Street Legal by William Deverell

Author:William Deverell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2013-12-15T16:00:00+00:00

16

Wearing an artificial smile but feeling trapped in a thick wet fog, Chuck escorted Harry Squire into his office. Two hundred thousand bucks, he figured, that was what the case had been worth.

Squire was talking non-stop: “Here’s to Canadian justice, it’s the best damned system in the world. That’s the green light I wanted. I’m planning to bring in some slightly more . . . shall we say, exotic material from L.A. I’d like you to look at some of it, really isn’t for the ladies’ bridge club. Between you and me, Chuck, I think we’re going to break down some barriers.”

“Yeah. By the way, Harry, we kind of slapped together that lease on the Queen Street place.” Chuck pulled a file from a cabinet, handed him the lease papers. “You’ll want to read it over.”

Squire quickly glanced at the numbers, and signed it with a flourish. “I assume this case is a precedent affirming our basic democratic rights. Would I be correct in saying it repeals a bad law?”

“Not really, Harry. Afraid it’s more of a technicality.”

Squire appeared dissatisfied with that. He frowned. “But I’m not guilty.”

“Correct.”

“Okay, so I haven’t done anything wrong, and I can keep doing it.”

“Yeah, but we have to hope they won’t relay the charge, Harry. They could change the wording on the information.”

“How can they do that? Isn’t there a principle of double jeopardy? A man can’t be tried twice, right?”

“I’d say just lay low for a while, don’t bring in the L.A. stuff just yet.”

“Well, Christ, doesn’t that cheapen the victory?” He was grumpy now. “Do I get my stock back?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Chuck picked up the phone and got Tyrone Slocum on the line.

The prosecutor was almost too obliging. “Yeah, he can come and pick them up.”

“Great. So you’re okay about doing that?” We’re going to relay the charge, that was what Chuck wanted to hear.

“Sure, never had my heart in the case, anyway. Just tell your client to keep a low profile for a while.”

Chuck hid his dismay. Hanging up, he told Squire, “You’ve got the books back.”

Beneath the beetle brows, the frown was replaced by a beaming smile. “Excellent, excellent. A deal’s a deal, Chuck, and the deal was a thousand dollars a day every day you were in court for me, so I gather I owe you exactly a thousand.” Squire laughed to let Chuck know he was joking. “But there’ll be a little bonus.”

Squire pulled a roll from his pocket and Chuck began filling with hope.

“Three thousand. I don’t want to hear anyone ever say Harry Squire doesn’t reward his friends.”

Chuck looked at the money, smothering his rage. The skinflint, he could stuff his bonus — Chuck had pride. “Naw, Harry, I’m not going to take this. It’s on the house.” He stuffed the bills back into Squire’s pocket.

Chuck was even more depressed because Squire didn’t protest, didn’t offer the money back. It could’ve paid for a valve job on his Oldsmobile or a couple of mortgage payments on his house.

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