by Carrie Carr
MORNING COULDN'sT COME soon enough for Lex. After she had been escorted back to her cell, she spent the remainder of the night pacing the small room and fighting off a case of chills. Wonderful, probably got a damned cold to top it off. What else could possibly go wrong? When she heard the key in the lock, she spun around to see Dan standing in the doorway.
"Good morning, Lex. Your lawyer is here, and he's waiting with the county prosecutor for you." He noticed she was standing with the blanket draped over her shoulders. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," Lex cleared her throat, but her voice was a mere whisper. "Don't you guys ever turn on the heat in this place?" Lex tightened her grip on the blanket as she came through the door. "I felt like a side of beef in there last night."
Dan shook his head. "No one else has complained, but I'll check it out." He motioned for her to go in front of him as they reached the stairs. "Come on. I'll grab you a cup of coffee to warm you up."
"Thanks." Lex took the lead, and finally stood in front of one of the interrogation rooms. "I hope this one's bigger than the last one," she muttered, stifling a cough. She straightened her shoulders and dropped the blanket away, handing it to the deputy.
"Don't worry, it is." He opened the door for her to enter. "Why don't you go on in, and I'll go get you some coffee."
The room was almost twice the size of the other one and was already occupied by Melvin Taft, the sheriff, and an unfamiliar woman not much older than Lex. Charlie stood. "Lex, come on over here and sit." He held out the chair. "This is assistant county prosecutor Vicky Evans. She'll be asking you some questions." He checked with Mel. "That is okay by you, isn'st it?"
"Of course, Sheriff." Melvin focused on his client. "Lex? How are you?"
"Peachy." She glanced over at the other woman in the room. "Don't take this wrong, but where's Mr. Campbell?"
"He sent me to work on this case, because he was afraid of a conflict of interest," the woman informed her. She had short brown hair and glasses, and had a somewhat superior attitude. "Robert told me of the situation, and I agreed to drive in this morning." She opened a folder and looked at the paperwork. "Ms. Walters, do you have any witnesses to your whereabouts last evening, between nine and ten o'clock?"
"No. I was on my way home from Charlie's house and stopped at the car wash on Sunset to rinse some mud off my clothes." At the woman's frown, Lex realized the excuse sounded lame. She stifled a sneeze and accepted a handkerchief from Charlie.
Ms. Evans made a few notes. "I've read your statement, Ms. Walters, but would you care to tell me again why your left hand is bandaged?"
Lex flexed the hand. "Have you ever had a flat tire, Miss Evans? On the way home last night, one of my front tires went flat. I had to use the tire iron and jack that came with the truck. I don't think it would have worked right on an import, much less the truck I drive." She picked at the bandage for a moment, lost in her thoughts. "Anyway, the tire iron kept slipping while I was trying to remove the tire. I must have slammed my knuckles on the pavement half a dozen times." Lex quietly blew her nose.
The prosecutor cut her eyes to the sheriff. "If, as according to your statement, she was at your house after changing the tire, why didn'st you notice the injury to her hand?"
"She was covered from head to toe in red mud, Ms. Evans. I was lucky to be able to identify Lex, much less see any injuries."
"I see." Deciding to change the subject, the prosecutor leaned forward and lowered her glasses to look Lex in the eyes. "You don't get along with your brother very well, do you, Ms. Walters? I've read several reports of arguments between the two of you, some of them from this year. What kind of provocation did it take for you to beat him so severely it'll take months to heal?"
Melvin slapped the table. "Hold on, here. You have no proof Lex did anything. Only the word of a man, who in your own words, she has had trouble with in the past. A man, who is awaiting trial for his part in the wreck that injured my client earlier this year. This is all obviously a ruse by Hubert to throw suspicion away from himself. I wouldn'st be surprised if he paid someone to work him over."
"Perhaps. But it doesn'st explain why your client decided she needed to clean up at a car wash." She turned to Lex. "Was it because you had your brother's blood on you? Were you afraid someone would notice and possibly question your appearance?"
