Second Demon

by Mary Abshire

  “Is that coffee?” Emily asked.

  Michael paused and looked at Andrew. “I got rid of mine. It didn’t taste right,” Andrew said.

  Michael half-smiled as he faced Emily. “Would you like some?”

  “May I, please? I promise, I don’t have cooties.”

  He pushed the cup toward her. As she popped the lid, he dug into his briefcase.

  “Are you doing okay?” Andrew asked.

  “Yeah.” She placed the lid on the table. “They feed us three meals a day. But I haven’t eaten much.” She took a sip.

  The warm fluid never tasted so good. She missed being able to drink coffee. The temptation to drink more overwhelmed her, but she didn’t want to interfere with Andrew’s plan. He’d said to take a drink and she had. She set the cup down and then pushed it back toward Michael’s left side.

  Michael withdrew a pen and writing pad from his case. He set the paper in front of him. “The judges don’t work on the weekends. You chose the worst time to get arrested.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Emily said.

  “What happened to your hand?” Andrew asked.

  “Oh, nothing.” She scraped the cuffs over the table as she moved her hands to her lap.

  “Why are you wearing that shirt?” Andrew asked.

  “I ripped my dress in the back. One of my cellmates was kind enough to ask an officer for something to wear.”

  “Did anyone hurt you?” Michael asked.

  “Oh, no,” she answered.

  “If someone had and you reported it, but the cops refused to do—”

  “No, it’s not like that at all,” Emily said before he could finish. “I just want out of here. Can you give me any idea when that will happen?”

  Under the table, Andrew slid his hand into hers. He gently rubbed his thumb over her sore knuckles.

  “Your arraignment hearing is at three. We need to discuss your story.” Michael tapped the end of his pen and it clicked.

  “I was talking to a couple of men while we were waiting for the train to arrive. A call came in so I gave it to Spencer. He was several feet away from me on the phone while I was chatting with these men. One of them gave me a handful of cash. I tried to give it back to him, but the cops came up to me and said I was under arrest. The men took off running like cowards.”

  Michael jotted on his notepad while Andrew held onto her hand. His warm touch comforted her. She tenderly gripped his fingers.

  “Did the arresting officers read you your rights?” Michael asked.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Did they tell you what you were being charged with?” Michael asked.

  “Yes, solicitation and prostitution.”

  “Did you inform them you hadn’t asked for the money and you were trying to give it back?” Michael asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Did they suspect Spencer was involved in any way?” Michael asked.

  “No, I don’t think they looked his way.”

  “They didn’t talk to me. They probably thought I was an innocent bystander waiting for the train,” Andrew said.

  “Have you been treated fairly since your arrest?” Michael asked.

  She took a deep breath. All the questions about her arrest and treatment in jail seemed worthless. The police had done nothing wrong.

  “Look, nothing has happened. They give us three meals and let us use the restrooms when we need to. I don’t see what any of your questions have to do with my case.”

  “I want to make sure the police are doing their job properly. If they aren’t and I can prove it to the court through your testimony and others in your cell, then it helps your case,” Michael said.

  She shook her head. He wanted to make the cops look bad for her benefit. Fucking dirty lawyer. “They haven’t done anything wrong.”

  Michael tapped his pen on the notepad. “Our conversation is strictly confidential in here. What I’m about to say is just an idea to consider for your defense.”

  “Okay.” She bounced her gaze from Andrew to Michael.

  “I think you should tell the court you two were on a date. While you were waiting for the subway, intoxicated men began talking to you. As you mentioned, Andrew was on a call so he didn’t see hear them. The men gave you money and when you realized what it was for, you wanted to give it back. You told the cops, but they didn’t listen. They ignored you and assumed you were a prostitute.”

  “You want me to lie?” she asked.

