Joe Safer

Joe Safer is the criminal-defense attorney representing Richard Doss after police identify Richard as a prime suspect in Eldon Mate’s murder. His role extends beyond the immediate defense: while Richard remains under pressure from the investigation, Safer seeks to control what reaches the family and arranges support for Richard’s children, especially Stacy Doss.

Identity and Introduction

Safer first enters the investigation by telephone. Alex Delaware is told that Joseph Safer is calling, then hears the attorney identify himself as counsel for Alex’s patient, Richard Doss. His voice is described as a mellow baritone, slow and steady, with the deliberate, comforting quality of an older man. That composed manner establishes the reassuring public face he brings to a tense legal and family crisis.

When Alex later meets him in person, Safer appears at the entrance in the guise of a rabbi: tall, rangy, gray-bearded, dressed in a black suit and yarmulke. The sight surprises Alex, who knows the Dosses as Greek-Sicilian. Safer leads him through a carefully furnished house, where cases of brass-framed, mirror-backed shelves display Richard’s collection of Chinese ceramics. The setting presents Safer as a host as well as a lawyer, and gives their conversation a private, domestic backdrop.

Defense of Richard Doss

Safer represents Richard while the police question him about Mate’s killing. Before his lawyer arrives, Richard refuses to speak, and Safer becomes the person through whom the family and Alex must negotiate the crisis. The arrest and questioning have been ordered by police command, which treats Richard as a prime suspect; the case has also gained momentum because of evidence that Richard previously threatened Mate and may have had the means and motive to arrange an attack.

Safer does not present the situation as settled. He tells Alex that circumstances require optimism, a measured response that contrasts with the uncertainty surrounding Richard’s legal position. His manner is conciliatory, but the practical stakes remain clear: he is defending a client who is under investigation while trying to keep the pressure on the family from intensifying.

The Children and the Family Crisis

Safer proposes that Alex help Richard’s children through the upheaval without giving them information about the case. Alex characterizes the arrangement as high-priced babysitting, and Safer’s response makes clear that his immediate concern is to have someone tide them over until matters settle. His proposal puts Alex in a difficult position: Alex is already involved with the family through his professional relationship with Stacy and is now being asked to help manage the consequences of her father’s legal troubles.

Safer offers a specific refuge for Stacy for the night: his home in Hancock Park, where he says there is plenty of room and his wife will welcome her. He describes his wife as sociable and points out that the following evening is their Sabbath, which would give Stacy a chance to experience a different family and cultural setting. The offer is an act of hospitality, but it also reflects Safer’s effort to move the children away from the immediate strain surrounding Richard’s questioning.

Character and Narrative Role

Safer’s comforting voice, formal appearance, and gracious hosting make him a calming presence in scenes shaped by police pressure and family uncertainty. Yet his soothing approach is also strategic: he seeks to protect Richard’s position, limit what the children learn, and secure support for them while the legal situation unfolds. The contrast between the private warmth of his offer to Stacy and the unresolved accusation against Richard captures Safer’s role in the story: he is both advocate for the accused and an organizer of the family’s response to the investigation.