David Rosenfelt - One Dog Night

“So he took her to the shelter, and then he went back there every day, to make sure that nothing bad happened to her. If her stay there was prolonged, he would have taken her back rather than subject her to the cruelties of the system.”

She is obviously referring to the fact that dogs not adopted after a period of time are put down, usually because of overcrowding.

“It was only three days later that you came and adopted her. He was there at the time, and he followed you home from a distance. He wanted to see where she was going to live.”

“Why didn’t he introduce himself to me?” I ask. “He could have told me things about her.”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. Hopefully you can ask him that. But for a period of time after you took Hannah… Tara… he watched you with her, to make sure you were treating her well. On one occasion, when the drugs made him careless, he entered your property and tried to peer into your house.”

All of a sudden I know where she is going, and I have a pit in my stomach the size of Bolivia.

“Noah Galloway,” I say.

This has disaster written all over it.

If what Becky Galloway is saying is true, that Noah was Tara’s original owner, then it’s a secret that they have kept for seven years. The fact that she’s making the revelation now, when he’s just been arrested, is no coincidence.

And the fact that I am a defense attorney who doesn’t want a new client, especially this one, is where the disaster potential comes in.

I’m trying to remember if Tara’s strange, excited behavior before our walk this morning was connected to footage of Galloway on the news, but I just can’t be sure. I hope it wasn’t, because she certainly seemed happy, and if there was a growl involved, I didn’t hear it.

“Would the fact that you’re choosing to reveal this now be in any way related to the fact that I’m a criminal attorney?”

She nods, without apparent embarrassment. “Very much so. I’m hoping you’ll consider representing Noah.”

“Because he used to own Tara?” I ask.

“Yes. Because you both love her. It’s a connection that I’m trying to use,” she says. “I’ll do whatever I can to help my husband.”

“He put her in a shelter,” I say. It’s a fact that I simply will never be able to get over.

She nods. “I know; he says that it was the hardest thing he had ever done. But he used every penny he had to get her the leg operation, and at the same time he felt powerless against the drugs. He couldn’t take care of himself; and therefore he couldn’t take care of her. He knew she would be better off.” She looks around the room, then pets Tara’s head. “And she is.”

“How did she hurt her leg?” I ask. Tara has a plate in her leg, which was always a mystery to me. The operation would have been expensive, and I don’t often see shelter dogs that had received such good care. It’s inconsistent for an owner to spend that kind of money on a pet, and then to throw them away like that.

“I’ll let Noah tell you all that; he knows all the details. Will you at least meet with him?”

I look over at Laurie, but she’s not providing any relief. “Becky, I’m really sorry about your situation. And I’m sure your husband is innocent, but-”

She interrupts me. “He says he did it.”

The surprises are coming in rapid-fire here. “He does? Is that how he’s going to plead?”

“I’m not sure what he’ll do. But he didn’t do it, Andy. No matter what he says.”

I nod, trying to digest this. It doesn’t sound like it will go to trial, so Galloway’s lawyer might simply be called upon to plea-bargain. Less time, less effort, but I still don’t want to get near it. We’re talking about twenty-six people locked in a burning building.

“He says he did it, but you say he didn’t?” I ask, my incredulity showing.

“He believes he did it; he doesn’t specifically remember it. But there is no chance that he did.”

“How do you know that?”

“Could you believe Laurie burned twenty-six people to death?”

“No.” I could point out that I wouldn’t believe Laurie spent years strung out on drugs either, but I don’t. I just want this to go away.

“Maybe I could speak with him, maybe with Hike,” Laurie volunteers. “And get some more information, to help you decide.”

Laurie’s talking about the other lawyer in my two-person firm, “Hike” Lynch. I’m sure Laurie is aware that I’ve already decided against getting involved, so her saying that means she’s on Becky’s side in this one. Or at the very least she’s saying, what’s the harm in talking to the guy?

Of course, there is no harm in it, other than the disappointment Becky would feel when I tell her I’m not taking the case. “Becky, if it means that much to you I’ll talk to him. But I want to be really clear; I don’t want to take on any new clients.”

“I understand,” she says.

“I can recommend other lawyers that are terrific.”

She nods. “Let’s talk after you and Noah meet.”

I turn to Tara. “That work for you?”

She doesn’t answer, remaining her normal noncommittal self. I’ll have to ply her with biscuits to find out what she really thinks.

These guys did what they said they would do.

That’s a pretty terrific quality, Danny figured, especially when it belonged to guys who promised to pay him money.

The morning after Noah Galloway was arrested, Loney was at his apartment with the payment of the other fifty thousand, again in cash. He was alone this time, without Camby.

Danny had decided that while he might strong-arm them with threats to reveal their role to the police, there was no hurry for that. The trial was a long way off, and he could come forward at any time before then.

Loney did throw him a bit of a curve ball, though. The job as driver for him and his family was still his for the asking, but it was in Vegas, not New Jersey. That was where Loney was going to be for at least the next six months, and the increased cost of living that Danny would face there would be recognized with an increase of twenty thousand in the agreed-upon salary.

This was getting better all the time. Danny had only been to Vegas once, almost fifteen years ago. On his thirtieth birthday. It probably would qualify as his favorite place on earth, but it was a city you didn’t want to be in if you had no money.

Which was okay, because Danny had plenty of money.

Loney gave Danny a plane ticket, one way, to leave that night. The fact that it was a coach fare was slightly annoying, but at least it was an aisle seat.

“You can leave tonight?” Loney asked.

Danny smiled and made a hand motion to show Loney the room he was standing in. “Why not?”

Loney said that a car would pick Danny up at five o’clock, to take him to Newark for the eight o’clock flight. “Don’t get too comfortable out there,” he said. “You’re coming back here for the trial.”

“No problem. One day on the stand is all it will take.”

Loney nodded. “But that’s an important day. We’re going to rehearse you for it.”

“Piece of cake,” Danny said. “So when I get there, where do I go?”

“A driver will take you to the Mirage; you’ve got a prepaid reservation there for two weeks. During that time you’re going to need to get an apartment.”

Danny said that he thought that was a really good idea, though at that point apartment hunting was the last thing on his mind. He had a hundred grand and two weeks at the Mirage, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

“Don’t blow this, Danny,” Loney said, possibly reading his mind.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Danny said.