  “It’s not a complete lie. There are two factors that can work in your favor.” He extended his forefinger. “The men reeked of alcohol.” He shot out his middle digit. “The officers on the scene disregarded anything you said and had intended to arrest you. Hell, I might be able to argue the entire thing was a setup.”

  “That’s a bit much,” Emily said.

  “It would be a tough one to argue, but it’s an option to consider.”

  “The judge won’t believe me once he sees my other charges. Why would I act like I didn’t know anything when I have a charges for prostitution in Florida?” His idea made no sense unless he wanted her to look bad and have to face more jail time or higher fees. She could be a better lawyer than him any day of the week and she hadn’t spent a second in law school.

  “Would you mind if I talked to Carrie alone for a minute?” Andrew asked.

  “I can’t leave you in the room with her,” Michael said.

  Andrew looked over his shoulder to the corner. “Fine. Just give us a few minutes to talk.”

  Michael set his pen down and nodded.

  Andrew rose and Emily joined him. He pulled her into the corner. Her back faced the lawyer.

  “What the fuck is going on?” she said so softly she barely heard her own voice.

  Andrew kept his gaze on Michael. “Distract him.” He patted his pocket.

  Although they couldn’t say much, she understood what he wanted to do. Since their room didn’t have any cameras, no one would no one would see Andrew destroy the demon after the human body ceased to exist. All she had to do was find a way to keep Michael occupied long enough for Andrew to administer the poison. Her task was much simpler compared to the one she’d had in Pittsburgh. She met Andrew’s gaze and nodded.

  Plan set, Emily headed back to the table. She stopped at the end of it. Michael was taking a drink of his coffee. “Can I speak with you privately Mr. Lazzari, in the corner please?” she asked as Andrew returned to his seat.

  He set the cup down. “Of course.”

  His chair scraped on the floor as he rose. He followed her to the corner. “Is there a problem?”

  “How much did Spencer give you to help me?” she asked before she glanced past Michael. Andrew was digging into his pocket.

  “He paid five hundred,” Michael said.

  “He doesn’t want me to lie,” she said in a near whisper. Emily presumed he wouldn’t want her to fib. He was an angel after all. Maybe not the typical one in biblical form, but he still had good morals.

  Andrew had something small in his hand and held it over the cup.

  “Yes, we talked about this earlier. It is a gamble. But I’m trying to get your charges dismissed. If you both agree to stick with my idea, I think I can get you out of here without any bail. He is your witness I can call up to collaborate your story.”

  “Andrew won’t go for it,” she said in a low tone.

  “Convince him.”

  She looked at Andrew sitting in the chair. He gave her the thumbs up signal. Emily nodded to Michael. “Okay,” she said in her normal voice.

  Michael turned and headed back to his seat. Emily squeezed behind Andrew to reach her chair. The fatigue she’d felt earlier had disappeared once Andrew had entered the room. The moment she saw him she’d felt as if she’d been injected with adrenaline. Her heart rapped faster and she was ready to face her next challenge. With the poison in Michael’s coffee, they needed to get him to drink it and wait for the results. The task sound
ed easy and doable. The only concern Emily had was for her hearing. If Michael was dead, who was going to defend her to the court? Emily hoped Andrew had a plan because if she had to spend another night in jail, she was going to cause trouble that would lead to more charges against her.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Are we ready to talk about your defense?” Michael said as he sat across from them.

  “She’s not going to stand in front of a judge and lie,” Andrew said.

  Andrew was on the brink of sweating. Unable to control his nerves, he bobbed his knee under the table. He’d poured the entire bottle of poison into the demon’s cup. Emily had distracted the demon perfectly. Now, they waited for the demon to drink his coffee and for death to arrive. Neither could come quick enough.

  Emily put her hands in her lap and faced Andrew. “Maybe I should tell them the men were drunk. Nobody will know the truth except you and me.”

