"Stroke!" "Stroke!" "Stroke!" "Stroke!" "Stroke!" "Stroke!" "Come on, come on." "Pick him up, pick him up." "Son of a bitch !" "I mean, Your Honor, that was a hell of a shot." "Well, I'm currently doing an externship for two extra credits as a clerk for Judge Hookstratten." "B. J ." "Hookstratten?" "That's more impressive than being in the top 5%." "Look, I don't know what kind of offers you've had from Wall Street..." "The top five, sir. ln my class." "Not the top 5 %." "I'm sorry, I just..." "Mr. McDeere, we've just offered you $68,000 a year from arguably the leading law firm in Chicago." "is there somewhere else you have to be?" "Yes, sir. I have a job." "I'm just on lunch break." "I know you've had a lot of offers." "Did you know, for ex ample, that we have 1 2 7 clients that are Fortune 500 companies?" "Now, look, we'lI offer you $ 7 4, 000..." "... ourbillingrequirementfor a first-year associate is only 2,000 hours, not the usual 25 or 26 or 2,7 00." "We want you to have a life outside the office, Mitch." "And if you're a Lak ers fan, we have a fabulous box at the Forum." "I know there are firms from all over the country that have been up here offering you everything." "But with your ability and ambition, there is only one place for you, and that's with our firm in Washington..." "Let's stop talking about the ribbon on the package, and start talking about what's in the package." "One of our partners is an ex-governor, two are congressmen and one's a former Senator of Agriculture." "May I tak e your coat, sir?" "Mitchell McDeere, right?" "Yes." "Lamar Quinn." "Come on in." "I'd lik e you to meet" "Oliver Lambert, our senior partner." "Mitch ." "Mitch." "How do you do, sir?" "This is Royce McKnight," "our managing partner." "How do you do, sir?" "Welcome." "Care for a drink?" "No, I'm fine." "Tak e a seat, Mitch." "Tired of interviews?" "No, sir." "I just don't quite know what to say." "Unusual for a lawyer." "I can get tongue-tied in any number of situations, sir, but it's usually with my wife." "Would you mind describing one, with your wife?" "The first time I saw her." "Any time we argue." "Whenever she walks into a room, as a matter of fact." "Might we ask about the rest of your family?" "My father was killed in the coal mines and my mother remarried and lives in Florida." "Brothers and sisters?" "None." "Mitch, I hope you don't think us intrusive, but stability in the family has a special importance for us." "Bendini, Lambert  Lock e is just a small Memphis firm, 4 1 lawyers." "But we're a large family." "So we're careful." "Now, sir, do you have any questions for us?" "Do you have an offer in mind?" "It includes a bonus schedule, a low-interest mortgage so you can buy a home, country club membership, and we'll lease you a new Mercedes." "You pick the color, Mitch." "Lamar, you haven't been paying attention ." "His wife picks the color." "Do I..." "DoIopenithere?" "Of course." "Unless you can tell us what's in it." "A lawyer worth that offer shouldn't have to open the envelope." "Mr. McKnight, you are the managing partner at Bendini, Lambert  Lock e, is that correct?" "Yes." "Did Mr. Lambert, as senior partner, give you any instructions regarding my employment?" "He did." "And, Mr. McKnight, do you usually follow Mr. Lambert's instructions?" "Objection ." "Vague." "Ambiguous." "Sustained." "What precisely were those instructions?" "That you were in great demand, and I should mak e certain that we obtained your services before a bidding situation developed." "How did you go about making certain?" "I bribed a clerk in the Harvard Law placement office for the exact amount of the highest offer," "and then added 20%." "Mitch, the letter you got from Bendini, Lambert  Lock e was the only one sent out." "We want you." "Okay." "You're gonna have to leave now." "I'm expecting my husband ." "The hell with him." "Come here." "Moo shu pork, Szechwan beef, mandarin duck from Wong Boys." "It's even got a cork." "What's going on?" "You remember the letter l got from that firm in Memphis?" "Memphis?" "That's what I thought, until their offer." "What was the offer?" "They didn't say." "It's in there." "It's sealed." "I guessed." "What?" "Yeah, but I'm a good guesser." "Plus a 5% increase the second year." "Why?" ""Why?" Whose side are you on anyway?" "Yours." "Plus bonuses, plus a Iow interest mortgage..." "As in a home, with grass around it?" "They want to fly us down to Memphis for a little visit." "If you've been in one limo, you've been in them all ." "Bye." "See you later, Your Honor." "Sir." "Hey, Mitch." "Come on, associates first, then lunch with the partners in our private dining room." "He's our number one draft pick, so to speak, and he's being romanced by the big boys from New Yo\rk and Chicago\ and everywhere else, so we have to sell him on our little firm here in Memphis." "Meanwhile, he's gonna try not to be embarrassed while I remind you that he's about to graduate from Harvard with honors." "Hear, hear." "No one's divorced in the Firm?" "No one's divorced in the Firm." "lmpossible." "No bachelors either." "What about women?" "They had one once." "Only one?" "Alice Krauss, wobbled around on 4" heels." "Affirmative action on stilts." "All white, all male, all married, huh?" "What the hell is this?" "There he goes." "Hey!" "It's different from the northeast." "The pace, we're almost stately by comparison." "Courteous and not as gossipy." "We k eep each other's secrets." "I lik e that." "What do you lik e about it?" "All of it. lt's a family." "Just the way you said." "For the last three years, I've been teaching in the Boston area at a private school ." "Do you work?" "Well, not since I put Lamar through law school." "But, you know, working isn't forbidden." "Forbidden?" "Working, by the Firm , you know." "How could it be forbidden?" "lt isn't." "Anyway, two babies in 1 4 months and I had all the work I could handle." "Do you plan to start a family?" "Maybe in a couple of years." "The Firm encourages children." "How do they do that exactly?" "Hey, how about it?" "How about it." "Okay, okay." "The Love Boat band, the secret recipe ribs, they're a little square maybe..." "I don't mind square." "I lik e square." "Weird , I mind ." "What do you mean, "weird"?" "Well , here's a quote." ""The Firm does not forbid me to tak e a job, and they encourage children."" "Ask me why." "Because they love kids." "Because children promote stability." "Want to hear more?" "No, you're right." "Don't pay any attention ." "I'm just gonna throw myself over the rail." "I think my will is self-explanatory." "Okay, okay, okay." "These are nice people, Abby." "These are nice people." "Okay." "I'm more impressed with it than you are." "You grew up with it." "Do you know what $96,000 a year is here?" "It's lik e 1 50 in New York." "Did you ever think I'd mak e a six-figure salary?" "Absolutely." "You did?" "Well, your folks!" "Your folks are only a few hours away, too." "You mean, if we fight, I don't have far to drive." "Exactly." "She made two pho e calls from the hotel , one to her parents and one to the Memphis School Board." "She seemed a little reluctant." "I'd hate to lose this young man." "I think she'll come around." "What about Kozinski and Hodges?" "Have you spok en to Chicago?" "I have." "It's not good." "We're gonna have to do something." "I drew the happy face." "Where's Memphis?" "is that it?" "Yeah?" "It looks different." "It's prettier than the pictures they sent." ""Mitch and Abby, we've tak en the liberty of furnishing the house temporarily." ""Just a few things to mak e you feel at home." ""Hope you don't mind."" "Abby!" "Not bad, huh?" "Where's yours?" "Don't get up." "Don't worry." "Mitchell McDeere." "Tad eager are we, Mr. McDeere?" "What are you doing?" "Dutch says you've been here since 6:30." "I thought I'd jump start the bar exam work." "Go\od." "No associate has ever failed the bar exam , you know." "Come on ." "I'll show you your new office." "Wally H udson, Contracts." "Here to help with the bar exam." "Thanks, Wally." "No associate of the Firm has ever failed the bar exam." "The first day is a four-hour multiple choice on ethics." "Look at the first six chapters." "I'll see you Wednesday, 8:45." "Oh, no associate of this firm has ever failed the bar exam." "No kidding." "Ken Curry." "Domestic Relations." "Mike Allen." "Wills and Estates." "Nina." "Fuck!" "Please." "I'm sorry." "Can I help you?" "Actually, I think I'm here to help you." "I'm Avery Tolar, your designated mentor." "Let's go to lunch." "Lunch?" "But it's not even ..." "Not even noon, I know." "It will be a working lunch." "Come on up to my o\ffice while I drop this off." "Everything depends on billing." "How many hours you spend even thinking about a client." "I don't care if you're stuck in traffic or shaving or sitting on a park