Page 98 of A Mean Season
“You work for my lawyer. You have to keep your mouth shut.”
“Lawyers have to report crimes if they think they’re about to be committed.”
He didn’t like that but kept his mouth shut. Rolling over, he pushed himself off the ground. Yeah, I was right. The way he was moving made it obvious he’d hurt—
Then he punched me. Right below the belly button. That wasn’t fun. I thought for a moment I might puke on his head. He was barely standing when I pushed him back down onto his butt.
“Fuck,” he said. Yeah, that time he hit his tailbone hard. I took a moment to puke on the back of a black Ford Explorer. When I stood up again, Stu was half running, half hobbling down the street. I was about to turn and head back to the rental when the door to Joanne’s house opened. Standing on the edge of her porch she said, “You need to go.”
“Whatley was just here,” I said, dumbly.
“Yes, I know. I was going to shoot him, but you kept getting in the way.” She sounded very annoyed by that.
“I was just trying to keep you safe.”
“You did that when you warned me. Now go home.”
She walked back into her house and slammed the door. Maybe Ronnie was right. I was risking a lot for someone I didn’t know. Someone who didn’t even appreciate it.
Bent over a bit, I walked back to the ugly green Taurus. Before I turned the car on, I called Lydia.
“Stu Whately attempted to break into Joanne’s house a few minutes ago. Her security measures stopped him, then he and I had a little altercation.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m going to have a bad bruise.”
“And Stu?”
“He was limping last time I saw him.”
She was silent, so I asked, “How was the dog and pony show?” meaning the press conference.
“Edwin and the DA competed for sainthood.”
“Did you tell Edwin about Candy Van Dyke?”
“Briefly. He’s got a meeting with Stu first thing Monday morning. Stu insisted. I’ll fill Edwin in on all the details over the weekend.”
“What do you think will happen?”
“He’s going to fire Stu as a client.”
“Are you sure he’ll do it?” Edwin had always struck me as the kind of lawyer who was all about the money. This would guarantee there’d be no referral fee.
“If he doesn’t, I’ll rip off his balls and wear them as earrings.”
“Ouch,” I said, trying hard not to visualize that.
“He knows I’ll do it, too.”
“Okay. I believe you,” I said, then asked, “What do you think Stu will do?”
“I suspect he’ll keep raping women until he gets caught.”
We were both quiet for a bit. Finally, I said, “I wish there was something we could do about that.”
“There isn’t anything we can do. I don’t want to live in a world where people are punished for what they might do. That would be a very dangerous place.”