what?
i asked, ms johnson repeated, do you want me to get you out of here or not?
i am sorry, lucas said, i guess my mind was wandering.
what else is new? ms johnson said to herself. and then, she thought, five more hours. five more hours, and all this will be a dream.
i thought i knew that guy, lucas said.
what guy?
the guy on the end of the line. lucas nodded his head to show that he meant the end of the line on his left.
on the other side of the glass, ms johnson looked to her right. do you mean the lawyer or the prisoner?
the prisoner, lucas said. why would i know the lawyer?
i don’t know, maybe he was your lawyer before. how would i know?
what, do you think i am in and out of here all my life, like i do this sort of thing on a regular basis, like i am some kind of hardened career criminal like jesse james or pretty boy floyd or somebody?
i am sorry, i did not mean to imply anything negative. why don’t we get back to your case?
five more hours, ms johnson said to herself. five more hours. four, not counting grabbing something for lunch.
aren’t you going to ask me where i thought i knew that guy from?
does he have anything to do with your case?
my case? no, he’s just a guy i knew. i thought he was a guy i knew.
oh. where did you know him?
back in the day.
of course. where else would you know him? but let’s get back to your case.
i was in this bar in baton rouge louisiana and this guy came in. he had a package in his hand, you know, a package like you’d mail something in. he sat down and we got to talking…
we only have twenty more minutes, lucas, don’t you want to talk about your case?
what about my case? lucas asked.
assistant district attorney marlowe has offered to let you off with time served - that means you get out right away -
i know what time served means. i may not know much but i know what time served means.
of course. district attorney marlowe has made this most generous offer if you just -
i ain’t ratting out my friends.
are you sure about that? i am just trying to help you here…
then i guess there isn’t anything more to say.
i guess not.
i’ll get an early lunch then. maybe get an extra cup of coffee.
enjoy.
you know this is my last day on the job. ms williams will be taking over your case from here on.
yeah, you told me that before.
ms johnson stood up. goodbye, lucas. it was a pleasure working with you.
it was just an expression. goodbye, lucas.
goodbye. enjoy your lunch.
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