"They will likely split us up and question us separately," Diana told her. "We may not see you again for awhile. You've been very brave. Earth law is kind of screwy. They often argue a person has no right to defend themselves. Especially for what they may label a property crime. See how that might apply here?" She was being vague, obviously worried they might be recorded even here.
"Yeah. Thanks for the heads up," Lee told her.
"I might not see you again. I should probably get fired for failing to protect you. I really do apologize for that, Lee."
"Crud, I'm afraid to really talk about it," Lee told her looking around at the ceiling to convey they might not have privacy.
"Yes, exactly," Diana agreed.
"I don't blame you at all. I thought you guys were nuts to assign two guards to each of us all the time, but that was the error here I think. Jesus should have been with us, even in the hotel in the daytime."
"Yep," Jesus agreed. "That was our error. However it did fall within our instructions to drop to one escort inside a semi-secure area. So the case can be made the company shares the error with us. I don't think Freddy will can either one of us," he told Diana.
"If one of you talks to my dad, tell him I think he should get off this dirtball. If he stays around and causes them trouble he may end up in jail with us. He can use our money and be more effective, from a safe distance. That's what we hired Stanley to do. If the very worst happens, tell him I will appeal to my Champion." That got an odd look from Diana.
"The way juvenile law works in North America, even if that creep dies in the hospital, you should be free when you reach your majority. It's not like you are facing a life sentence," Diana assured her. Lee didn't find it assuring.
"When would that be?" She asked.
"When you reach eighteen."
"Diana, I'm twelve. That is a life sentence to me. It's as long as everything I remember, so it's like forever," she wailed.
"Are they going to take my stuff?" Lee suddenly asked.
"Well sure. That's standard inprocessing." Diana said like it was no big deal.
Lee took off her Emerald earring, closed it back shut and put it in her mouth.
"They may check there Honey."
She swallowed and struggled. It didn't want to go down and it hurt, but she did it.
The bus stopped moving and they shut up. Just as Diana warned they were led off separately. The guard leading her frowned at her limp and then just scooped her up and carried her effortlessly, without question or explanation.
After a search and removal of all personal items, she was issued a wrist band that was crimped in place. She was informed the band constituted a receipt for her property. All that effort and they didn't look in her mouth. Lee expected to be put in a cell, but they went to a bare room with a table and chairs. She was happy to get off her foot.
The cop who came in was in a suit not a uniform. Even to Lee he still looked like a cop. He called for more chairs and a couple younger lackeys rushed to get them.
"How old are you kid?" the suit wanted to know. Lee hesitated just an instant.
"Just shy of twelve standard years," she said volunteering nothing else.
"What other kind are there?" he asked, frowning.
"Other planets have different years, just like they have different days. I've spent most of my life on a starship. We often were at relativistic velocities, or entirely outside this universe where time runs different. So I'm just shy of twelve Terran years of age, as I've experienced on my personal clock. That might be quite different from what somebody else experienced in a different reference frame."
"Marty, call protective services and tell them we have a female minor in custody and request transport and custodial services," he demanded. "I knew you weren't eighteen, but policy is I ask," he told Lee. "What's your name kid?"
"I'm the First daughter, of the Third love son, of the Four Hundred-Seventy Third First Mother of Red Tree, by the Hero of the Chain Bound Lands, Second line of the short haired folk, of Gordon - Lee Anderson."
"Jez," the cop muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose, "nothing is ever simple around here."
"The machine says 97% probability she believes that Lieutenant," one minion said.
"Of course it does," he agreed with a dismissive flip of his hand.
"Do you know a Diana Morrigan McDonald of Fargone?" he asked.
"If that is the Diana I was brought in with, yes. She is hired security. The man named Jesus who came in with us is also our employee."
"Ms. McDonald seems to have sustained an injury. Can you tell us how that happened?"
"No. I'd like you to call my attorney and have him answer your questions for me. This is the second time I've made that request. I was given to understand that was a basic point of Earth law. Was I told wrong?"
"You have not been charged with anything. We're still trying to decide if we should even arrest you. A little cooperation would go a long way towards favorable decisions for you."
"Good, if I'm not arrested will you get me a ride back to my father? He must be worried about me. I'd feel a lot safer if you'd send my hired security back with me too."
"You are however temporarily detained in our custody," He said rather patiently.
"Since I can't see any difference between the two, you see why I need my lawyer."
"Did you have contact previously with the young man who attacked your guard?"
"Is that what happened? I didn't see what happened myself. I heard a noise, but anything I would conclude happened would be an inference. I simply wasn't looking that way, so I really can't help you even if I wanted to."
"Nobody saw nothing. The fellow Jesus has the same story."
"He was outside at our car, loading some things up. How could he see anything?"
The suited one looked at the minion working a machine of some sort. He make a little check mark in the air with one finger, frowning."
"Ms McDonald had a Fargone passport and Mr. Rousseau is a native of the principality of Monaco," he informed her. "Does your father have possession of your passport?" he asked.
