"Staples case? They're on the cloud. I told you that."

"OK, take them down. Destroy them. I'm going to have to appear in court one of these days and tell Judge Moody the plaintiff has all her records. I don't want to go to jail for perjury later if someone manages to get their hands on them."

"Huge mistake. Just turn them over and get something else going in your life. There's other jobs, dude."

"Manny-"

"Got it. Consider them destroyed. Is that everything, oh Wise One?"

"It's never everything. Now get the hell out of here."

Manny was leaving but was met at the door by Carson, who entered the office, blocking Manny's exit.

"Not so fast, son. Sit your ass back down in that chair. Good."

Morgana said, "He knows he's not going to trial with me. I've explained it."

Carson said to Manny, "Are you purposely trying to run off our clients?"

Manny smiled. Morgana had to hand it to him. He showed no external signs of being intimated by the managing partner. He said, "I'm purposely trying to help our clients see what this law firm is really about."

"I'll ask again, are you purposely trying to cost us clients?"

"All I want is for our clients to know their cases are being manipulated by the partners in this firm."

"And how long would it take you to box your things and leave our offices?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm going back to my office and I'm calling security to escort you out. You're terminated. If security finds you here I'm going to have you arrested for trespassing."

Manny reached inside his jack and clicked RECORD on his iPhone.

"Mr. Palmer. You're saying I'm terminated and I'm no longer a member of the Hudd Family defense team?"

"You, sir, were never a member of the Hudd Family defense team. Now get your stuff and get out."

"Yes sir."

Manny exited and noisily returned to his own office, high-fiving people in the hall as he went, and slamming his door. He slammed a box on his desk and began packing his personal items.

"Never a member of the defense team?" he said to no one. "That will come back to bite you in the ass, I'm almost certain of it."

35.

The Niles neighborhood was a culturally diverse area that was popular among young professional couples. It was close enough to Chicago to hit the Art Institute and Theatre District, but far enough out to avoid some of the city's ills, especially poor schools. John and Latoya Staples decided to put down Niles roots and raise the kids in a safe part of town. They enrolled them in Catholic school to guarantee the best education for them. They had owned a condo in Niles for four years and were extremely happy in it. They were also twelve months ahead on mortgage payments. The future was bright.

But then the tragedy with Chase overwhelmed their happy home. They were beside themselves, at wits' end, and they were exhausted with trying to care for him. Help was needed and prayed for, but help was expensive and so far they hadn't figured out how to move things around on their budget to make it work, to get professional hands in place.

A nice clean living room, comfortable sofa, and two worn chairs facing, John Staples and Attorneys Thaddeus Murfee and Morgana Bridgman were making small talk while Latoya poured coffee. John Staples was a casually dressed man in his mid-thirties, wiry and strong, who looked like he could hold his own in any alley. Latoya finished up playing hostess and joined the threesome in the living room.

Thaddeus led things off after the mandatory small talk was concluded. "OK, Mr. and Mrs. Staples. The court has given Morgana here permission to visit the house and to see Chase up close."

The father nodded solemnly, "We understand."

Thaddeus added, "The reason that I'm making a Day in the Life film about Chase is that I plan to introduce it as evidence at trial."

"We understand that too."

A camerawoman had set up her tripod and camera in a corner, inconspicuous and staying out of the zone of influence. Thaddeus nodded at her and she switched the camera to ON.

"So why don't we begin by having you describe some of the peculiar things about Chase. Let's start with you, John, tell us some things about Chase that you have noticed from the older kids-who are in school today, Morgana, by the way."

"Well, when our son was born he had a terrifying Apgar score. Plus his eyes diverged a little but they told us that was nothing to worry about."

Thaddeus asked, "So his eyes were open early?"

"He was practically born with his eyes open. I was right there just after. My mom came over to watch our kids. So I watched Chase. OK, so he cried a lot. He really cried a lot. He cried throughout most of the day and night. He hardly slept. I know, I was there in the hallway watching him like a hawk."

Morgana spread her hands. "Some children cry more than others, I suppose."

"No, Chase cried more than normal. He wouldn't stop crying for hours. Then he would exhaust himself and sleep for maybe fifteen minutes. Then he would wake up and start the whole thing again, crying and catnapping. I called it catnapping."

"Let me write that down," said Morgana. "Excuse me, I just need to figure out notes on my iPad. Okay, got it. Please continue."

"And the worst part was, when he did doze off he refused to sleep horizontal. He had to be held before he would sleep. Either me or Latoya or the nurses would be holding him while he catnapped. This was at the hospital. Then we got to bring him home. Tough little guy but he cried all the way home in the old Crown Vic we drive. Plus he threw up all over me not once but twice."

"Describe what home was like."

"OK, now we're home. Let me tell you what this is like in a typical day of Chase's life. Even now we have to take turns in the recliner all night, holding Chase while he catnaps. Then he'll be awake and for a little while he'll only be restless. But then it sets in again-crying."

Morgana nodded in agreement that it was extremely difficult. "You two must be very tired."

"At first we didn't know what the hell was going on. Now we do. This crying was a sign of possible brain damage."

"What else have you noticed about Chase?"

"OK, here's one. During his first two weeks he had a very low body temperature. Eighty-five degrees. We covered him with blankets and heating pads and did everything we could to keep him warm."

"Then what happened?"