The idea was preposterous to Lex. "No!" She coughed. "Listen, lady, I don't care much for Hubert. I'll admit it." She waved off Mel's hand, which had grasped her forearm in warning. "Hell, anyone in this town who knows us could tell you that." She leaned over the table, so she could be heard. "But, if I had beaten him, I'd have admitted to it." A wry smile crept onto her face. "And he'd be a lot worse off, believe me."
"Aw, Lex," Mel rubbed his forehead with one hand. This was not going as well as he had hoped. "Don't volunteer anything. Only answer the questions she asks, will you?"
Charlie had sat by quietly, proud of the way Lex handled herself. He saw her shiver and shook his head. The last thing she needed was a cold. Someone knocked on the door. "Come in."
Dan stepped inside with a cardboard box and the same blanket from earlier draped over one arm. "Sorry it took so long, Sheriff. Thought I'd bring everyone some fresh coffee. Got some cinnamon rolls in here, too." He pointedly ignored the prosecutor, placing the first cup in front of Lex. "This ought to warm you up. And you forgot this," he added, laying the blanket over Lex's shoulders.
"Thanks, Dan," Lex whispered, taking a cautious sip. "Mmm, this tastes like Martha's."
He passed the box around the room. "It should. She made it, and the rolls, too." The sheriff had brought the thermos of coffee and container of rolls in early that morning, and had asked his secretary to bring them in once they got settled. Dan had met her in the hall and taken the load from her. His task complete, the deputy left the room and closed the door.
The prosecuting attorney looked around the room. It appeared that everyone in the town knew each other. She realized getting a conviction would be harder than she thought. "All right. Let's get back to the business at hand. You claim you were at the car wash trying to get mud off of you? How much mud are we talking about here?"
"A lot," Lex mumbled, and sneezed. "Sorry. You can ask Charlie. My clothes were solid with damned red mud." She looked at the sheriff, who was trying to control his laughter. "Go ahead and laugh. I probably looked ridiculous."
"I'm afraid you did." He glanced over at the frowning prosecutor. "I can vouch for the state of her clothing, Ms. Evans. As a matter of fact, I brought them in this morning and checked them in as evidence."
"That probably won'st be necessary Sheriff, but I'll take it under advisement." The last thing she wanted were some filthy garments under her nose.
He opened his own folder and took out several instant snapshots. "Here's the office where the assault took place. As you can see, there are no muddy footprints anywhere on the floor, and no other signs of outside debris."
"So? This only shows she was able to clean herself before the crime. I don't see--" A large clear plastic bag which Charlie tossed onto the table cut Ms. Evans comments short. "What is that?"
"Her boots," he said, pushing the bag across the table. "They were sitting next to the front door of her home, damp from last night. And before you say anything else, I plan on having a doctor examine Lex's hand to corroborate her story."
The prosecutor could see her case dissolving before her eyes. The only true evidence she had was the victim's word. She stood. "In light of the information I've received here this morning, I'm going to suggest to the court we do not pursue this matter any further at this time." She closed her folder and crammed it into a leather briefcase. "Ms. Walters, I'd be more careful, if I were you. You might not get off as easily next time." Vicky Evans took her briefcase and left the room before anyone could say a word.
"She's got a bug up her ass this morning, doesn'st she?" Lex asked Mel, who dropped his head onto the table. "What?"
Ch
arlie stood as well. "Come on. Let's get you home so you can get some rest. You look horrible."
Lex allowed him to help her to her feet. "Gee, thanks." She coughed slightly. "Not one word, you got that?" She held her hand out to Melvin. "Thanks for being here, Mel. I knew I was in good hands."
"You're welcome, Lex. Try to stay out of trouble for a little while. I'm supposed to go fishing next weekend with my granddad." He shook her hand and followed the pair out of the small room.
AMANDA CHECKED HER watch again. "We should have heard something." She took a sip of coffee.
"Not necessarily." Martha contemplated the cards in her hand. "When there's lawyers involved, something that should take minutes, takes hours. I'm sure they have to see who wins the whizzing contest."
