Ben was not having a good night. He had always been a vivid dreamer, but tonight’s show was even more vivid than usual. Some of the dreams were standard-issue material: showing up in court in his underwear; being seduced by his childhood babysitter. But some of them were new: seeing his old Episcopal Sunday-school teacher shaking her head in disappointment; being tried in the Court of Celestial Appeals for murder-the murder of hundreds of thousands of old-growth trees. He even dreamed he’d been thrown into jail and was thrashing about on a rock-hard metal cot. Except-
His eyes opened.
Damn. That one was true, wasn’t it?
“I knew you were looking for a new pied-a-terre, Ben, but I really think you should have consulted me before you made this selection.”
The voice was very familiar. Even before he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, Ben knew who was standing on the other side of the metal bars.
“Good morning, Christina. About time you showed up.”
“Hey, I made the best time I could. I booked the first available flight tout de suite, after I played your rather desperate-sounding message on my machine.”
“You’d be desperate, too, if you got only one phone call and you used it chatting with someone’s answering machine.” He peered blurry-eyed through the cell bars. She was wearing an all-combat ensemble-green fatigue pants with a flak jacket draped over a khaki shirt. Plus a kelly green hairband in her expansive red hair. “I thought you were trying to dress more conservatively. Now that you’re a serious law student.”
She checked herself. “What’re you talking about? This is conservative. Besides, you’re the one who dragged me out to the great Northwest. Everyone dresses this way.”
“Maybe in the Montana Militia, but not around here.” He forced himself to his feet. “Have you figured out a way to make my bail?”
“I figured out it was impossible, even if we sold both our combined assets for twice their worth. So I tried something else.”
“Which was?”
“Getting the bookstore owner to drop the charges.”
“Fat chance of that. He’s-”
“-already agreed to do it.”
Ben’s eyes widened. “He’s-”
“-already agreed.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “Would I lie?”
“But-”
“The only thing that man ever wanted was to get rid of the cat. Unfortunately, after you made such a cause celebre of it, the vet canceled the appointment, and none of the other vets in the area would euthanize the cat either.”
“Tough luck.”
“So I told him I’d take care of it. If he dropped the charges. Which he did.”
Ben was flabbergasted. “Christina, you’re a miracle worker. I’m eternally in your debt.”
She smiled. “Truth is, he was beginning to feel guilty. He was glad to let someone else execute the cat for him.”
Ben blanched. “Christina, you didn’t!”
“No, of course I didn’t.”
“Then what?”
“I called an old friend of mine from TCC who knew a gal who had a sister whose husband was from Seattle. The husband in Seattle had a friend whose niece lives in a tiny burg not far from Magic Valley. The niece has a girlfriend who knows a girl from college who’s getting married. The girl who’s getting married is the youngest of seven daughters, and once she moves out, her mother’s going to be all alone in her house. The mother lives in Magic Valley. She agreed to take the cat.” She beamed. “Follow that?”
“Not remotely, but please don’t repeat it. My head is already throbbing.” He took a step back. “And you did all that in a day?”
“Well, I would’ve been faster, but the air phones on my flight didn’t work.”
Ben grinned. No wonder he liked Christina so much. In the years they’d been working together, she’d proved invaluable. She was a brilliant legal assistant, and now that she was in law school, she could function equally well as an intern and legal researcher. Most important, he had learned to trust her instincts. She was keenly intuitive and had a better understanding of people than he ever would. And now, for the capstone of her career to date, she’d produced his get-out-of-jail-free card.
“When can I leave?”
Another voice harkened down the corridor. “Whenever you want, Mr. Kincaid.”
Sheriff Allen was moving toward them.
“In that case,” Ben said, “I’ll go now.”
“Thought you might feel that way.” He pulled the jangling cell keys out of his pocket. “This little lady’s got you all fixed up. Never seen anyone come to town and get things done the way she did. She’s got a lot of spunk.” He grinned. “I like that in a woman.”
“Christina’s the best legal assistant I’ve ever had.”
Allen tipped his hat. “That’s high praise, I expect.”
“Not really,” Christina explained. “I’m the only legal assistant he’s ever had.”
Allen began unlocking Ben’s cell.
Ben heard stirrings from the cell to his left. Maureen was awake and on her feet. “Looks like you grabbed the brass ring, Kincaid.”
