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Authors: Rhonda Pollero
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grabbed a pashmina, my purse, a travel mug of coffee, and Liam’s disposable-cell number, then drove back to Dane-Lieberman.
I was kind of relieved to see only Tony’s car in the lot. I’d been afraid that he might bring Ellen and Vain Dane in on the problem.
Said problem being me.
I didn’t exactly race up to the fourth floor, mainly because I didn’t know exactly what I was going to say. The offices were like a ghost town, the hallways lit only by the reddish glow of the exit signs at the stairwells. It was gloomy, which seemed appropriate given my predicament.
When I stepped into Tony’s doorway, I heard the muffled voice of the eleven o’clock newscast coming from the credenza on the far wall. Usually the TV was hidden inside the cabinet, but Tony obviously wanted to keep a keen eye on what was unfolding.
He looked up at me and definitely wasn’t happy. “Sit.”
Stay, heel. Liver treat. I perched on the edge of the seat, my toes tapping soundlessly against the plush carpeting. My mind was racing, as was my heart. I wished he’d stop glaringat me and say whatever it was he wanted to say. Like “You’re fired. ”
“Start at the beginning. How did Liam come to be at your house?”
“Ashley brought him over.” I obviously had no qualms about throwing her under the bus.
“Ash is in on this, too?”
Ash? It never dawned on me that Tony might have a history with Beer Barbie. Of course he did. Liam and Ashley would have been married when Tony and Liam first became friends. I spent the next thirty minutes recapping my involvement with Liam, all the while Tony’s frown deepening.
“You rented him a car?” he asked in a harsh tone.
“He’s very determined to find out what happened to José Lopez. Am I going to be charged with a crime?”
“You could.”
My toes tapped faster. “What will happen to me?”
“For right now, nothing. But down the road the ASA could charge you with aiding and abetting, harboring a fugitive, and destroying evidence.”
“But he wasn’t a fugitive when I did any of those things. He was just a guy who was spooked when he discovered his former friend was dead and someone took a shot at him. If anything, Liam is a victim.”
“Give me a dollar.”
“Excuse me?”
“Give me a dollar. It’s your retainer. Now, whatever isn’t covered by attorney work product will be covered by attorney-client privilege.”
I fished a dollar out of my wallet. “Thank God.”
“This only works if Liam comes in and becomes my client. Tell me how to reach him.”
“He bought a disposable cell,” I said as I took the scrap of paper from my bag. “This is the number.”
“Where is he now?”
“He was going to Ashley’s to pick up some clothes. I have no idea what he planned after that.”
Tony grabbed up the receiver and pressed a series of buttons. I could only hear Tony’s side of the conversation and it wasn’t pretty. Well, unless you count pretty colorful. The call ended with Tony slamming the phone on the cradle. He held the slip of paper up with Liam’s number on it and said, “I’ll hang on to this right now. I don’t want the two of you putting your heads together until I have a chance to hear Liam’s version of events.”
“You think I’m lying?” I asked, offended.
“I think you’d go above and beyond to help Liam. Admirable but not helpful. He’ll be here at seven tomorrow morning. I want you here at eight.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Then we go see the cops and try to straighten this out before it becomes a bigger mess.”
My cell phone rang and I was half afraid it was Liam calling to scream at me for talking to Tony. I looked at the caller ID. It was worse, it was my mother, who I’d bet my last dollar—the one I’d just given Tony—had seen the evening news and wanted to gloat.
“Don’t discuss this with anyone,” he warned.
I twirled a lock of hair around my finger. “I kinda have.”
Tony sighed. “Who, and what did you
I was kind of relieved to see only Tony’s car in the lot. I’d been afraid that he might bring Ellen and Vain Dane in on the problem.
Said problem being me.
I didn’t exactly race up to the fourth floor, mainly because I didn’t know exactly what I was going to say. The offices were like a ghost town, the hallways lit only by the reddish glow of the exit signs at the stairwells. It was gloomy, which seemed appropriate given my predicament.
When I stepped into Tony’s doorway, I heard the muffled voice of the eleven o’clock newscast coming from the credenza on the far wall. Usually the TV was hidden inside the cabinet, but Tony obviously wanted to keep a keen eye on what was unfolding.
He looked up at me and definitely wasn’t happy. “Sit.”
Stay, heel. Liver treat. I perched on the edge of the seat, my toes tapping soundlessly against the plush carpeting. My mind was racing, as was my heart. I wished he’d stop glaringat me and say whatever it was he wanted to say. Like “You’re fired. ”
“Start at the beginning. How did Liam come to be at your house?”
“Ashley brought him over.” I obviously had no qualms about throwing her under the bus.
“Ash is in on this, too?”
Ash? It never dawned on me that Tony might have a history with Beer Barbie. Of course he did. Liam and Ashley would have been married when Tony and Liam first became friends. I spent the next thirty minutes recapping my involvement with Liam, all the while Tony’s frown deepening.
“You rented him a car?” he asked in a harsh tone.
“He’s very determined to find out what happened to José Lopez. Am I going to be charged with a crime?”
“You could.”
My toes tapped faster. “What will happen to me?”
“For right now, nothing. But down the road the ASA could charge you with aiding and abetting, harboring a fugitive, and destroying evidence.”
“But he wasn’t a fugitive when I did any of those things. He was just a guy who was spooked when he discovered his former friend was dead and someone took a shot at him. If anything, Liam is a victim.”
“Give me a dollar.”
“Excuse me?”
“Give me a dollar. It’s your retainer. Now, whatever isn’t covered by attorney work product will be covered by attorney-client privilege.”
I fished a dollar out of my wallet. “Thank God.”
“This only works if Liam comes in and becomes my client. Tell me how to reach him.”
“He bought a disposable cell,” I said as I took the scrap of paper from my bag. “This is the number.”
“Where is he now?”
“He was going to Ashley’s to pick up some clothes. I have no idea what he planned after that.”
Tony grabbed up the receiver and pressed a series of buttons. I could only hear Tony’s side of the conversation and it wasn’t pretty. Well, unless you count pretty colorful. The call ended with Tony slamming the phone on the cradle. He held the slip of paper up with Liam’s number on it and said, “I’ll hang on to this right now. I don’t want the two of you putting your heads together until I have a chance to hear Liam’s version of events.”
“You think I’m lying?” I asked, offended.
“I think you’d go above and beyond to help Liam. Admirable but not helpful. He’ll be here at seven tomorrow morning. I want you here at eight.”
“Okay, then what?”
“Then we go see the cops and try to straighten this out before it becomes a bigger mess.”
My cell phone rang and I was half afraid it was Liam calling to scream at me for talking to Tony. I looked at the caller ID. It was worse, it was my mother, who I’d bet my last dollar—the one I’d just given Tony—had seen the evening news and wanted to gloat.
“Don’t discuss this with anyone,” he warned.
I twirled a lock of hair around my finger. “I kinda have.”
Tony sighed. “Who, and what did you
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