I leaned in so close I could have touched him through the bars. I wanted to touch him. He didn't seem quite real this way. "You really are a babe in the woods on this one, aren't you?"
"I've never been arrested before," he said.
"No, that was always my job."
He almost smiled. Some of that energy leaked away. His beast sliding away inside that perfect camouflage.
I touched the cool, metal bars, sliding my hands just below his. "I bet you thought you might be visiting me like this someday, but not the other way around."
He gave a small smile. "Yeah, and I'd bake you a cake with a file in it."
I smiled. "You don't need a file, Richard." I slid my hands over his. He squeezed my fingers gently. "You need a good lawyer, and I brought you one."
He stepped away from the bars. "Why do I need a lawyer when I'm innocent?"
Belisarius answered, "You've been charged with rape. The judge has refused you bail. Son, if we can't break her story, you're looking at two to five years, if we're lucky. The pictures are in the file. She was beat up pretty bad. She's a pretty little blond thing. She'll come into court dressed like everyone's favorite second grade teacher. The one you had a crush on that smelled like Ivory soap." He stood up and started walking towards us as he talked. "We'll cut your hair -- "
"Cut his hair?" I exclaimed.
Belasarius frowned at me. "Cut your hair, dress you up nice. It helps that you're handsome and white, but you're still a big, strong-looking man." He shook his head. "It's not you we have to prove innocent, Mr. Zeeman. It's Ms. Schaffer we have to prove guilty."
Richard frowned. "What do you mean?"
"We have to make her look like the whore of Babylon. But first, I'll file a motion that no bail is excessive for a first offense. Hell, you don't even have a traffic ticket. I'll get you bail."
"How long will it take?" I asked.
Belisarius looked at me a little too hard. "Is there a time limit I'm not aware of?"
Richard and I looked at each other as if on cue. Then he said, "Yes," and I said, "No."
"Well, which is it, boys and girls, yes or no? Is there something I need to know here?"
Richard looked at me, then said, "No, I guess not."
Belisarius didn't like it, but he let it go. "Okay, kiddies. I'll take your word for it, but if this piece of information that I don't need to know comes up and bites me on the ass, I will not be amused."
"It won't," I said.
He shook his head. "If it does, I will leave Mr. Zeeman high and dry. You will be finding yourself a new lawyer faster than you can say penitentiary."
"I didn't do anything wrong," Richard said. "How can this be happening?"
"Why would she cry rape on you?" I asked.
"Somebody did it," Belisarius said. "If not you, then who?"
Richard shook his head. "Betty dates a lot. I know of at least three other men, myself."
"We'll need their names."
"Why?" he asked.
"Son, if you are going to argue with me every step of the way, this won't work."
"I just don't want to drag anyone else into this."
"Richard," I said, "you are in trouble here. Let Carl do his job, please."
Richard looked at me. "You dropped everything to ride to my rescue, huh?"
I smiled. "Pretty much."
He shook his head. "How'd Jean-Claude feel about that?"
I looked away, not meeting his eyes. "He wasn't thrilled, but he wants you out of jail."
"I'll just bet he does."
"Look, kiddies, we don't have a lot of time here. If you two can't curb the personal stuff, maybe Anita here should leave."
I nodded. "I agree. You're going to have to tell him details about Ms. Schaffer that I don't want to hear. And you need to be able to talk freely about her."
"Are you jealous?" Richard asked.
I took in a deep breath and let it out. I would have liked to have said no, but he could smell a lie. I'd been doing okay until he'd made that crack about Betty being his girl for the rough stuff. That had bugged me. "I have no right to be jealous of you, Richard."
"But you are, aren't you?" he asked. He watched my face while he asked it.
I had to force myself to meet his eyes while I answered. I wanted to dunk my head, and I couldn't stop the rush of color up my face. "Yeah, I'm jealous. Happy?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"I'm out of here." I wrote the phone number of the cabin on Belisarius's notebook and pressed the buzzer to be let out.
"I'm glad you came, Anita," Richard said.
I kept my back turned to the door, hoping Maiden would hurry. "I wish I could say the same, Richard."
The door opened. I escaped.
7
"Have fun visiting your boyfriend?" Maiden asked as he followed me down the hall.
I waited at the second locked door. "He's not my boyfriend."
"Everyone keeps saying that." Maiden unlocked the door and held it open. "Maybe it's a case of the lady protesting too much."
"Take your library card and shove it, Maiden."
"Ooh," he said, "that was nasty. Wonder if I can think of a comeback half that good."
"Let me have my gun, Maiden."
He locked the door behind us. Jason was sitting in the little row of chairs across from the desk. He looked up. "Can we go home now?"
"Wasn't Officer Maiden entertaining?" I asked.
"He wouldn't let me play with his handcuffs," Jason said.
Maiden went behind the desk and unlocked the drawer. He brought out the Browning, slipped the clip back in it, and pulled the slide back, which jacked a shell into the chamber. He checked the safety and handed it to me, butt first.
"You think Myerton's dangerous enough to need to carry one in the chamber?" I asked.
Maiden looked at me. It was a long look as if he were trying to tell me something. "You never know," he said finally.
We stood staring at each other for a few frozen moments, then I put the Browning in the holster with the bullet ready to go, though I checked the safety twice. Didn't usually go around with a live round in the chamber. Made me nervous. Made me more nervous that Maiden might be trying to warn me. Of course, he might just be yanking my chain. Some cops, especially small town ones, tended to give me grief. Being a vampire executioner made some of them want to trade macho shit with me, like getting me to carry a live round in the chamber.
"Have a nice day, Blake."
"You, too, Maiden," I said.
I had the door open, Jason at my back, when Maiden said, "Be careful out there."
His eyes were guarded. There was nothing to read on his face. I am not a subtle person, big surprise. "You got something to say, Maiden?" I asked.
"I'm going to be taking my lunch break after you leave."
I looked at him. "It's ten o'clock in the morning. Little early for lunch, don't you think?"
"Just thought you'd like to know I won't be here."
"I'll try and squelch my disappointment," I said.
He flashed a quick grin, then stood. "I gotta lock the door behind you, since I'm leaving the desk unattended."
"Locking Belasarius in with Richard?"
"I won't be gone that long," he said. He opened the door for us, waiting for us to go outside.
"I don't like games, Maiden. What the fuck is going on?"
He wasn't smiling when he said, "If the fancy lawyer gets bail for your boyfriend, I'd leave town."