bench." "Now, my particular field ..." "is forming limited partnerships for offshore corporations, mainly in the Cayman lslands." "Good." "I want yo\u to\ review the last o e l did for a client named Sonny Capps." "He made over 1 4 million last year, paid less than 4 % in taxes and resents every buck of it." "But he paid us $400,000 in fees, so I don't want to mak e him unhappy." "Tak e a look at the deal, see if you can come up with anything." "Madge, tell him I'll call him in the morning , please." "Yes, Mr. Tolar." "Should I save these for later?" "Could yo\u , please?" "What do you mean by "anything"?" "What do you think I mean?" "I don't know, you're the risk tak er." "Do you think I'm talking about breaking the law?" "No, I'm just trying to figure out how far you want it bent." "As far as you can without breaking it." "In other words, don't risk an IRS audit." "I don't give a damn about an audit." "They just better not win." "Yes, Mr. Tolar?" "Something before lunch?" "I should warn you the Firm frowns on drinking during office hours." "Iced tea, please." "Bombay martini on the rocks, Ellis, three olives." "On the way." "Senator." "I'm allowed a few minor rebellions." "Put that in the bedroom, please." "Hey, hon, I made you some tea." "Kay, please." "I've never had so many people trying to do things for me." "It's the South, Abby." "We encumber you with hospitality." "Would you lik e to have your phone programmed for speed dialing , ma'am?" "Other than my husband's office number, let's see, that's..." "We have it, Mrs. McDeere." "We do all the installations for the Firm." "What led you to law school?" "l can't remember, really." "Sure you can, Counselor." "I was a delivery boy for a pizza parlor." "One day the owner got a notice from the IRS." "He was an immigrant, didn't know much English, even less about withholding tax." "He went bankrupt." "Lost his store." "That was the first time I thought of being a lawyer." "In other words, you're an idealist." "I don't know any tax lawyer who's an idealist." "When he lost his store, I lost my job, and it scared me." "Being out of work?" "No." "What the government can do to anybody." "What about you?" "What led you to law school?" "It's so far back I don't think I can remember." "Sure you can, Counselor." "I used to caddie for young lawyers off from work on week days and their wives." "I'd look at those long tan legs and just knew I had to be a lawyer." "The wives had long tan legs, too." "Ellis, another martini , please." "So we're not a couple of idealists." "Heaven forbid." "H i." "H i." "I'll let Mrs. Quinn know you're here." "Are you sure it's today?" "That's what he told me." "Kay?" "There's been ..." "Marty Kozinski and Joe Hodges were killed." "We just got word about 20 minutes ago." "Did you meet them at the barbecue?" "What happened , Kay?" "We're not sure." "They were diving off a boat on Grand Cayman, and then there was some kind of explosion on the boat." "Lamar?" "Marty was..." "His twin girls are a month older than our son." "I'm very sorry, Lamar." "By the way, Oliver wanted me to tell you, you shouldn't be burdened with a student loan." "Excuse me?" "If you bring the papers by tomorrow, the Firm will repay it for you." "Kay was scared." "What?" "No, she was upset." "There is a difference between being upset and being scared." "She was scared." "Of what?" "What, do you know her that well?" "Maybe not." "But I've spent a lot of time with her lately." "They have their own horses." "Two of them." "Quarter Horses." "Does that mak e half a horse?" "Sorry. I ..." "... andgentlywipeaway every tear from our eyes." "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." "Amen." "Let us pray." "Lord our God , you are always faithful and quick to show mercy." "Our brother Marty was suddenly and violently tak en from us." "Come swiftly to his aid." "Have mercy on him, and comfort his family and friends by the power and protection of the cross." "We ask this through Christ our Lord." "Amen ." "Let us go in the peace of Christ." "I'm just gonna go say goodbye to Oliver." "Okay?" "Okay." "I'll catch up with you." "All right." "Mrs. McDeere, I'm Avery Tolar." "You're the reason I see so little of my husband these days." "He must be the most ambitious man in the world." "One of them." "No, I mean leaving you every day just to go off to work." "I'm sure you could manage." "Just tell me how." "Did you know them well?" "The men who died?" "Yes." "You must be overwhelmed with grief." "People grieve in different ways, Mrs. McDeere." "Abby!" "Hey, Hearsay, come here." "Shit." "ls he in?" "Yes, Mr. Tolar." "Hell of a proposal, kiddo." "Just redraft this section on repatriation of offshore funds." "I need it tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "I need another week!" "Can't have it, pal." "You and I are flying to the Caymans tomorrow morning to tak e on Mr. Sonny Capps personally." "But the bar exam !" "It will be here when you get back, kiddo." "Shall I stay, Mr. McDeere?" "Would you lik e me to pick you up a sandwich?" "No, I'm fine, N ina." "Thank you." "You go on home." "Good night." "Good night." "So what's go\od here?" "I'm just having coffee." "I'm going with the steak sandwich." "Two steak sandwiches on rolls, please." "Two steak sandwiches on rolls." "You with Bendini, Lambert  Lock e?" "Yeah." "How did you ..." "Sorry, I'm just a little..." "It looks lik e they're working you to death." "They do that with new associates, I guess." "I've just been with them now..." "Eight weeks." "Sorry, guys." "I'm just a little punchy." "That firm looks like a health hazard." "Hours they mak e you k eep." "Kind of work they mak e you do." "Kozinski and Hodges." "Bob Lamm and Alice Krauss." "That's four dead lawyers out of 4 1 in less than 1 0 years." "And none of them over the age of what, 4 5?" "I mean, that beats the hell out of any life insurance tables I've ever heard about." "Who are you guys?" "Could we get those sandwiches to go, please?" "We'll probably see each other again." "The car wouldn't start." "I got caught in this incredible accident, 1 2 cars, maybe 1 3." "There was a pregnant woman in one of them." "I had to help deliver the baby." "It was a girl." "They said they're gonna name her Abigail." "Come on , Abby." "Why do you think I'm working lik e this, huh?" "'Cause I want you to have all the stuff..." "Wait a minute." "Wait a minute." "I never ask ed for anything, Mitch, except for us to be together." "But I want to give it to you." "I want to give you everything you gave up to marry me." "Stop it." "It's sweet. I know." "It's some kind of courtship, but I don't need all that." "Just bring me flowers sometime." "What were you working on all night?" "Just, you know, it's..." "It's just this stuff Avery's got me doing for the Cayman trip." "Hey, want to have some eggs?" "I had some eggs." "Want to have some nak ed?" "You don't even know what moves me about you, do you?" "Mitch, I know what you want, but it's not for me." "It's not even for you." "And you know it." "It's easy for somebody rich to talk about being poor lik e it's some fly that's bothering you and you just wave it away." "This isn't about rich or poor." "This is about trying to fix something that won't get fixed with 1 0 Mercedes." "Hey, that's not fair, Abby!" "That's not fair!" "This is about a mother in a trailer park." "And a brother you pretend you don't have." "Have a nice trip." "Just follow me, and don't over-breathe." "What about Sonny Capps?" "I thought we were under a lot of pressure." "We're under tremendous pressure." "If we don't get this dive in before the bank, we can 't do it." "You can't dive and then fly within 2 4 hours." "I don 't see how you can dive so soon after the accident." "We don't even know what happened to Kozinski and Hodges." "Hey, there was a plane crash last week." "We didn 't take a boat to the Caymans, did we?" "That's ridiculous, Sonny." "Let us sit down with you for five minutes." "Thank you." "Son of a bitch pays less than 5% tax and wants to fire us." "The Hyatt!" "This new plan is very aggressive, Sonny, and it defers all your tax liability for years." "And you could start right away." "I'm sorry, sweetheart." "I can't talk right now." "These taxes are only deferred, right?" "The future value of the tax dollars will be less than half their present value." "Who says?" "After the election ..." "Are you telling me who's gonna be in the White House the next four years, 'cause that would be valuable information." "Well ..." "Mr." "Tolar has a plan that..." "That meets all your needs, whoever's in the White House." "Let him tell me." "He's been trying to." "Hey, who the fuck are you?" "His lawyer or mine?" "Neither one, sir." "What the fuck are you doing here?" "Sonny, you're not the Firm's only concern here." "We put you into deals