Page 86 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Hi.” Dominic appeared beside me with a paper cup of coffee in hand. “You here?”
It was more of a comment than a question, and Dominic didn’t seem particularly surprised by my presence. He sat down on the chair next to me and sipped his drink.
“You know what’s going on,” I said, leaning back and crossing my arms uncomfortably over my chest.
“Yep.”
“Am I to blame for all this?”
Dominic turned his head toward me and raised his eyebrows. “Don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.”
“You found him?”
“Yeah. But … at first, I didn’t think much of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he was back in writing mode. It was the same back then. It wasn’t unusual for him to topple off his chair every now and then.”
I stared at him, my mouth agape. “What?”
“The guy gets so focused on something that he forgets everything else—like eating or sleeping.”
“But how …”
Dominic sighed and took another sip. “He asked me for sleeping pills about a week ago. It was understandable, given what happened with his mother. From what I know, they cleared out Rina’s apartment yesterday—he and his father. I’m not sure what happened, but something must have unsettled him. Heseemed disoriented. I found him when I got home. The light in his room was on, and I heard some strange noises.”
“They already cleared the apartment?” I asked. “That could have waited.”
Dominic shrugged. “Leo must have seen it differently.”
Leo had done many things that I couldn’t explain, but this was straightforward—people in Zurich were lining up for an apartment.
After finishing Nico’s book, I understood why Leo was so intent on keeping certain details a secret with the gag order on it. The case was eleven years old and was barred from prosecution, but I had wondered where Leo suddenly got those pieces of evidence. It seemed like they just fell into his lap.
Leo had taken a huge risk by choosing the illegal route. If the matter had become public, it would have cost him his law license and possibly sent him to prison. Instead, his client’s acquittal boosted his career, and he became one of the highest-paid lawyers.
He had given me the expensive fountain pen that I always carried with me—until I finished readingThe Birds’ Song of Laughter. At that moment, it wasn’t clear to me, but my subconscious had already picked a side: Nico’s side.
I was surprised by how easily I had severed ties with my mentor a few days ago, even though Leo didn’t know about it. Given the circumstances, I wondered if he was even aware of the influence he still had over Nico. One thing was obvious—clearing Rina Simeon’s apartment yesterday must have destabilized Nico.
From what I had seen of Nico—full of life—taking that away from him and keeping him down was almost criminal. And I didn’t make any distinction, counting myself among the perpetrators as well.
“Have you been playing poker again, Corvo?” Dominic asked beside me.
“No,” I answered, grateful for the small talk.How long does a psychological assessment take anyway?“And you?”
“Met Bruce Lee at a bar. He said there might be another round soon.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep.”
Apparently, both of us were not very skilled at distracting ourselves from all this. Fortunately, the psychologist came out of the room shortly afterward. She shut the door behind her, darting her eyes around as if searching for someone, and then approached us.
“I was actually hoping to find his father,” she said, glancing at the notes on her iPad. “Mr. Leonard Simeon?”
“I informed him,” Dominic explained. “But he’s still at work. I don’t know if he’s picked up my message yet.”
