The sudden raw force in his voice made me lean back as though he’d shoved me. “If anyone ‘drags’ your daughter into this, it’ll be the press, not me-”
As quickly as he’d heated up, he cooled down. The abrupt switchback was startling. His voice was calm, contrite. “Sorry. The thing is, I only just started getting to know her a couple of years ago. When Tracy and I broke up, she took the baby back east to be with her family. Lisa was just six months old. Between work and money issues, I never got the chance to see her. They moved back to LA two and a half years ago, and I’ve been trying to make up for lost time-”
“And they’re okay with it?”
“Yeah, really cool, actually. Lisa is a great kid-no thanks to me.” Dale rubbed his face, his expression miserable. “The minute I heard the cops were looking at me for this, I called to tell her and Tracy that I didn’t do it. They said they knew, but…”
But they didn’t. And now, at the very least, they’d start wondering. “I get it. And your other ex?” I knew his marriage to Tracy had barely made it past the honeymoon. But his second marriage had stuck for seven years.
“Bobbi’ll be okay. No really bad blood or anything. But she won’t be much help.”
Damn. A loving ex would’ve been a nice touch in a case like this. But at least I didn’t have to worry about any bad press. The exes went on the back burner for now.
“I’ll need my retainer up front. It’s fifty thousand. I’ll probably run through that before we get to trial, so Michelle will work out the fee and payment schedule with you tomorrow.”
I walked him out of my office and had him sign the retainer agreement Michelle had already prepared. He nodded to Michelle and Alex, then shook my hand again.
“Thank you, Ms.-”
“Samantha.”
He looked at me and said in a soft voice, “Samantha.” He turned to go, then stopped in the doorway. “I know you don’t believe me right now, but I’m not like your other clients. I really didn’t do it.”
I nodded, but his lightning-fast mood shifts weren’t reassuring. And I didn’t think he’d want to hear the truth: that’s exactly what my other clients say.
I convened the troops after he left. “What do you think, guys?”
Michelle leaned back and folded her arms. “The same thing I’ve been thinking.”
I looked at Alex. He shrugged. “I’m not sure I should have a vote here, but I’d definitely take the case if I were you.”
Michelle held out her hands, presenting Alex. “And there you have it.”