with other clients where they may be very sensitive about exposing their relationships to outside attorneys." "You hear that, Counselor?" "That's a veiled threat." "If you're talking about our friends in Chicago, they don't mak e money when I pay you fees." "You mak e money when I pay you fees." "They mak e money being in business with me." "And as long as they're making money, they don't give a flying fuck who does my taxes." "Hey, you don't know me." "I'm a nice guy." "You lose a million bucks for me, I'm not gonna hurt you." "I'm not gonna break your legs." "So ny, let's don't get carried away here, all right?" "What did I say?" "Maybe it's what you didn't say." ""What I didn't say." What didn't I say?" "Thank you ." "Mr. Tolar handed you a schedule that virtually guarantees you zero tax with zero risk." "The basis of your stock would be the face amount of the installment note, but the stock would have no value." "Even so, it's deducted in offsets income." "You defer your tax in full even though you have a bankable LC." "Deferred till when?" "What do you care?" "Whenever it is, it's still the best interest free loan you'll ever get." "So the worst is, I pay my taxes much , much later." "No." "The worst thing is next year they're going to close the loophole, change the regs and if you haven't grabbed this proposal, you're gonna feel lik e you were fuck ed with a dick big enough for an elephant to feel it." "You know that for a fact?" "Hey, you lik e the word "protégé"?" "I never had one." "You ever been one?" "I'm A, you're B, right next door." "Avery, who's in Chicago?" "We'll get to all that." "The hell with it." "Clean up and come on over." "You earned a good dinner and a night out." "Hey." "I lost my son." "Don't you think I would have screamed bloody murder if I thought something was wrong?" "You're right, Mr. Abanks, I'm sorry." "Okay?" "You're right." "I'm sorry." "Nothing to bury even ." "J ust a stone." "They never did find him or the other two." "What other two?" "The other two who split the charter." "Your friends and two other guys." "Lawyers?" "They were in swim suits." "They paid cash." "Were they American?" "Could have been anything." "One was, I don't know, squat, heavy." "Other guy had long blond hair, almost white, with weird blue eyes." "Mitch?" "Yeah." "Grab a Red Stripe out of the fridge." "I'm a little slow." "Tak e your time." "I'm trying to look as pretty as you, which I'm convinced I can." "It just tak es me a little longer." "You got anything to munch on?" "Yeah, there's a thing full of stuff next to the fridge." "It's got a lock on it." "Use that k ey from the ring I gave you." "Do you see it?" "Yeah, sure." "You find something?" "Listen, Capps is a tough guy, but he's also a blowhard." "He loves to give the impression that he's connected ." "Thinks it's glamorous." "He said a couple of things." "Hey, you're about to tak e the bar exam." "Here's a multiple choice." "The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is..." "A, whatever the IRS says." "B, a smart lawyer." "C, 1 0 years in prison." "D, all of the above." "Being a tax lawyer's got nothing to do with the law." "It's a game." "We teach the rich how to play it, so they can stay rich." "The I RS k eeps changing the rules so we can k eep getting rich teaching them." "It's a game." "One you just played very, very well." "Where's your beer?" "I decided to wait for the rum." "I hear it's good down here." "Everything's good down here." "You deserve a taste of all of it." "I think that since we're here on this island, there's things we can do on it, you know, primitive things." "Come on , you deserve it." "Look, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but this isn't gonna happen." "Would you tell my friend I went back to the condo?" "You don't know what you're missing." "Thanks anyway." "Leave me alone!" "Listen to me." "Are you all right?" "It's okay." "Just wait a minute." "Wait a minute." "Can I lo\ok at this?" "You're not a doctor." "No, but I've sprained a lot of ankles." "Mostly mine." "You should ice this." "You should also report that guy." "That was your boyfriend." "That was for money." "Aren't you gonna finish?" "I'm sorry." "You think that's..." "Got nothing to do with me." "Is this too tight?" "No." "I work in a travel agency." "I wanted to feel lik e all those people with first class tick ets and pretty clothes." "I guess I wanted to feel ..." "Rich." "How much would it tak e to feel rich?" "I don't know." "How much would it tak e to feel safe?" "You did that." "You made me feel safe." "Hey..." "Will you stay with me for a while?" "Why don't you tak e the afternoon off?" "You deserve it." "Spend it with that pretty wife of yours." "Oh, shit, I forgot, she phoned last night." "What'd you tell her?" "That you were probably walking on the beach ." "I was." "I guessed right then, didn't I?" "Okay, Mr. McDeere." "If you'll sign where the "X" is and initial where it's mark ed." "Well, well." "The man from Gentleman's Quarterly." "How you doing, Ray?" "Pretty fair." "How's yourself?" "It's a long time, huh?" "It's okay. I've become a patient man." "Don't beat yourself up, kid." "If I wasn't here, I wouldn't want to be here either." "Do you ever talk to Ma?" "A few months ago." "Still with the same guy?" "They're all the same guy." "So, you finish law school?" "Yeah." "That suit's a dead give-away." "What, you get a job on Wall Street?" "You always said..." "No, I'm not." "I just..." "I went with a firm across the river in Memphis." "Memphis?" "Hey, Ray, wouldn't it be funny if I went to Harvard and you went to jail and we both ended up surrounded by crooks?" "Sonny Capps is thrilled." "McDeere was dazzling." "I think we ought to pull Lamar out of that tax seminar in Washington and send Mitch instead." "Let him tak e the jet." "Any problem with that, Bill?" "No." "No, no problem." "So far the kid's been real predictable." "If you're even half right, you're gonna need some help." "What does Abby think?" "I haven't told her." "I guess..." "I guess I don't want it to be real." "Nothing's real until I tell it to Abby." "How did you ever land a job with a brother in the joint?" "That's okay." "I'd have done the same thing myself." "You were always around for me, Ray." "All those years after Dad died." "I'd have done the same." "You think I'd ever tell guys around here I got a brother in Harvard?" "Jesus, Ray." "Hey, listen ." "I want you to see a friend of mine." "His name is Eddie Lomax." "He's a private investigator in Little Rock." "Ex-cop." "Anything I can do for you?" "Sure." "Get me out of here." "Where to?" "Anywhere I can see a whole lot of sky." "I can get through the days, I even eat the food." "It's amazing how much you miss the sky." "Ever plug one of these in only you forgot to put the water in?" "No." "Do you know what happens?" "No." "The lights go out." "He's been dying to see you since you called." "That's what I saw." "Tammy!" "Mr. Lomax will see you now." "Mr." "McDeere." "Yes." "I practically went to law school with you." "Ray talk ed about you every stinking day for three years." "I was his cellmate, he must have told you." "Did he tell you, by the way, it was statutory rape?" "She was 1 7." "Look ed 25." "I got one to four." "Sit down." "Sit down ." "Come on." "Sit down, sit down." "You want some Sweet'N Low?" "You want some dairy cream?" "No." "You want some sugar?" "You want some..." "Eddie, I've got some business" "I'd lik e to go over with you here." "Good ." "Good." "Good." "I owe your brother my life." "l'm leaving ." "Thank you, dear." "That's my secretary." "She is terrific." "But she's got a nutcase for a husband." "He's a truck driver." "He moved here to be close to Graceland." "The reason why, he thinks he's Elvis." "What do you think his name is?" "It's Elvis." "Elvis Aaron Hemphill." "I run across some strange things in this job." "Some things I'd never spray-paint on an overpass." "Now, what can I do for you?" "What a nice surprise." "Avery." "They didn't have to disturb you." "You didn't have to come down ." "Believe me, it's no bother." "I was just looking for Mitch." "Nina says he hasn't been in all afternoon." "I didn't mean for her to call you." "Didn't he come back with you?" "I'll be honest with you." "This is not my area of expertise." "But you think it's possible?" "Anything's possible." "I'll tell you one thing, if those guys at the steak joint were feds, you better watch out for them." "'Cause they don't give a damn about you." "I get some pretty pissed off husbands in here." "On the other hand , the lawyers at yo\ur firm sure as hell seem accident prone." "Okay." "I'll see what I can find out." "You better let me call you." "You sure remind me of your brother." "Ray comes up for parole in a while." "Says that he can last it." "What do you think?" "There's