Amanda almost spewed coffee through her nose. "Ugh. don't say things like that when I'm trying to drink," she sputtered. "Now I have this awful mental picture in my head, thank you very much." She had gotten used to hearing colorful phrases from the housekeeper, but sometimes Martha surprised her. "You did mean whizzing, as in--"
"Peeing, pissing, or as I've heard you say, tinkling," Lex quietly added from the doorway. "Why are you two on that subject?" She wasn'st prepared for the armful of woman who rushed into her, and was amused as they both landed against the wall. "Miss me?"
Amanda wrapped her arms around Lex's body. "I guess you could say that," she mumbled, burying her face against Lex's neck. She looked into the shadowed eyes of her lover. "You're hot."
Lex quirked an eyebrow at the comment. "Nice of you to say so, sweetheart," she whispered. She flinched as her side was slapped. "Ow."
"Smart aleck." Amanda touched Lex's cheek. "You're running a fever. Too much playing in the rain and mud yesterday?"
"Probably," Lex agreed with a small cough.
"How did it go? Are you--"
"Home to stay. The county prosecutor, or should I say the assistant county prosecutor, admitted they didn'st have enough evidence to hold me in jail, let alone charge me." She stuck her nose in Amanda's hair. "God, I missed you."
Martha cleared her throat from where she stood by the kitchen table. "You two can moon over each other later," she scolded. "Lexie, get yourself over here and sit. I made biscuits and gravy this morning, and you need a decent meal."
Not wanted to break the hold she had on Amanda, Lex nonetheless dragged herself across the kitchen and wrapped her arms around the cook. "I love you, too, Martha." She kissed her on the cheek and swatted her on the rear before sitting at the table. "You going to glare at me all morning, or feed me?"
"You brat. I bet I can find a wooden spoon around here, somewhere," the housekeeper threatened, but grinned broadly as she began to assemble a plate.
Amanda sat next to her lover, twining their fingers together. She was surprised when a plate laden with food was set in front of her as well. "Martha, I don't--"
"Don't you dare argue with me. You barely touched your food today, and you're too scrawny as it is." Martha noticed Charlie standing in the doorway. "Come on in, handsome. There's more than enough to go around."
Charlie sat at the table across from the two women. "I've learned to never argue with her," he admitted quietly. "She wins every time."
Martha dropped a plate of steaming food in front of the sheriff. "You'sve got that right. Hush up and eat." She sat next to him, reaching under the table and squeezing his leg. "Thanks for taking care of our girl," she whispered.
"I told you I would. And I always will."
After breakfast, Charlie excused himself to go back to the office. "I'd like to stay and visit with you ladies this morning, but I want to get a different deputy over to the hospital and see if we can'st get Hubert to recant his earlier statement." He kissed his wife and was almost to the door before he turned around. "I'll be by later on to take you home," he told Martha. "Think you can keep these two out of trouble until I get back?"
"I certainly intend to try," she quipped, waving to him as he left the house. "Lexie, you go take a nice hot bath and climb into bed." When Lex opened her mouth to argue, she shook a finger at her. "Don't be giving me any lip, young lady. Git!"
Lex stood and pushed her chair in. "Yes, ma'am." She looked over at Amanda, who was trying to hold back her laughter. "What's so funny?" Lex tickled her ribs. "That'll teach you to laugh at me," she grumbled, slowly walking from the room. Lex called from around the doorway, "Amanda? Are you going to work today, or could I interest you in a nice warm bed?"
"Work?" Amanda slapped herself on the forehead. "I forgot all about work." She waved her lover away. "Go on, I'll call the office and tell them I won'st be in today then I'll come in and scrub your back for you." Snuggling in bed with Lex sounded a lot better to her than slogging through mounds of paperwork. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her face paled. She'd have to call her grandmother about the office. And she completely forgot to tell her grandparents what went on the night before. "Oh, no."
Martha put a hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter?"
"My grandparents are going to kill me," Amanda grimaced, covering her eyes with one hand. "I never called them last night."
"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll understand. It was late when we got back to the house."
Amanda wasn'st so sure. "I don't think that's going to be a good enough excuse, but it's worth a shot." She rose and picked up the kitchen phone. Hitting the speed dial for the familiar number, she closed her eyes. "Please don't be home...please don't be home...please--"
"Hello?" Anna Leigh answered the phone.
