The street lawyer.-

Two days later I was there again. But I had not flown first class. as in the old days. I waited outside the Drake building from seven in the morning while 106 lawyers- the third highest number after Washington and New York- arrived for work.




At 8 20 Héctor Palma arrived and I followed him into the building. He got off on floor number fifty -one. There was a phone there. I phoned Megan at Naomis Women Center. Ruby was still there, doing ok. Héctor Palma was not going anywhere for the next ten hours, so I had another long talk with Megan.




There was a list of partners names on each floor. I said loudly as I passed the desk. And then I walked past the desk, down the hall. Héctor had his own office in Chicago.





-Hello Héctor, I said as I walked in. So how s Chicago?




-What...what are you doing here?





I sat on Héctor desk. There s going to be a lawsuit, Héctor.




I said, Against Drake and D you cant hide from that.





I did not feel as confident as I tried so sound.





-And who is starting this lawsuit?






-Lontae Burtons grandmother. And later the other people who were evicted, when we find them.





-Héctor just looked at me.





-You remember Lontae, dont you, Héctor ? She was the Younger mother who fought with the policeman when you knew she was a tenant. So you wrote that in a note, dated January 27 and put that in the file. But Braden Chance took note out again.That is why I am here, Héctor.I want a copy of that note.






-Why would I have a copy?





-Because you are Smart, Héctor. You Knew that Drake evictions were ilegal. You knew how important your note was. Maybe you even guessed Braden Chance would remove it.






Héctor Thought about that. I guessed he would not be happy hiding in Chicago. The evictions were wrong and he knew it. He had tried to help me once bafore.






-Meet me at twelve in front of the building, he said.






He was there on time.





-I have four children, please protect me, he said as he gave me an envelope. I thanked him, got a taxi, and opened the envelope.






The note was dated January 27. It said that the tenants were paying one hundred dollars a month rent on the fifteenh of very month to man called Johnny. There was even a copy of every month to man called Johnny. There was even a copy of a receipt signed by Johnny saying that he had received one hundred dollars rent from Lontae Burton on January 15.






It could not be any clearer. They were tenants. The evictios was illegal.






At Chicago O hate airport I faxed copies of the note and the receipt to Morcadei.





Then I caught the next plane back to Washington.






A  taxi from the airport took me back to 14 Street where Morcadei and Sofia were not looking as happy as I had expected. L Garko was in the office, waiting for me.






As he took me out to the pólice car, Sofia was phoning fast and talking fast, first in English, then in Spanish. But she and Morcadei coul not stop L Gasko taking me to Central Pólice Station like any other criminal Drake and S said I had taken their file,  that was theft.