guys that can do all the hard time the State gives them." "Whatever Ray had, he used up to get this far." "H i." "H i." "I didn't think you were home." "Why not?" "No car." "I took it in for service." "Avery brought me home." "I went to the office looking for you." "I wasn't there." "Apparently not." "I even look ed under your desk." "Yeah , I went..." "Avery told me you were at MS U , at the law library." "Avery did." "Avery did." "But when I happened to spot your car in the parking lot, it made him kind of edgy." "Yeah, well, Avery didn't exactly know where I was." "Probably thought you were with another woman." "I went to see Ray." "Ray?" "Yeah." "Just lik e that, after all this time?" "You were right. I've been stupid." "I would have gone with you on Saturday." "I know." "God, I just wasn't..." "I wasn't thinking." "How'd it go?" "It was..." "It was..." "Go\d , he..." "He tried to mak e it easy for me." "is he okay?" "He's gotta get that parole." "You want to try something?" "Let's put the books away, pretend we're back in our old beat-up apartment, brok e, and we find some money we forgot in pock ets." "We'll send out for pizza and drink beer." "Drink beer." "And watch Star Search." "Who knows where it will lead." "Your wife?" "She's in Cleveland." "She lies." "Don't you answer your phone?" "Don't you knock?" "Where's your secretary?" "Out." "She left a cigarette burning." "She does that." "Why don't you come back in one hour, and mak e an appointment?" "Why bother?" "We're here." "I'm busy." "Doing what?" "I'm getting a pedicure." "What's it to you?" "Now this is gonna turn out badly for you, but we can make it relatively painless." "Why are you asking questions about dead lawyers?" "What dead lawyers?" "Who hired you to do that?" "Okay!" "Okay." "Just let me think." "His name was J ullo Iglesias." "No!" "No!" "Great!" "Just great." "You want to ask him a few questions now?" "I think this is a carefully balanced proposal." "I think it's high-minded and I th ink it's fair-minded." "In other words, it's got something in it to offend everyone." "If you want to follow along with me, we'Il begin on page "l" of the introduction." "We'Il revue sections 7 04-B of the I RS code of 1 986 and the treasury regulations amended under Section 1 /7 04-1." "Quote, "The distribution provisions" ""in limited and general partnership agreements. "" "These regulations permit the I RS to disregard allocations which are not made in accordance with partners' interests in the partnership unless those allocations satisfy the economic effect most easily satisfied by taking advantage of the safe harbor provisions set forth therein." "In other words, in an ever-changing sea of tax laws..." "Hey, brother." "Brother, go down the steps towards the pool." "Here you go, brother." "Voices from the Wall." "Thanks a lot." "Oh, yeah." "Mister." "Who killed Eddie Lomax?" "Go over and sit next to the man on the bench." "I appreciate your coming, Mr. McDeere." "I'll call you Mitch, if I may?" "My name is Voyles." "Denton Voyles." "I'm with the Department of J ustice." "What happened to Eddie Lomax?" "We've been investigating Bendini, Lambert  Locke for four years." "No lawyer has ever left your law firm alive." "Two tried to leave, they were killed." "Two were about to try, you know what happened." "Now, we have reason to believe that your house is bugged ." "Your phones are tapped, your office is wired ." "They may follow you, they may be here in Washington as we speak." "Are you saying my life is in danger?" "I'm saying that your life as you know it is over." "Your law firm is the sole legal representative of the Morolto crime family in Chicago." "Known as the Mafia." "The Mob." "I don't believe it." "They set up legitimate businesses with dirty money from drugs, gambling, prostitution." "All cash, all moved offshore." "You believe it." "That's why you talk ed to Thomas Abanks in the Caymans." "That's why you got this private investigator asking questions that got him killed." "Maybe 30% of their clients are legitimate." "They bring in a new rookie, throw money at him, buy the car, the house." "After a couple of years, and your kids are in private schools, you're used to the good life, they tell you the truth." "You mean every partner in the Firm is..." "Every partner knows." "We suspect most of the associates." "Why don't you get indictments and bust it all up?" "We have to have somebody on the inside." "We need to see copies of contracts, clients' bank records," "articles of incorporation." "Wait a minute." "You think I'm..." "You can say no." "But we're gonna break this firm." "And when that happens, you're gonna go to jail along with the rest." "It will happen , son, believe me." "Why can't I just leave?" "That's what Kozinski and Hodges were trying to do." "You have to think this over." "Meanwhile, you and your wife have to behave as though everything is normal." "Now don't discuss this with anyone, but mak e a decision." "If you help us, we'll mak e it worth your while." "Worth my while?" "You can still have a pretty good life." "You mean in a witness protection program?" "How?" "I live somebody else's life?" "In some nowhere place, and one day I'm backing out of my driveway and my car explodes?" "Doesn't have to be that way." "I don't need much of a life, Mr. Voyles, but it has to be mine." "is that what you've got now, son?" "You ought to get back to the seminar." "Tarrance has full authority to negotiate on our behalf." "Why don't you wander back past the memorial?" "You can call me in Memphis anytime, day or night." "The second one's a mobile number." "Let me get this straight." "I steal files from the Firm and turn them over to the FBI." "Testify against my colleagues, send them to jail ." "They suck ered you into this." "Reveal privileged information that violates attorney-client confidences, get me disbarred, and then testify in open court against the Mafia." "Well , unfortunately, Mitch ..." "Let me ask you something." "Are you out of your fucking mind?" "How long before they find out Lomax's cellmate was a guy named Ray McDeere?" "And when they do, what do you think they'll do to him?" "They can get to anyone, anywhere." "What can you do?" "Your brother comes up for parole soon, doesn't he?" "You cooperate with us, I'll guarantee the board will be grateful." "Otherwise..." "Well,youkno \w what those parole hearings are lik e." "It could go either way." "Forget about home, driver." "Tak e me to the Firm." "The employer will have..." "Mr." "McDeere, you can't go in there!" "Call everybody." "Right now!" "I'm on overseas and I've got two..." "Right now!" "I just had a little chat with the FBI." "And they didn't try to coerce you?" "No." "They didn't offer you money?" "Nope." "Did they ask you to contact them again?" "What for?" "Exactly what did they want?" "The secret files." "Who had those secret files last?" "You have them, Royce?" "I gave them to you." "No." "They also suggested that Hodges and Kozinski were murdered." "Those sons of bitches!" "Now, we ought to build a case and sue." "This is pure harassment." "And that was it?" "That was everything that was said?" "Well , I mean, as far as I can remember." "It wasn't exactly a sequential conversation." "There was a lot of yelling, mostly by me." "Mitch, we're always doing battle with the government." "If it isn't the Justice Department, it's the IRS, and you know what?" "We beat them every time." "And they hate us for it." "They can't get to us so they pick on somebody new." "They invite you to break the law." "Doesn't cost them anything, but it costs you everything." "Now, I don't want you to worry about this." "It's gotten serious enough." "We'll have to get into it legally." "I guess the only other question is, who do we bill this hour to?" "How about the FBI?" "I can't believe that." "That is so weird." "I was just thinking about you." "So\mebody's burning leaves o\utside, did you smell it?" "It reminded me of the time..." "Hey!" "If you're afraid you'll wak e the kids, we don't have any." "Abby!" "Abby!" "Abby!" "Abby!" "Don't say anything !" "Don't say anything !" "Don't tell me any more!" "Everything." "Every single thing we've said or done since we've been in that house, nothing has been between us." "Can't we just get in our own car and drive back to Boston , tonight?" "We'll just leave everything." "They'd find us." "How do you go to work tomorrow?" "How do you look at Avery?" "What do you say to him?" "I talk about work." "That's insane!" "I have thought of every possible way." "Here, in the Caymans, in Washington, that's all I've done." "Try to think of a way out. lf we run , they'd find us, and it gets Ray killed." "But if you testify..." "The FBI says they'll help Ray" "and protect us." "Protect what?" "What are you going to do?" "Go in tomorrow and