Howtown by Michael Nava Read Free Book Online Page A

time in the world to make your motions.”
    I looked at him. “Meanwhile, Paul’s in jail. If it had been brought to the attention of the arraigning judge that Paul was being held on the basis of this—” I stabbed at the warrant “—he might not have been so quick to deny him bail.”
    “The arraigning judge,” he replied, “was the same judge who signed the warrant.”
    “Well, this is a one-horse town.”
    “And,” he added, “is the same judge who’ll hear the prelim.”
    “That’s unlawful,” I replied. “I’ll move to disqualify him.”
    Clayton leaned forward slightly, gripping the edge of his desk with shapely fingers. “We’re not in Los Angeles, Henry. There are only four muni court judges up here, and they don’t like it when an attorney papers one of them.”
    “How much don’t they like it?”
    “I don’t think you want to find out,” he replied, releasing the desk. He tried out a grin on me. “You’re right about the warrant, of course, but Paul had already told me that he wanted someone else to represent him. I didn’t see the point in antagonizing Judge Lanyon. I thought I’d leave that to you. From what I’ve seen, you’re probably better at pissing off judges than I am.”
    “Sara said you’re the one who bailed out on the case.”
    He shrugged. “It was mutual.”
    “And the fact that you represent Windsor Development had nothing to do with it, I suppose?”
    “Are you accusing me of something?”
    “Just whose interest is being served by Paul remaining in jail?”
    He smiled to mask his anger. “Even for a lawyer you have a suspicious mind, Henry. The reason I don’t want to defend Paul is simple, I think he did it. I think the police are right. He went to McKay with the intention of paying him off, but McKay must have said something that made Paul realize he would be paying for the rest of his life, so he killed him.” Indifferently, he added, “It’s like Paul to panic and act stupidly.”
    “What about Paul’s explanation of why he went to see McKay?”
    He eyed me with interest. “What explanation?”
    Apparently, he had not been taken into Paul’s confidence. I feinted. “He must have one.”
    “Not that I know of.” He rolled his head, slowly, from side to side, working out the tension. “Look, Henry, you don’t think he’s innocent, do you?”
    “I haven’t formed an opinion,” I replied, “but I do know that any lawyer with even a little criminal experience would’ve acted a lot more aggressively than you did to at least get him out on bail.”
    “Don’t lecture me,” he snapped. “Paul barely speaks to me. You can’t help someone who doesn’t trust you.”
    “And why wouldn’t he trust you?”
    Stiffly, he said, “I’ve been instructed by Mark to cooperate with you, but you’re making it awfully hard. You can work out of the office, use my secretary, the paralegals. Stein, if you want him. Just don’t treat me like a hick. And stay out of my business.”
    I backed off. “That’s generous of you. Sorry if I’m blunt. That’s my way.”
    “I’m trying to appreciate that.”
    “When’s the arraignment?”
    “Two weeks from today. What do you need?”
    “I understand from Sara there’s been quite a bit of publicity about the case.”
    He smiled, grimly. “To put it mildly.”
    “Tell me about it.”
    “Paul was never tried on those child molest charges.”
    I nodded. “Sara said the girl wouldn’t testify.”
    “That’s right. It’s commonly believed that the Windsors paid her family off. The mother was Paul and Sara’s maid.”
    “I didn’t know that.”
    “She’d worked for them for years. So there was that. And then the Sentinel ’s been skewering Mark for years over his development deals. It’s always been just this side of libel. They couldn’t come right out and say he’s done anything criminal, but they sure got close.”
    “And has he?” I asked.
    “Anyone in his business is going to run afoul