Chapter Eighty-Six

“Hmmm.” Stephanie looked at her phone, her brows furrowed in wary recognition. This was the third time in as many days that this number had popped up on her phone.

At the sound of the musical ring tone, Richie looked up from the newspaper he was reading. “You going to answer that?”

“I don’t know. This is the third time this number has shown up and I have no idea who it could be.” She turned the phone so he could see what she was talking about.

The phone continued to sing in her hand while he studied the number. “That’s an LA area code.  Maybe you should answer it.”

Normally she didn’t answer if she didn’t recognize the number, but maybe it would make whomever was on the other end go away. “Hello?”

“Is this Ms. Stinson?”

She nodded, “yes. Who’s this?”

“Please hold for Jackie Lacey.” She was summarily put on hold.

Another voice came on the line, “Ms. Stinson?”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. This was getting old quick. “This is she. Who is this?”

“This is Jackie Lacey, Los Angeles District Attorney. Is this is a good time to talk?”

Stephanie abruptly stood up and moved away from the table, toward Richie’s office, wanting paper and pen handy for this conversation. “Yes, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.” She settled behind the big desk and rifled through the top drawer, coming up with a pen and a pad of paper. “Go ahead, please.”

Richie quietly followed her, taking the chair across from the desk, listening unashamedly to her half of the conversation. He gave her a questioning look when she glanced at him. She held up a finger, the universal gesture for “hold on a sec.”

She listened and replied, “I’m doing all right, all things considered.” She scribbled something on the pad in front of her and turned it toward Richie. Jackie Lacey, LA DA.

He nodded his understanding and waved her back to the call.

“I’m glad to hear that. I have the two gentlemen in question here in my office with their attorney and we’re trying to bring this matter to a close. I’d like to outline for you the way things are going and see if we can’t get this worked out today. Okay?”

Confusion crossed her features. “Wait, they’re in your office and you’re trying to cut a deal with them? Why am I just” she paused remembering the two previous calls from this number that she hadn’t answered. “Never mind. Go ahead, you were saying?” If she had answered even one of those calls she would have known what was going on. No more ignoring the phone, even if she doesn’t recognize the number.

District Attorney Lacey started to outline what they had discussed so far and “feel free to interrupt at any time if you have a question.”  Stephanie interrupted her before she could get very far. “Should I be there for this?” She didn’t want to do this over the phone and, reasonably, she could get downtown in about twenty minutes, if she pushed it.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Ms. Lacey could put the proceedings on hold for a little while if she really wanted to face her attackers.

Stephanie looked across the desk at Richie. “Wanna take a drive?” At his nod she turned her attention back to the call, “Ms. Lacey, we’ll be there in about 30 minutes.”

~

Stephanie frowned as Richie eased the car into a parking spot. “What’s wrong, Sweetheart? Did you change your mind?” He hoped that wasn’t the case. She needed to do this and put this whole incident behind her once and for all.

She pulled out her sunglasses and slid them on her face. “No, I didn’t change my mind. I was just hoping there would be a parking garage or underground parking or something that wasn’t quite so public.”   Glancing out the windshield, she could see a few photographers lurking around the building.

Richie put his sunglasses on and opened his door. “You don’t have to talk to them, you know. Just ignore them and keep on walking.”

She got out and shut the door. “Easy for you to say. You’ve had 30 more year’s practice at this than I have.” She came around the back of the car and took his outstretched hand. “Sorry to be so bitchy. I just hate the invasion of privacy. It’s nobody’s business why we’re here except ours.”

Together they walked to the light and waited to cross the street. “I get it Sweetheart, believe me. I know better than anyone about how they can invade your privacy and splash your life all over everywhere.”

They didn’t say anymore as they crossed the street and headed for the steps to the County Building. They hadn’t even managed to climb the first step when they were accosted.

“Richie!”

“Richie!”

“Richie, what are you doing here?”

“Richie, are you in trouble again?”

“Richie, what did you do now?”

At the decidedly sleazy and condescending tone of the last question, Stephanie turned and lowered her sunglasses.  “What did you say?”

The photographer snapped her picture before lowering his camera.  “I asked him what he did now.”  He glanced at Richie and then back at Stephanie, noticing the splint on her arm.  “Did he do that to you?  Is that why you’re here?”

Stephanie’s eyes widened in shock and her grip tightened in Richie’s, keeping him from walking up the steps.  “Are you kidding me?”

Another flash.

“Come on doll, you’re not here on a Saturday because you want a tour.  What did lover boy do, drink a little too much and your ‘play’ got a little too rough?  Or is he a nasty drunk and took it out on you?”

Richie tugged on her hand, trying to get her away from the lowlife.  “Come on Sweetheart, we’ve got somewhere to be.”  His mouth was drawn in a tight line and lines of anger furrowed on his forehead.

