“What do you want from us?”
“They’re going to need lawyers. I want you to represent them—for free.”
It’s a small price to pay. “We will,” I say.
“Thank you.” He gives us the fatherly nod I’ve seen countless times over the past half-century. “There’s something else I want you to know. This is my last case. I’m retiring for good.”
“You’ve tried three times,” I say. “You’ll be bored.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve been chasing bad guys for a long time. I want to spend more time with my grandchildren.”
60/ THE CIRCLE IS NOW COMPLETE
Thursday, June 23, 11:15 p.m.
“How’s Bobby?” I ask Grace. They just got off the phone for the fourth time in the last hour.
“Better than yesterday,” she says. She’s sitting on the corner of her bed. "Things are never going to be the way they were, but he’s happy to be home.”
“And you?”
She tugs at the sleeves of her worn Redwood High School sweatshirt. “I’ll be okay, Daddy,” she says bravely.
“It may be hard for a while.”
“I know.” She clutches the large teddy bear that came out of retirement earlier this week after spending the past couple of years on her dresser. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“When are you going to yell at me?”
“Not tonight, honey.”
“You aren’t mad?”
“I’m very mad, but yelling about it tonight isn’t going to help. You made some bad decisions. You learned some hard lessons. Frankly, I’m more disappointed than angry.”
“Why?”
“This exercise should have taught you that we always stick together and deal with whatever comes up—no matter what.” It’s a tired cliché, but it’s one of those rare occasions where it lines up with the truth.
“Are you and Mommy going to ground me?”
“Yep.”
“For how long?”
Until you turn fifty. “For the rest of the summer.”
“That’s pretty drastic.”
“You were a couple of hours away from being arrested as an accessory to murder. You put everything at risk—for yourself and for Mommy and me. You could have lost everything, Grace.”
“Then why aren’t you giving me a harsher punishment?”
“How much more can you take?” The purpose of punishing your kids is to remind them of the gravity of their mistakes—and their consequences. You hope it stays with them long enough that they won’t make the same mistake again. Mommy and I are reasonably sure you understand the consequences. Grounding you for six more months won’t add much to the lesson. We’re going to keep a much closer eye on your extracurricular activities, though. And let me make one thing as clear as I can: If I catch you sleeping with Bobby or any other boy in the next five years, I will kill both of you instantly.”
“Got it.”
“Speaking of which, what were you and Bobby talking about for so long?”
“Stuff.”
Not good enough. “What kind of stuff?”
She swallows hard. “We aren’t going to go out anymore. He’s going to college in the fall. I want to spend more time with other people. We’re going to try to be friends, but I think I’m going to take a little break from boys.”
It’s the best news I’ve heard in a while. “I think that’s a good decision.”
“So do I.” She clutches her teddy bear more tightly as her eyes fill with tears. "Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I put you and Mommy through all of this.”
“Me too.”
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
# # #
“Did your mother finally go home?”
“Yes,” Rosie says. “She’s had a busy week.”
“So have we.”
We’re sitting on the weathered redwood bench on Rosie’s back porch in the cool, foggy air at two o’clock on Friday morning. We’re each nursing a Guinness. There is always an emotional letdown after a big case is resolved and our mood is decidedly melancholy.
“We should get something for her,” I say.
“She stopped accepting gifts when she turned seventy-five.”
“How about a nice dinner?”
“That might work as long as it includes the kids. I think she’d appreciate it more if we promise not to take another murder case until Tommy starts college.”
“So would I. Have you heard anything from Julie?”
“She paid our bill.”
“Did she manage to say thank you?”
“It isn’t in her vocabulary.”
“Was she apologetic for all the nasty things she said to us?”
“Nope.”
“Some things never change.” I look up at the single street lamp struggling to provide a little illumination through the fog. “Is Grace asleep?”
“Finally.” Rosie is in a contemplative mood. “How do you feel about our baby daughter sleeping with her boyfriend?”
“It means she isn’t a baby anymore. We should have seen it coming.”
“We haven’t been setting an especially stellar example.”
“No, we haven’t.”
“Does that make us crappy parents?”
Yes. “It’s been a long week, Rosie. Let’s not beat ourselves up even more tonight.”
She won’t let it go. “Our daughter was a few hours away from being charged with murder. She should have been convicted of perjury. She was sleeping with her boyfriend behind our backs. We need to talk about it.”
