it.
'That's all old news. I left you a message yesterday. You could have just called back. I would have come to your office.'
'I was out of town. When I got home this evening, I read the paper and saw you and the mayor on the news. I decided a house call would be more private. I live at the Alameda Towers and the press has practically camped out in the parking lot.'
'How did you get past them?'
'Our building is connected to the Intercontinental Hotel. I parked in the hotel garage and walked through the hotel. The press can't get past my doorman and they haven't figured out my secret entrance.'
'Gee, that's a better setup than having Alfred and the Batcave.'
Beth laughed. 'You were always good at that in law school. I used to watch you with your friends. You were always the one who made everyone laugh.'
Mason grinned. 'If you were watching me, you know I was watching you. If only I'd have known.'
Beth shrugged. 'I was your teacher, but I wasn't dead.'
'Is it too late for extra credit?'
'It's too late for that, but I hope it's not too late for you to help me.'
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Mason drained his beer and carried it to the sink. He leaned back against the counter and studied her.
She had drawn him in with a mix of vulnerability and flirtation that he found engaging, flattering, and, under other circumstances, irresistible.
'The governor appointed you because you were an expert on ethics, on right and wrong. You know who my client is and why I called you. When this case is over, I could represent you. But not now.'
'I'm not asking you to be my lawyer. I know better than that.'
'Then what do you want?'
'Protection.'
'From who?'
She crossed the room to him, stopping within arm's reach, trembling, begging to be held without saying a word. Mason clamped his hands on the counter's edge.
'Protect you from what?' he repeated.
She dipped her head, looked away, and then turned her back to him.
'You're right. I shouldn't have come here. My office would have been better.'
'Maybe not. If you tell me who or what you're afraid of, I may be able to help you. But you realize the position we're both in here.'
She stiffened and took a deep breath and went back to her chair. 'Let's stick to your business. I'll take care of mine. Why did you call?'
Mason didn't press. He wasn't looking for more complications.
'Good enough. Tell me about last Friday night. Why were you out with Jack Cullan?'
Beth straightened, her posture saying she was ready to get down to business. 'He asked me out. We're both single. He was a very interesting man, well read and charming when he wanted to be.'
Mason heard the words but didn't believe them. 'You're telling me that in the middle of a scandal over whether Cullan had you in his back pocket, he asked you out on a date and you said yes? Are you nuts?'
Beth clasped her hands, setting them on the kitchen table. 'I'm forty-three years old. I've been married and divorced twice and I have no children. I don't even have a damn dog! Men call me the Ice Queen behind my back, and that's the nicest thing they say. So when Jack Cullan asked, I said yes. There's no crime in that.'
'There's no sense in it either.'
'All the official investigations went nowhere. Rachel Firestone is the only one beating the scandal drum, and no one was paying any attention. We would have had a pleasant evening and no one would have written or said anything about it. We didn't even talk about the Dream Casino or any other gaming commission business.'
'If it was all so pleasant, why did you throw a drink in his face?'
She took a breath. 'I said that Jack could be charming. He could also be crude, especially when he asked me to spend the night with him. I told him I wasn't interested and he called me a cock teaser, among other things.'
'That's it? He called you names?'
She reddened. 'No. He threatened me. He threatened to ruin me.'
'How? I've heard that Cullan collected dirt on a lot of people. Did he have a file on you?'
'He didn't say and I don't know. I haven't led a perfect life, but I never took a bribe. He just said he would do it, that I wouldn't see it coming, and that no one but the two of us would know that it had been him. That was too much. I've had two husbands who tried that crap on me, and I wasn't going to put up with it from him.'
'So why didn't you press charges?'
'Having dinner with Jack and going to that bar afterward was a nonevent. Filing criminal charges against him for assault would have been a media circus. No, thanks. It was better to chalk it up to one more bad judgment about the men whose company I keep.'
Mason took the chair next to hers. 'The owner of the bar is my client and my friend. He goes by Blues. He saved my life and I'm trying to save his.'
'I'm not sure I can help you.'
'Let me decide that. You threw your drink in Cullan's face and he came after you.'
'He grabbed me, yes.'
'And Blues pulled him off of you, right?'
'Yes. Yes, he did.'
'And that's when Cullan scratched the back of Blues's hands. Am I right?'
Beth thought for a moment and shook her head. 'I'm sorry. I was pretty upset. I just don't remember. All I do remember is Jack telling your client that he was going to put him out of business.'
Mason gave her time to say more, but she didn't. 'Okay. What happened after you left the bar?'
'Jack took me home. He dropped me off. He didn't apologize and I didn't invite him upstairs.'
'Did you stay home the rest of the night?'
She stood and circled the table. 'My God, Lou! You're asking me if I killed him?'
'I'm doing my job. I'm sure the police asked you the same question.'
Beth glared at him. 'I expected that from them but not from you.'
She headed for the door, picked up her coat, and jammed her arms into the sleeves, twisting a scarf around her neck. 'I didn't kill him. I'm sorry I went out with the son of a bitch, but I didn't kill him. And, I'm sorry I came here tonight.'
'I'm not sorry. I don't want it to be you.'
'Neither do I,' she said and left.
Tuffy went into the living room, climbed into her dog bed, turned around three times, and lay down. Mason joined her on the floor, scratched behind her ears, and thought about the last two days.
His working theory was that Cullan's murder was linked to the Dream Casino deal, a theory that led to three suspects-Ed Fiora, Billy Sunshine, and Beth Harrell. Fiora refused to talk to him but sent Tony Manzerio to deliver a message. The mayor played politics and sent Amy White to plead his case. Beth Harrell made a house call, asking for his help without offering anything in return.
Though she was long on motive and short on alibi, Mason meant it when he told her that he hoped it wasn't her. He slipped his hand under Tuffy's face and aimed her head at his.
'What do you think? Can I save Blues and still get the girl?'
Tuffy raised her paw and pushed his hand away, then pawed him again until he resumed scratching behind her ears.
'It's all about you, isn't it? Well, at least you're honest about it.'
