Read Online Spencer-3 by Kathi S. Barton - Free Book Online Page B

He’s five weeks old. But what does that have to do—”
    “Imagine, if you can, those nine children tied to that pole, and little Bobby Clamp is one of them. The driver comes barreling down the street and slams on his brakes. He nose dives his car to stop—this time. Yes, he was speeding; posted limit in that area is thirty-five, but he was traveling at about forty-two easy. That aside, because going thirty-five or fifty-five, had he have swerved instead of braking there, would have been a fifty-fifty chance he would have driven into those children. They had no means of escape, no one to pull them to safety, and not one of them could hear the shouts of the others around them. At either speed, all nine, plus little Bobby, would be dead. How would you feel about that? How would you have felt knowing that the teacher, the one you have entrusted to keep them safe from the hours of eight until three, took them to the store, and tied them to a pole so that she could go into a store and purchase a beer?” The room was quiet. Counselor Clamp had to lean back against his table, his face pale and drawn. Cait looked over at Devin and he, too, was pale. She was beginning to think she had gone too far when the back doors to the court room opened and three uniformed officers and a nicely dressed detective walked in.
    Cait’s uncle was right behind them.
    “Sorry for the interruption, Your Honor, but we have an arrest warrant for Miss Amelia Ames on child endangerment, reckless endangerment, delinquency of a minor, public intoxication.”
    “That’s a lie!” Ms. Ames jumped up. “I never once offered them damned brats any of my beer.”
    Cait couldn’t help it. All the stress of the past few weeks, she just burst out laughing.
    ~~~
    Spencer watched as O’Malley talked with the police who had arrested Ms.
    Ames. She looked so at ease and happy. His family had gone to lunch and he was to bring her along with him. Paddy O’Malley clapped him on his shoulder as he came up behind Spencer.
    “Got it bad, don’t you, laddie?”
    Spencer didn’t answer, but smiled at the man. But yeah, he had it bad.
    “She’s all I got left of my brother. She’s a good girl, but it will take a hell of a man to claim her.”
    “She and I just met, Paddy. I’m not sure either of us is ready to talk about claiming each other. Besides, she’s made it perfectly clear that she’s leaving as soon as this is over.”
    “Maybe. That brother of yours, the one that’s a lawyer, he’s been using her for another case, ain’t he?”
    “I think so. But he pissed her off and she told him she wouldn’t help him anymore. She has a hell of a stubborn way about her, he said.” He looked down at the little man and noticed a twinkle in his eye. Spencer smiled; he thought it suited the man, for some reason.
    “He’d be correct in that—got that from my sister, Dee. She was two weeks late, wouldn’t be born until she was ready. Same way with my Caddy-did.” Spencer had thought that Dee was Paddy’s wife and was surprised to hear otherwise. He looked over at the woman in question and noticed that she seemed to know as many of the police as Paddy did.
    Cait shook hands with Captain Tucker and then she was walking toward him. He barely registered Paddy’s comment about having it really bad. Watching her and not tackling her to the floor to kiss her took every ounce of his concentration.
    “That went well, don’t you think?” she asked him, and then frowned. The smile she had slowly slipped from her lovely face.
    “My family is going to celebrate and you and your family are to come too.
    My mom said to tell you that you’d better be there; she would hate to have to kick your butt.” Spencer moved a curl from her cheek and ran his fingers down her shoulder to her hand.
    “Okay. Are you all right, Grant? You look...I don’t know. Did I do something to upset you? If this is about me and Meggie, I just didn’t want her to warn the