start to copy files." "I don't have a choice." "Mitch, what are you saying?" "You'll be revealing clients' secrets." "You'll be disbarred." "Abby, don't..." "You'll never be able to practice law again for the rest of your life." "Everything you've work ed for!" "They can't ask you to do that!" "They are not asking !" "We have to behave exactly as we have been." "We have to go to work and come home every day and never wonder about the walls and the wires..." "And do nothing we want to do." "Szechwan beef from Wong Boys." "That was the last time I remember laughing." "Come on !" "Every single day we got..." "Oh, not you again, man ." "... oneofyourtrucksouthere,  blocking this alley." "Hey, leave me alone." "What's it gonna tak e, huh?" "Hey, would you leave me alone, buddy?" "You're using this place as a parking lot!" "What the hell are you doing?" "Jesus, I was just trying to mak e a copy of..." "They just started this." "You have to have the billing code for each client." "You mean every time I copy a piece of paper, it's recorded?" "What are you trying to do, kill yourself?" "Come on ." "Nina should do that anyway." "Come down for one night, can't you?" "Well , it used to be worth it." "Okay." "Yeah , maybe next time." "Bye, Cordelia." "That was Cordelia." "Yeah." "Your wife." "From the song of the same name." "Avery, I have a couple of ideas about those Capps LCs." "When's the next Cayman trip?" "For me?" "Next week." "If you think I'm gonna let So ny Capps get another look at you, you're crazy." "But you write down every single thought you have." "I'll be happy to tak e credit." "Mr. McDeere!" "Mr. Mulholland's called twice about his bills again." "Tell Mr. Mulholland to tak e his bill and ..." "No, wait a minute, wait a minute." "Isn't he just up the street?" "Yes. ln the Cotto Exchange." "Cotton Exchange." "Tell him I'll see him later." "Did you order a fried egg sandwich from the Front Street Deli?" "A fried egg ..." "Yes, I did." "I did." "Come in." "It's $2.65." "The receipt's in the bag." "The receipt's in the bag." "How did you see them , and they didn't see you?" "I was under the desk." "I was vacuuming the rug." "You want me to draw you a diagram?" "I loved him." "I'm sorry, Tammy." "They wanted to know who hired him and why he was asking questions about dead lawyers." "You actually saw them?" "One guy was stocky, look ed like a wrestler." "He's gonna limp the rest of his life 'cause Eddie hit him in the knee with that cannon under his desk." "And the other guy was lik e an albino." "Long thin hair, almost white." "Dead blue eyes." "My landlady said they came looking for me yesterday, so I check ed into the Motel 6 on River Street." "I couldn't think of anywhere else to go." "Listen, they're gonna put Eddie together with Ray, and when they do, it'll lead to you." "I don't want anything bad to happen to you ." "Eddie wouldn't lik e it." "So, you're in as much trouble as I am." "Listen, there's a building around the corner called the Cotton Ex change." "Maybe you can help, Tammy." "Hi there, Mitch." "Bill Devasher, Firm Security." "Mr. Lock e and Mr. Lambert were telling me about your little run in with the fbi ." "I wonder if we could have a little talk." "Actually, I told them everything." "I'm sure you did ." "This won't tak e a minute." "Hop in." "So, Mitch, this is a debriefing." "I know pretty much what you told the fellows, so I kind of got the picture." "Now it's my job to give you the picture." "What I'm concerned about, son, is this." "The fbi wouldn't have come after you if they didn't figure they'd get to you ." "What do you suppose made them think that?" "I have no idea." "Well, see, it's my job to have an idea about that." "For example, they might know how important your young wife is to you." "They might use that." "How?" "Avery says last Friday you took the afternoon off." "He figures you might have been with another woman ." "Why would Avery think..." "How do you know you weren't followed?" "Picture Abby one day walking to the mail box, anticipating the arrival of her Redbook, her Sharper Image catalog ." "What does she find instead?" "She finds heartache, Mitch." "The death of love and trust." "Imagine her one day opening that." "Go ahead." "Tak e a look." "Devastating." "Not just screwing, Mitch." "But the kind of intimate acts, oral and whatnot, that can be particularly hard for a trusting young wife to forgive and impossible to forget." "That's just the kind of stuff the fbi could use for coercion, Mitch." "So you watch yourself." "I'll do the best I can to protect you, and I know you will do your best to protect the Firm ." "So if the FBI so much as spits in your direction, you'll let me know before it hits the ground , won't you?" "Won't you , Mitch?" "Oliver wants to see you right now in the library." "Where you been?" "Let me just put my coat away." "Right now." "He's been waiting." "You think you're pretty smart, don't you?" "Well, we've been informed there's somebody smarter." "You didn't get the highest score on the bar exam , you got the second-highest score." "Cheers!" "Nice one." "Congratulations." "They called you, huh?" "Guilty, Your Honor." "I did it." "Well , it's your moment of glory." "You know, my wife missed mine, and she never forgave herself." "I wouldn't want that to happen to you." "That's very considerate, Avery." "Well, I thought so." "Well done." "Well done." "Quite an achievement, Mitch." "Abby." "Well , the space is just great." "I'll tak e it." "And the lease would be under..." "Greenwood Secretarial Services." "And you are..." "Doris Greenwoo\d ." "I lik e that suit a lo\t." "Well , thank you ." "They're gonna deliver a copier tomorrow." "I'll mak e sure the office is open." "All right." "I will employ such means only as are consistent with truth and honor." "I will maintain the confidence and preserve inviolate the secrets of my client." "I will maintain the confidence and preserve inviolate the secrets of my client." "I will truly and honestly conduct myself in the practice of my profession to the best of my skill and ability, so help me God." ""l will maintain the confidence and preserve inviolate" ""the secrets of my client"?" "The first thing I'm gonna do is violate the secrets of my clients." "Do you see any other way?" "Okay, then." "Aren't we doing the best we can?" "No." "What do you mean?" "I can't." "What?" "That..." "That night..." "That night in the Caymans when you telephoned..." "You were on the beach." "What?" "What did you do?" "No." "You didn't..." "Who was she?" "I don't know." "You don't know?" "I don't even know her name." "It didn't mean anything." "Lik e hell it didn't." "It means everything." "What did you do?" "Why did you fuck some stranger on a beach one night away from me?" "Who does that?" "Abby, I promise you ..." "What?" "You can't promise anything." "Not ever." "Not anymore." "Why did you tell me?" "Because I couldn't stand not to." "I couldn't stand your not knowing." "Well , now I know." "Give me the k eys." "Sorry, I ..." "Just give me the k eys." "I thought there were only two Brothers Grimm." "Sit down, Avery." "Anthony and Joey are coming down next week." "What for?" "Works out your protégé's got a brother." "So?" "He didn't mention him at the interview in Boston." "I've got a brother I might not mention either" "in polite conversation." "This brother's doing time." "How did you find that out?" "What do you think I am here, a fucking night watchman?" "I get confused sometimes." "Well, don't!" "All right, Avery." "We got a prison guard in Arkansas." "He's on the arm." "He tells us about a Ray McDeere doing time for manslaughter." "The Moroltos have been edgy ever since the Kozinski and Hodges mess." "They're concerned that we might be misreading McDeere." "And the Moroltos are coming for what?" "To personally tak e over?" "Are we misreading him?" "I don't think so." "Wouldn't you lie if you had a felon in the family to get a job lik e this?" "I still think we ought to k eep him on a pretty tight leash." "Why?" "You've got nothing to be suspicious about." "I get paid to be suspicious when I got nothing to be suspicious about." "Excuse me." "You're not listening, Mr. McDeere." "I'm sorry." "You were talking about hours?" "Listen, I know I'm not Bendini-Lambert's most valuable client, but I've got a legitimate complaint here." "You never spent 33 hours last month on my account." "is that what you were billed?" "You don't see your own bills?" "No, I just submit my time sheet." "Where is it?" "It's on file with the office manager." "You know, this overbilling's gotten so common nobody gives it another thought." "It's kind of lik e tipping." "Well , it's not policy, Mr. Mulholland." "It sure seems lik e policy." "It's been going on over there for years." "People forget something else, too." "When somebody over