Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 6-10 - Laurell K. Hamilton [383]
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