Damn. "Hi, Gramma, it's me."
Martha thought it was a good time to leave the room. "Good luck," she mouthed, as she went to check on Lex.
"Mandy, what a surprise. I just got off the phone with Wanda. She was worried about you."
"Umm, yeah. Sorry. I'll call her as soon as I finish talking to you." Amanda went to the kitchen window to look outside. "I didn'st get any sleep last night, so I'm not going in to work today." She thought it was beautiful the way the sun glistened off the dew in the backyard grass.
"Do I want to know why you didn'st get any sleep last night, dearest?"
"Gramma," Amanda blustered, fanning her heated face with her other hand. "It's nothing like that. Lex got arrested last night, and I was so worried about her I couldn'st sleep."
"Arrested? Good heavens, whatever for?" Anna Leigh gasped. "Is she all right? Have they let you see her? Let me get in touch with our lawyer, he'll understand what to do."
Amanda almost laughed at her grandmother's outpouring. "Wait. She's home. It was just a very long night."
"Why didn'st you call us, Mandy? I would have been more than happy to come over and keep you company." The tone in Anna's Leigh's voice told of the hurt she felt at being left out. "You know you can depend on us, don't you?"
"It's not that at all. But by the time I got back to the house, it was terribly late, and there wasn'st much for you to do. Martha drove in with Charlie, and she stayed here with me." Amanda wasn'st sure whether this last tidbit of information would hurt or help her case. "I'm sorry. I should have called you sooner."
"No, no. I was worried about you. As long as you had someone there with you, that's all that matters. Is Lexington all right? She must have been terrified."
"She's doing better. As a matter of fact, Martha sent her to take a bath, and I'm going to get her into bed." Realizing what she had said, Amanda blushed again. "I mean, umm--"
Anna Leigh wanted to crawl through the phone and hug her granddaughter. "You are too precious, Mandy." She decided give Amanda a break and change the subject. "Why don't the two of you come over for dinner tonight? We'd love to have you, and I think Lexington would enjoy seeing Travis. I swear, he and your grandfather are worse than two little boys when they're together. They seem to get into all sorts of things when I'm not watching them."
Amanda was amused at the thought. "I'll bet they do. Let me check with Lex, and I'll call you back later. I don't think we have a
ny plans."
"You do that, dearest. Go on and take care of Lexington. Hopefully we'll see you tonight."
"I sure will, Gramma."
After she hung up the phone, Amanda looked around the small kitchen. Martha had completely cleaned up the breakfast dishes and put everything away without her realizing it. She wished she knew how Martha managed that. She never actually saw her do anything, but it always got done. Amanda chalked it up to some sort of magic. She turned off the light as she left the room.
Chapter Ten
LIGHT FOOTSTEPS STOPPING by his bed caused Hubert to jerk awake suddenly. Fear of another visit from his "friend" made his eyes snap open, or at least as wide as they could, considering his injuries. He blinked several times until the person standing next to him came into clear view.
"Hello, Hubert. I've got a few questions for you." Charlie couldn'st help but notice the man's nervousness as he brought up a chair. The sheriff had changed his mind and decided to speak to Lex's brother personally, hoping he could somehow catch Hubert in his lies. "The doctor tells me you're having trouble talking, but I need to go over the statement you gave the deputy yesterday. We'd like to determine if this was a random act, or if someone is after you. I promise to get you the protection you need if someone is threatening you."
Hubert realized Lex must have had an alibi. He'd just have to think of something else. He slowly raised the bed until he could reach the notepad on the table. He scribbled something and turned the tablet so the sheriff could see it. I don't remember much about yesterday,'s the hastily scrawled words read.
"That's understandable, Hubert, but we'd like to see whoever did this to you caught. Did you get a good look at whoever hurt you? The deputy last night put in his report you mentioned Lex being present, which would have been hard for her to manage, since she was at my house last evening." It wasn'st totally a lie, and Charlie wanted to eliminate any opportunity the injured man might seize upon to implicate his sister again.
