holding a list and clicking off things that had to be done immediately. He listened without looking at her, unzipped the robe and threw it at a chair, the one with the files under it.
“Good morning, Reggie,” he said with a smile. He patted her on the shoulder as he walked behind her. “That’ll be all,” he said calmly to Marcia, who closed the door and left. He picked the little yellow notes from his chair without reading them, then fell in it.
“How’s Momma Love?” he asked.
“She’s fine. And you?”
“Marvelous. Not surprised to see you here.”
“You didn’t have to sign a custody order. I
would’ve brought him here, Harry, you Know uia… * ^ fell asleep last night in the swing on Momma Love’s porch. He’s in good hands.”
Harry smiled and rubbed his eyes. Very few lawyers called him Harry in his office. But he rather enjoyed it when it came from her. “Reggie, Reggie. You never believe your clients should be taken into custody.”
“That’s not true.”
“You think all’s well if you can just take them home and feed them.”
“It helps.”
“Yes, it does. But according to Mr. Ord and the FBI, little Mark Sway could be in a world of danger.”
“What’d they tell you?”
“It’ll come out during the hearing.”
“They must’ve been pretty convincing, Harry. I get an hour’s notice of the hearing. That has to be a record.”
“I thought you’d like that. We can do it tomorrow if you’d prefer. I don’t mind making Mr. Ord wait.”
“Not with Mark in custody. Release him to my custody, and we’ll do the hearing tomorrow. I need some time to think.”
“I’m afraid to release him until I hear proof.”
“Why?”
“According to the FBI, there are some very dangerous people now in the city who may want to shut him up. Do you know a Mr. Gronke, and his pals Bono and Pirini? Ever hear of these guys?”
“No.”
“Neither had I, until this morning. It seems that these gentlemen have arrived in our fair city from New Orleans, and that they’re close associates of Mr. Barry
Muldanno, or the Blade, as I believe he’s known down there. Thank God organized crime never found Memphis. This scares me, Reggie, really scares me. These men do not play games.”
“Scares me too.”
“Has he been threatened?”
“Yes. It happened yesterday at the hospital. He told me about it, and he’s been with me ever since.”
“So now you’re a bodyguard.”
“No, I’m not. But I don’t think the code gives you the authority to order custody of children who may be in danger.”
“Reggie, dear, I wrote the code. I can issue a custody order for any child alleged to be delinquent.”
True, he wrote the law. And the appellate courts had long since ceased second-guessing Harry Roosevelt.
“And according to Foltrigg and Fink, what are Mark’s sins?”
Harry snatched two tissues from a drawer and blew his nose. He smiled at her again. “He can’t keep quiet, Reggie. If he knows something, he must tell them. You know that.” ,
“You’re assuming he knows something.”
“I’m not assuming anything. The petition makes certain allegations, and these allegations are based partly on fact and partly on assumption. Same as all petitions, I guess. Wouldn’t you say? We never know the truth until we have the hearing.”
“How much of Slick Moeller’s crap do you believe?”
“I believe nothing, Reggie, until it is told to me, under oath, in my courtroom, and then I believe about ten percent of it.”
There was a long pause as the judge debated whether to ask the question. “So, Reggie, what does the kid know?”
“You know it’s privileged, Harry.”
He smiled.-“So, he knows more than he should.”
“You could say that.”
“If it’s crucial to the investigation, Reggie, then he must tell.”
“What if he refuses?”
“I don’t know. We’ll deal with that when it happens. How smart is this kid?”
“Very. Broken home, no father, working mother, grew up on the streets. The usual. I talked to his fifth-grade teacher yesterday, and he makes all A’s except for math. He’s very bright, besides being street smart.”
“No prior trouble.”
“None. He’s a great kid, Harry. Remarkable, really.”
“Most of your clients are remarkable, Reggie.”
“This one is special. He’s here through no fault of his own.”
“I hope he’ll be fully advised by his lawyer. The hearing could get rough.”
“Most of my clients are fully advised.”
“They certainly are.”
There was a brief knock at the door and Marcia appeared. “Your client is here, Reggie. Witness Room C.”
“Thanks.” She stood and walked to the door. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, Harry.”
“Yes. Listen to me. I’m tough on kids who