horrible!”
“I’m fine, Jane. Thanks for your concern.”
“Mr. Talbot’s beside himself. He can’t
believe
it!”
“Don’t believe what they’re saying about Halliday. It’s not true. May I speak with Larry, please?”
“If he knew you were on the phone talking to me, I’d be fired.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Who’d write his letters?”
The secretary paused briefly, her voice calmer when she spoke. “Oh, God, Joel, you’re the end. After what you’ve been through, you still find something funny to say.”
“It’s easier, Jane. Let me have Bubba, will you?”
“You
are
the limit!”
Lawrence Talbot, senior partner of Talbot, Brooks and Simon, was a perfectly competent attorney, but his rise in law was as much due to his having been one of the few all-American football players from Yale as from any prowess in the courtroom. He was also a very decent human being, more of a coordinating coach than the driving force of a conservative yet highly competitive law firm. He was also eminently fair and fair-minded; he kept his word. He was one of the reasons Joel had joined the firm; another was Nathan Simon, a giant both of a man and of an attorney. Converse had learned more about the law from Nate Simon than from any other lawyer or professor he had ever met. He felt closest to Nathan, yet Simon was the most difficult to get close to; one approached this uniquely private man with equal parts of fondness and reserve.
Lawrence Talbot burst over the phone. “Good
Lord
, I’m appalled! What can I
say
? What can I
do?
”
“To begin with, strike that horseshit about Halliday. He was no more a drug connection than Nate Simon.”
“You haven’t heard, then? They’ve backed off on that. The story now is violent robbery; he resisted and the packets were stuffed under his shirt after they shot him. I think Jack Halliday must have burned the wires from San Francisco, threatened to beat the crap out of the whole Swiss government.… He played for Stanford, you know.”
“You’re too much, Bubba.”
“I never thought I’d enjoy hearing that from you, young man. I do now.”
“Young man and not so young, Larry. Clear something up for me, will you?”
“Whatever I can.”
“Anstett. Lucas Anstett.”
“We talked. Nathan and I listened, and he was most persuasive. We understand.”
“
Do
you?”
“Not the particulars certainly; he wouldn’t elaborate. But we think you’re the best in the field, and granting his request wasn’t difficult. T., B. and S.
has
the best, and when a judge like Anstett confirms it through such a conversation, we have to congratulate ourselves, don’t we?”
“Are you doing it because of his bench?”
“Christ,
no
. He even told us he’d be harder on us in Appeals if we agreed. He’s one rough cookie when he wants something. He tells you you’d be worse off if you give it to him.”
“Did you believe him?”
“Well, Nathan said something about billy goats having certain identifiable markings that were not removed without a great deal of squealing, so we should go along. Nathan frequently obfuscates issues, but goddamnit, Joel, he’s usually right.”
“If you can take three hours to hear a five-minute summation,” said Converse.
“He’s always thinking, young man.”
“Young and not so young. Everything’s relative.”
“Your wife called.… Sorry, your ex-wife.”
“Oh?”
“Your name came up on the radio or television or something, and she wanted to know what happened.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That we were trying to reach you. We didn’t know any more than she did. She sounded very upset.”
“Call her and tell her I’m fine, will you, please? Do you have the number?”
“Jane does,”
“I’ll be leaving, then.”
“On full pay,” said Talbot from New York.
“That’s not necessary, Larry. I’m being given a great deal of money, so save the bookkeeping. I’ll be back in three or four weeks.”
“I could do
“I’m fine, Jane. Thanks for your concern.”
“Mr. Talbot’s beside himself. He can’t
believe
it!”
“Don’t believe what they’re saying about Halliday. It’s not true. May I speak with Larry, please?”
“If he knew you were on the phone talking to me, I’d be fired.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Who’d write his letters?”
The secretary paused briefly, her voice calmer when she spoke. “Oh, God, Joel, you’re the end. After what you’ve been through, you still find something funny to say.”
“It’s easier, Jane. Let me have Bubba, will you?”
“You
are
the limit!”
Lawrence Talbot, senior partner of Talbot, Brooks and Simon, was a perfectly competent attorney, but his rise in law was as much due to his having been one of the few all-American football players from Yale as from any prowess in the courtroom. He was also a very decent human being, more of a coordinating coach than the driving force of a conservative yet highly competitive law firm. He was also eminently fair and fair-minded; he kept his word. He was one of the reasons Joel had joined the firm; another was Nathan Simon, a giant both of a man and of an attorney. Converse had learned more about the law from Nate Simon than from any other lawyer or professor he had ever met. He felt closest to Nathan, yet Simon was the most difficult to get close to; one approached this uniquely private man with equal parts of fondness and reserve.
Lawrence Talbot burst over the phone. “Good
Lord
, I’m appalled! What can I
say
? What can I
do?
”
“To begin with, strike that horseshit about Halliday. He was no more a drug connection than Nate Simon.”
“You haven’t heard, then? They’ve backed off on that. The story now is violent robbery; he resisted and the packets were stuffed under his shirt after they shot him. I think Jack Halliday must have burned the wires from San Francisco, threatened to beat the crap out of the whole Swiss government.… He played for Stanford, you know.”
“You’re too much, Bubba.”
“I never thought I’d enjoy hearing that from you, young man. I do now.”
“Young man and not so young, Larry. Clear something up for me, will you?”
“Whatever I can.”
“Anstett. Lucas Anstett.”
“We talked. Nathan and I listened, and he was most persuasive. We understand.”
“
Do
you?”
“Not the particulars certainly; he wouldn’t elaborate. But we think you’re the best in the field, and granting his request wasn’t difficult. T., B. and S.
has
the best, and when a judge like Anstett confirms it through such a conversation, we have to congratulate ourselves, don’t we?”
“Are you doing it because of his bench?”
“Christ,
no
. He even told us he’d be harder on us in Appeals if we agreed. He’s one rough cookie when he wants something. He tells you you’d be worse off if you give it to him.”
“Did you believe him?”
“Well, Nathan said something about billy goats having certain identifiable markings that were not removed without a great deal of squealing, so we should go along. Nathan frequently obfuscates issues, but goddamnit, Joel, he’s usually right.”
“If you can take three hours to hear a five-minute summation,” said Converse.
“He’s always thinking, young man.”
“Young and not so young. Everything’s relative.”
“Your wife called.… Sorry, your ex-wife.”
“Oh?”
“Your name came up on the radio or television or something, and she wanted to know what happened.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That we were trying to reach you. We didn’t know any more than she did. She sounded very upset.”
“Call her and tell her I’m fine, will you, please? Do you have the number?”
“Jane does,”
“I’ll be leaving, then.”
“On full pay,” said Talbot from New York.
“That’s not necessary, Larry. I’m being given a great deal of money, so save the bookkeeping. I’ll be back in three or four weeks.”
“I could do
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