Tomsic settled back.

Sherman said, 'It means that if my office or the LAPD launched an investigation into Jonathan Green at this time based on this kind of bullshit evidence it would be a public relations nightmare.'

Gibbs said, 'This is worth something, Anna. You know it is. You can't just ignore it.'

She leaned toward him, ticking off the points. 'I spoke with Jonna Lester and I know her to be a hash head. Jorma Lester doesn't know if it was eighteen days ago or twenty-eight or just eight, which is exactly what Stan Kerris would say if he admitted to having met James Lester, which he almost certainly won't.' She ticked another point. 'Then, if he did admit to such a meeting, he would say that it was a preliminary interview conducted prior to Mr Cole's being assigned the follow-up, and, in case you've forgotten, Mr Lester isn't around to dispute that statement.'

I said, 'Did you review Lester's autopsy report?'

'There was no sign of foul play.'

'That isn't quite correct. Someone who was good could've choked out Lester, then put him through the glass.'

Sherman's nostrils flared and she closed her eyes. 'Could have.'

'I know you can't go to court with that one, Sherman, but it fits with the theory. You really think Lester just happened to cut his own throat?'

Tomsic said, 'Subpoena Lester's phone records, and pull Green's records, too. See who was calling who and when they were talking.'

Sherman made a hissing sound.

Angela Rossi said, 'No one's forgotten about Pritzik and Richards, either.'

Anna Sherman shook her head. 'You people are talking about accusing an attorney of Jonathan Green's stature of fabricating evidence without any substantive proof to back it up. With even less proof, you want me to accuse him of murder. Ask yourself this: why would Jonathan Green risk his career and his reputation and his freedom to falsify evidence for one client? The press is going to ask that, and you don't have an answer because it doesn't make sense.' She glanced from cop to cop, finally coming back to me. It was exactly what I had asked Pike. 'All you have are some unseemly coincidences and the testimony of a hash head. Jonathan Green will charge us with harassment, and he will bring us before the state bar, and I, for one, am tired of getting my ass handed to me in the L. A. Times every day.'

I said, 'Is that it?'

She nodded.

I looked at Rossi. I looked back at Anna Sherman. I said, 'Getting our asses kicked in the press is how we define truth in the American legal system?'

Anna Sherman stood. 'My boss is being pressured to drop the charges against Teddy Martin. I've been fighting him on it because I want to see this through, but I don't think he has the balls. I think he'll give in because he has arrived at his own personal definition of justice. He defines it as political survival.' Anna Sherman didn't say anything more for a time, then she looked directly at Rossi. 'I'm sorry, but this meeting is now over.' She tucked her purse under her arm and walked out.

Tomsic slapped the formica hard, and Bishop made a soft whistling sound through his teeth. Angela Rossi had pushed her fists between her legs onto her chair and gently rocked. Finally, Bishop said, 'So where are we, Linc?'

Lincoln Gibbs took a breath. 'You heard her. The district attorney's office is not interested in pursuing this investigation.'

Tomsic said, That's bullshit.' He jabbed the finger at me. 'Cole's onto something! These bastards are over the line!'

Gibbs made his voice harder. 'They will not pursue this line, Sergeant. That's the end of it.'

Tomsic wasn't letting it go. Now he was waving both hands. 'So Green can do whatever? He can murder people? He can rob banks? We just say, oh, we'll look bad if we do something?'

Lincoln Gibbs's nostrils were wide and hard and you could hear him breathe. But then the breathing calmed and he looked at Rossi. Sad. 'Sometimes we have the worst job in the world. High-priced, sleazebag shysters make millions getting off murderers and dope dealers and the dregs of this society, but they are wrong, and we are right. And if we have to take some bullets along the way, then we take'm.' He reached across the table and squeezed Angie's arm. 'Goes with the job.'

Tomsic said, That's bullshit.'

Linc Gibbs nodded. 'Of course it's bullshit, Sergeant, but it's where we are.' He looked at me. 'Thanks, Cole. It didn't pan out, but we owe you for the effort.'

Bishop got up, then Gibbs. Gibbs told Tomsic to come with them, and he told Angela Rossi he thought she should probably go home. He told her not to worry. He said that they weren't going to let it go, and that they would keep digging into the LeCedrick Earle thing and that they wouldn't abandon her. She nodded and got up and went with them, but she looked abandoned to me. Of course, maybe it was just my imagination.

I sat alone at the empty table for another three minutes, wondering what to do next and having no great surges of inspiration. I think I was feeling abandoned, too, but I probably wasn't feeling as abandoned as Angela Rossi.

I went down the stairs and out the back of Greenblatt's to my car. Anna Sherman was sitting in the passenger seat, waiting for me. A bead of sweat worked its way down along her temple and her cheek. She said, 'It's hotter than hell out here.'

I stared at her. 'Yes. It is.'

She ran her fingers along the dash. She tapped the shift lever. 'This is a classic, isn't it?'

'Yeah.'

'It's a Corvette?'

'Yeah. A Stingray.' I looked where she was looking. I touched where she was touching. 'I wanted one when I was a kid, and a few years ago I had the opportunity to buy this one, so I did. I couldn't afford it, but I bought it anyway.'

She nodded. 'I should do something like that. Something crazy.' She ran her fingers along the console. 'When was it made?'

'Nineteen sixty-six.'

'God. I was ten years old.' She looked older.

I wanted to start the engine and turn on the air conditioner, but I didn't.

Anna Sherman said, 'Three months ago an attorney named Lucas Worley was arrested in a drug sting in Santa Monica. He wasn't the target. He just happened to be there.' She tapped my glove box. 'I put his address in here.'

I waited.

'Worley has a heroin problem. He'll buy a kilo every now and then, then cut it and sell it to his friends to cover his costs. Worley was a junior litigator in Green's office.'

I smiled. 'Was.'

'Green had the case handled to minimize bad publicity for his firm, so Worley was able to cop a first offense probation plea.'

'Is Worley still with the firm?'

She shook her head. 'Resigned. I guess that was part of the deal.' She finally looked at me. It was the first time she'd looked at me since I got into the car. 'Worley was a tort litigator. That means he worked in Green's contract department. He would've had access to retainer agreements and to the contracts that Green had with his clients.'

'Is he employed?'

She made a little dismissive shrug. 'Probably dealing full time, but I don't know.'

'So you think there's something to this.'

She touched the dash again, watching her fingers move along the gentle lines. 'You always follow the money.'

She shook her head and made a little smile. 'I've been doing this for twelve years. I've prosecuted hundreds of cases, and I have learned that people do crime for only two reasons: sex and money. There are no other motives.'

'What about power and revenge?'

'That's just sex and money under aliases.' The tiny smile again. 'If you're right, and if Jonathan Green is willing to break the law, then he's doing it for sex or money.'

I was starting to like Anna Sherman. I was starting to like her just fine. 'Do you think Worley will cooperate?'