Tough Customer

his lap, bounced her on his knees, and nuzzled her neck, saying, 'You're the one getting chubby.' He splayed his hand on her abdomen, which as yet showed no signs of the pregnancy. She placed her hand over his, and they exchanged a warm, meaningful look.

Dodge cleared his throat. 'Y'all need me to leave the room, or what?'

Julie slipped off her husband's lap and took a chair across the table from Dodge. 'No, I'm glad you're here. Derek sees you nearly every day, but I don't get to.'

Dodge ribbed his boss about his honeymoon giddiness, but he was glad about the marital happiness these two had found with each other. Derek and Julie Mitchell were among the very few people on the planet that Dodge had even a limited tolerance for. He'd go so far as to say he respected and liked them, although, as with everyone he knew, he kept them at arm's length, more for their sake than for his own. He wasn't good for people. Something in his makeup was destructive.

'What brings you by?'

Derek's question seemed innocuous enough, but Dodge knew better. Derek had razor-sharp instincts and uncanny intuition, which served him well in his chosen profession of defense attorney. Despite their easy chitchat, his boss had sensed that something was out of joint. When was the last time Dodge had come calling early on a Saturday morning? Never.

Dodge shrugged with feigned indifference and sipped his coffee, nursing a twinge of uneasiness about having to lie to this man who was the closest thing he had to a friend.

'How pissed would you be if I asked for some time off?' He kept his eyes fixed on the contents of his coffee mug but sensed the puzzled glance Derek exchanged with his wife.

'I wouldn't be pissed,' Derek said. 'You've earned the vacation time.'

'Think before you speak, Counselor. Because I don't want to get somewhere and have you phoning me in the middle of the night, asking me to run down some lowlife that--'

'Dodge. You won't get an argument from me. You're past due a vacation. If something comes up while you're away, it can wait till you get back.'

'Like hell it can. Even if you say it's okay for me to go, those hotshots you've got working for you would have a fit. They don't address me unless it's with 'Dodge, when ...?' As in, When can you get that background info for me? When can I expect the skinny on this guy? When can you track that down?'

Derek said, 'Everyone in the office depends on you.'

'See, that's what I'm talking about. If I left for a few days, the whole damn firm would collapse.'

Dodge had been of considerable help solving the case in which Julie had been involved. The murder of Paul Wheeler had been a tragedy in every sense except that it had brought Julie and Derek together. Initially, Dodge had suspected Julie of being a liar, manipulator, and worse. She'd borne his hostility and suspicion with dignity and now seemed to hold no grudge. He thought she might even like him a little.

It was to her that he shifted his gaze now. But maybe that was a mistake, because she was regarding him with concern, which, in his present frame of mind, was almost more dangerous than her husband's incisiveness.

'I hope your reason for needing time away isn't health related,' she said softly.

'Like what, dying of lung cancer? No, no, I'm not,' he said when her concern was replaced by alarm. 'Not that I know of. Not yet.' He shifted in the seat of his chair and patted his shirt pocket, reassuring himself that the pack of cigarettes was there, even though he'd just as well pee on the Mona Lisa as light up in their kitchen.

Back to Derek, he said, 'Forget it. I knew better than to ask.' Placing his hand over his heart, he said, 'The firm needs me, and, if I'm loyal to nothing else, I'm loyal to Mitchell and Associates.'

'Cut the crap. What's going on?'

'Going on? Nothing. I got this notion to--'

'Take some time off, and I said okay. But now you're arguing with me for saying yes, fine, go. Why?'

'No why to it. It was a dumb idea, that's all. I thought of slipping off somewhere for a few days, but...'

'Did you have a destination in mind?' Derek grinned. 'One of those tropical islands you're always talking about.

National Geographic--type places where all the women go topless?'

'I wish.'

'Then where?'

'Buttfuck, Texas.'

Dodge could have kicked himself for blurting that out. He hadn't meant to.

Derek stared at him for several seconds, then deadpanned, 'Does that have a zip code?'

Dodge rolled his shoulders. 'Doesn't matter. I'm not going.'

No one said anything for several moments, and Dodge sensed another mystified look pass between Derek and Julie. She asked, 'What's in Texas?'

'Texans.'

His droll reply didn't have the jocular effect he'd hoped for. He looked at Julie again, and he didn't know what the hell it was that was drawing him to her this morning. Sure, she was and always had been easy on the eyes, but that hormonal ruckus taking place inside her was inspiring in Dodge all kinds of sentimentality that went against his nature.

Typically when someone asked him a personal question, even something as innocuous as 'What's in Texas?' he would tell them to stay out of his effin' life. But he found himself answering Julie simply. 'Business.'

Derek reacted with a start. 'Business?'

'Relax, Counselor. I'm not looking into another job. This is business of a personal nature.'

'A personal nature.'

'Jesus, is there an echo in here?' he asked crossly. 'Why are you making a big deal of it anyway? Business of a personal nature could be constipation.'

'I've just never known you to have personal business of any kind, but especially not in Texas.'

'Well, that just goes to show that you don't know everything, doesn't it? Besides, why are we still talking about it? I'm not going. I'd get down there, and this goddamn cell phone would start buzzing like a band saw. You'd be asking me how soon I could get back. Not worth it. Forget I asked.' He tossed his fringed napkin on the table and stood up. 'Look, thanks for the coffee. Tasty cake, Julie. I gotta be shoving off.'

'Sit down.'

'Excuse me?'

The set of Derek's jaw was resolute. 'You're not leaving this house until you tell us what the hell is going on.'

'I told you. I got this notion to--'

'This isn't about vacation time. Sit down.'

Dodge dropped back into his chair. But with attitude. After several moments of hostile glaring, he raised his shoulders.

'What?'