The Whole Truth Witness

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If the jury had had any pity, they’d have waited a decent interval before returning the verdict. But the order to return flashed on Manny’s thumbnail even before lunch had arrived at the café across the street from the courthouse. Elsa saw it and gave him a tense little nod before reaching for her bag. She glanced over at the client but didn’t say a word.

Manny knew his paralegal was right: he ought to warn the client of just how bad it was going to be, but he hadn’t the heart. So Perez got the full impact of the mammoth damage award in the courtroom itself. He bent forward as if punched in the stomach, a hollow wheeze escaping his mouth. On the way out of the building he wouldn’t look at them, and, Manny guessed, probably wouldn’t pay his bill—probably couldn’t pay it; the judgment was going to bankrupt him.

Manny and Elsa walked back to the office in the rain. Even in her high heels, Elsa was about three-quarters Manny’s height and forty percent his weight, and had to splash along beside him to keep up, making her even more visibly impatient than usual.

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