Page 12 of Lion & Lamb

Cooper fished inside his jacket, retrieved a small fabric pouch, and pulled out a tiny morsel of dried salmon. His associate Lupe, a year-old Rhodesian ridgeback, snapped to full attention. Cooper said, “Gentle,” then held out his hand, treat nestled in his palm. The noble Lupe quickly and carefully made it disappear.

The defense attorney, Lisa Marchese, was momentarily distracted by this utterly adorable display. Then her brain patiently reminded her of the last thing Cooper had said.

“Lamb, did you say my client is guilty?”

“I saidshe did it,” Cooper repeated, and he hated repeating himself. “No idea how she feels about it.”

“Let me get this straight. Francine Pearl Hughes, the bereaved wife—you honestly believe she killed her husband?”

Cooper looked around the spacious office for an imaginary judge. “Your Honor, Counsel is badgering her guest.”

“For Christ’s sake, Lamb. How can you possibly say such a thing about Francine?”

Cooper rubbed Lupe’s head and murmured something about not paying attention to the mean lawyer lady and her profanities.

Both private investigator and pooch were sitting in the posh 1818 Market Street offices of Kaplan, DePaulo, and Marchese LLP, the city’s top criminal-defense firm. Senior partner Lisa Marchese had asked to meet with Cooper at nine a.m., but he told her he had other plans. (He did; morning walks with Lupe were sacred.) He ignored calls from the DA’s office—Cooper hated that guy—and finally agreed to a noon meeting with Marchese. “I’m bringing my associate,” Cooper had warned her, not letting her know that the associate happened to be canine. But everybody loved Lupe. He instantly improved the vibe of any room.

“I’ll tell you exactly how,” Cooper told Lisa. He gave Lupe another dried salmon treat for being a good boy, then continued. “You just told me that her prints were found on the murder weapon, which ballistics has definitively matched to Archie’s murder. The weapon was hastily buried in a frozen flower bed on the Hughes estate. My guess is, sooner or later there will be surveillance footage connecting her to the crime. There are dozens of cameras on the parkway; I’m sure there will be multiple angles of your client pumping a few slugs into her husband’s heavily muscled torso, then hurrying away from the scene of the crime.”

Lisa Marchese stared at him in horror. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“No, but I’ll bet you’re terrified that a jury might believe it. That or whatever compelling version the DA’s office is putting together as we speak.”

Marchese exhaled. “You scared me there for a moment. I was afraid the legendary Cooper Lamb, ex–army intelligence and the best PI in the city, had lost his mind.”

“Flatterer.”

“We’d like you to clear Francine’s name. And, if possible, find out who really killed Archie.”

“Of course.”

“The police will have their own ideas, but we want the truth.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“So, can we count on you to join the team?”

“Hell no.”

Chapter8

Transcript of private conversation between Cooper Lamb and Lisa Marchese, senior partner at Kaplan, DePaulo, and Marchese, captured using an ambient recording app on Lamb’s smartwatch

LISA MARCHESE: You’re seriously going to walk away from the biggest murder case in Philadelphia history?

COOPER LAMB: Why don’t you try Veena Lion? She’s the best. Well, second best, if I may be so immodest.

MARCHESE: Maybe we already called Veena.

LAMB: Nah, she’d never work for you guys. She hates big law firms even more than she hates authority figures.

MARCHESE: You’ve had no problem cashing our checks in the past.

LAMB: And in the past, the checks have been generous. But when it comes to…what did you say? “The biggest murder case in Philadelphia history”?

MARCHESE: Ah. I see. You’re negotiating.

LAMB: Of course I am. I wouldn’t want you to lowball me simply because I’d kill for this job. I loved Archie and I pretty much bleed Eagles green. I bet on them every week, even during their not-so-stellar seasons. And I’ve had a massive crush on Francine Pearl ever since that music video where she’s wearing that…ah, never mind. But yeah. I’m all in. Wait, what are you writing there?

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