Cori and the policeman. "This woman is protected." He leaned forward. "Don't make me spell it out for you," he warned in a harsh whisper.
"This woman has been accused of accosting a child." The policeman, who was not as tall as Joey but several pounds heavier, was not budging. "We've made a report, and we have to file it."
Joey looked at the child, who was standing beside her mother. The mother looked less than certain.
"Ma'am, are you filing charges?" Joey asked.
"I don't know," she said. "Kayla said the woman didn't really hurt her. She gave her some candy and then forced her to spit it out." She looked behind her as if she wanted to disappear.
Cori finally spoke, her voice soft and her words directed to Joey. He seemed the only one there interested in hearing what she had to say. "The candy was left on the bench. I didn't care if Kayla had it, but then I realized I didn't know where it came from. I guess I overreacted. I did make her spit it out."
Her voice dropped to a whisper as she confronted a hard possibility. "I was afraid it might be poisoned. I haven't eaten any of the other candy."
"What candy?" The policeman wore a badge that identified him as Officer Lewis.
"Someone left candy on the bench while I was asleep. Some kisses." Even as she said it, Cori realized it sounded suspicious. Or at least deliberately dumb.
"This woman was attempting to protect the child." Joey eased Cori a little farther away. "I don't see where there's a problem."
"Ma'am, are you pressing charges?" Lewis asked the mother.
"No, no." She ran her hand through her child's hair. "But I am going to have a talk with my daughter.
She knows better than to accept candy from strangers. It could have been poisoned."
"That's true." Lewis nodded at her. "Okay, then." He turned back to Cori, his pale eyes boring into her. "Aren't you..." He stopped and looked at Joey, obviously putting two and two together. "Well, I'll be. I thought you'd been moved out of the South."
"This really isn't the time." Joey nodded toward his car.
"Oh, yeah, the retrial." Lewis nodded sagely. "You know, Mr. Tio, it would be better if you kept your clients out of the middle of public disputes." His grin was shark-like. "I wouldn't exactly call this protection."
"I, uh, I'm not in the..."
Joey tugged her so hard she lost her train of thought as she tried to keep from losing her balance.
"Let's go now," Joey said.
Irritated at his strong-arm tactics, Cori shook free. "Since you know me, did you know my husband, Kit Wells?" She looked at Lewis and then the other officers, one by one. Three shook their heads, but Lewis nodded.
"Yeah, Kit and I used to play cards. Before he met you." His grin was quick. "He sure cleaned up his act after he started going out with you. When he told me he was getting married, I didn't believe it. Kit was never the kind to settle down. He was a guy who liked the action, the party."
Cori felt the knot in her stomach cinch tighter. She'd never heard this side of Kit. All of the officers she'd met acted as if he was a quiet man. One who had yearned for marriage and a home.
Joey saw her pale. "I think we need to go." He didn't like the public spectacle Cori had managed to create, and he didn't like standing around in the open jawboning with a guy who was having a good time revealing hurtful information.
Cori ignored Joey and spoke to Officer Lewis. "Do you believe Kit's dead?"
"I never figured old Kit to go out without a bang." He shrugged. "Then again, Kit had made some serious enemies. The talk on the street was that you wouldn't have testified if he hadn't insisted. He'd turned in his papers to resign, said he was going into the WP program with you. Everyone knew about how he supported you." He paused a beat. "Some folks like to keep the score sheet settled."
Cori felt his words like tiny flames of guilt. "Yes, everyone knew that." Her indecision had been headline news for two days. One of the television tabloid news shows had
"This woman has been accused of accosting a child." The policeman, who was not as tall as Joey but several pounds heavier, was not budging. "We've made a report, and we have to file it."
Joey looked at the child, who was standing beside her mother. The mother looked less than certain.
"Ma'am, are you filing charges?" Joey asked.
"I don't know," she said. "Kayla said the woman didn't really hurt her. She gave her some candy and then forced her to spit it out." She looked behind her as if she wanted to disappear.
Cori finally spoke, her voice soft and her words directed to Joey. He seemed the only one there interested in hearing what she had to say. "The candy was left on the bench. I didn't care if Kayla had it, but then I realized I didn't know where it came from. I guess I overreacted. I did make her spit it out."
Her voice dropped to a whisper as she confronted a hard possibility. "I was afraid it might be poisoned. I haven't eaten any of the other candy."
"What candy?" The policeman wore a badge that identified him as Officer Lewis.
"Someone left candy on the bench while I was asleep. Some kisses." Even as she said it, Cori realized it sounded suspicious. Or at least deliberately dumb.
"This woman was attempting to protect the child." Joey eased Cori a little farther away. "I don't see where there's a problem."
"Ma'am, are you pressing charges?" Lewis asked the mother.
"No, no." She ran her hand through her child's hair. "But I am going to have a talk with my daughter.
She knows better than to accept candy from strangers. It could have been poisoned."
"That's true." Lewis nodded at her. "Okay, then." He turned back to Cori, his pale eyes boring into her. "Aren't you..." He stopped and looked at Joey, obviously putting two and two together. "Well, I'll be. I thought you'd been moved out of the South."
"This really isn't the time." Joey nodded toward his car.
"Oh, yeah, the retrial." Lewis nodded sagely. "You know, Mr. Tio, it would be better if you kept your clients out of the middle of public disputes." His grin was shark-like. "I wouldn't exactly call this protection."
"I, uh, I'm not in the..."
Joey tugged her so hard she lost her train of thought as she tried to keep from losing her balance.
"Let's go now," Joey said.
Irritated at his strong-arm tactics, Cori shook free. "Since you know me, did you know my husband, Kit Wells?" She looked at Lewis and then the other officers, one by one. Three shook their heads, but Lewis nodded.
"Yeah, Kit and I used to play cards. Before he met you." His grin was quick. "He sure cleaned up his act after he started going out with you. When he told me he was getting married, I didn't believe it. Kit was never the kind to settle down. He was a guy who liked the action, the party."
Cori felt the knot in her stomach cinch tighter. She'd never heard this side of Kit. All of the officers she'd met acted as if he was a quiet man. One who had yearned for marriage and a home.
Joey saw her pale. "I think we need to go." He didn't like the public spectacle Cori had managed to create, and he didn't like standing around in the open jawboning with a guy who was having a good time revealing hurtful information.
Cori ignored Joey and spoke to Officer Lewis. "Do you believe Kit's dead?"
"I never figured old Kit to go out without a bang." He shrugged. "Then again, Kit had made some serious enemies. The talk on the street was that you wouldn't have testified if he hadn't insisted. He'd turned in his papers to resign, said he was going into the WP program with you. Everyone knew about how he supported you." He paused a beat. "Some folks like to keep the score sheet settled."
Cori felt his words like tiny flames of guilt. "Yes, everyone knew that." Her indecision had been headline news for two days. One of the television tabloid news shows had
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