Rough Justice (Cainsville 5.5)

Ricky stopped, his hand over the nachos. "You know the case?"

"I was asked to represent the defendant."

"Keith Johnson?" I said.

"No, Nansen's wife."

"That's some luck," Ricky said. "Well, for Liv, not the poor guy's wife. Though, all things considered, it's good for her, too. I'd snatch up that case if I were you. Might be the first time you represent someone who's innocent."

"All of my clients are innocent." Gabriel paused. "Except the bikers."

Ricky grinned. "Touche. Okay, some of your clients are innocent. But this is a case where you know it from the start." He looked at me. "Yeah, you have doubts. But I don't. When I looked at that guy, I just..." He shrugged and took a nacho chip.

"You can tell?"

Ricky shrugged again, conveniently munching on the snack so he wouldn't need to answer. In other words, he had felt that Johnson was guilty. The gut-level awareness that the Huntsmen had. He just wasn't going to press the point and make me feel worse than I already did about spoiling the Hunt.

Not just spoiling the Hunt.

Letting a killer walk free. Which I'd done before--deciding guilt and innocence was not my job. So why did it bother me to let Keith Johnson walk free?

Because stopping him was my job.

My job as Matilda.

"Olivia?" Gabriel said.

I reached for a nacho. "Ricky's right. You should take the case. The Cwn Annwn believe Johnson murdered this guy, so the odds are in our favor. Strongly. Plus, it means I wouldn't be working for free."

"I turned it down last week."

"The fact that you never even came to me for a preliminary assessment means you rejected it out of hand."

"Yes."

I looked at him. "You're going to make me ask why, which suggests you're hoping I won't, which suggests there is a problem."

"Not with her case." Gabriel took a sip of his water. "Hers was too simple. She didn't require an attorney of my caliber."

"That means she's obviously not the killer, which puts Johnson..." I peered at him. "That isn't what you meant at all."

"How can you tell?" Ricky said. "He didn't even blink."

"Because he's trying to figure out how to tell me something I really won't want to hear."

"It was a clear-cut case of misidentification," Gabriel said. "The couple had a break-in two months earlier. They had several additional instances where Mrs. Nansen was certain she heard someone try the door while her husband was out. The police found evidence of footprints to support her theory. The Nansens were advised to buy a gun."

"Shit," Ricky muttered. "I don't like where this is headed."

"Precisely. Mr. Nansen came home unexpectedly early one night, and his wife shot and killed him. As I said, the case did not require a defense attorney. Her family is wealthy and wanted the best legal representation, so someone gave them my name. I explained that they did not require such an expense." He paused, as if realizing that might make him sound considerate. "It would have required a great deal of paperwork and was, to be honest, a very boring case."

"Tragic is the word you want there, Gabriel," Ricky said. "It's a tragic case."

"No, it was foolish and avoidable. Whoever counseled her to get a gun--without suggesting any training in how to use it--deserves the blame. I suggested that, should they care to file a civil case. Though I fear that would be pointless. Otherwise, our courts would be overrun by such suits."

"Wait," I said. "She shot her husband?"

Gabriel hesitated before saying, "Yes."