Free Suicide Hill by James Ellroy Page B

a chair next to the desk. “Out of the low-rent district. You do a lot of oil-leasing contracts on the side, take down the pictures of the niggers when the fat cats come to call?”
    Brewer filled a pipe with tobacco and tamped it down. “So much for light conversation. I don’t have to agree with a client’s ideology in order to represent him. Why are you getting a trial board?”
    Lloyd forced himself to talk slowly. “The overall charge will probably be dereliction of duty. I’m currently on a six-week suspension, with pay. The specific charge or charges will have to do with a recent perjury I committed at a murder trial arraignment. I—”
    Brewer jabbed the air with his pipe stem. “Why did you commit perjury? Is this a common practice of yours?”
    â€œI lied to protect a woman innocently involved in the case,” Lloyd said softly, “and I’ve lied previously only to circumvent probable-cause statutes in regard to hard felonies.”
    â€œI see. By any chance were you intimately involved with this woman?”
    Lloyd grasped the arms of his chair. “That’s none of your business, Counselor. Next question.”
    â€œVery well. Let’s backtrack. Tell me about your career with the L.A.P.D.”
    Lloyd said, “Nineteen years on the Job, fourteen as a detective-sergeant, eleven in Robbery/Homicide Division. I’ve got a master’s in criminology from Stanford, I’m considered the best homicide detective in the Department, I’ve earned more commendations than I can count, I’ve successfully investigated a number of highly publicized murder cases. My arrest record is legendary.”
    Brewer lit his pipe, then blew smoke at the ceiling. “Impressive, but what’s more impressive is that someone with such an outstanding record should have incurred such departmental disfavor. I should think that one perjury slipup wouldn’t have been sufficient to jeopardize your career. I know the L.A.P.D. looks after their own.”
    â€œThere’s other stuff. Minor fuckups over the years. The high brass sent me to a shrink. I shot my mouth off about things I shouldn’t have.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause I wanted to get rid of it! Because I never thought they’d try to do this to me!”
    â€œPlease calm down, Sergeant. There are ways to get around one psychiatrist’s report, usually by mitigating it with the report of a different analyst, one with a superior reputation.”
    Lloyd gripped the sides of the desk until he felt his hands go numb. “Counselor, this isn’t a trial in a court of law, this is a kangaroo cop trial, and academic credentials don’t mean shit. Saving my job is a long shot from the gate, and making a department employee look bad would only make the odds worse.”
    Brewer slid back in his chair and stared past Lloyd at the far wall. “Well … there are other approaches. You have a family?”
    â€œWife and three daughters. I’m separated from them.”
    â€œBut you remain cordial?”
    â€œYes.” Lloyd stared at the attorney, who kept his eyes fixed on a point just above his head and said, “Then we can exploit them as character witnesses, gain sympathy for you that way. You yourself present an interesting picture, one that can be used to advantage. Are you aware that your clothes don’t fit? They’re at least two sizes too large. We can portray you in court as a victim of your own conscientiousness, a man driven to radical weight loss by overzealous dedication to duty! If you were to lose even more weight, that sympathy factor would be increased. With the proper coaching your daughters would elicit the mo—”
    â€œ Look at me ,” Lloyd hissed, holding down a picture of his hands around Brewer’s throat, squeezing until the lawyer’s averted eyes popped out of his skull. “Look at me, you