I was in full outrage now, and a lot of it was real.

“It’s called ‘rope a dope.’ But when I’m done with Torrance, he’s not the only one who’s going to look like a dope. That jury’s going to know that you either knew this guy was a liar or you were too dumb to realize it. Either way, you’re not coming off too good.”

Vincent looked down blankly at the prosecution table and calmly straightened the case files stacked in front of him. He spoke in a quiet voice.

“I don’t want you going forward with the cross,” he said.

“Fine. Then, cut the denials and the bullshit and give me a dispo I can-”

“I’ll drop the death penalty. Twenty-five to life without.”

I shook my head without hesitation.

“That’s not going to do it. The last thing Woodson said before they took him back was that he was willing to roll the dice. To be exact, he said, ‘We can win this motherfucker.’ And I think he could be right.”

“Then, what do you want, Haller?”

“I’ll go fifteen max. I think I can sell that to him.”

Vincent emphatically shook his head.

“No way. They’ll send me back to filing buy-busts if I give you that for two cold-blooded murders. My best offer is twenty-five with parole. That’s it. Under current guidelines he could be out in sixteen, seventeen years. Not bad for what he did, killing two kids like that.”

I looked at him, trying to read his face, looking for the tell. I decided I believed it was going to be the best he would do. And he was right, it wasn’t a bad deal for what Barnett Woodson had done.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I think he’ll say roll the dice.”

Vincent shook his head and looked at me.

“Then, you’ll have to sell it to him, Haller. Because I can’t go lower and if you continue the cross, then my career in the DA’s office is probably finished.”

Now I hesitated before responding.

“Wait a minute, what are you saying, Jerry? That I have to clean your mess up for you? I catch you with your pants around your ankles and it’s my client that has to take it in the ass?”