Free Death by Surprise (Carolyn Hart Classics) by Carolyn Hart

lawyer,” she said sharply.
    “Really. Why not?”
    “The kind of people who commit crimes do not deserve lawyers.”
    God. What a lovely outlook on life and jurisprudence.
    “Well,” I observed quietly, “perhaps it’s a good thing you aren’t a lawyer. Every lawyer has to do some criminal work. The court appoints lawyers to defend indigents who can’t afford counsel.”
    Lorraine stabbed a fork into a piece. “That’s what’s wrong with this country. The government makes everything easy for the shiftless. If people don’t have the money for a lawyer, then I don’t see why the rest of us should pay for it.”
    “Actually, you don’t pay for it,” I explained, “unless your city has a public defender’s office. When a lawyer is appointed by the court, he doesn’t receive any recompense. It’s pro bono work.”
    Lorraine spread butter (fresh butter churned in the kitchen) on hot parker house rolls (baked by Amanda) then paused to sip wine before resuming her diatribe against the shiftless poor getting free legal service.
    “Besides,” she concluded, “The whole system’s wrong.”
    “Really?”
    “Half the time, the guilty are acquitted and, even when they go to jail, it’s only for a little while, then they let them out to prey on society again.”
    I took a drink of my wine. Was there any point in trying to talk to someone like Lorraine? Then I put my glass down and tried.
    “Look, Lorraine, people are acquitted when the prosecution fails to convince a jury the defendant is guilty. Twelve people listened to the evidence and didn’t buy it. As for paroling prisoners, the hope is for rehabilitation. It’s hard enough for a man or woman to come back from prison and keep out of trouble but the longer time they spend in prison, the more brutalized they are and the less likely they are to make it on the street without going back to crime. Society isn’t well served by keeping people jailed for long terms.”
    “If they are convicted a second time,” Lorraine said, her mouth thin, “they should be put away for life.”
    “For life? Even if it’s a kid who’s stolen a car? He should go to the pen for life?”
    “Yes. I have no sympathy with lawbreakers. None.”
    “Apparently not.” I wondered how she felt about patients with a recurrence. But I suppose she saw no correlation between social malignancies and physical ills.
    “In fact,” she said heatedly, “I believe this country could benefit from looking at Saudi Arabia.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yes. Saudi Arabia has very little crime.”
    “Really?” I knew that, of course. I was baiting her but some temptations are hard to resist.
    “Why, yes. They don’t fool around over there. If a man is a thief, they chop off one of his hands. If he steals again, they chop off the other.”
    “Pretty effective,” I murmured.
    “Oh, it is, it is. They have almost no thievery over there.”
    Yes, Saudi Arabia is tough on lawbreakers. Adultery rates a whacked-off head. That’s pretty final. Saudi justice probably discourages a lot of adultery and encourages extreme care on the part of both thieves and amorous dalliers.
    Lorraine continued to extol enthusiastically the virtues of Saudi culture.
    I pictured her in one of those head-to-toe burkas. It might muffle her mouth so I decided Saudi Arabia couldn’t be all bad.
    I also decided that I would find someone besides Lorraine to talk to after dinner.
    Dessert was freestone peaches Mandy had frozen last summer. Defrosted and topped with ice cream and a raspberry sauce, it was a delicious Peach Melba. Conversation was beginning to be desultory.
    Mother caught everyone’s attention.
    “Let’s go to the library for coffee.” Her chin lifted. “We will decide what to do about that dreadful Boutelle woman.”

As chairs scraped and were replaced and everyone began to move toward the doorway, I saw Megan tug at Kenneth’s sleeve. He bent his head to listen, then shrugged, his hands turning palm