Page 133 of The Wrong Side of the Law

“Lisa, she manipulated me to get-”

“No, you goddamn drunk idiot! She didn’t! You’re hung up on that because you’re trying to avoid your own conflict between duty and conscience. You followed your conscience and your heart, and not your duty. And you did the right thing!”

“But she-”

“But she loves you, Gabriel. Absolutely and totally. I’m representing her in some matters, and you know I won’t break attorney-client privilege, but she and Frank hired my husband for an unrelated matter. The three of them just got back from an overnight business thing out of town, and Brian tells me that he could hear her crying during the night, and in the morning there were dark circles under her eyes.”

This is unexpected. This isveryunexpected. I’ve thought a lot about how shewas, but I never once stopped to consider how Emilyis.

“Have you seen her at all since the trial ended?” Lisa asks.

“No. I haven’t.” And suddenly I feel terrible about that. Well,moreterrible. “I probably should, uh, change that.”

“Yes. You should. And…” Lisa looks troubled for a moment. “Look, confidentiality. But if you’re going to see her, you need to do itsoon.”

I reach for the phone in my pocket, but Lisa slaps my hand away.

“Not tonight, dummy,” she says. “It’s almost two in the morning. And you’re drunk.”

“I am not!” But, despite my indignant protests, my legs are unsteady when I stand up.

“It’s a wonder you’ve survived the past few weeks, Gabriel. Walking home like this?” Lisa looks over at the bartender and holds up a hand. “Sam? Gimme his keys, would you please? I’ll drop him at home and then get a cab back for my car.”

Lisa is in the car, of course, but she leaves me alone with my thoughts on the short, quiet ride home. For the first time in months I feel like maybe there’s some hope. There’s a light, faint as can be, at the end of the tunnel.

I need to call her. Maybe I should call her tonight, no matter how late it is. If Lisa’s right, then she’s probably still awake.

No. Not tonight. I’ll get some sleep tonight, and maybe take a personal day tomorrow.

Definitely not tonight, though. Drunk-dialing never works out, and I’m definitely too drunk to be anything but an idiot.

Or, given how badly I’ve mishandled things, maybe those words are in the wrong order.

Maybe I’m just too much of an idiot to be anything but drunk.

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