She turned blazing green eyes on him, “just gimme a minute.”  She turned her furious gaze back on the sleaze that called himself a professional.  “You have a name?”  Asshole would be fitting.

“The name’s Roger, ma’am.”  He smiled and looked more like a shark than a man.

“Well, Roger,” she started and the anger spewed out of her like lava from a volcano.  “Did you even think that maybe we’re here because of me, of something that maybe I did?  Or do you always automatically assume the worst in everyone?”  She held up her arm, waving her splint right in front of his face, “I was involved in an incident a few weeks ago.  Richie had nothing to do with this, other than taking care of my while I recuperated.” 

She lowered her voice when she noticed they were drawing an audience.  “He’s been nothing but supportive of me.  And, he would NEVER raise his hand to me.  I wouldn’t stick around if he did.”  Gathering herself, she took a breath, “if you print one word of this, if you sell one photo from today, I swear we will sue you for slander and by the time we’re done, you won’t be able to get a job searching out stories about alien abductions and three-headed monkey babies.”  She turned, ignoring Roger completely and looked at Richie, “come on darlin’, we’ve got a meeting to get to.”

Waiting for the elevator, Stephanie finally spoke.  “How much trouble did I just cause?”

Richie wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “it’s all good Sweetheart and thank you for standing up for me.”  He couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t had to defend himself to the press.  It was nice to know that someone outside the band had his back.  “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about hearing or seeing anything that happened out there.  Roger looked a little gob smacked by the time you finished with him.”

She leaned against him, “I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to accuse you of hurting me.  I just couldn’t let that go.”  She could feel the anger rising again and she paced away from him.  “Why do people always think the worst first?” 

The elevator opened and he ushered her in ahead of him, “I have no idea Sweetheart.  If I did, we could solve all the world’s problems.  For now, let’s take that anger of yours upstairs so you can kick some more ass.”

~

Dropping her purse on the entryway table, Stephanie slumped against the wall.  “That was a long damn day.” 

Richie nodded his agreement, “you want some dinner?”  They had been with the DA for the better part of the day and had missed lunch.

They headed to the kitchen and Stephanie opened the refrigerator, finding a bottle of her favored wine.  “Do you mind if I have a glass?”  She was wary about drinking in front of him, but after the day she had had, she could really use one.

He opened a cabinet and handed her a glass, “you go right ahead Sweetheart.”   He took out a second glass and poured himself a glass of water.  “You okay with how everything went down?”

She moved around his kitchen, getting out pots, searching the pantry.  “I’m going to cook while we talk, if that’s okay?”  She needed to do something while they rehashed the day.

He waved her off, “not at all.”  He was glad she felt so at home in his house.  He saw what she had gathered so far and added it to it with a few things from the refrigerator.

They worked in tandem, making a light sauce of diced tomatoes, olive oil and garlic, adding a touch of parmesan and some fresh basil.  The angel hair boiled in a second pot, nearly done before they spoke again.  “Was there any bread left from the other night?”  Stephanie deliberately ignored the subject of the day. 

Richie nodded his head toward the refrigerator even as he shut off the pasta pot.  “On the second shelf.” 

When they were settled at the breakfast bar with plates of food and refilled glasses, Richie broached the subject once more.  “You ready to talk yet?”

She nodded, “yeah.  I’m really okay with everything.  They have to do four weekends each in jail, and perform 300 hours of community service.  I don’t need their money, so making them donate the reimbursement for my medical costs to charity was a better solution there and the fact that they lost their season tickets with the Angels made me happy.  All in all, it was a good day.”  

Richie took a bite of his pasta, chewed and swallowed before speaking again.  “But are you sure having them do their community service with you on the next Habitat project was such a good idea?”  That worried him.  He didn’t want to even think about what could happen if these two idiots got upset with her again.

She sipped her wine, “I like to think that this way I can keep an eye on them. They really seemed like okay guys.  And I think the anger management classes will help.  That and not being allowed to drink for the next six months should do wonders for them.”

“I hope you’re right.”  He stood and kissed her head, “let’s clean up this mess and go sit outside.”

Together they put the kitchen back in order, Richie refilled her wine glass and together they sat outside on the patio to enjoy the sunset.  As the evening drifted in, Stephanie finished her wine and stood.  “You know what I’d like to do now?”  With a loud rip, she undid the Velcro of her splint and set it on the table.

Richie watched, fascinated, as she also kicked off her shoes.  “What’s that, Sweetheart?” 

She lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it into his lap, her bra quickly followed.  “I’d like to go for a swim.”   Not waiting for his reaction, she finished undressing, strode over and did a shallow dive into the deep end of the pool.

Richie looked down at the pile of clothes in his lap and then back to the pool.  He grinned and jumped up, his clothes a trail from his chair to the edge of the pool.