Trial Junkies

'Jesus,' Hutch murmured.

'And when Andy came to pick me up, I was worried we might not make it to the car. We just put our heads down and kept walking.'

'That's the only way to do it. Or never come out of your house.'

'If only I had that choice.'

They had let that percolate a moment, then Hutch said, 'I've been thinking, maybe you need to come out to Lincoln Park for a while. You and Christopher and your mom.'

She looked surprised. 'Seriously?'

'There's plenty of room for all three of you and I've got a doorman who'll be more than happy to keep the riff-raff out, or call the cops if he has to. There's even underground parking, so we can get you to court without having to run the gauntlet.'

She had smiled then. 'Boy, when you commit, you commit.'

'Let's just say I feel bad for doubting you all these months.'

'You've already done enough, Hutch.'

He shrugged. 'So let me do a little more.'

He hadn't told her about his suspicions regarding Frederick Langer, or what he and Gus were planning for the lunch hour. He doubted she even knew who Langer was. Most of the time she had her back to the gallery, and if she did turn around, Langer was merely one in a sea of faces.

They arranged for Andy to take her straight to Hutch's apartment after court, and when the reporters got a clue and realized she wasn't coming home, her mother would wait for them to disperse, then pack a few necessities, grab her grandson and follow. Hopefully, their nosy neighbor wouldn't be paying much attention.

Hutch knew that sooner or later the media would find out where Ronnie was staying-which would fuel even more rumors about them-but with a fifteenth floor apartment, at least nobody would be pointing cameras toward the bathroom window.

The afternoon was cut short when the judge, looking like he'd much rather be vacationing in Bermuda, decided to take the arguments into chambers. The current point of contention was a defense motion asking the court to allow Waverly to question Detective Meyer about a number of his previous cases-a motion Abernathy strenuously objected to-and Waverly had come armed with enough supporting case law to keep them all busy for quite some time.

For all his cries of boredom, Hutch was disappointed when they shut down early. His daily routine had been interrupted and he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He briefly considered following Langer, who had left the moment the gavel fell, but decided that this probably wasn't a wise idea until they knew exactly who they were dealing with.

Waverly had invited Ronnie into chambers and wanted to meet with her after court, so Ronnie told the others there was no point in sticking around.

Monica suggested they go for a drink, but Hutch declined, telling them he'd meet them at his apartment later that evening. After his visit with Nadine last night, he'd nearly had a lapse in judgment, and hanging out in a bar was probably not a wise thing to do.

He said to Andy, 'You'll be back for Ronnie, right? Help her pack her things and bring her to my place?'

Andy smirked. 'No, I thought I'd leave her here for the night.'

'Anybody ever tell you you're a world class smart ass?'

'It's come up once or twice.'

When they were gone, Hutch asked Gus what he did to fill the void at times like this.

'What else?' The old guy said with a shrug. 'Find another trial.'

— 32 -

After spending the rest of the afternoon watching an assault trial that was nearing its foregone conclusion (judging by the faces of the jurors and defense attorney, that is), Hutch had called it a day and gone straight home to take a much needed nap.

The Lincoln Park apartment was a spacious three-bedroom co-op, with high ceilings and wooden floors, that had been Hutch's family home for as long as he could remember. The park, the conservatory and the lake were directly across the street, and just two blocks behind the building was a variety of restaurants and bars, a grocery store, a pharmacy, two dry cleaners and a romper stomper preschool.

It was an insular world and there was no real reason to ever leave it-a sentiment his parents had clung to until the day they died. The irony of their death was that the plane crash that killed them had been the start of their first vacation in nearly fifteen years.

Hutch himself had been so anxious to get out of Lincoln Park that he fled the moment he graduated from high school, even though his college of choice was only a few miles away.

The same had been true for many of his friends. All but Monica and Tom had been raised in Chicago, but they'd chosen to abandon their family homes in favor of independence. By their second year of college they were all rooming in a large, rundown house on Miller Street, and asserting that independence with loud and unbridled enthusiasm.

Except for stints at grad school, only Hutch had moved away from the city after college. Yet here he was now, once again living in the family home. The home he'd been unwilling to let go.

There was certain irony in that as well.

After his nap, he smoked a cigarette and looked around, thought about the condition of Matt's apartment, then spent the next two hours cleaning the place up. He hadn't yet removed all of the protective plastic that had covered the furniture for years-dust tarps that had been placed there shortly after his parents' funeral. There were at least two loads of dirty dishes in the sink, and a fair amount of dirt tracked across the Oriental rug in the living room.

By the time Maurice called up to tell him that the first of his visitors had arrived, the place was spotless, with fresh sheets on the beds, a stack of laundered towels in the hall closet, and the faint smell of Lysol in the air. There was also a feast of sandwiches, pasta and pizza on its way from Rocco Ranalli's, just down the street. He had ordered more than they'd need, but figured he wouldn't encounter any resistance when it came time to dole out the leftovers.

At seven p.m. the doorbell rang and Andy stood in the hallway with Ronnie in tow. She immediately went to Hutch and pulled him into a hug, once again whispering 'thank you' in his ear. And judging by her body language he was starting to believe his get-out-of-jail-free card may have bought him a lot more than he had anticipated.

He had to admit he didn't mind the heat of her breath, and the feel of her breasts crushed against him, the faint aroma of lavender on her skin. But he hadn't sprung her from jail to buy her affection, and had no real desire to prove the tabloids right.

Or Nadine.

Her admonition popped into his brain: stop letting your dick do your thinking for you, and just as Andy gave him an attaboy look, he gently extricated himself from Ronnie's embrace and led them into the living room.

'Food's on the way,' he said.

Ronnie sighed. 'Good, I'm starving. I was so wound up in court today I couldn't eat lunch.'

'What happened when you guys went into chambers?'

'The judge finally allowed Waverly to bring in some of Meyer's old cases. She says she'll crucify him tomorrow, during cross.'

'Why his old cases?' Hutch asked. He gestured to the sofa and chairs atop the newly vacuumed rug and they all sat.