But the green line went straight up to the Family Court door. He leaned forward in the chair so that he could look at the intersection of two gray hallways. The green line turned left, so that was the way out. One of the courtroom cops slammed Lex back against the wall and said, “Stay where you’re put.”
Lex was used to staying where he was put. That was what courts did. They put him places, and he stayed there. Eventually they would let him go, and he could go back to his house that he had bought, and his job that he was good at, and he would take his baby home and take care of her like a good daddy should. If he needed help, the old man would help him. He leaned back against the wall and began to hum.
“Stop that,” the cop said, so he stopped.
Everybody came out of the courtroom. Jeanne walked past him with her lawyer, and she didn’t even look at him. Here came his lawyer at last, looking tired and sick and alone. Something bad had happened to him. “When do I get Theo?” Lex asked.
The lawyer pulled off his brown tie with the gold squares. Lex was relieved. He wouldn’t have to look at the squares changing direction anymore, or the sideways tiepin. “You didn’t help yourself back there, but there wasn’t much doubt how it would go.”
“When do I get Theo?”
“Friday, from two to four, in MacAvoy’s office. Supervised.”
The lawyer didn’t understand. Lex said patiently, “When can I take her home?”
“You’ve got supervised visitation in MacAvoy’s office, two hours a week.”
“I’ve got her room all nice for her.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hall.” The lawyer started walking along the green line, and Lex followed him. “Here’s the thing. After what happened last week—”
“Nothing happened.”
“You drove across town with the baby naked in your car, because you couldn’t give her a bath. You’ll have to let the custody issue lie for a while, that’s all.”
They waited for the elevator. Lex checked: yes, the green line ran toward the elevator doors. How did the judge know about Theo’s bath that went so wrong? The lawyer’s wife knew, but he was Lex’s lawyer. The nice lady, the lawyer’s wife’s mother, she knew about it, because she had helped get Theo clean. Was she the one who told Jeanne’s lawyer? He couldn’t believe it. She didn’t even ask him, What happened, are you okay?, the way the old man did, over and over; she just cleaned Theo and played with her.
The old man. The old man knew. He called someone. “The old man told Jeanne,” Lex said as the elevator arrived.
“I really can’t say,” the lawyer said, and Lex knew what that meant. The lawyer pushed his foot against the elevator door to hold it open, but he didn’t get in. “Mr. Hall, you’re going to have at least a month before your next hearing. So you’ve got time. You’re going to have to look into getting new representation.”
“What does that mean?”
“You need another lawyer, Mr. Hall.”
“Is it too hard for you? Do you need help?” Lex was disappointed. But the lawyer looked tired. Maybe he was scared of Jeanne’s lawyer. Jeanne’s lawyer was a very scary woman. If he needed help, then asking for help was the right thing to do. “Is it something you can’t handle on your own?” Lex asked.
“Mr. Hall. This is something I can’t handle at all. Here’s a list of firms. As soon as you’ve got a new lawyer, I’ll send your file. You need to do this right away.”
“But you’re my lawyer.”
“I can’t be your lawyer anymore.” He pushed the piece of paper toward Lex. “You call one of these people, and they’ll help you better than I can. Take the paper.”
Lex took the paper.
“Call them today. They need to deal with spousal support, that’s coming up next. Now you’ll call them today, won’t you? Say yes.”
“Yes,” Lex said. He folded the paper in half so he wouldn’t have to look at it.
“Good.” The lawyer pulled his foot out of the elevator and patted the doors as they closed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you, Mr. Hall, and I’ll have all your files ready for your new lawyer. You take care, now.”
“Thank you,” Lex said as the door closed. He closed his eyes. The elevator shook, and then it began to climb, slowly, in little jumps. He crumpled the piece of paper and dropped it. He didn’t want a new lawyer. He already had a lawyer. He just had to make him understand. The elevator stopped, and he waited a few seconds with his eyes closed, hoping that when he looked, if he was patient and good, he would see the green line that would lead him to the big glass doors.