Tyler asked Paul to show him some of the memes, Paul found the request strange, but he still obliged. He took out his phone, logged into twitter where he had some of the memes bookmarked and he handed the phone to Tyler. As Tyler looked at them, he couldn't contain himself, he laughed and laughed till he viewed the very last one.
"Those were really funny damn, can't believe I missed all that," Tyler handed the phone back to Paul, then he asked, "How are my parents doing?"
"I couldn't speak to them… rather they didn't want to speak to me." Paul handed half of the white A4 paper he took out from the briefcase and a pen to Tyler, "this will cost you a lot more than three hundred bucks kid."
"Thank you for taking my case,"
"I am your lawyer, what other choice do I have?" he took the cover off the pen, "we are going to communicate using the pen and paper, which do you think came first? The ability to speak English or the ability to write it?"
"Obviously, speaking came first. But why do we have to write?"
"Even though I trust the officer that prepared this office for us, your case is such a high profile case that I can't rule out the possibility of this place being taped."
"Okay."
Paul first wrote down the words, 'Did you do it?' and handed it to Tyler.
Tyler replied with a 'yes'
"Okay," Paul said, it's always easier when your client is completely honest with you, he then went back to writing, 'The images the FBI has matches your profile perfectly, you left some of your DNA at the scene, and they have all the messages you sent to your friends across all social media. They are asking for a death sentence, and you cannot get out of this Tyler."
Tyler replied with, 'I don't want to get out of it,' and Paul was taken aback with the reply, and for the first time, he realized that there was no single shred of fear in Tyler's eyes.
'What do you want me to do for you then?'
'I want to serve life imprisonment at the Tungsten Heights Penitentiary,'
"Tungsten Heights Penitentiary?" Paul said silently to himself, Tungsten Heights was the most secure correctional facility in the whole country, only the very worst of criminals was sent there 'Why Tungsten Heights Penitentiary?' he wrote and Tyler read it, paused for some moment then started scribbling.
'I can't tell you why, but I must be sent there. I rather choose to get executed if the judge doesn't send me there."
Paul read his words in annoyance, so much for hundred percent honesty, 'tell me what's going on kid, I am your lawyer, you cannot blindside me. It makes my work very difficult, tell me everything now!' he added the exclamation to make sure the message gets across, if he wasn't writing he would've been yelling in anger. Tyler wrote back and passed the paper over to him:
'I'm sorry, but I cannot afford to be completely honest with you right now, it is for your own safety and for my safety too. Imagine I told you that I was going to kill Charlie, and then when I did you could've been arrested as an accessory for murder. So take this as the same situation, the less you know the better it is for you and your career.'
Paul looked again, deeply into Tyler's eyes and it was burning. It was as if the kid was still angry, to Paul it felt like this murder was one of the many fucked up things the kid was still going to do, this was just the tip of the iceberg.
"I'm fucked, this is the end of my freaking career," Paul thought as he inhaled deeply, hoping the air leaving his nostril will take the incredible frustration weighing inside him with it on its way out.
"Look at me Kyle," Paul said, "look at me, whatever you want to do, don't, the country is already on fire. Everyone is on edge, imagine you were black or Muslim, it would've been worse because the Right would've been burning the country to the ground already. If you wanted to pass a message, consider it passed, we heard you loud and clear."
Tyler listened, after Paul said the last word, he placed the pointy part of the pen on the sheet of paper and started writing, 'As long I can save my friend, I do not care if this world burns to ashes. Heck, I will set this whole world on fire to keep my friend warm if he was feeling cold.'
"Tyler, I am also in the world you want to burn down, how do you think I feel about being your firewood. Real people are getting hurt because of your actions, almost hundreds of people lost their jobs this past week, some got arrested, all because of this singular action of yours. What if you missed? What do you think would've happened to the bullet you released into the world? Do you think it would've disappeared if the body it was intended for didn't stop it? Have you thought of the lives your actions actively put at risk? What of your parents, have you thought of how painful it was for them to turn you in, how painful it will be for them to watch their son, their future get sentenced to die in front of them? As your lawyer, I am advising you to stop whatever it is you want to do."
Tyler smiled, "You are my lawyer aren't you? Leave the preaching to my youth pastor and tell me if it will be possible to get me what I want sir."
The door opened and two police officers walked in, "time up Paul, we are taking the boy back into his cell," one of the officers said.
"Okay," Paul collected the sheets of paper Tyler was holding, joined them together with the sheets he was holding. Then, he placed all of them carefully into his briefcase, he took another glance around the office to make sure he had all the sheets before he closed the briefcase. Then he stood up, Tyler did the same, and the two shook hands
"I can't promise you for sure, but I will try my best to get you what you want." Tyler nodded and the police officer led him out of the room.
Paul thanked the other officer still in the room profusely, and the officer just patted him on the back and told him not to worry about the help, it felt like the police officer felt sorry for him. As Paul was about to walk out of the office, the police officer tapped him on the shoulder once again and said:
"There are reporters outside waiting for when you come out, so if you want to avoid them I can sneak you out through the back,"