have command of the meeting. That was made clear during our first encounter. Elliot was a forceful personality. But I needed to be the one in charge from here on out.
It was a big room with twelve black leather chairs around the polished oval table. There was an overhead projector and a long box on the far wall containing the drop-down screen. The other walls were hung with framed posters of the movies that had been made on the lot. I assumed that these were the films that had made the studio money.
I took a seat and pulled the case files out of my bag. Twenty-five minutes later I was looking through the state’s discovery documents when the door opened and Elliot finally walked in. I didn’t bother to get up or extend my hand. I tried to look annoyed as I pointed him to a chair across the table from me.
Nina trailed him into the room to see what she could get us for refreshment.
“Nothing, Nina,” I said before Elliot could respond. “We’re going to be fine and we need to get started. We’ll let you know if we need anything.”
She seemed momentarily taken aback by the issuance of orders from someone other than Elliot. She looked to him for clarification and he simply nodded. She left, closing the double doors behind her. Elliot sat down in the chair I had pointed him to.
I looked across the table at my client for a long moment before speaking.
“I can’t figure you out, Walter.”
“What do you mean? What’s to figure out?”
“Well, for starters, you spend a lot of time protesting your innocence. But I don’t think you are taking this that seriously.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
“Am I? You understand that if you lose this trial, you are going to prison? And there won’t be any bail on a double-murder conviction while you appeal. You get a bad verdict and they’ll cuff you in the courtroom and take you away.”
Elliot leaned a few inches toward me before responding again.
“I understand exactly the position I am in. So don’t dare tell me I am not taking it seriously.”
“Okay, then, when we set a meeting, let’s be on time for it. There is a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to cover it. I know you have a studio to run but that is no longer the priority. For the next two weeks you have one priority. This case.”
Now he looked at me for a long moment before responding. It may have been the first time in his life he had been chided for being late and then told what to do. Finally, he nodded.
“Fair enough,” he said.
I nodded back. Our positions were now understood. We were in his boardroom and on his studio lot, but I was the alpha dog now. His future depended on me.
“Good,” I said. “Now, the first thing I need to ask is whether we are speaking privately in here.”
“Of course we are.”
“Well, we weren’t yesterday. It was pretty clear that Nina’s got your office wired. That may be fine for your movie meetings but it’s not fine when we’re discussing your case. I’m your lawyer, and no one should hear our discussion. No one. Nina has no privilege. She could be subpoenaed to testify against you. In fact, it won’t surprise me if she ends up on the prosecution’s witness list.”
Elliot leaned back in his padded chair and raised his face toward the ceiling.
“Nina,” he said. “Mute the feed. If I need anything I will call you on the line.”
He looked at me and opened his hands. I nodded that I was satisfied.
“Thank you, Walter. Now let’s get to work.”
“I have a question first.”
“Sure.”
“Is this the meeting where I tell you I didn’t do it and then you tell me that it doesn’t matter to you whether I did it or not?”
I nodded.
“Whether you did it or not is irrelevant, Walter. It’s what the state can prove beyond a-”
“No!”
He slammed an open palm down on the table. It sounded like a shot. I was startled but hoped I didn’t show it.
“I am tired of that legal bullshit! That it doesn’t matter whether I did it, only what can be proved. It does matter! Don’t you see? It does matter. I need to be believed, goddamnit! I need you to believe me. I don’t care what the evidence is against me. I did NOT do this. Do you understand me? Do you believe me? If