“No need to display your penal envy,” Allen said as he slid Ben’s cell door open. “You’re getting out, too.”
Rick pressed against the bars on Ben’s right. “We are?”
“Yup. Judge says twenty-four hours is the most we can hold you for disturbing the peace. But let me tell you something. I got no feelings about your cause for or against. But if you and your people go on stirring up trouble around here, I will come down on you-hard.”
Maureen nodded. “Thanks, Sheriff.”
Allen unlocked Maureen’s and Rick’s cells. “ ’Fore you all go, I wonder if I might, um-” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I wondered if I might have a word with Miss, uh, is it Christina?”
Christina turned, surprised. “That’s my name.”
“You think you’re going to be hanging around town for a spell?”
“Well, I couldn’t get us a flight out of here until tomorrow.”
“I just wondered if, you know, if you and this guy ain’t hitched or anything-”
Christina’s eyes expanded.
Allen cleared his throat. “I wondered if you wouldn’t mind having lunch with me.”
Christina appeared momentarily perplexed. She glanced at Ben. “Is that a problem?”
Ben shrugged. “Not with me.”
“Then it’s a date.”
A date! Ben thought. He just invited her to lunch, for Pete’s sake. Was that a date?
“Now,” Christina said, “if it’s all right with the rest of you, I’d like to get the hell out of here. Jails and I are … not bosom buddies.”
Ben knew what she was talking about. Christina had spent a horrible period locked up in a tiny, dirty jail cell several years ago when she was falsely accused of murder. The incident had left emotional scars. She had nightmares about finding herself shut up behind bars again. Just the thought of it was enough to make her break down like a baby.
Allen led the four of them down the corridor. Ben thought he detected a certain bounce in the man’s boots that hadn’t been there before. And they hadn’t even started the lunch date.
“Welcome back to the free world,” he said, opening the outside door. “Now stay out of trouble, you hear?”
Ben heard, all right. Loud and clear.
Maureen started at Ben again the instant they stepped out of the jailhouse. “Seriously, Ben, think about my invitation. This could be a unique opportunity for you to be a potent force for good.”
Ben waved his hands in the air. “I’m sorry, no. I’m not going to become known as the mouthpiece for terrorists.”
“Then forget about the book idea. Just take Zak’s case. He needs a lawyer who knows the ropes. Who has experience with capital murder cases.”
Christina’s ears pricked up. “A case? They’re offering us a case?” She grabbed Ben’s arm and lowered her voice. “Ben, this could be just what we need.”
“Believe me, it isn’t.”
“Ben, we haven’t had a paying case for months. We haven’t had a case that paid well since Wallace Barrett, and that money ran out a long time ago.”
“Trust me, Christina. This isn’t the answer.”
“Look, maybe you don’t need the cash, but I’m paying tuition at TU, and that bill is larger than the GNP of some industrialized nations.”
“Christina, this wouldn’t be a moneymaker. More like a pro bono case. With some serious negative ramifications.” He turned back toward Maureen. “I’m sorry. I’d like to help. But it’s out of the question.” He extended his hand. “I just can’t do it.”
Maureen took his hand and clasped it. Her eyes seemed much softer than they had before. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I’m disappointed and-well, just very … sorry.” She turned quickly and headed down the sidewalk. Rick followed a beat behind her.
Ben and Christina watched as the pair passed out of sight. “Are you sure about this?” Christina asked.
“Absolutely,” Ben replied. “It’s for the best. Really.” He started walking in the opposite direction.
Ben hadn’t moved ten feet when he heard a piercing shout from down the street. “Maureen!”
“What’s that?” Christina asked.
Ben whirled around. “Stay here.” He raced down the street and rounded the same corner he had seen Rick and Maureen take a few moments before. Following the sounds of struggle, he ducked into a side alley behind a closed dry cleaning store.
There were three of them-big burly thugs, the kind you knew immediately couldn’t possibly be good for anything in the world except inflicting pain. One of them had a chain wrapped around his fist and was using it to pummel Rick. Another one had Maureen pinned against the wall, her face stricken with terror. The third seemed content to fold his arms, supervise, and sneer.
“Well, now,” the third man said. “Let’s show these two tree huggers what rage really is, whaddaya say, boys?”