n's

e than to defend. Lee Feldmann was a businessman and had been accused of murdering the banker Mason Zummack, but it was quite clear that behind this there was someone who wanted to frame him by false accusation, and I would not allow a wrongful conviction to land an innocent man in jail. I had obtained

e office earlier today, right after dropping Helena off at college. The scene I witnessed this morning as I left the condominium was not any funnier, because the girl's situation was really pitiful. She was running in total disarray as the heavy rain fell and made her umbrella useless, her books slipped from her hand, and I could bet that her purse would fall to the ground at any moment. I assumed that Helena had missed the hour, which only confirmed my suspicion when I saw her sleepy face as she stared at me with a look of confusion on her face. Moved by what I saw, I offered her a ride, which, to my surprise, she was reluctant to accept. Her emb

little reverie. I muttered a "come in" a

formulate something since it's his first major defense," he offered and although I was grateful for his willin

y, I have everything under control around he

he withdrew without delay. I stared at the papers and read t

s15

lient in order to clarify what had not been clear in the previous conversations and to help him on how he should behave from then on until the day of his trial hearing. As soon as I arrived I found it strange that Bento did not come to meet me as he usually did when I parked the car, and looking around the house I saw him lying next to Helena, who was sitting on a wooden bench located on

SHB

gh school got together to do what every teenager did: shit no good. We would decide who would come to my house in order to sneak beer from my dad's bar,

his suspicious look. I froze right there and too

as naturally as possible, grateful for the sudden excuse I had just made up. My mother continu

lready gone. I'd like to talk to you about that, by the way.

ged, not believing wh

ou mean?" I que

pool house for her and her daughter to live in."

with me? Where am I going to ha

scary to anyone and I imagined it helped her a lot in her job. "You and your friends can do it somewhere else, I can't be without a cook. She

ted, having no

when to empt

dejectedly and went to br

the embarrassed look on her face stared at me curiously and lowered he

F FLA

closer until I was visible to my dog, who, as soon as he caught sight of me, raised his head with arched ears and began to wag h

d a tr

eak, but let the sentence die as she turned her attention away from t

I commented. She looked at the dog who was still wagging his tail happil

roked behind his ears and sm

me. He looked at Helena and jumped up from the bench, walking toward me. Sometimes I thought thi

he replied i

mother in the living room, reading a book s

s on her cheek and sat down

get here?" he asked, wa

couch and loosening the tie that seemed to want to suffoc

t in a few

lear orders for you to be as tired as possible," I wa

ary's daughter about?" I raised my head and looked at her uncomprehendingly. How had she seen it? I didn't car

continued to stare at her, curious and a l

when do you

ho has lived here for years?" she put her book down, leavin

. Why should I have any deali

ch, running my hands over my

I warned seeing her expression twitch, appalled. "It's not like we

t wear myself out about it. Your fathe

n the top of her head, without an ounce of patience for h

night,

moving my clothes, spotting Bene

e to me, don't you, rasc