I know she’s right. “We need to keep a closer eye on her,” I say. “There’s a fine line between supporting and enabling. I’m not sure exactly where to draw it, but I know we crossed it this time.”
Rosie’s eyes turn to cold steel. “We can’t let something like this ever happen again.”
“I agree.”
“How do we make sure?”
“We have to trust her a lot less and be around a lot more. Life with a teenage daughter is a war of attrition. Maybe we should set a goal of getting her to college before we kill her—or ourselves.”
I get the smile I was hoping for. “Sounds pretty good to me,” she says. “I hope it’s realistic.”
“So do I.”
The light from the street lamp reflects off Rosie’s jet black eyes as we take in the cool breeze. “You look tired,” she says.
It’s a welcome respite from talking about teenage problems. “I’m fine, Rosita.”
“You’re even worse than my mother. You’ll never admit you’re slowing down.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. So am I.”
“Maybe a little,” I say grudgingly. I quickly add, “It’s been a long week, but we got a good result for our client and our daughter. We identifed Judge Fairchild’s killer and got the Sunshine shut down. Jasmine may be going home to her parents. Hell, we even got paid. All things considered, that isn’t so bad.”
“I guess.” Rosie’s smile disappears. “Jack Fairchild is still dead. Bobby and Sean won’t see him again. The girls at the Sunshine will never have normal lives. Grace isn’t going to be the same. Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Of course. We can’t fix everything, Rosie. There’s no such thing as perfect justice.”
“When did you become so practical?”
“I learned it from you. The past twenty years would have been a lot easier if I had been a quicker study.”
“Maybe. Have you given any more thought to Robert’s offer?”
“I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it.”
“Sure you have.”
Yes, I have. “I’m inclined to do it. I’m ready to try something different. It might be a good time to start training the next generation of idealistic young defense lawyers before we get too old and cynical.”
“You mean p
eople like we used to be?”
“We aren’t that old and that cynical yet.”
“You’ll miss trying cases.”
“Robert said we can do a couple of cases a year. That’s plenty. There are also health benefits, a retirement plan, and maybe even an occasional vacation. He said we could use the attorneys at the PD’s Office to handle the cases for employees of the Sunshine. It’ll be a good training opportunity. Most importantly, I persuaded him to buy us new furniture.”
“We won’t have to use the dented metal desks we had twenty years ago?”
“We’re getting new metal desks.”
She smiles. “You’re one helluva negotiator.”
“Thanks.” I look into her eyes. “Does that mean you’re in?”
There’s a long pause. “I think so.”
“I’ll call Robert in the morning with the good news.” I finish my beer and give her a thoughtful look. “You realize this is the first major decision we’ve agreed on in a long time.”
Her smile broadens. “Given our history, that doesn’t give me a great deal of comfort, Mike.” She pecks me on the cheek. “I guess the circle is now complete.”
I touch her cheek softly. “You just quoted Darth Vader.”
“I thought it was Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
“You’ll have to ask Tommy when he wakes up. He’s memorized all six Star Wars movies. Either way, it’s probably a fitting epitaph for Fernandez and Daley.”
“Maybe it is.” Her expression turns wistful. “While we’re talking about major lifecycle events, do you think we should consider any adjustments in our personal situation?”
This is where things have always gotten tricky. “What do you have in mind?”
“Maybe we could start by having you stay over here a couple of nights a week. It would give you a chance to spend more time with Tommy and Grace. You could even help with the dishes.”
“I’d like that.”
“So would I, but be careful what you wish for. Grace is still a teenager.”
“I’m well aware of that. Do you want to revisit any other aspects of our relationship?”
“I think we’ve covered enough territory for one night, Mike.”
Relief. “Probably the right call.”
She leans over again and kisses me softly, then pulls back slowly. “You realize this is the first time in twenty years we’ve agreed on two major decisions in one night,” she says.
“That’s a new record for us.”
“Maybe we’re evolving. Maybe we’re maturing.”
“Or maybe we’ve finally run out of things to argue about,” I say.
She squeezes my hand tightly as she looks out into the foggy night. I can feel her warm breath on the side of my face as she leans over and whispers, “I love you, Mike.”
“I love you, too, Rosie.”
MD07 - Perfect Alibi Page 27