there put a stamp on this and mailed it, you know what happened?" "It became a federal offense." "It became a federal offense." "You're damn right." "Each instance punishable by..." "$ 1 0,000 fine." "Three to five years each instance." "Nina, I'm going over to Mulholland's for a half hour or so." "All righty." "Wait a minute, wait a minute." "I got the beeper." "I think there might be a way of doing this without getting disbarred and without breaking the law." "is that our chief concern here?" "Tear those up." "I might not have to use them." "But I got to get to that stuff in the Caymans." "What, for the FBI?" "No." "For me." "They won't let you go, you said." "Somebody's gonna have to get to it another way." "It has to happen fast." "I got to figure out what to do about Ray." "What?" "In Eddie's stuff, is there some kind of wireless recording device?" "Yes." "Yes!" "You know how to use it?" "Whenever Eddie said, "My associate"?" "Yours truly." "Did he have any high-speed camera equipment?" "Sure." "I want you to get hold of a van, Tammy." "Hey, Tammy, did Elvis ever find out about Eddie?" "Oh, man ." "He loved Eddie." "Are you kidding?" "Hell, that stuff was over between me and Elvis when I was 1 8." "We'd been married two years, and one morning at breakfast I just turned too old for him ." "But I tell you , everybody loves Elvis." "The man's a panda." "And he'd do anything for me." "They're off, and Say Something comes away on top and Right There is stepping over on the inside." "Champagne Now rushes up..." "Doesn't a dog ever get the bone?" "Yeah, I hear it happens once in a while." "It's a disaster." "They can never get that dog to run again ." "Listen, Mitch," "Mr. Voyles wants me to tell you how much the Bureau appreciates..." "A million dollars in a numbered account in Switzerland." "I BG Bank International in Zurich." "Well , you sure as hell turned greedy overnight." "And my brother out." "Now." "Your brother is a convicted felon, Mitch." "Then get yourself another snitch." "He's in for manslaughter." "It was a brawl in a bar." "If he hadn't done any boxing, it would have been self-defense." "It's still a felony, Mitch." "You heard me, Tarrance." "My brother out now." "And mak e it a million and a half." "How about you get down on your knees and kiss my ass for not indicting you as a co-conspirator right now, you chick enshit little Harvard cocksuck er!" "I haven't done anything, and you know it!" "Who gives a fuck?" "I'm a federal agent." "You know what that means, you low life mothertuck er?" "You got no rights." "Your life is mine." "I could kick your teeth down your throat, yank them out your asshole and I'm not even violating your civil rights." "You are Agent Wayne Tarrance." "Yeah , you're goddamn right I am !" "Maybe local cops can't..." "Yeah." "ls this Wayne Tarrance?" "Who is this?" "ls this Wayne Tarrance?" "Yeah, this is Wayne Tarrance." "So is this." "... cocksucker!" "I haven't done anyth ing, and you know it!" "Who gives a fuck?" "I'm a federal agent." "You know what that means, you low life motherfucker?" "You got no rights." "Your life is mine." "I could kick your teeth down your throat, yank them out your asshole and I'm not even violating your civil rights." "Now, I think you ought to reconsider." "I think I might have found a way out." "Not out, exactly." "It's more lik e a way through." "It's a long shot, but it's..." "Well,it'slegal." "I know it's weird , but if we follow the law, it just might save us." "You don't want to hear the plan." "Would it change anything between us?" "It's just a plan." "I can't do this anymore." "I can't help you here. I can't help myself." "I've given notice at the school." "I'll leave after the break Wednesday." "You're right." "It's better if you go, safer." "You have no idea..." "Don't!" "I love you , Abby." "Don't you dare, you son of a bitch !" "You want to tell me your plan?" "Tomorrow." "Abby, where are you gonna go?" "To my parents, first." "After that, I don't know." "It might not be safe for you to leave, unless they know why..." "I know. I know." "Somewhere inside, in the dark, a Firm is listening." "Shall we go in now and do this for the record?" "I've made a decision." "My mother hasn't been well, she's having some tests." "I want to be there." "We never see each other, anyway." "And I need some time to th ink." "Call Devasher." "She's leaving him." "Knock, knock." "Bad times, huh?" "Abby called Kay." "Listen, all the wives go a little nuts the first year." "She'll be back." "Probably want to get pregnant." "Big help, huh?" "You think I'm gonna let this kid tell us how to run the penal system in this country?" "Sir, it's the only way he'll give us the files." "Then stall on the money." "Get the brother out with a federal subpoena." "Follow him and the minute we get the files, yank him back." "Abanks' Dive Lodge." "Mr. Thomas Abanks, please." "This is Mitch McDeere." "Sorry, Dutch , but I've got to\ justify a client's bill before a breakfast meeting and all the time sheets and bills are lock ed up in the office manager's office." "I don't know if I'm really supposed to do this for you." "Hey, you want to wak e up Avery?" "I'm just trying to head off a legal action against us." "I promise, I'll have everything back in the drawer before the office opens." "You're taller than I thought." "That's nice to hear." "There's been a change of plan." "I didn't know there was a plan." "Good, because it's been changed." "Who are you , sweetheart?" "Abanks' Diving Lodge." "What time has Avery chartered the boat for?" "2:30." "Okay, now, you got to k eep him out long enough to copy everything in that closet." "Don't worry." "My friends are taking him to Trinity Caves." "It should be a good six hours." "Okay." "Tammy's coming down tomorrow to set things up." "I can..." "I canwhipusupsomeeggs." "Last day, I don't want to be late for school." "Has Tammy left to meet Abanks?" "Not until this evening." "You're running a real 3-ring circus, aren't you?" "I hope it goes well." "lt has to." "You know, isn't it amazing?" "You did the cheating, and I'm the one who feels guilty." "Don't." "Tak e care of yourself." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Stop that!" "Where are your gloves?" "Get back to the do\dge ball game." "You, too, Sheila." "Boys and girls together, rehearsing for later life." "What are you doing here?" "Would you believe I just happened to be in the neighborhood?" "No." "I heard this was your last day." "Was I misinformed?" "I'll be gone for a while." "I just stopped off to say goodbye." "Just in case." "In case what?" "In case it's more than a while." "I'm going to the Caymans tomo\rrow, and I would miss saying goodbye." "Well , thank you ." "Have a nice trip." "Want to come?" "I know. I know, it sounds outrageous, but think about it." "We could grab some sun, tak e a dip, drink some Havana Club." "I could give you marital advice and hit on you, and whatever happens, I promise I tak e rejection well." "What mak es you think I need marital advice?" "Okay, you give me marital advice." "I couldn't possibly." "I don't scuba dive." "Perfect. I can't scuba dive either." "Really?" "I'd heard that you don't miss a chance to..." "Not this time." "I had to shorten the trip, clients coming into town." "I can't dive and fly in the same 2 4 hours." "So, you see?" "How about it?" "My mother isn't well." "They're doing some tests." "That's why I'm going home." "I'm sorry." "I didn't know." "How could you possibly?" "I hope she feels better, and if she does, bring her with you." "Goodbye, Avery." "Have a good flight." "Greenwood Secretarial Services." "Tammy, this is Abby McDeere." "I think you've got a serious problem." "Avery's not going diving." "We're dead." "Well , how do we..." "How am I gonna tell Mitch?" "How am I gonna let him know?" "I'm going anyway." "I've got to try to do something." "My flight's in three hours." "Mr. McDeere's office." "I'm sorry, he's not in." "May I tak e a message?" "Tammy, don't tell Mitch anything." "I'll just be a sec." "A prescription for Abigail McDeere." "One!" "Well, you want to go, or do you want to stay here?" "Aren't you gonna cuff him?" "I'll tak e care of it." "Yeah?" "Guess what I'm looking at?" "Tell me." "My first sunset in six years." "You made it." "Yeah." "Yeah, I did." "I owe you, little brother." "No, you don't." "Anything from Abanks?" "Last I heard, everything was set." "It's gonna be fine." "It already is." "I'll be seeing you , Ray." "Okay, you spok e to him." "Now, where are the files?" "Where's the money?" "Not until I get the files." "You send half now." "Account number 6 1 94408S." "You got that?" "Yeah. 6 1 94408S, yeah." "When I get confirmation it's there, I'll send the files." "Here's some pock et money." "You're free, McDeere." "There's a bus stop a quarter mile." "Follow