"Jesus you mean? I didn't know his last name. I sort of assumed it would be Hispanic. Anyway, Derf don't issue passports," Lee volunteered. "I'm traveling on my spacer's papers."
"Derf?"
"My adoptive father is a citizen of Derfhome," she said, the decided she was getting suckered into talking too much and should clam up.
"Well, we have all sorts of possibilities to offend foreign powers and create diplomatic difficulties here don't we? I'm holding you all until the morning and we'll see what the folks several pay grades above me want to do with you. With a little luck we'll never see each other again," he said, with a charming smile.
It wasn't long until a woman in civilian clothing and a female uniformed officer came for her. They put the cuffs back on, but when they pulled them out she offered her hands in front and they allowed that. It wasn't much of a victory. They had a little battery powered cart outside in the corridor, so at least she didn't have to walk. After a few turns they took a ramp down and drove along a tunnel far enough they must be taking her to another building.
"Can you tell me what is going to happen to me? I mean right now, today?"
"Although you are a juvenile, you may be charged with criminal offenses," the one in civvies informed her. "Or the court may determine you are not willfully criminal, but are in danger or in need of protection. At your age you will not be tried as an adult. We have a right to keep you in custody, until a determination is made. There will be a hearing, likely in the morning, but within seventy-two hours in any case. As you are a minor someone will be appointed to represent your interests."
"I have counsel retained. I'd like Stanley McPherson of Moore, Harper, Goldberg and McPherson to see to my interests," she insisted again.
"Tell it to the judge dear," the new woman told her.
Chapter 30
The jail had a fancy name. It was st
ill a jail. It had the same apple green walls and nasty smell the adult jail had. At least she got to use a toilet and the cuffs came off. She saw all her stuff in the jail envelope, dropped whole into a new jail envelope. They crimped a new plastic bracelet on her with her name and a number, after cutting the old one.
She was issued a uniform of thin cotton and cheap plastic sandals. She couldn't get her foot under the toe straps on the right one so she just stuck it in her waist band. She pointed out her swollen discolored foot to the guard and asked if she could get it looked at.
"Today is Sunday. The nurse comes around on Monday and Wednesday. I'll put you on the list. If she runs out of time tomorrow she'll get you Wednesday likely."
"Is there any way I can make a com call?" Lee asked. "I haven't made one since I've been arrested."
"Com is a privilege," the guard informed her. Lee noticed her tag and read she was Elizabeth - W. "You aren't arrested in any case. The blue bracelet says you're in temporary custody so you'll have a hearing quickly enough. You can ask for a call there."
It seemed like she'd be better off arrested.
She was walked down a long hall with doors. They started at 24 and went down odd and even on alternate sides. The guard stopped and pushed door 6 open, but didn't go in.
"That's your bunk. Sink and toilet in there, but the showers are across the day room at the end of the hall. You use them when issued clean clothing unless you get permission. There's no loitering in the rooms, unless you are being punished or the place is in lock-down. Follow me now and you'll join the other girls in the day room until supper. Just watch where everybody goes and what they do for supper. After supper you get two more hours in the day room and then you return to your bunk room and the lights power down over the next half hour." They reached the door at the end of the corridor. "Any questions?" she asked sternly.
"No ma'am, thank you," she forced herself to say. This woman was not the one putting her in jail. No point in needlessly making enemies. But she might have laid it on a little too thick. The woman looked sharply at her, like she wasn't sure if she was being smart mouthed. Lee did her best to look bland. The woman used her pass card to open the door briefly for Lee, but stayed behind and pulled the door shut.
The day room was a little better than the cells, bunk rooms, she corrected herself. It wasn't green, just a yucky pink and bits of red and orange, with a speckled sort of a carpet designed not to show dirt. The level of dirt had however defeated it. There were a couple light pipes in the ceiling, but no windows.
There was a mix of girls, all in the cheap uniforms. She seemed to be about the median age and they ranged plus or minus three years or so. If felt weird. She'd never had to interact with girls her own age. Here she was with more girls than she had ever seen and she felt more alone than she ever had in her life. A few looked up at her, with carefully neutral expressions, but nobody approached, so she picked an empty chair against the wall and got off her injured foot, looked around trying to see if there was any pattern to what her jail-mates were doing.
Most of them were in clusters. A few around a TV. Some more at what must be computers against another wall. One screen had a girl seated and two looking over either shoulder. They must not have com loaded though, unless it was password protected. There was some exercise equipment in one corner, but no free weights.
One of the three girls, unattached to any group, approached her and sat in a chair next to her, scooting it around to face her a bit. It was a big boxy chair, identical to hers but upholstered in another color. It was visibly hard to move, too heavy to be lofted for a weapon, Lee figured out.
"What you in for?" the girl inquired.
"I don't think it would be smart to talk about it here," Lee told her. "They might have listening devices," she said looking up at the corners of the room like she might see them.
"Nah, we're small stuff. Not like political prisoners, or wreakers. Of course I could be a stoolie," she allowed. "But there isn't much here worth that much trouble either. What's your name at least, if that's no secret?"
"Lee. What's yours?"
"Rachel."
