his face flushed and shiny with sweat.

‘I thought I told you yesterday, we don’t serve the likes of you in here. This is a Christian diner. Skylar Edwards used to drink milkshakes right at my counter. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna serve you. Now, y’all get out before I call the sheriff.’

Bloch stood up, slowly. The guy was tall, but Bloch met him eye to eye. He folded his arms across his thick chest.

‘What happened to Southern hospitality?’ said Bloch.

‘I’ll show you some other things we do in the South, if you don’t leave,’ said Gus.

Bloch smiled. Cracked her neck.

The guy didn’t look as confident all of a sudden.

‘You got five seconds, or I’ll call the sheriff.’

‘Go ahead,’ said Bloch.

Gus backed away, unable to compute what was happening. He didn’t seem the type of guy who had ever been intimidated by a woman before, and he wasn’t totally sure how to handle it. Reaching behind the counter, he picked up a cordless phone, made a call.

Bloch sat back down.

Kate took out her cell phone, activated a voice-recording app and hid the phone under the table.

Harry and I leaned back, looked out the window and waited for the Sheriff’s Department cruiser to roll up. It didn’t take long. Four minutes at most. Pretty good response time. The two deputies who got out looked first at us, through the window, and then opened up the cruiser and took out their batons. One of them was the moustache I’d punched in the balls the day before – Deputy Leonard. His pal was much bigger, and clean-shaven. He had mean little black eyes that looked too small for his head. Veins stood out on his arms like worms crawling over tan leather.