Last Lie by Stephen White Page B

point did she consider herself drunk. Still, as the festivities were winding down she thought about accepting a ride home with the friends she'd followed to the party. She would then return the next day to retrieve her car. But Burning Man Lady ultimately decided to stay at the party to sober up. Her plan was to drive back home after a cup of coffee or two.
    At some point shortly after the last of the other guests headed home, the hostess invited her to spend the night in the guest room and drive herself home the next morning.
    Staying over in her host's guest suite quickly became the plan.
    The host and hostess poured some more wine. The three of them sat in front of the fireplace.
    At that point in Hella's story, I said, "I think I'm going to need some names. I'm having trouble keeping everyone straight. The host? The hostess?"
    Hella said, "I don't know anyone's names. She wouldn't tell me."
    "What?" My what? was puzzled, not challenging.
    "The lawyer? She met with one Saturday before she met with me. He instructed her not to reveal the name of anyone who was involved in the rape in any way. The other people who attended the party. Anyone. He doesn't want anyone to learn those identities. She said he stressed the need for discretion when she spoke with him on the phone, and then again when they met in his office. No names, no addresses, no directions, no license plate numbers, no vehicle makes and models, nothing that could identify anyone who was there."
    "Do you know the lawyer's name?" I asked.
    "No," Hella said. "Only that he's really tall. And very formal."
    She was describing Cozier Maitlin. Cozy was six-seven. He dressed like a lord. At various points in his career, Cozy had defended both Lauren and me, and he'd once defended Sam's detective partner Lucy Davenport. Although I couldn't understand why Lucy felt the rape victim needed a personal attorney, it wasn't surprising that she'd given out Cozy's name.
    Cozy could be bombastic. But I knew from experience that he was a thoughtful advocate who had a purpose for everything he did during any case he was litigating. If he told his new client to keep her mouth shut, the advice wasn't pro forma. Cozy had to be concerned about something specific.
    But I didn't know what it was. I couldn't figure out why Cozy had directed his client not to use the name of the alleged rapist, and was even more puzzled that he was adamant that she not reveal the identity of anyone who'd been at the party. Regardless of Cozy's legal rationale, because communication between his client and her psychologist was privileged, and thus protected from discovery, I was certain that he didn't intend that his instructions to his client extend to her psychotherapy relationship. And although Cozy would have no way to know that Dr. Zoet's practice was supervised, the privilege that the patient enjoyed with her therapist also extended to the relationship between the psychotherapist and his or her supervisor.
    I began to explain all that to Hella. She stopped me; she already knew it.
    "I told her the same thing, Alan--except for the supervision part. She said she explained to the attorney she was in therapy and she made it clear to him that she wanted to be able to talk to me about what happened. He told her that wasn't a problem, he encouraged her to talk to me about what happened, but he also made it clear to her that even with me the safest thing was not to use anyone's name."
    " Safest? Cozy used that word?"
    Hella hesitated. "I think that's the word she used with me, Alan. I could be wrong. Maybe prudent. I wasn't taking notes at that point of the conversation. That's the connotation, though. I'm sure of that."
    I remained puzzled. "You said she went to the police. Have charges been filed?"
    Hella shrugged. "I don't know. She went straight to the police when she woke up and realized what had happened. But as of yesterday afternoon--she and I met on Saturday, and talked on the phone for about ten