"Eventually his body temperature climbed back up."

"Is it normal now?"

"It never has regulated well. Not like you and me. We're steady, you know what I mean? Not Chase, he still ups and downs. First he's hot then he's cold. Well, we learned this was another symptom of brain damage."

Latoya broke in. "These things start to add up. But you're only hearing one percent of what life is really like now. With me there's this constant dread of what's going to happen next. With the other ones I always knew that there would be stages, you know? Diapers, then training pants, then regular underwear. I don't count on that with Chase. They tell me he'll never potty train." Tears damped her eyes as the reality again surfaced.

She added, "And that's just one tiny thing. Then I wonder about school, will he go to any kind of school? Right now we've got one in pre-school and one in first grade. The doctors tell me that Chase will never attend that kind of school. So I ask them what other kind of school there is and they just look at me. No one knows shit. Can I say that on camera?"

Thaddeus said, "The jury wants to see you like you are. That's fine to express yourself."

John said, "Latoya breastfed our other two kids. No problem. Chase struggled to be able to suck. He finally took some water from a bottle after two days. Latoya kept after him. After two more days she got him to finally suck. Two weeks of this kind of struggle and then he started breastfeeding regular. Another sign of brain damage."

Latoya hurried out and returned with a stack of tissues. She dabbed her eyes.

"Are you telling Miss Bridgman everything we've noticed?" she asked her husband.

He nodded. "I'm trying."

Latoya dried her eyes and straightened up. "Like I say, I've got two other kids. No problems, normal kids. Chase is different in so many ways. But he's going to come along just fine and be more himself as he grows."

Thaddeus softly asked her, "Latoya, is that being realistic?"

The tears started flowing. "No, it is not. This beautiful baby boy is not gonna have a life, Miss Bridgman. He's never gonna swim, never gonna go for a walk all alone, never gonna ride a bike, never write a check, never drive around town, never go shopping alone, he won't even know where to go for a simple haircut. Does this help you understand a Day in the Life? Does it?"

Morgana's cup rattled in its saucer as she held it. "I'm sorry. There's nothing else to say but I'm sorry."

John was unnerved by his wife's tears. Coupled with the frustration and stress of Chase, he bristled. "You damn well ought to be. You're defending the scum of the earth, a doctor who would let this happen to a precious baby. How could anyone even look at themselves in the mirror after something like this?"

"I don't know. I mean for me, it's my job. It's what I do. I have great sympathy, personally, for your situation."

"Do you have kids, Miss Bridgman?"

"Well, that's just it, we have one on the way, our first."

"Well, I'm gonna be praying for you that this doesn't happen to your baby. You've got to watch over them like a hawk when they're coming out."

"I will."

John asked, "And if there's any way you can think of, if we could just get some money now-kind of an advance-we could get a nurse in here two nights a week and let us get some sleep. Right now we're zombies."

Morgana was taken by surprise. "I'm sorry, I-"

Thaddeus raised a hand. "What Morgana is trying to say is that we really have not discussed settling this case yet. We're still in the discovery phase."

Suddenly Latoya lifted Chase and placed him in Morgana's arms. Morgana was immediately flustered, trying to hold the iPad and restrain Chase's bucking and twisting in her arms. Chase arched his back and screamed.

Latoya folded her hands in her lap and watched. "There. Now you look Chase in the eye and tell him there's no money for him after what that fool doctor did to him. Go ahead, tell him!"

Morgana was totally off-guard. She tried patting the baby, she tried jiggling him up and down, but her efforts were ignored by the frantic baby. Finally, in desperation, she held the infant out to his mother. Morgana had tears in her eyes. She accepted the offer of a tissue.

Latoya said to her baby, "What, baby? Is the lady going to help my big boy? Did she say?"

36.

The three Middle Eastern men gathered at the Niles Denny's Restaurant, corner booth. They ordered-separate checks-and then launched into Arabic.

"I bought the video from the Jungle Zone," Ragman told the others. "Clearly it was Thaddeus Murfee."

"Poor Sayed," said Kilowatt. "Allah mourns."

"Allah rejoices. Sayed died fighting the infidels."

"Agree," said Maps, who raised his Diet Coke as a toast. His toast went unconfirmed.

"So. Here is his picture from our surveillance. It was taken by a member of the South Chicago Cell last week. Notice no facial hair, six foot two, thick brown hair, round spectacles, plain Brooks Brothers suit."

"That's Gucci," said Kilowatt. "I have that suit."

"Okay, color me wrong," said Ragman. "A pinstripe suit. Like fifty thousand other lawyers in Chicago."

"Sorry," said Kilowatt.

"I'm just huge upset," said Ragman. "We're losing soldiers to this infidel."

"So what do we do?"

"I've turned him over to the Western Cell. They will hit him."

"When?"

"It better be before he comes after us again."

37.

Thaddeus reclined in the Emperor 1510 ergonomic chair, suit jacket and shirt removed. At his side perched a tattoo artist with tiny pots of ink and a well-broken-in Neuma tattoo machine. The artist focused on the portrait of a very small child being held in one very large hand, as it was injected onto Thaddeus' shoulder. Across the desk Latoya repeatedly poked a bottle of formula in the area of Chase's moving mouth.

Thaddeus looked up from the resolving tattoo. "So what are we saying here? You did read the nurse's notes I sent you or you didn't?"