Degree of Guilt by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Random House Group Limited
Published: 1994-01-06T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

‘That’s a terrible story,’ Paget said.

They sat at a restaurant in the mountains above Aspen, one night later. Paget had flown out to help make Marcy Linton comfortable with him and to prepare her for what was to come. He had been candid and factual; although more reserved with Paget than with Terri, Linton was determined to testify. But watching Linton become the centerpiece of Mary Carelli’s defense, Terri found herself resenting Christopher Paget for the relief he felt.

She looked around, pretending to enjoy the room. On another day, she would have. The restaurant Paget had managed to find was a long drive into the mountains and set off by itself; a rustic cabin that offered excellent food and, in the kennel just below, dog sleds for hire. Inside were candlelit tables, rough walls, and, through the windows, a view of snow filtering through the pines and aspens that covered the mountainside. They sat in a corner; the other tables were filled with twosomes and foursomes in jeans and boots and sweaters who had come for the food rather than to be seen. Beyond the murmur of the room, close and convivial, Terri could hear dogs yipping below, their cries echoing in the mountains.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I guess I’m not very good company.’

‘Oh, you’ve been surprisingly lifelike.’ Paget seemed to wince at his own words. Forgive me. Sometimes I don’t know what to say, when a simple “What’s the matter” would do nicely. What is the matter? Marcy Linton?’

For once, Terri thought, his intuition had failed him; she was better prepared for banter than for serious talk. She searched for something that would seem like enough to explain her mood and, at the same time, invite a change of subject. Finally, she said, ‘It’s just how Richie sounded last night, I guess.’

Paget tilted his head in inquiry. ‘How was that?’

‘He’s not happy about my being here.’ She smiled faintly. ‘I’m never sure anymore how attractive Richie really thinks I am, but he’s absolutely certain that other men find me compelling.’

Paget looked mildly surprised. ‘Me, for example?’

Terri nodded. ‘Uh-huh.’

Paget seemed to consider that a moment. ‘You are compelling, of course. But that misses the point of our relationship. As professionals, or as friends.’

‘I know that. But Richie never will.’

Paget stared out the window. His gaze was distant, directed at the mountainside. ‘Sometimes,’ he said quietly, ‘people just need a safe place to go.’

The waiter cleared their plates and wineglasses, took coffee orders. For once, Terri did not want dessert. She felt Paget watching her again.

‘Linton’s our one chance to win,’ he said finally. ‘And getting this out may well help her.’

‘That’s much too easy.’ Terri stared at her coffee. ‘What gives us the right to play with other people’s lives, for reasons of our own? What gives me the right to open them up like that?’ Suddenly Terri needed to deflect the conversation. ‘Sometimes, I wonder if I was really made to be a lawyer.’

Paget’s smile was unimpressed but not unkind.

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