in on them and Jack pulled up the collar of his coat. Jack sat while
Luther stood and lit a cigarette.
“That’s new.” Jack looked at the smoke curving up slowly in the clear
night air.
“At my age who gives a shit?” Luther flung the match down and buried it
in the dirt with his foot. He sat down.
“Jack, I want you to do me a favor.”
“Okay.
“You haven’t heard the favor yet.” Luther suddenly stood up. “You mind
walking? My joints are getting stiff.”
They had passed the Washington Monument and were headed toward the
Capitol when Luther broke the silence.
“I’m in kind of a jam, Jack. It’s not so bad now, but I got a feeling
it’s going to get worse and that might happen sooner rather than later.”
Luther didn’t look at him, he seemed to be staring ahead at the massive
dome of the Capitol.
“I’m not sure how things are going to play out right now, but if it goes
the way I think it’s gonna go, then I’m going to need a lawyer, and I
want you, Jack. I don’t want no bullshitter and I don’t want no baby
lawyer. You’re the best defense lawyer I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a
lot of them, up close and personal.”
“I don’t do that anymore, Luther. I push paper, do deals.”
It struck Jack at that moment that he was more a businessman than a
lawyer. That thought was not an especially pleasing one.
Luther did not seem to hear him. “It won’t be a freebie.
I’ll pay you. But I want someone I can trust, and you’re the only one I
trust, Jack.” Luther stopped walking and turned to the younger man,
waiting for an answer.
“Luther, you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Luther shook his head vigorously. “Not unless I have to.
That wouldn’t do you or anybody else any good.” He stared at Jack
intently until it made him uncomfortable.
“I gotta tell you, Jack,”if you’re my lawyer on this, it’s gonna get
kinda hairy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean people could get hurt on this one, Jack. Really hurt, like
not-coming-back hurt.”
Jack stopped walking. -If you’ve got some guys like that on your butt it
might be better to cut a deal now, get immunity and disappear in a
Witness Protection Program. Lots of people do. It’s not an original
idea.”
Luther laughed out loud. Laughed until he choked and ended up doubled
over, coughing up the little that was in his stomach. Jack helped him
back up. He could feel the older man’s limbs trembling. He did not
realize they were trembling with rage. This outburst was so out of
character for the man that Jack felt his flesh crawl. He realized he was
perspiring despite watching his breath produce small clouds in the
late-night chill.
Luther composed himself. He took a deep breath and looked almost
embarrassed.
“Tbanks for the advice, send me a bill. I gotta go.”
“Go? Where the hell are you going? I want to know what’s going on,
Luther.”
“If something should happen to me-”
“Godammit, Luther, I’m growing real tired of this cloakand-dagger shit.”
Luther’s eyes became slits. The confidence suddenly returned with a
touch of ferocity. “Everything I do is for a reason, Jack. If I’m not
telling you the whole scoop now -you better believe it’s for a goddamned
good reason. You may not understand it now, but the way I’m doing it is
to keep you as safe as I can. I wouldn’t be involving you at all except
I needed to know if you’d go to bat for me when and if I needed you.
Because if you won’t, forget this conversation ever happened, and forget
you ever knew me.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Serious as shit, Jack.”
The men stood looking at each other. The trees behind Luther’s head had
shed most of their leaves. Their bare branches reached to the skies,
like bursts of dark lightning frozen in place.
“I’ll be there, Luther.” Luther’s hand swiftly settled into Jack’s and
the next minute Luther Whitney disappeared into the shadows.
THE CAB DROPPED JACK OFF IN FRONT OF THE APARTMENT building. The pay