the yellow line." "You're used to that." "Excuse me." "You don't seem that surprised." "I'm deeply surprised." "So am I." "Stephanie, could we have two Havana Club, please?" "Yes, Mr. Tolar." "How'd the test turn out?" "We were worried for no reason." "Good." "I didn't think we'd got on that well in the school yard." "Maybe I've grown up since then." "I'd love to believe that." "It's delicious." "lsn't it?" "It's lik e cognac." "You know, I have a very bad reputation." "What do you do?" "l run around ." "Why do you do that?" "I think it's because my wife understands me." "The fact is, I love my wife." "But she's..." "Well, I guess she's lost interest in me." "I know I have." "And I haven't cared for anyone since." "I'd like to, though." "I miss it." "My, you lay a lot on a girl for a first date." "is that what this is?" "This is Unit B." "We'll be pulling into Five Points at 1 1 : 1 5 for a 20-minute rest stop." "Mrs. Sunderland, I'm sorry to call you at home so late, but I need to speak to you about something that's, well, it's really quite embarrassing." "Let me preface this by saying you're not the only client at the Firm that I've had to call about this." "I'd lik e a big steak, medium rare, three fried eggs over," "French fries and coffee, please." "I'll see you, darling." "Fuck!" "What the hell is going on?" "We lost your brother." "Why, were you following him?" "Are you trying to fuck with me?" "Where are you?" "Where are those files?" "Are you trying to fuck with me?" "You want the files, you wire the money." "I want those files now." "Got to go, Wayne." "He knows exactly where his brother is." "Have them check all the credit cards of everybody that got fuel outside that diner between 1 1 :00 and 1 1 :45, whenever we lost Ray." "There couldn't be more than a dozen or so." "He's got to be on one of them." "And get me a map of Louisiana." "Get me a map of Louisiana !" "It hasn't even begun to melt." "The staff was chosen for its timing." "I would do that, but I could never do that." "The buttons are too small." "It requires terrible..." "Dexterity." "Amazing." "What are you doing here?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, exactly what did you come here for?" "I thought I was invited." "You're not being truthful." "Why are you doing this?" "Because I'm sick and I want you to tell me the truth." "I came here to punish Mitch for letting the Firm ruin our lives." "I came because when Mitch was here with you he slept with someone else." "is that what you want to hear?" "That's better than the alternative." "What alternative?" "That you came here to see me." "Avery?" "It came in about three hours ago." "You sure he'll be all right?" "What the hell you want to do?" "call 9 1 1 ?" "Get the key, grab the stuff and get over here." "Keep calling him." "Wak e the son of a bitch up." "When you get him on the phone, find me." "I want that girl." "The account number is 6 1 94408S." "And can you confirm that it is $ 7 50,000?" "Absolutely." "I'm fixing to get out of here now." "You got all the information I need?" "Yeah, but, Mitch ..." "I've been looking at this stuff and there's no numbers listed." "There's no numbers?" "No amounts?" "No, I got papers for bank accounts everywhere from the Caymans to Hong Kong, but there's no amounts." "I can't play the pok er game I'm gonna play and bluff." "I gotta know how much they have and where." "There's a note on each one that says," ""info held by client and my Mac." "Signed A.T."" "is there any other information?" "is there a password?" "Some kind o\f password?" "Just look on the paper, Tammy." "Wait a minute." "On the side of o e, in parenthesis it says," ""R-E-F," then a colon , then , "Cordelia."" "Okay, okay, I've got to get to\ Avery's computer in the morning before I leave." "Well , listen, be careful." "We don't know how this is all gonna look in the morning." "I should be able to get through the morning fine." "By the time they notice I'm not back from lunch, I'll be in Chicago." "Okay." "We're finished ." "That's it." "I gotta get these out to the boat." "The boat?" "What boat?" "Oh , man." "Later on there's some stuff I gotta tell you about what Mitch is doing." "Tell me now, Tammy." "What?" "Get the damn k eys back in his pants and get out of there before he wak es up." "Hello?" "You have to repeat that." "That's not possible." "She stole your keys and God knows what else." "Now who the hell is she?" "You know me, just somebody I met last night." "Then how the hell does she know to go after your keys?" "The guys will be landing in about 1 0 minutes and she better be there." "Don't." "They heard you on the phone." "Mitch sent you." "I knew he was a closet idealist." "He doesn't know I'm here." "But I did do it for him." "That's even better than getting even with him." "You gotta get out of here." "What are you going to do?" "Abby, the girl was a set-up." "On the beach , she was a set-up." "They do things lik e that." "J ust in case the usual inducements don't work." "What's going to happen?" "What are they going to do to you?" "Whatever it is..." "They did it a long time ago." "Get this thing out of here, will you?" "Look, this ain't your cotton truck, and this ain't your alley!" "I'm calling in to the Department of Traffic right now!" "They call?" "Not yet." "Madge, I just talk ed to Avery in the Caymans." "He needs some work done on the Kemmer papers before 1 0:00." "I'll just get it off his computer." "What the hell's the matter with you guys?" "This thing's out of paper." "McDeere in yet?" "Check every goddamn floor and find him ." "That son of a bitch cut a deal." "Natisin, Earlywine, Hemphill." "Hemphill?" "Wait a minute." "That's Lomax's secretary." "Wayne, it's Warden Dynehart from Wrightsville prison ." "Wayne, we've got a problem here." "I've just been questioning a guard who sent an unauthorized fax to a law firm in Memphis and I think it was in regard to your prisoner." "No!" "No, no, no, no!" "No, he's not in his office, Your Honor." "I'll see if he's in the building ." "Thank you, Madge." "You're welcome." "Mitch ..." "We've just been looking for you." "Can you step in here, please?" "Mr. Tolar's office." "Yes, he's right here." "Nina, transfer him." "Mr. McDeere, a J udge Tarrance for you." "One moment please." "Hello?" "Get out of there." "They know." "Get out." "Did you hear what I said?" "Get out of there and get over here now." "Can you?" "I understand." "Come on." "He ain't going nowhere." "Rudy, get to the front door." "Mitch, what can I do you for?" "Have a seat." "Okay, Rudy, he's headed east up the alley." "Get him and ho\ld him." "God damn it." "I knew they wouldn't find her." "Now, I need him here now, so you get him back on that plane." "If we don't get McDeere before he gives what he got to the feds..." "Well , what direction was he running?" "Wayne..." "Just a minute." "It's McDeere!" "Where are you?" "Never mind." "What happened?" "Look." "It's okay." "I'll send you a car." "You just come on in." "I'll tell you when you get here." "No, you tell me now!" "Mitch, it was a prison guard." "You just come on in." "Come on in and we'll place yo\u in protective custody." "Someho\w you don't mak e me feel protected." "Are you looking to get whack ed?" "Do you know what's going on here?" "The Moroltos are arriving today." "From Chicago." "What?" "I got their itinerary right in front of me." "The Moroltos are coming here, Memphis, this afternoon ." "I got the itinerary right in front of me." "Northwest, arrives 2: 1 6 p. m ." "Straight to the Peabody." "Now, listen to me, the whole goddamn world is gonna be looking for you." "You can't go home, you can 't go back there, so get in here." "Now!" "I've got to get lost for a few hours." "There's something I gotta do." "Where the hell are the files, Mitch?" "You'll get instructions." "After." "After what?" "He's withholding evidence." "He's got three quarters of a million dollars of our money." "He's a fugitive. I want him brought in." "Use the Memph is police if you have to, but get him." "It's a red KW 1 0-ton registered to a Farley's Catfish Farm." "Get its ro\utes and find that truck." "And issue APBs on Ray and Mitchell McDeere." "During the great steamboat era, which was at its height in the 1 8 7 0s, these great floating palaces, lik e the Robert E. Lee, whose model you see here, numbered by the hundreds on the Mississippi River." "The Robert E. Lee was actually designed specifically to travel on the Mississippi River, which is a shallow river..." "Follow me now to the main deck of the boat where the cargo would be carried as well as the deck passengers." "The great rollers that powered the steam engine were situated here on the main deck of the boat." "Hey, Mitch." "Mitch !" "The end of the great steam era and the advent of the railway." "The next gallery detailing ..." "We have here the working steam engine off the U S Army Corps of Engineers snag boat, the Arkansas l I." "Now a steam engine works by lighting a fire underneath the boilers where the water is contained ." "This heats the water and turns it into steam." "Because the kids wanted me to bring them by." "Why, what's the matter?" "Okay." "Oh, Lamar, I just saw Mitch at Mud Island Museum." "He was zipping through like a tourist." "I waved to him but he didn't see me." "Northwest Airlines Flight 264 arriving from Chicago," "Gate B-1, main concourse." "Devasher." "Sir, they spotted McDeere on Mud Island." "Get the boys over there, right away!" "I'm on my way." "Okay." "Let's get these below with the rest of them ." "Abanks' Diving Lodge." "How are my friends?" "Okay." "Your brother's on the plane and Tammy's loading the ship now." "It worked out." "Your lawyer friend is dead." "He never was on the boat." "He canceled the charter." "Well , how did ..." "He drowned." "In his bathtub." "After the lady left." "Didn't Tammy tell you?" "What lady?" "How did you get..." "I don't know." "A lady friend of Tammy's slipped him some kind of Mick ey Finn." "I think it was somebody he knew." "What are you talking about?" "What lady friend?" "Wait a minute." "Mitch is asking about your friend Abby." "Isn't that her name?" "Hey!" "Excuse me." "Come here." "He's in that first door." "I'm going around the front." "You sick son of a bitch !" "Well , of course I can talk." "Why, isn't that what I'm doing?" "I mean, if it's something else, please advise me, Maury." "I always lik e to learn something I don't know at $500 an hour." "I swear to you, Joey, every fucking lawyer on the face of the earth ought to be killed." "You want to what?" "You want to meet with McDeere?" "For what?" "So the two of you can get together and charge me $ 1 ,000 an hour while they send me to Joliet for 30 years?" "Stay in Chicago, Maury." "This kid's cut a deal and I bet it's a beaut." "If I get my hands on this fucking kid, Joey, if I get my hands on this kid ..." "Excuse me." "Not now, Ruthie." "I think it's urgent, Mr. Morolto." "Ruthie thinks it's urgent." "What do you think, Joey?" "It's a Mr. McDeere." "Mr. Mitchell McDeere." "He's waiting to see you." "I think Ruth is right." "I'm Mitch McDeere." "I'm your attorney." "One of them , anyway." "I assume you knew, but I thought I'd mention it, in case." "Would you care to sit down?" "Not really." "I want to try and ..." "This is just..." "Thisis veryawkward." "I'm afraid my firm has behaved in an unethical manner." "It seems that we, Bendini, Lambert  Lock e, the entire firm , has been engaged in a..." "Well , a conspiracy." "We've been overbilling our clients." "In some cases, massive overbilling." "I assure you I had no idea any of this was going on when I joined the Firm." "Well , I feel I have to report this criminal behavior." "But I can't use..." "I can't use your invoices without your written authorization." "Our invoices?" "Tony, please." "Listen." "Yes, sir." "Your bills." "You see, it's an important part of the proof that we've overbilled you." "That's it?" "Pretty much." "Well , most of our clients have already agreed , pretty much all." "Except for you ." "Which is why I'm here." "And this is what you've been talking to the fbi about?" "You want us to let you turn our bills..." "What we charged you , I should say overcharged you." "... overtothegovernment." "Yes, sir." "Now, does that in any way..." "No, sir." "It does not in any way waive your rights to full and complete confidentiality in any other area of the attorney-client relationship." "I'm your lawyer, gentlemen." "Whether I lik e it or not, I can't talk to the government about you even when I'm no longer your lawyer." "That would be breaking my word, my oath ." "All right, Mitch." "So what was this stealing of the files?" "What the fuck was this all about?" "The files haven't been stolen." "They're in exactly the same place they were." "I just felt it was important for me to be thoroughly familiar with the precise mak e-up and whereabouts of all your holdings and activities." "So I prepared copies of everything." "That way you and I can communicate pertectly, and , of course, if we ever have to talk to a third party," "then I know everything, right down to the penny, pound, franc and deutsche mark." "I know everything you know." "As I should, as your attorney." "And what if the Firm should desire at some point to terminate your employment?" "Whatever I know, wherever I go, I am bound by the attorney-client privilege." "I am very much lik e..." "I would say I am exactly lik e a ship carrying a cargo that will never reach any port." "And as long as I am alive, that ship will always be at sea, so to speak." "Lik e Yasir-fucking-Arafat, huh?" "Never a night in the same place." "In any case, I need your written authorization, so I can release your bills, lik e every other client has given." "You have this authorization with you?" "I do." "Anything in there?" "Nothing." "Fuck!" "You got the account number?" "You know how to access it?" "Mitch has verified that the money's there." "$ 7 50,000." "I love your crook ed little mouth." "Well , it's not my best feature." "Wow!" "Well , what is?" "Where the hell are you?" "What is this supposed to be?" "Huh?" "You let the Moroltos off the hook?" "They're my clients." "They're the crooks." "You're letting the Mafia get away." "What the hell are you doing?" "You guys are always one villain behind the times, you know that?" "You gave me a bunch of pencil pushers who padded their bills." "You think if they don't pull guns, they aren't the bad guys." "Ask the Moroltos who's harder to find, the killer or the lawyer who hides their money." "Don't give me that shit!" "That's a bunch of double talk and you know it." "You want the Mafia?" "Get their lawyers." "Without the Firm, the only way the Moroltos can launder money is in a washing machine." "You are so naive." "There'll be a thousand other Bendini-Lamberts fighting for the chance to launder money tomorrow." "How the hell you gonna get all of them?" "One at a time." "I'm a lawyer and I got mine." "You're the cop, Tarrance, you get the rest of them ." "Get them with what?" "Overbilling?" "Mail fraud?" "That's exciting." "It's not sexy, but it's got teeth, $ 1 0,000 and five years in prison." "That's 1 0 and five for each act." "Have you really looked at that?" "You've got every partner in the Firm on overbilling ." "There's 250 acts of documented mail fraud there." "That's racketeering." "That's a minimum of 1 ,250 years in prison and two and a half million dollars in fines." "That's more than you had on Capone." "You twist this into whatever you want." "You made a deal to save your ass." "You got our money, three quarters of a million dollars of it, you're still a hot-shot lawyer and you're out of this." "I didn't k eep a nick el of your money." "It was always for somebody else." "And, yeah," "I'm still a lawyer with references from Bendini, Lambert  Lock e." "You want to put that on your resume?" "You think I'm ever gonna turn on the ignition in my car again without sweating?" "Then I don't understand you." "What did you do it for?" "You didn't win a thing." "Oh, yeah, I did ." "I won my life back." "You don't run me and they don't run me." "You want to know something weird?" "I discovered the law again ." "You actually made me think about it." "I managed to get through three years of law school without doing that." "It's you at the dog track." "I could've gone public with it." "Why didn't you?" "It's against the law." "Okay." "How in the hell did you ever come up with mail fraud?" "It was on the bar exam." "They made me study lik e hell for it." "Well , you've had a busy day." "So did you." "Why didn't you tell me the truth about your plan?" "All of it?" "The Moroltos." "Because I knew you'd worry, and that might make you stay." "And I knew you needed to leave." "I lik e what you've done to the place." "I thought you were going to your folks'." "l was." "Some detour." "Where are you going?" "To look for you." "I guess I didn't feel I could leave you without trying to help you." "Do you want to tell me what happened?" "Someday." "I think you should know that Avery was pretty decent." "He was decent, and corrupt, and ruined , and so unhappy..." "Listen, Abby..." "And it could have happened to you, all of it." "You were on your way." "Did I lose you?" "You look tired." "Did I?" "I've loved you all my life." "Even before we met." "Part of it wasn't even you, it was just a promise of you." "But these last days, you k ept your promise." "How could you lose me?" "You think it will make it?" "Make it where?" "Boston." "What's in Boston ?" "We are." "And the Wong Boys, and my kids." "And a very small unknown law firm." "With a lot of potential." "Yeah."