High Country Fall

“He an attorney, too?”

“No, a deputy sheriff.”

Burke’s smile grew broader. “He catches ’em and you send ’em to prison?”

“Sometimes.”

“Won’t that be a conflict of interest?”

“If it is, the district’s big enough that other judges can handle it when he needs to testify in district court. A lot of his work is homicide and major felonies, though, so he winds up in superior court most of the time. What about you? Your ring on anybody’s finger?”

“Nope.”

Whether it was because we were going down instead of up or because Burke’s driving didn’t make me nervous, the trip back from the Ashe party felt shorter than going. The bright moon helped. Even the steep driveway up to Beverly’s unit seemed less intimidating. I pointed to my doorway, and Burke left the motor running as he got out to open the back for my guitar case.

“That was a good party tonight,” I said. “Thanks for the ride. Will I see you in court this week?”

“Probably.”

Our hands brushed as I reached for the handle he was holding, and my ring gleamed in the moonlight.

“Do you ever take it off?” he asked, continuing his hold on the handle.

“Never,” I said firmly.

“Too bad.”

I don’t know how much longer he would have gone on holding my guitar case if the twins hadn’t swept up about then in their Jeep.

CHAPTER 10

“You were out with the luscious Lucius?” asked May as the taillights of Burke’s Blazer disappeared down the drive. “Luscious Lucius?” I laughed at the appropriateness of the tag. “Is that what the women here call him?”

“I thought you were engaged,” said June.

Both of them were staring at me in disapproval.

“Hey, wait a minute here,” I said. “I wasn’t out with him. He gave me a ride home from a party we both attended.”

“A lift?” May’s eyebrows shot right up to her copper curls.

“From the way you were holding hands,” said June, “it looked like he was about to take his taxi fare out in trade.”

“We weren’t holding hands. He was giving me back my guitar.” I walked over to my car and put it in the trunk while June unlocked the door to the condo and held it open for May, who carried a large plastic cake box.

“That looks interesting,” I said, but they weren’t ready to climb down quite yet.

She dumped the box onto the kitchen table. “It’s just leftovers. Didn’t the luscious Lucius feed you?”

“Would you please stop that? What’s wrong with you two?”

“We heard what went on at the courthouse today,” said June.

“Huh?”

“Lucius Burke told you that Danny Freeman killed Dr. Ledwig and you believed him.”

“You should have seen how stupid that was and turned Danny loose.”

“Wait a minute. You know Daniel Freeman?” Before they could speak, I answered my own question. “Of course. Carla. It was his girlfriend that left a message for you to call, wasn’t it?”

“She’s having his baby. They’re going to get married. You think she’d be stupid enough to hook up with a killer?”

“Look,” I said. “Nobody knows they’re going to be a killer till they actually do it. The man called him a nigger and—”

“Oh, shit, Deborah! If Dwight Bryant’s mother called you a piece of juking redneck trailer trash, would you smash her over the head?”

“Of course not. But—”

“No buts!” June said hotly. “You wouldn’t and neither would Danny. He’s one of the most grounded guys we know. He doesn’t run from labels.”

“He invites them,” said May.

“They just validate the point he’s trying to make.”

“Strangers think he’s white.”

“Then when he says he’s black—”

“—it makes people question their own prejudices.”