The Client

Clint meets Reggie as she is leaving her therapist’s office and updates her on Mark’s predicament with the Juvenile Court. Shocked, Reggie panics even more when she realizes she has less than an hour to prepare for the hearing. She rushes to the Juvenile Court to talk to Harry Roosevelt. When she arrives, she encounters Agent McThune in the hallway. She reminds him of the tape recording she has of him and Trumann illegally questioning Mark without an adult in the room. Reggie warns McThune not to lie or exaggerate in court, or she will unleash punishment on him.

Reggie casually enters Judge Roosevelt’s office, even though he is not there. He and Reggie are good friends outside of their professional relationship, and the two are very familiar with one another. She flips through the petition filed by Foltrigg and Fink while waiting for Roosevelt. She notices that the petition does not name anything specific and only accuses Mark of obstruction of justice in the broadest strokes possible. She despises Foltrigg for pulling this stunt under her nose.

Reggie urges Harry to release Mark and put off the hearing until tomorrow. Harry does not budge on his decision and tells Reggie he suspects that Mark knows something important. After her meeting with Judge Roosevelt, Reggie visits Mark in his Juvenile Court cell. Mark is frustrated and curt with Reggie. She tells him that while nobody can force him to talk, he can be punished with jail time if he decides to keep his secret.

Mark wants to lie in court. Reggie struggles between her personal desire to have Mark lie so he can keep himself safe and her professional desire to maintain her ethical code. Out of lawyerly obligation, she ultimately tells him that she cannot allow him to lie in court. Mark walks to the corner of his cell with his back to Reggie and begins crying.

Mark is brought into the courtroom for the hearing. Fink and Ord sit with a young local attorney named Baxter L. McLemore who is the prosecutor in this hearing. However, Fink and Ord are only using McLemore as a technicality; as the Assistant US Attorney, Fink plans on running the prosecution’s side of the hearing. Reggie sits at a separate table representing the defense. Mark sits beside her, and the hearing begins.

Fink and Reggie present their arguments to Judge Roosevelt before the hearing officially begins. Whereas Fink insists the hearing should begin immediately, Reggie objects on two grounds: Dianne is absent, and Reggie has not had adequate time to prepare for this hearing. Judge Roosevelt offers to delay the hearing on the condition that Mark remains in custody during the delay. Reggie begrudgingly agrees to the hearing beginning immediately.

Fink calls a series of witnesses. First is Sergeant Hardy, who testifies about his conversations with Mark and his belief that Mark lied to the police about his experience with Romey. Agent Trumann is called next, and cognizant of Reggie’s blackmail tape recording of his illegal interview with Mark, keeps his testimony short and objective. Fink himself is the final witness. He describes his experiences with Romey and how he is convinced that Romey knew where Boyette was buried.

Reggie objects to Fink’s testimony on the grounds that it is hearsay. Roosevelt agrees with Reggie’s assessment and asks if Fink has any other witnesses to call. Fink pushes for Mark to take the stand, which outrages Judge Roosevelt. He calls for a 10-minute recess and demands everybody but Reggie leave his courtroom. Roosevelt advises Reggie to have Mark take the stand in his court but to avoid answering and remain in Juvenile Court custody. He is afraid Mark will be targeted by the mob if he leaves. “This is so unfair to the boy,” Reggie protests. “He deserves more from the system” (301). Roosevelt refuses to let Mark out of custody. He advises Reggie to look into making a deal with the federal government and look into the witness protection program for the Sways while Mark is in custody.

The hearing resumes. Judge Roosevelt asks if Mark will take the stand. Reggie says he will, but he will not take questions from Fink. Fink protests, but Roosevelt allows it. He begins to question Mark, first asking for Mark to explain what happened in the woods between him, Ricky, and Romey.

Mark avoids Judge Roosevelt’s questions about what Romey told Mark. Roosevelt pushes for Mark to answer, and Mark decides to take the Fifth Amendment. Mark begins to cry. Roosevelt grows uncomfortable about making an innocent child cry. Even still, Roosevelt continues to ask Mark questions about Romey and what he revealed to Mark. Mark continues to plead the Fifth, and Roosevelt orders that he remain in custody until he cooperates with the court.

He schedules another hearing for noon the next day and commands the prosecution to bring Foltrigg to the next hearing. If he is not there, Roosevelt with hold the US Attorney in contempt. The judge allows Mark to leave and requests an informal conversation with Reggie, Fink, K.O. Lewis, and Ord. Roosevelt says he does not want to keep Mark in jail long and wants to discuss ideas to help the Sways. Lewis says they have initiated the process of adding the Sways to the witness protection program. Reggie says she will talk to Dianne and convince her to take the witness protection deal.

