"Of course. And that"s what I"m going to do. In the meantime, humor me. Tell me about Melvin."
Cora exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I met him in Vegas. My marriage had fallen apart, I was drowning my sorrows in settlement money. Not really drowning my sorrows-more like taking a victory lap. I was playing poker. Seven-card stud. He was at the table. I probably wouldn"t have noticed him at all, except he folded a winning hand."
"What do you mean?"
"I bluffed, and he folded a winner."
"How do you know he had a winner?"
"He had me beat on board."
"Huh?"
"Stick with law, kid. Anyway, he said, "Nice hand, little lady." He smiled. Slimy son of a b.i.t.c.h."
"Never mind the slimy part. That came later. You liked him then. How come?"
"He was an attractive man. Wavy hair, flashing eyes, lovely smile, good teeth."
"Oh."
"The teeth were capped, the hair was plugs, the eyes were roving. Complete phony. I should have known."
"What did he do?"
Cora snorted. "Rat b.a.s.t.a.r.d bought me a drink."
"That"s not so bad."
"He was there with his wife."
"Oh." Becky considered. "That"s good."
"How is that good?"
"If he was cheating on his wife, I can raise the inference he was cheating on you. It never hurts to stir the pot of marital infidelity."
"You speaking as a lawyer?"
"How else would I be speaking?"
"Aaron just got married."
"Aaron is not my first ex-boyfriend to get married."
"Hmm. Bad track record?"
"Finish your cigarette and come back in. We don"t really need to discuss this where the people in the pizza parlor can hear."
"You didn"t mind discussing my life where the people in the pizza parlor can hear."
"You don"t run a business over the pizza parlor. Come in when you"re done."
Cora stubbed out her cigarette, flipped it out the window. She went in to find Becky sitting at her desk. "Gee. I scared you back into stuffy lawyer mode."
Becky ignored the comment, poised a pencil over a legal pad. "So, you met him in Vegas. How soon after that were you married?"
"About six months."
"That long?"
"Well, he had to get a divorce."
"Of course. Silly me. Are you sure he did?"
"Why?"
"Be interesting if he hadn"t. The guy"s going to throw another husband at you, you could throw another wife at him."
"What good would that do?"
"We"re trying to put you in the better light. These are our talking points. Husbands cheat. Men are pigs. He did cheat on you, didn"t he?"
"He cheated on the honeymoon."
"Can you prove it?"
"Yeah, if you can subpoena some nameless c.o.c.ktail waitress who worked some nightclub in New York."
"Some nightclub?"
"People drink in nightclubs. Things get fuzzy."
"Great." Becky sighed. "All right. Let me ask you the money question."
"What"s that?"
"We have to be in court at ten o"clock Monday morning." Becky c.o.c.ked her head. "If Melvin is there, can you stop yourself from jumping up and yelling at him?"
"Becky."
"I"m serious. If I"m going to be your lawyer, you have to do what I say. You have to sit there and be quiet. Can you do that?"
"Yeah," Cora said grudgingly.
"You won"t jump up and yell at him?"
"No."
"No what?"
"No, I won"t jump up and yell at him."
Becky exhaled. "Good."
"I might shoot him."
CHAPTER.
10.
Melvin wasn"t there. By ten o"clock Monday morning the only one at the plaintiff"s table was a rather smarmy-looking lawyer, a short, balding, sweating man with sideburns much too long for his age and furtive, darting eyes. He was, Cora saw at a glance, someone she would never marry. Considering her current lack of male companionship, that was saying something.
Cora, seated next to Becky Baldwin, was dressed in her most conservative, respectable outfit. Becky, on the other hand, was dressed like a million bucks. Her outfit seemed to scream that here was the femme fatale who lured men to their financial ruin, as opposed to her prim and proper client. Cora understood the strategy but didn"t appreciate it.
Judge Hobbs banged the court to order. He reviewed the next case on the docket, then stared skeptically down at the plaintiff"s attorney. "Let me be sure I understand this. This is a pet.i.tion for annulment?"
"That"s right."
"The plaintiff is seeking to annul a marriage that took place over fifteen years ago?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"On what grounds?"
"At the time of the marriage, the defendant already had a husband living."
"Is the former husband living now?"
"No, Your Honor."
"Then he can"t testify. And the plaintiff isn"t here."
"No, Your Honor."
"So he can"t testify either. Your pet.i.tion would seem to have no grounds. Do you have witnesses to the marriage?"
"I don"t need witnesses, Your Honor. I expect to prove the marriage by the defendant herself."
"The defendant herself? I find that hard to believe. Ms. Baldwin, is your client prepared to concede the marriage?"
"Absolutely not, Your Honor."
"Is your client prepared to testify that she had a husband living at the time she entered into marriage with the plaintiff?"
"No, Your Honor."
"There you are. It would appear, Mr. Fleckstein, that no one is prepared to testify to your contention."
"Not so, Your Honor. I have evidence."
"What kind of evidence?"
"Physical evidence."
"You have a marriage license?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Between the defendant and her previous husband?"
"No, Your Honor. Between the defendant and the plaintiff."
"What about her prior husband?"
"He"s dead, Your Honor."
"I mean the marriage license."
"Well, I can"t ask him to produce it if he"s dead. And I doubt if the defendant will produce one."
"The defendant will not," Becky Baldwin said.
"In which case I would be inclined to dismiss the pet.i.tion."
Cora beamed like a contented cat.
"I have other evidence, Your Honor."
"What evidence?"
"Evidence the defendant admitted to her marriage with her prior husband."
"That would be hearsay," Judge Hobbs said.
"Actually, I believe it would be an admission against interest. However, I am not talking about a verbal admission. I have physical evidence that the defendant acknowledged the relationship. If I may be allowed to present it."
"You have the evidence in court?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"Very well. Make your showing."