When I got to the office there was a message on my desk. I was to go to Warwick’s office without delay. What a pleasure. What an excellent way to continue this marvelous day.
Bob Shumaker, Ethics Guru, was with Warwick in his office.
This was not a good sign.
They both had Serious Faces on.
Rick, said Warwick.
Now I knew that this was big trouble. Warwick hadn’t used my first name since the Reagan administration.
I’m not going to beat about the bush, he said. I’m going to get right to the issue. Dispense with the formalities.
I wondered how many semantically identical cliches he was planning to generate, before he got to the point.
We think you should take a leave of absence, he said.
He looked at Shumaker. Shumaker nodded.
I opened my mouth to respond. To say that I didn’t want to take a leave of absence. That I needed to keep busy to stay sane. But Warwick didn’t give me the chance.
This has nothing to do with your coming in at eleven-thirty, Rick. We understand that you’re under a lot of stress. This is a terrible thing. But there are other factors to consider.
My view was not being solicited. I stayed silent.
A Detective Harwood was here this morning, said Warwick.
Damn. He moved fast.
Warwick looked at Shumaker. Shumaker nodded. As though the fact that Harwood had been there needed independent confirmation.
Strangely, it wasn’t Warwick I wanted to kill. It was Shumaker.
And frankly, Rick, said Warwick, some of the things he had to say were a mite disturbing.
I raised my eyebrows.
He says you’re refusing to give a DNA sample, Rick. That they’re going to have to get a warrant for it. That you want to have a cremation, right away.
He paused.
Harwood. That stupid prick.
I had nothing to say.
Rick. This doesn’t make a good impression.
I refrained from telling him that it was none of his goddamn business. What I chose to do with my wife’s remains.
And of course we’ve got to think of morale, he said.
There it was.
We just can’t afford to have this kind of distraction around here, Rick. So. We’re asking you to take a leave of absence. Just until all of this is cleared up.
I bit my tongue.
Sure, I said. I understand.
It’ll be good for you, Rick. Clear your head. You’ve got a lot to deal with.
I had a few choice things to say to that. But I didn’t bother. There was no percentage in it.
I got up to leave. I had to get out of there. Before I did something I couldn’t take back later.
There’s one other thing, he said.
What now? I thought. He’s going to cut my compensation too? Unpaid leave of absence? I sat back down. My back hurt. I was getting a headache.
FitzGibbon wants me to keep you on his son’s case.
I raised my eyebrows. They were getting a workout.
I tried to talk him out of it, Warwick continued, but he seems to have developed quite a liking for you.
There’s no accounting for taste, I said.
It’s a no-lose situation for us, said Warwick, showing no sign of having caught the irony. For you. He appears to think the kid is guilty. He probably is, from what I hear. So you don’t have any pressure to get him off. You just need to keep FitzGibbon happy. Go through the motions. Plead it down if you can.
Sure, I said, ignoring Warwick’s tenuous grasp of an attorney’s duty to zealously represent his client.
You can work from home, continued Warwick. And if you need some help, you can have it. Anyone you want. Just let me know. I’d suggest Herman Walker. He had two years in the Brooklyn DA’s office. Sharp kid. Could be useful.
I pictured spending time with Herman Walker and his matching tie and suspenders.
I’d like Dorita Reed, I said.
Reed? he asked. She’s a T amp; E lawyer, for God’s sake.
I trust her. She’s got judgment.
Warwick looked irritated.
You did say ‘anybody,’ I reminded him.
Yes, I did, he replied, with a shake of the head. All right. Take Reed. You won’t need her full-time, will you?
Not as of now.
If that changes, let me know. We need her around here.
I will. I might need Vinnie Price a bit too.
Warwick shook his head with a frown. But he didn’t say no. I took it for a yes.
I got up again to leave. Warwick looked at Shumaker.
Shumaker nodded.
Approval. We all need it.