Slick Moeller meets with Judge Roosevelt’s bailiff and questions him on the hearing. The bailiff reveals that Mark pled the Fifth and remains in the Juvenile Court’s custody. Moeller promises that the bailiff will not get in trouble for leaking this information to him. Moeller photographs Mark as he is transported back to custody. Mark realizes he has been photographed and grows anxious, knowing he will be the subject of yet another front-page story.

Foltrigg is anxious to get a call from Fink updating him on the hearing proceedings. He expects that Mark has revealed the location of Boyette’s body. He plans on issuing a grand jury subpoena if it turns out that Mark and Reggie did not cooperate in the hearing.

Fink calls and tells Foltrigg that Mark refused to reveal the location. Fink and Foltrigg agree that Mark’s refusal means he knows where Boyette’s body is. Fink tells Foltrigg that Judge Roosevelt has scheduled a second hearing and wants Foltrigg there. Foltrigg grows upset and thinks it is a ridiculous request. He tells one of his men, Wally Boxx, to prepare the grand jury subpoenas. He plans to serve them the next day.

Doreen checks on Mark in his Juvenile Court cell. She notes he is withdrawn and asks Mark how long he will be in custody. Mark concocts a melodramatic performance, lamenting that he will be locked up while his brother suffers. He lies to Doreen and says that he is feeling weak and ill and needs to lie down. Doreen is concerned and goes to get Mark food. When she leaves, Mark bolts to his feet and listens for any activity outside of his cell.

Dianne sits in the hospital with Ricky mulling over an earlier conversation with Reggie about the witness protection program. She is afraid her family will not be properly protected by the program. Mark calls from the detention center, and they talk about Ricky and the hearings. Mark apologizes for not being there to help with Ricky, and their conversation ends. Dianne watches the local news and sees a story about Mark and the Juvenile Court hearings. She becomes overwhelmed with the pressure of journalists, the FBI, and the mob watching their every move.

Meanwhile, Barry Muldanno meets with Gronke at a bar in New Orleans. As they talk, two FBI agents intervene a bar employee on the way to Muldanno’s table and hand off a pair of salt and pepper shakers that conceal microphones meant to record Muldanno’s conversation. The employee places the shakers on Muldanno’s table, and the FBI agents listen in as the mobsters talk. Gronke tells Muldanno Reggie’s office is getting wired with small microphones that night. They move on to discussing the possibility of placing hits on Mark and Reggie. Gronke talks Muldanno out of killing Mark, but the two like the possibility of killing Reggie and feel it would be an easy way to further scare Mark into silence. Muldanno says he will give the job to a man named Pirini.

Mark sits in his cell and continues his scheme of melodramatic acting. He has been lying silently in his cell and staring at the ceiling in efforts to convince the Juvenile Court employees he is unwell.

Jack Nance’s partner, Cal Sisson, sits outside of Reggie’s office as Nance wires the room for surveillance. Memphis police arrive and reveal to Sisson they already know who he is and why he is there. They tell Cal that if he cooperates and answers questions, they’ll let him go. Cal answers all of their questions. He tells the police where Pirini is stationed and preparing for the hit on Reggie. He also says there are no additional plans to wire any more locations or plant any more bombs like they did with Mark’s trailer. The police let him go free.

Reggie is notified that Nance was caught bugging her office for the mob. She is exhausted from being woken up in the middle of the night by the cops’ call about her office and the stress of Mark’s case. She receives a call from Judge Roosevelt, who tells her that Slick Moeller has written a front-page article leaking information about Mark and what was said in the hearing. Roosevelt has thrown Moeller into a jail cell for contempt of court. Reggie tells Roosevelt about her office being bugged. Roosevelt says he’s not going to release Mark because the press leaks and mob’s actions have made it too dangerous. Reggie feels powerless to help Mark and is now scared for her own life as well.

Mark continues to play sick to Doreen at the Juvenile Court. Reggie arrives to talk to Mark for the first time since the hearing. She tells him about the witness protection program. Mark is skeptical that it will work because he does not trust the FBI. Reggie tries to convince him that he can trust her and the witness protection plan. Mark says he trusts Reggie, but that he cannot trust the FBI to outsmart the mob. He is convinced they will find his family. Mark asks when he will be freed from his cell, and Reggie says he will need to stay until the end of the week so the witness protection paperwork can be filed.