"You have a soft way of speaking. Are you a local? I've been raised away from most people, so I'm not used to different accents. I have no idea what a wrecker is and I only know stoolie from old movies."
"No kidding? I like old movies too. A wrecker is, you know, a person who goes out and busts stuff. Somebody mad who does it to screw up the government. But there's so much of it businesses do it to each other, because they can blame it on the wreckers."
"Oh, sabotage. I didn't know it was a big problem."
The girl looked at her oddly. "Where are you from, that you wouldn't know that? I mean, they keep it out of the news 'cause they think it makes people copy-cat, ya know? But everybody has had the lights go out, or been out on a bus when the traffic net goes screwy and the cars all have to go manual and crawl."
"I'm from completely off planet. I came in from Derfhome via Luna just a few days ago."
"Wow, then you really need somebody to tell you what's going on. I've never met a spacer. You want to team up? It's hard being single in here. If one of the cliques decides to give you a hard time, you gonna need help."
"Let me think about that a minute," Lee told her. The girl seemed sincere. She just might have information that would save Lee trouble. But there were two other girls alone. Why was that?
"Why haven't you formed a clique with either of the two other girls I see alone?"
"The dark haired one? I tried talking to her and she nuts, ya know? I asked her a couple simple questions and she babbled back some trash like she was talking to somebody else. Go over and try if you want, she has that wild eyed crazy look too. Can't talk enough sense with her to know if she agrees to anything and you team yourself to somebody like that good luck. You never know what her craziness will make her do to piss off the others and drag you into her trouble."
"What about the light haired one?"
"Blondie? She say she don't need to team up with no darkie."
"That's a word for black people right?"
"A very nasty insulting word. But I don't want trouble in here so I let it go."
Lee examined her again. "You don't look black. The supervisor of our security from Blackwater Executive Protection is a black guy. He's much darker and his face is shaped different and his hair is all tight kinky. He just looks completely different than you."
"My grandma was black and my granddaddy white on my mom's side, though I never met him. My dad had white and Korean parents. I may not look African, but Blondie sees enough black there to look down her skinny nose at me, ya know? She likely not too thrilled with the Korean either, if she can pick that out."
"People really think that way much?"
"Enough. It's against the law to actually treat people bad 'cause a what they are. But you can't change how people think with a law. My mom said it gets a little better every generation. I ain't been around long enough to say. Mom usually has the right of stuff."
"Why are you in here?"
"I was broke and asked my boyfriend for some money. Too close to a police microphone. They took it all wrong and called it solicitation, you know? Not like I just met him. Just happened to be needing some money, said it the wrong place. Nothing wrong asking your honey for some help. He'd ask the same from me, he broke. Think they'd charge him? Nah."
"Indeed. Outside my experience, but I can sympathize."
"I showed you mine. You wanna tell me why you here now?"
"Uh-huh. My story is similar to yours, wrong place, wrong time, misunderstanding. I was running to get away from this fellow who tried to rip my necklace off my neck. I wasn't watching where I was going and tripped over his, uh, face."
Rachel looked at her purple foot. "Damn, you tripped hard honey. What was his face doing down by the floor?"
"Well we had kind of bumped into each other." Rachel nodded and patiently waited for her to explain it in
full.
"Bumped each other twice really. First time he kind of bounced away. But when he bounced off the wall back at me, we bumped again. Somehow he managed to bust his knee the second time and that's why he fell down I'd guess." Lee just shrugged like it was all beyond her.
When Rachel got through laughing and wiped the tears away Lee explained further.
"My guards from Blackwater told me next time I trip, to trip with my heel. It can take a whole lot more abuse. I'm going to remember that believe me, it's good advice."
"Girl, you are telling me you had one of the most famous, bad-assed mercenary companies around protecting you and you took the guy down yourself, before they got him?"
"Well he knocked out Diana, who was walking with me and Jesus should have been with us, but he was loading the car. It should have been safe, we were inside our hotel still."
"I don't think you shitting me. You ain't trying hard enough to lay it on thick. Who taught you stuff like that?"
"Well my mom worked me pretty hard and regular, since I was about eight. She died last year though. I haven't had anybody to spar with since."
"You got some money then. Likely more than I ever see. Nobody I know could afford to hire Blackwater for a day. But they out there and I'm in here. You wanna partner up?"
"What will that obligate me to do?"
"Any of these girls try to push one us around, the other jumps in with both feet. That don't mean you go looking for trouble. You go up and get all in their face for no reason, you just went out on your own."
"Ends when we get separated?"
"Works for me."
"You got a deal then."
Rachel held out a hand and Lee shook it, awkwardly.
"They ain't blind. They know we got some kind of deal now. That's protection right there," she assured Lee.
* * *
An unintelligible murmur from hidden speakers brought everybody to their feet. Lee figured it was supper even before Rachel told her. Rachel had gone away after they shook hands, but hurried back to join her in line. The guard opened a door opposite where Lee had come in and kicked a little lever with a rubber boot down, to hold the door open. The line moved ahead slowly, but Lee could smell food already.
Family Law Page 25
