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Lifeline
(1996)
In the drab little courthouse in Kennebec, Maine, McMorrow meets Donna Marchant as she asks a judge to protect her from her abusive boyfriend. McMorrow writes of Donna's plight and when his story appears it brings her boyfriend back with a vengeance. He's out for blood and he runs head-on into McMorrow, who finds himself fighting on several fronts as he tries to find the people who targeted a woman who finally stood up for herself--and paid a terrible price. The district attorney was sitting behind a a big oak desk, smoking a cigarette. She had big hands and a wide mouth. The mouth blew smoke. "I thought it was against the law to smoke in a public building," I said. "This isn't a public building," Tate said. "It's my building. Sit down." I sat and did a quick scan of her desk. The usual pens and pencils. A big black volume of Maine statutes. A framed photograph of an obese orange and white cat. "Nice cat," I said. "It must pack it away. Had it a long time?" "Sitting here trying to be polite." "What planet did you drop off of?" Tate said. "You're here one day and you're making trouble. What's your problem?" "I don't have one. I'm just doing my job." "And you're making it harder for me to do mine." "Which is what?" I said. "Keeping these scroats moving." "That's it?" "Yup," Tate said. "Shovel 'em in. Shovel 'em out." "How do you keep your idealism?" "I don't have time for wisecracks, McMorrow." "Why? Mittens waiting for supper?" "Listen, chump," Tate said, pointing her finger and cigarette in the direction of my face. "This is my courtroom and I don't want some reporter getting it all fouled up." "Running pretty smooth, huh? "Better than anything you saw in New York." "Dante's Inferno ran better than New York courts," I said. "What's your excuse?" |
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