  Andrew loved gazing into her eyes and listening to her. She had a soft and sexy voice he could never tire of hearing. He missed being able to look at her and talk to her. The dark patches under her eyes hinted at her exhaustion, but she didn’t act tired, at least not anymore. It seemed as if she’d perked up after he’d entered the room. Even though she had flat, uncombed hair and looked horrible in her attire, he still found her attractive. He wanted to hold her in his arms again, longer this time, and let her know how much he’d missed her. He kept telling himself he would later.

  “It’s extremely important to mention you told the cops and they didn’t listen. If Spencer testifies they walked up to arrest you, then it looks like they presumed guilt,” the demon said.

  “It’s wrong,” Andrew said, hoping his argument would keep the demon talking so he’d feel the need to drink his coffee.

  “I don’t know if either of you know this, but the arresting officers won’t be there,” the demon added.

  “How likely will the judge believe the police intended to arrest her?” Andrew asked.

  “Oh, very likely.” The demon gave a confident nod. “The police arrest drunks and prostitutes all the time. Judges get mad because they don’t like to put small-time criminals in New York prisons. If the drunk or prostitute has a good enough story, the judge isn’t going to bother setting a court day.”

  The demon lifted his cup and took a drink. The moment they’d been waiting for had finally arrived. Andrew’s heart thudded strongly. He slid his hand over Emily’s and held it. She squeezed his hand and her lips twitched, forming a hint of a smile. The demon swallowed and then lowered his cup. He gazed into it as if something were wrong. Saying nothing, he set the cup on the table.

  “I need to get out of here,” Emily said. “I haven’t had a shower in days.”

  “What if we lie and the judge still decides to move forward with the charges?” Andrew asked, even though he knew the answer already.

  “As I mentioned earlier when we spoke about this, the judge will set a court date and bond. You pay the bond for her to get out. We come back with a new game plan at the next hearing,” the demon said before he looked directly at Emily. “As a reminder, each time I have to show up in court will cost more money.”

  She met Andrew’s gaze. “We can do this.”

  Andrew’s brows twitched. Was she talking about their fake plan or the real-life one?

  “We’re a team. I’ll stick by you.” Andrew’s answer worked both ways.

  “Does this mean you both agree to tell the court the men were drunk and the cops ignored you?” the demon asked.

  Andrew looked at Emily for an answer.

  “I want out of here,” she said.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her free,” Andrew said.

  The demon grinned. “Now that is exactly the attitude to take. So pretend I’m the judge and I call you up to testify. What are you going to say?”

  “Carrie and I were on our way home from a date. She got a call and gave me the phone to answer it. Three drunk men approached her and handed her money. I saw her try to give it back, but the cops arrested her. She tried to tell them what had happened. They didn’t listen to a word she had to say.”

  The demon made a throaty sound. He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “That’s good. If she was pleading a lot, be sure to mention it. But don’t say she was yelling or trying to resist arrest.” He looked at Carrie. “And what will you say to the judge?”

  “The same thing. The men were flirting with me and handed me money. I could smell the liquor on them. I tried to return the cash. Cops showed up and handcuffed me. I told them they were making a mistake, but they didn’t care.”

  “You might consider mentioning they read your rights to you within a second after the cuffs went on,” the demon added.

  “Right,” she said.

  Andrew couldn’t believe the bar association for lawyers hadn’t taken his license away yet. He’d practically told them what to say in front of a judge.

  “Have you checked with Florida to see if her charges are still showing up?” Andrew asked.

  “No, I haven’t. I assumed nothing has changed. Do you believe there has been?” the demon asked.

  Emily studied Andrew. She had to suspect he knew something.

  “There’s a possibility the cops made a mistake. Check her records again,” Andrew said.

  The demon coughed. “Excuse me.” His face had turned a soft red and perspiration had formed above his brows. “I don’t have time to go back to my office to have her records pulled. If you know anything I can use to help her…”

  “I’m pretty sure the charges were dropped,” Andrew said. “I called yesterday because I was afraid Florida might ask for her to be transferred. The gal I spoke with told me the charges were dismissed.”

