other side. Being accused of murder. What was it like to be in jail?”
“Not something you ever want to be in, Ms. Pincus.”
“Call me Kimberly, Ty.”
“You know they got viruses down there at the men’s jail they don’t even have names for yet. They put five people in a cell built for two. I got off easy, being a K-1, high risk. I had my own cell. The rest of the place, you know what it looks like? Remember in The Matrix? When Neo wakes up and sees that dark place housing all the human bodies? That’s what it’s like, only worse, because you’re not in suspended animation.”
“And of course most people deserve to be there.”
“They deserve to be housed like people, not dry goods.”
“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”
I motioned with my thumb. “I can ask the waiter to bring over some milk of human kindness, if you want.”
“I don’t want,” she said. “What good is kindness in a criminal courtroom?”
She was starting to remind myself of me, whenever I get into a philosophical tangle with Father Bob or Pick McNitt.
“Are you really as cutthroat as you pretend to be?” I said.
“I can’t stand to lose. You beat me. I want to eat your heart.”
“Say what?”
“You know, the way the Mayans would eat the hearts of their enemies.”
“I’m using mine right now, if that’s okay.”
“Then how about something else?” she said. “You were one of the best trial lawyers in the city.”
“Was?”
“That was your rep. Now I think it must be justified. I can learn from you.”
“You want trial lawyer lessons?”
“Just between friends.”
“I thought we were enemies. You know, eating my heart and all.”
“I’m over that,” she said. “I think we’re going to be good friends.” She lingered over a sip of her drink. And smiled as she did.
26
“ALL RIGHT,” I said later, over fried mozzarella, “I’ll tell you the best piece of advice I ever got about being a trial lawyer. Be yourself.”
“That’s it?” Kimberly said.
“It’s more than you think. Or, actually, less. See, I saw you posing a lot in court.”
She stiffened. For a second I thought she was going to take a bite out of her martini glass. But she came back to earth and said, “You think so?”
“And the judge thought so, too. That’s probably why she was so hard on you. You’re pushy.”
“Am I going to need another martini?”
“No. But you can come off as arrogant.”
“You’re just all compliments today, aren’t you?”
“If you were to be yourself, you’d have any jury eating out of your hand. See, the greatest actor of all time was Spencer Tracy.”
“Yeah?”
“You know his work?”
“Not really.”
I did. Jacqueline and I used to watch old movies together. A lot. “Tracy was the best. Bogart said he was. Because you couldn’t see the wheels turning. And somebody asked Tracy what his secret was, and all he said was, be yourself and listen to the other actor. But lawyers want to get up in court and put on a show. If you really want to win, don’t make it about Kimberly Pincus. Make it about justice. Make it about the People. Make it about—why am I telling you all this? I’m giving away the store.”
“I want to keep shopping,” she said. “I really want to keep shopping. What about dinner?”
“Are you asking me out?” I said.
“Boy, you really are good. How about it?”
“Aren’t things moving a little fast?” I said. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to think I was easy.”
She laughed. Like she didn’t believe me.
Personally, I didn’t know what to believe.
She reached into her purse and pulled out a red Bicycle deck of cards.
“You said you were a gambler, remember?” She slipped the deck out.
I had no idea where this was going. But I was both amused and interested.
She gave the deck an overhand shuffle then plopped it on the table. “Cut a card,” she said.
I ran my thumb halfway down the deck. I turned the cards over at that point, showing the jack of spades.
“Not bad,” she said. “Now shuffle the cards and put them down.”
I did a pretty smooth riffle-shuffle on the table. I pressed the cards together and pulled my hands back.
Kimberly looked me in the eye as she reached for the cards. She cut and held a card up for me to see. Queen of diamonds.
Then she looked at the card for the first time, as if she knew it would be a queen, king, or ace. Her smile was full of self-satisfaction.