Willis Upchurch files a motion for a continuance in the murder case against Barry Muldanno. Upchurch asks for a six-month delay until the trial. Foltrigg, arguing for the prosecution, asks for two months. The judge sides with the defense, allowing for an extended continuance for Muldanno’s trial.

Moeller is brought from his jail cell to Judge Roosevelt’s courtroom. Roosevelt lambasts Moeller for leaking confidential information and presses the journalist to give up his source. Moeller’s attorney attempts to intervene and protect the journalist from this line of questioning, but Roosevelt shuts the lawyer down. Moeller pridefully says he cannot reveal a source. Roosevelt simply says that he will keep Moeller in contempt and orders him to return to his cell.

Dianne talks with Mark in the Juvenile Court as they are waiting for the second hearing to start. They talk about the witness protection program, and Dianne expresses her concerns about living on the run. She is not confident that the government could fully protect them from the mob. Reggie interrupts their conversation and says the hearing is about to begin.

Judge Roosevelt questions Mark again about Romey and the location of Senator Boyette’s body. Mark again refuses to answer any of the judge’s inquiries. Roosevelt tells Fink to bring FBI Agent McThune and K.O. Lewis into the courtroom. Lewis notifies the court of Muldanno’s plans to murder Reggie, and the FBI plays the recorded conversation between Muldanno and Gronke.

Judge Roosevelt asks Dianne if she understands why he has kept Mark in the Juvenile Court’s custody. She says that she does but expresses her concern that the witness protection program would not adequately protect them from Muldanno. When Fink confronts Dianne and asks her if she wants her child to stay in jail, Dianne replies, “I’d rather have him in a detention center than in a grave” (362). Judge Roosevelt schedules another hearing Monday morning at noon.

Gronke is on a plane back to New Orleans from Memphis. He dreads telling Muldanno that he has been unable to reach Pirini. Gronke knows it is likely the cops caught Pirini before he could carry out the hit on Reggie. He thinks back to the night where Muldanno told Gronke how he murdered Senator Boyette. Muldanno had simply followed the Senator to a roadhouse and knocked him out with a nightstick before driving him out to the countryside and shooting him, finishing the hit. Gronke marvels that Muldanno, who was messy and irresponsible in the murder, nearly got away with the hit but is now endangered by 11-year-old Mark.

Doreen checks in on Mark and is concerned that he is very sick. He is acting lethargic and withdrawn. She offers to call a doctor, but he insists in a sickly voice that he is ok. When she leaves, Mark returns to normal.

Judge Roosevelt is preparing to leave for a short vacation over the weekend. Reggie stops by his office, and Roosevelt tells her to try and convince Dianne to take the witness protection deal with the federal government. Reggie says she is hopeful that they can wrap up this whole affair by Monday.

Fink meets with Foltrigg in New Orleans. He tells Foltrigg that he delivered the grand jury subpoenas to the US Marshalls in Memphis, and they are ready to be served whenever Foltrigg gives the word. Fink says he believes Mark and Dianne are too scared to take the witness protection deal. Foltrigg replies that they have no choice but to give the green light to the grand jury subpoenas. He is amused that they get to use such scare tactics on Reggie and Mark. “Pure harassment,” Foltrigg tells Fink “with a smile. ‘She and the kid will be scared to death on Monday. We’ll be calling the shots’” (371).

Doreen checks in on Mark again and is gravely concerned with his condition. The woman on shift after Doreen, Telda, is less concerned when she checks in on Mark. Telda brings two US Marshalls to Mark, and they serve him his grand jury subpoena. Mark asks if the Marshalls have talked to Reggie, and they reply that they do not deal with lawyers. They tell Mark he can call his attorney in half an hour.

Teams of US Marshalls are deployed to serve Dianne and Reggie their own subpoenas. When the Marshalls arrive at Mama Love’s house to serve Reggie, Mama Love argues with the Marshalls and insists that Reggie is not there even though her car is in the driveway. When they leave, Mama Love goes up to Reggie’s apartment above the house’s garage. Dianne takes her subpoena quietly, without any comment. She tries to call Reggie, but there is no answer.

Reggie drives to Clint’s apartment and tells him about the subpoenas. She says she avoided being served because Mama Love scared the Marshalls off. They try to concoct a plan to avoid Mark and the Sway family being forced to travel to a federal court in New Orleans, Foltrigg’s home turf. Clint says they can call Judge Roosevelt’s wife, and she can help them reach Judge Roosevelt so he can help them combat Foltrigg’s subpoenas.