  The demon coughed again and started wheezing. He lifted his cup and drank more. When he set the cup down, he pinched his brows as if he were in pain.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Andrew asked.

  The demon grunted and made a throaty sound. “I think I might have a bug from something I ate.” He loosened his collar as he glanced at the door.

  “My hearing is in a few hours,” Emily said. “Are you going to be able to represent me?”

  The man’s complexion transformed into sweaty and pasty. He looked ready to puke. He put his hand on his chest and made a pained expression. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. The poison had to be working.

  Andrew left his seat and walked around the side of the table. He stood at the lawyer’s side.

  “I think I need a doctor,” the demon said as he looked toward the door. He breathed in spurts and each one seemed to cause him pain.

  “How long does it take?” Emily asked Andrew.

  “Five to fifteen minutes,” Andrew said.

  “Did he drink it all?” she asked.

  Andrew peered inside the cup. “It’s gone.”

  The lawyer leaned back. His hand remained on his chest. His glassy eyes moved from Andrew to Emily. He labored to breathe.

  “Is he having a heart attack?” she asked.

  “Yes.” Andrew bent to look closer at his eyes. “His pupils are dilating. I don’t think he has much longer.”

  Andrew returned to his seat and continued to stare at the dying man. He struggled to breathe for several minutes. Slowly, the lawyer’s hand fell from his chest. Andrew felt no pity for him. He was a demon and an unethical lawyer. The world would be a better place without him.

  “And it’s untraceable?” Emily asked.

  “According to your good friend it will look like a heart attack. The poison comes from some kind of octopus. If it’s noticed it will lead them to think he ate bad seafood,” Andrew said.

  “Who hit you?”

  “Your good friend who gave me the poison.” Andrew kept his attention on the man as death claimed him.

  “He’s here?” She sounded surprised.

  “Yep, and he’s not happy about what happened. He has a new lawyer waiting for you at th
ree.”

  “I’m afraid to ask what I’ve missed during the last two days.”

  “I’ll tell you later. What happened to your hand?”

  “I hit a couple of trouble makers. Nothing to write home about.”

  He snuck a glimpse at her. She looked calm as she watched with wide eyes at the lawyer.

  “By the way, it’s good to see you,” Andrew said.

  “Yeah, you too.”

  The man stopped moving. He stared at Andrew. His pupils had enlarged to black holes.

  “Any minute now,” Andrew said, watching for the demon to break free from the human body.

  Michael’s head leaned sideways. His eyelids and mouth remained open. Drool started to leak from him. If there were any life inside him, it wouldn’t last much longer.

  Arms on the table, Andrew waited for the demon to appear. Voices outside the room grew louder. If someone checked in on them, Andrew could lose his chance to destroy the demon. He couldn’t let that happen.

  He rose and moved around the table to get close to the body. They had been through enough to get where they were. One way or another, no matter what the cost, Andrew was going to touch the demon to send it to hell.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Andrew stood near Michael’s body, watching and waiting for the demon to emerge. Emily remained in her seat, clasping her hands tightly under the table while her heart pounded. People talking outside the room could walk in at any minute. Andrew was so close to completing his task. She didn’t want him to miss his one chance to destroy the demon.

  She stared at the dying man and felt no emotion. Well, maybe gladness. The scumbag needed to return to hell. Overall, watching another die didn’t frighten her. She’d seen Andrew stab a man before, the first demon he’d killed. She’d seen Troy kill too, but in self-defense. Death was a part of life, so she tried not to give it too much thought. But what bothered her was the evil within bodies. The demons. If Andrew didn’t touch them to destroy them, what would happen to the demon? Could they jump bodies? How many demons were walking around daily? In a way she was relieved she couldn’t see auras the way Andrew could. If she were able see them, she’d probably find a cabin somewhere isolated and become a recluse to avoid all demons.