Absent from this ceremony is Doug Renfro. According to yesterday’s Chronicle, he has just been indicted. He’s still hospitalized, though recovering slowly. He begged the doctors and the police to allow him to attend his wife’s funeral. The doctors said sure; the cops said no way. He’s a threat to society. A cruel footnote to this tragedy is that Doug will live the rest of his life under the cloud of somehow being involved with drug trafficking. Most of these people will believe him and his denials, but for some there will be doubts. What was old Doug really up to? Surely he must’ve been guilty of something or our brave police would not have gone after him.

I suffer through the service, along with everyone else. The air is thick with confusion and anger. The minister is comforting, but at times clearly unsure of what has happened. He tries to make some sense of it, but it’s an impossible challenge. As he’s wrapping things up, and as the crying gets louder, I ease down the stairs and exit through a side door.

Two hours later my phone rings. It’s Doug Renfro.

6.

A lawyer like me is forced to work in the shadows. My opponents are protected by badges, uniforms, and all the myriad trappings of government power. They are sworn and duty-bound to uphold the law, but since they cheat like hell it forces me to cheat even more.

I have a network of contacts and sources. I can’t call them friends because friendships require commitments. Nate Spurio is one example, an honest cop who wouldn’t take a dime for inside information. I’ve offered. Another guy is a reporter with the Chronicle, and we swap gossip when it’s convenient. No cash changes hands. One of my favorites is Okie Schwin, and Okie always takes the money.

Okie is a mid-level paper pusher in the federal court clerk’s office in a downtown courthouse. He hates his job, despises his co-workers, and is always looking for an easy way to make a buck. He’s also divorced, drinks too much, and constantly tests the boundaries of workplace sexual harassment. Okie’s value is his ability to manipulate the court’s random assignment of cases. When a civil lawsuit is filed, it is supposedly assigned by chance to one of our six federal judges. A computer does this and the little procedure seems to work fine. There’s always a judge you’d prefer, depending on the type of case and perhaps your history in various courtrooms, but who cares when it’s completely random? Okie, though, knows how to rig the software and find the judge you really want. He charges for this, handsomely, and he’ll probably get caught, though he assures me there’s no way. If he’s caught, he’ll get fired and maybe prosecuted, but Okie seems unconcerned by these possibilities.

At his suggestion, we meet in a seedy strip club far from downtown. The crowd is staunchly blue collar. The strippers are not worth describing. I turn my back to the stage so I don’t have to look. Just under the roar, I say, “I’m filing suit tomorrow. Renfro, our SWAT boys’ latest home invasion.”

He laughs and says, “What a surprise. Let me guess, you think justice will be best served if the Honorable Arnie Samson presides.”

“My man.”

“He’s 110 years old, on senior status, half-dead, and he says he’s not taking cases anymore. Why can’t we make these guys retire?”

“That’s between you and the Constitution. He’ll take this one. The standard fee?”

“Yep. But what if he says no and bounces it down the line?”

“I’ll have to take that chance.” I hand him an envelope with $3,000 in cash. His standard fee. He quickly shoves it into a pocket without even a thank-you, then turns his attention to the girls.

7.

At nine the following morning, I walk into the clerk’s office and file a $50 million lawsuit against the City, the police department, the police chief, and the eight SWAT boys who attacked the Renfros’ home six days earlier. Somewhere in the murky depths of the office, Okie does his magic and the case is “randomly and automatically” assigned to Judge Arnold Samson. I e-mail a copy of the lawsuit to my friend at the Chronicle.

I also file a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the prosecutor from freezing Doug Renfro’s assets. This is a favorite strong-arm tactic used by the government to harass criminal defendants. The original idea was to tie up assets supposedly accumulated in whatever criminal activity the defendant was engaged in, primarily drug trafficking. Seize the ill-gotten gains and make things tough for the cartels. And like so many laws, it didn’t take the prosecutors long to get creative and expand its use. In Doug’s case, the government was prepared to argue that his assets—home, cars, bank and retirement accounts—were accumulated, in part, with dirty money he earned while peddling Ecstasy.

Say what? By the time we have the emergency hearing on the temporary restraining order, the city prosecutors are backing down and looking for a way out. Judge Samson, as feisty as ever, scolds them and even threatens them with contempt. We win round 1.

Round 2 is a bail hearing in state court, where the attempted murder charge is pending. With his assets free, I’m able to argue that Doug Renfro poses absolutely no flight risk and will show up in court whenever he’s supposed to. His home is worth $400,000 with no mortgage, and I offer to post the deed as security. To my surprise, the judge agrees, and I walk my client out of court. We win round 2, but these are the easy ones.

Eight days after getting shot and losing his wife and both dogs, Doug Renfro returns home, where his three children, seven grandchildren, and some friends are waiting. It will be a subdued homecoming. They graciously ask me to join them, but I decline.

I fight tooth and nail for my clients and will break most laws to protect them, but I never get too close.

8.

At ten on a perfect Saturday morning, I’m sitting on a bench at a playground, waiting. It’s a few blocks from my apartment, our usual meeting place. On the sidewalk, a beautiful woman approaches with a seven-year-old boy. He is my son. She is my ex-wife. The court order allows me to see him once a month for thirty-six hours. As he gets older, I will be entitled to more lenient visitation, but for now things are restricted. There are reasons for this but I’d rather not discuss them now.

Starcher does not smile when they get to the bench. I stand and peck Judith on the cheek, more for the kid’s benefit than hers. She prefers not to touch.

“Hey, buddy,” I say, rubbing his head.

“Hey,” he says, then walks over to a swing and climbs onto it. Judith sits beside me on the bench and we watch him kick and begin swaying.

“How’s he doing?” I ask.

“Fine. His teachers are happy.” A long pause. “I see you’ve been quite busy.”

“Indeed. And you?”

“The usual grind.”

“How’s Ava?” I ask about her partner.

“She’s great. What are your plans for the day?”

Judith does not like leaving our son with me. Once again, I’ve managed to offend the police and this worries her. Worries me too but I would never admit it.