rage, fear, and shock. Then
Peters had come for her and she'd been in the interrogation room
ever since.
Pellegrino smiled warmly at her. "It's
gonna be okay. We'll get through the morning. You'll be home by
noon. That's my job, and after that we'll get to work on your
defense and I will get to work on these clowns here and continue to
remind them that everything they have is circumstantial and
weak."
How was he going to work on anything?
He was a tax attorney, for crying out loud, but she didn't have it
in her to bring that up right now. All she wanted was to get the
hell out of there. She nodded and tried to smile back in return,
but she wasn't sure at all how she was going to make it through the
morning.
Eight
It wasn’t twenty-five grand that got
Michaela out of jail but rather fifty, and the thought of
leveraging Uncle Lou's place made her ill. Apparently the judge
thought she was a flight risk because she had the financial means
to "get away." Please! Where would she go? She had a barn filled
with horses that were family to her, a handful of children she gave
riding lessons to whom she adored, parents who lived two miles from
her that she saw at least once a week, and a circle of friends she
couldn't live without. She almost laughed when the old curmudgeon
of a judge brought up the idea that she might flee. It was as
ridiculous as the notion that she had been sleeping with Sterling.
She had every intention of speaking with Lucia Sorvino to find out
why in the world she was spreading such vicious lies. That girl had
some explaining to do. Didn't she know what rumors could do to a
person's life? Try on destroy it for size!
Joe showed up at the courthouse to take
her home, while her new attorney shook her hand and said he'd be in
touch with her by the end of the day. "I'd go with you, but I want
to see what I can line up for you before we talk again. Joey, take
care of her.""Always do." Joe opened the passenger door to his
minivan. Once he was behind the wheel, he looked over at her. "What
the hell happened, girl?"
"I wish I knew. One minute I'm riding
in the match, the next I find Sterling dead in my store, then when
it's all over with, I head home and just as I've finally fallen
asleep, it sounds like a herd of my horses are trying to break the
door down, and outside stand Starsky and Hutch."
"At least you haven't lost your sense
of humor."
"I think I'm still in shock. Look, I'm
in trouble, Joe. I can see it in Detective Peters's eyes. He thinks
that I did this and so does that woman cop. I can't go to jail. I
didn't kill anyone. And by the way, thanks for sending in
Anthony…but a tax attorney?" Michaela felt something under her on
the car seat and picked up a half-eaten cheeseburger, which she'd
sat on. "What in the…"
"Sorry. I know, the kids. They got a
problem picking up after themselves. We're working on
it."
She spotted a few French fries on the
floorboard and pointed. Joe glanced down. "Throw in a Coke and I
might have a meal."
"That Joe Jr.! Anyway, of course you
didn't kill no one. I've known you since we was kids, Mickey. I
know Anthony isn't exactly what you need. But it was the best I
could do on short notice, and he did get your bail
posted."
"Yeah, he did do that."
"You could eat a little more these
days. I'd tell you to eat that burger but I don't know how long
it's been here. Why don't we stop and get a bite?"
"It does look partially dehydrated.
Eating isn't always a priority for me. I've been busy. And right
now I just want to get home and shower."
"Never too busy to eat." He rubbed his
large belly. "I think you get overwhelmed with all you got going on
and you are the last person you take care of. You handle the
horses, the kids at the center, that crazy broad Camden you live
with, and then some. You need some you time."
She smiled at his comment. Ah, the big
bro she never had—technically, because Joe had become everything a
big brother is for a sister. She knew it drove Jude nuts
Peters had come for her and she'd been in the interrogation room
ever since.
Pellegrino smiled warmly at her. "It's
gonna be okay. We'll get through the morning. You'll be home by
noon. That's my job, and after that we'll get to work on your
defense and I will get to work on these clowns here and continue to
remind them that everything they have is circumstantial and
weak."
How was he going to work on anything?
He was a tax attorney, for crying out loud, but she didn't have it
in her to bring that up right now. All she wanted was to get the
hell out of there. She nodded and tried to smile back in return,
but she wasn't sure at all how she was going to make it through the
morning.
Eight
It wasn’t twenty-five grand that got
Michaela out of jail but rather fifty, and the thought of
leveraging Uncle Lou's place made her ill. Apparently the judge
thought she was a flight risk because she had the financial means
to "get away." Please! Where would she go? She had a barn filled
with horses that were family to her, a handful of children she gave
riding lessons to whom she adored, parents who lived two miles from
her that she saw at least once a week, and a circle of friends she
couldn't live without. She almost laughed when the old curmudgeon
of a judge brought up the idea that she might flee. It was as
ridiculous as the notion that she had been sleeping with Sterling.
She had every intention of speaking with Lucia Sorvino to find out
why in the world she was spreading such vicious lies. That girl had
some explaining to do. Didn't she know what rumors could do to a
person's life? Try on destroy it for size!
Joe showed up at the courthouse to take
her home, while her new attorney shook her hand and said he'd be in
touch with her by the end of the day. "I'd go with you, but I want
to see what I can line up for you before we talk again. Joey, take
care of her.""Always do." Joe opened the passenger door to his
minivan. Once he was behind the wheel, he looked over at her. "What
the hell happened, girl?"
"I wish I knew. One minute I'm riding
in the match, the next I find Sterling dead in my store, then when
it's all over with, I head home and just as I've finally fallen
asleep, it sounds like a herd of my horses are trying to break the
door down, and outside stand Starsky and Hutch."
"At least you haven't lost your sense
of humor."
"I think I'm still in shock. Look, I'm
in trouble, Joe. I can see it in Detective Peters's eyes. He thinks
that I did this and so does that woman cop. I can't go to jail. I
didn't kill anyone. And by the way, thanks for sending in
Anthony…but a tax attorney?" Michaela felt something under her on
the car seat and picked up a half-eaten cheeseburger, which she'd
sat on. "What in the…"
"Sorry. I know, the kids. They got a
problem picking up after themselves. We're working on
it."
She spotted a few French fries on the
floorboard and pointed. Joe glanced down. "Throw in a Coke and I
might have a meal."
"That Joe Jr.! Anyway, of course you
didn't kill no one. I've known you since we was kids, Mickey. I
know Anthony isn't exactly what you need. But it was the best I
could do on short notice, and he did get your bail
posted."
"Yeah, he did do that."
"You could eat a little more these
days. I'd tell you to eat that burger but I don't know how long
it's been here. Why don't we stop and get a bite?"
"It does look partially dehydrated.
Eating isn't always a priority for me. I've been busy. And right
now I just want to get home and shower."
"Never too busy to eat." He rubbed his
large belly. "I think you get overwhelmed with all you got going on
and you are the last person you take care of. You handle the
horses, the kids at the center, that crazy broad Camden you live
with, and then some. You need some you time."
She smiled at his comment. Ah, the big
bro she never had—technically, because Joe had become everything a
big brother is for a sister. She knew it drove Jude nuts
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