The Naked Typist

28

The NEW YORK POST and the Daily News both had the headline, “TAKE HER CLOTHES OFF!” The New York Times had a small paragraph in section two.

Steve Winslow, Mark Taylor and Tracy Garvin read the papers the next morning in a small coffee shop near the courthouse.

“Not bad,” Taylor said.

“The coffee or the coverage?” Steve asked.

“The coverage, of course. The coffee sucks.”

Steve took a sip, grimaced. “No argument here. What do you think of the press?”

“Obnoxiously sexist,” Tracy said.

“No argument on that either. That’s what it is.”

“It may be sexist, but it sure is funny,” Taylor said.

“No it isn’t,” Tracy said. “Here’s a young woman on trial for murder, and everyone’s making fun of her.”

“That’s true,” Steve said.

“So what’s the point?”

“Overkill.”

“What?”

“The press knows she typed nude, the public knows she typed nude, the jurors know she typed nude. Everyone knows she typed nude. There’s nothing we can do about that. The only thing to do is overplay it until it becomes boring and everyone forgets about it.”

“Fat chance on that,” Taylor said.

“You know what I mean,” Steve said. “The fact is, if we sat on this and tried to fight it, it would titillate the jury and drag out through the whole trial. So we have a big splash now, get it out of our system and get on to other things.”

“Such as?” Taylor said.

Steve frowned. “That’s the problem. The prosecution has a case. We don’t.”

“Any more surprises planned?”

Steve shook his head. “Nope. That was it. From here on in it will depend on what Dirkson throws at us.” He jerked his thumb at the headlines. “I knew this was coming, so I had it in the bag.”

“How come Fitzpatrick did it and not you?” Tracy asked.

“That was the whole point,” Steve said. “Dirkson would expect this from me. It’s the sort of thing I’d pull. From Fitzpatrick he wouldn’t have a clue. Besides, coming from me it wouldn’t have meant anything. Typical Winslow trick-of course I’d say that. But respectable, dignified Fitzpatrick standing out there in his three-piece suit-well, from him it really made a splash.”

“I’ll say.”

“Well, eat up,” Steve said. “I wouldn’t want to be late for court. I can’t wait to see what Dirkson throws at us next.”