whenever you want to go.â
âHarveyâ¦â
I stood up. âWhatâll it take? Iâll do magic at your birthday party. Iâll cut your lawn on weekends.â
She smirked at me.
I got on one knee, clasped my hands in a begging gesture, then produced a red silk handkerchief from between my hands. I held the silk out for her. âIf you take me on, thereâs more where this one came from.â
Hannah laughed. She didnât take the handkerchief.
She said, âWere you this weird in high school?â
âNo. Iâm less weird now.â
She shook her head, let out a sigh. âTell you what. Iâll look at your case tomorrow. No promises.â
I grabbed her hand. âThank you, thank you.â
She pulled her hand back. âI said, âNo promises.ââ
âOf course.â I got up off my knee. âSay, what do you charge?â
âI didnât say I was doing this.â
âI know. I mean, hypothetically. Isnât that what you lawyers say?â
âHypothetically, I would charge you a friendâs rate. Ten thousand. I know that sounds like a lot, but it isnât.â
Next to Nadler, it sounds like Kmart. âFine. Done.â
âNot done. Iâm only going to take a look. Come back tomorrow at two fifteen. Iâll call the cops and get a copy of your file.â
âThank you, thank you.â I turned to hustle out before she changed her mind.
Behind me, I heard her call, âNo promises.â
Without turning around, I waved my arm over my head.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
When I got back to my apartment, my mother was standing in front of the door with her fists on her hips. She said, âWhy didnât you call me back about Nadler?â
âI had bad cell phone reception.â At least, Iâm sure the reception would have been bad if Iâd turned the phone on.
âFor eighteen hours?â
I took my keys out of my pocket. âSorry. I found another lawyer.â
Her eyes burned into me. âI went to a lot of effort to get Nadler.â
âI appreciate it, but I hated the sonofabitch. Besides, I canât let you spend that kind of dough.â
âThatâs my business.â
I toyed with my keys, jingling them. âYou canât afford it.â
âIâve got savings for emergencies.â
âNo. Youâve got savings to live on. Besides, I found someone whoâs just as good and way cheaper.â
Mom gave a sarcastic âHa.â âAnd just who do you think is as good as Michael Nadler?â
âHannah Fisher.â
She wrinkled her forehead. âWho?â
âSheâs a Harvard lawyer. Sheâll make me a priority.â
âYeah, probably because sheâs got nothing else to do. How did you find her? Yellow Pages?â
âI knew her in high school.â
âHigh school? You want to use someone your age?â
âIâm twenty-nine, you know.â
She shook her head. âYou need a lawyer with years of experience.â
âI didnât do anything wrong. The cops will see that. Mom, Iâm using Hannah. Thatâs final.â Assuming sheâll take my case.
Mom let out a breath. âLetâs put it this way. Iâm happy to pay for Nadler. But if you want to go off on some tangent, you can pay for that yourself.â
âFine.â
Yikes!
Â
CHAPTER EIGHT
Â
Next morning, I phoned in to ask about substitute teacher work. When the nasal woman told me there was nothing available, I said, âHowâs it possible that every teacher in Los Angeles is healthy today?â
âMr. Kendall, I donât make the rules.â
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
That afternoon, at two fifteen sharp, I grabbed the handle of Hannahâs office door and twisted it hard.
Locked.
I looked at my watch. I actually managed to show up on time. Where the hell is she? We had an