Page 37 of Star Crossed
Those were extremely serious offenses, and apparently the state of New York agreed. Even with time severed in jail waiting for trial, Romeo Wellings had spent over two years in prison because of them, and that was as mind-boggling as the rest of it.
The phone rang, jerking her out of her thoughts, and she reached to answer it automatically. “911, what’s your emergency?”
“Dang, Jules, I can’t believe the sheriff’s got you working on a holiday.”
Eyes still on the screen, she repeated, “What’s your emergency?”
“Oh, you know, the boys have been drinking, and they ended up in a nasty fistfight. Broke my dang coffee table in the process.” The caller sighed. “I guess ya ought to send the sheriff out here to straighten ’em out.”
“Sheriff’s kinda busy right now,” Jules said with a glance at Wyatt’s office, seeing that he was leading Terry to the lockup in back. “Are they still fighting?”
“Nah, I just thought he could come and talk to ’em. Scare ’em a little. They shouldn’t be drinking anyways. They’re not even old enough, but they found their daddy’s stash and wouldn’t ya figure they’d be mean drunks.”
“That seems to be par for the course in this town,” Jules observed because they’d been getting the same damn call all night. “Drinking underage is a crime and Sheriff’s in a mood on account of New Year’s. You sure you want him to come out there?”
“I suppose not. I’ll just have their daddy give ’em a talking to when he gets off shift.”
“Good plan,” Jules agreed. “But call back if you need help.”
“Will do. Thanks, Jules.”
“No problem,” Jules said and then hung up.
She went back to staring at the screen but jumped when Wyatt said behind her, “Are you advising people against seeking my assistance on account of the fact they’re breaking the law? What the hell kinda dispatch are ya running, Jules?”
“Back off,” she snapped as she stood. She reached for her cell phone and shoved it in her pocket before she announced, “I’m going on break.”
“We’re swamped. You can’t go on break.”
“Watch me.” Jules walked past her brother and headed toward the lockup. “Fire me if you don’t like it. Not like I get a damn paycheck anyway.”
“Do you wanna paycheck?” Wyatt asked, following after her. “Do you need the two hundred bucks? Only lawyer for two towns. You’re not exactly hurting for cash.”
“What I need is a break.” Jules stopped in front of the hallway that led to the lockup and tilted her head. “I believe that’s a dispatch call I hear.”
Wyatt stood his ground, glaring at her until the third ring. Then he swore and turned on his heel, dashing back to the front desk. Jules left him to it and headed to the lockup. She stopped in front of the first cell, leaned against the bars, and pressed her face between them.
“Hey, Terry,” she whispered.
Terry sat on the bench, looking broken, but he ran a hand through his dark hair and turned his head to glance at her. “Hey, Jules.”
“Wanna tell me what happened?”
“Are you asking as my lawyer?”
“I’m asking as your friend.” Jules gave him a gentle smile. “Tomorrow I’ll be your lawyer. We’ll get it handled, darlin’.”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to practice criminal law.”
“Yeah, but I can give excellent advice, and I got a buddy over in Eastwind who’s really great. He owes me a favor.” Jules studied him curiously. “You don’t seem that drunk to me.”
Terry shrugged. “That thing the sheriff had me blow in said I was drunk enough. I knew I shouldn’t have driven. I just needed to get out, and walking home wasn’t a great plan.”
“How’d you wreck your car?”
“A damn possum ran out in front of me.” Terry sighed. “I should’ve just hit it instead of swerve.”
“I’m gonna beat my brother for this if that makes you feel better.”
