Page 19 of Necessary Evil
“Loads.” She added a run for the police team as a cute rookie slid into home just ahead of the tag. “You?”
“Not really.” Cynthia’s laugh sounded like a tinkle of bells. “But it’s for a good cause. So when are you going to join my team? And I’m not talking about the softball game.”
Here we go again.
“I’m so very flattered by your offer.” Lucy stood up. “But I like my job. I like helping those who can’t afford a private attorney.”
Cynthia made a rude noise. “You’re too talented to stay in your position. Tucker’s going to be chief until he becomes a dried-up old prune. You’re wasting yourself in his department.”
“The people I help don’t think so.” Lucy handed her the scorecard. “Can you take over? I have to use the ladies’ room.”
Cynthia was too well bred to call her out on the obvious escape plan. Lucy wasn’t lying, though. The two sodas had taken their toll.
However, after finishing up in the restroom, Lucy didn’t go back to the game. She didn’t see Evan at the bar, and with her luck, she thought, if she went looking for him, she’d find him in a compromising position. That would be the icing on the day’s cake.
As Lucy was deciding she’d had enough fun for one day, Finn, one of her clients, jogged up to her. She was surprised to see him. This wasn’t his crowd, after all. But he was a regular at The Blue Line, so maybe Evan’s influence made everyone else turn a blind eye to the fact that Finn was a mechanic and not a cop or firefighter. Lucy was happy to note that he had a can of ginger ale and that she didn’t smell any booze on him, because he was also supposed to be in rehab.
“Hey, Lucy, I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out the other day.”
Finn had almost missed his court date because he had been drunk and passed out in his apartment. She’d had to call Evan to kick his door down so they could get him to court on time. It had been tight, but the judge had agreed to probation and counseling instead of ninety days in jail.
“You’re welcome. Everything going okay?”
Finn nodded. “Yeah. It’s hard, though.”
“You can do it.”
“Is there anything I can do for you? One of the girls, maybe?”
“Girls?” For a moment Lucy pictured the bar babes, because they had been recently on her mind. Then the color drained out of her face when she realized what he meant. Finn raised tarantulas for pet stores. “No. No. No. Thank you,” she managed to tack on as she rushed to the car.
Finn followed after her. “So did you hear about the pedo that got his neck snapped spanking it to kiddie porn last week?”
“Is this the lead-up to a tasteless joke that I don’t want to hear the punch line to?” Lucy asked, fumbling with her keys.
“I was wondering if he was one of yours.”
“One of my what?” Lucy asked.
Travis lowered his window down all the way. She hadn’t seen him sitting in his truck. “Clients. He wants to know if you represented Jerry Kramer.”
“Who?” Lucy didn’t want to talk work.
“He was paroled out of Rikers. It wasn’t your case.” Travis got out of the truck.
“For crying out loud, Finn, not every dirtbag comes across my desk.” Lucy smacked the car window in frustration.
“Sorry,” he said.
“You need to see this.” Travis handed her a slip of paper. “I took this off your windshield.”
“What is it?” It looked like a ticket. “Mother. Fucker,” Lucy said as she read it.
Crumpling it up, she stuffed it into her purse as she ran to see the back of her car. Sure enough, one of her taillights was smashed, the pieces lying on the ground.
“I’ll go get Evil,” Finn said, hurrying off.
“What the hell is he going to do?” Lucy asked. “Get a broom and dustpan before they write me a ticket for littering? Son of a bitch, that’s just mean.” She kicked her tire in frustration and hurt her toe.