Callahan wanted to live past fifty, so he retired from the boredom of private law. He earned a master's in law, and became a professor. He slept late, worked five hours a day, wrote an occasional article, and for the most part enjoyed himself immensely. With no family to support, his salary of seventy thousand a year was more than sufficient to pay for his two-story bungalow, his Porsche, and his liquor. If death came early, it would be from whiskey and not work.
He had sacrificed. Many of his pals from law school were partners in the big firms with fancy letterheads and half-million-dollar earnings. They rubbed shoulders with CEOs from IBM and Texaco and State Farm. They power-schmoozed with senators. They had offices in Tokyo and London. But he did not envy them.
One of his best friends from law school was Gavin Verheek, another dropout from private practice who had gone to work for the government. He first worked in the civil rights division at Justice, then transferred to the FBI. He was now special counsel to the Director. Callahan was due in Washington Monday for a conference of con law professors. He and Verheek planned to eat and get drunk Monday night.
He needed to call and confirm their eating and drinking, and to pick his brain. He dialed the number from memory. The call was routed then rerouted, and after five minutes of asking for Gavin Verheek, the man was on the phone.
"Make it quick," Verheek said.
"So nice to hear your voice," Callahan said.
"How are you, Thomas?"
"It's ten-thirty. I'm not dressed. I'm sitting here in the French Quarter sipping coffee and watching pedestrians on Dauphine. What're you doing?"
"What a life. Here it's eleven-thirty, and I haven't left the office since they found the bodies Wednesday morning."
"I'm just sick, Gavin. He'll nominate two Nazis."
"Well, of course, in my position, I cannot comment on such matters. But I suspect you're correct."
"Suspect my ass. You've already seen his short list of nominees, haven't you, Gavin? You guys are already doing back ground checks, aren't you? Come on, Gavin, you can tell me. Who's on the list? I'll never tell."
"Neither will I, Thomas. But I promise this-your name is not among the few."
"I'm wounded."
"How's the girl?"
"Which one?"
"Come on, Thomas. The girl?"
"She's beautiful and brilliant and soft and gentle"
"Keep going."
"Who killed them, Gavin? I have a right to know. I'm a taxpayer and I have a right to know who killed them."
"What's her name again?"
"Darby. Who killed them, and why?"
"You could always pick names, Thomas. I remember women you turned down because you didn't like the names. Gorgeous, hot women, but with flat names. Darby. Has a nice erotic touch to it. What a name. When do I meet her?"
"I don't know."
"Has she moved in?"
"None of your damned business. Gavin, listen to me. Who did it?"
"Don't you read the papers? We have no suspects. None. Nada."
"Surely you have a motive."
"Mucho motives. Lots of hatred out there, Thomas. Weird combination, wouldn't you say? Jensen's hard to figure. The Director has ordered us to research pending cases and recent decisions and voting patterns and all that crap."
"That's great, Gavin. Every con law scholar in the country is now playing detective and trying to solve the murders."
"And you're not?"
"No. I threw a binge when I heard the news, but I'm sober now. The girl, however, has buried herself in the same research you're doing. She's ignoring me."
"Darby. What a name. Where's she from?"
"Denver. Are we on for Monday?"
"Maybe. Voyles wants us to work around the clock until the computers tell us who did it. I plan to work you in, though."
"Thanks. I'll expect a full report, Gavin. Not just the gossip."
"Thomas, Thomas. Always fishing for information. And I, as usual, have none to give you."
"You'll get drunk and tell all, Gavin. You always do."
"Why don't you bring Darby? How old is she? Nineteen?"
"Twenty-four, and she's not invited. Maybe later."
"Maybe. Gotta run, pal. I meet with the Director in thirty minutes. The tension is so thick around here you can smell it." Callahan punched the number for the law school library and asked if Darby Shaw had been seen. She had not.
* * *
DARBY PARKED in the near-empty lot of the federal building in Lafayette, and entered the clerk's office on the first floor. It was noon Friday, court was not in session, and the hallways were deserted. She stopped at the counter and looked through an open window, and waited. A deputy clerk, late for lunch and with an attitude, walked to the window. "Can I help you?" she asked in the tone of a lowly civil servant who wanted to do anything but help.
Darby slid a strip of paper through the window. "I would like to see this file." The clerk took a quick glance at the name of the case, and looked at Darby. "Why?" she asked.
"I don't have to explain. It's public record, isn't it?"
"Semipublic."
Darby took the strip of paper and folded it. "Are you familiar with the Freedom of Information Act?"
"Are you a lawyer?"
