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“Hello, precious! What a nice welcome.” She patted the K9’s sides. “You are amazing. Look at you.” Her voice bubbled with delight. “There is so much of you.” She bent over to kiss Beowolf as Nutsbe took long strides toward her, the drool rag draped over his palm.
When she turned her head to see Nutsbe, she startled, then blinked. But that might have little to do with Nutsbe himself and more to do with Beowolf’s draping his copious jowls across her lap as he sat, looking up at her with his big doe eyes.
She could probably feel the slobber absorbing into her suit skirt.
“Ma’am,” Nutsbe started, and Olivia sat up. “I’m Nutsbe, your handler. Uhm, the dog handler for your case. I apologize. Beowolf’s a drooler.” He held out the rag he knew she’d need.
“Oh,” she said, accepting it with a smile, switched it from one hand to the other then held out her freed right hand for a shake. “Olivia Gladstone.”
Her fingers were cool, her skin soft. Her clasp was fine-boned and small, and he felt like he had bear paws in comparison. Nutsbe had no idea what he said or if he said anything. He was held in place by her smile and the sensation of warmth radiating from her hand to his.
He didn’t want to let go.
Might not have let go.
Might have just stood there looking like a fool. But thankfully, Beowolf broke the spell by pressing his head against Nutsbe’s thigh, giving him a nudge as if to say, “Yeah, that’s enough. I’m the only one with a license to drool.” As soon as Nutsbe moved, Beowolf shifted his head back into the petting zone.
Reluctantly, Nutsbe released her hand and turned to give Bob space to join the conversation.
“Hey, there, Liv. How was court today?” Bob asked, coming to stand next to Nutsbe.
“I thought that tonight, I might practice some kind of song and dance routine for the morning to keep my jury focused. That way, I can use lunch as a change of scenery and come back with this guy for the afternoon.” Olivia stroked a thumb over Beowolf’s wrinkled forehead.
Bob looked at Nutsbe, “She’s kidding, you’re going to try very hard not to let the jury know there’s a dog in the courtroom.”
“Got it.”
Turning back to Olivia, Bob said, “You know, a lot of lawyers I’ve talked to say that crime shows on TV are making the actual work of prosecuting that much harder,” Bob said.
“Exactly. I was just saying this to our paralegal this morning. The jury expects entertainment. And I’m just not the kind of prosecutor that makes a rabbit appear with the tap of a wand.”
When Olivia looked down, Beowolf lifted both his brows, waiting for a directive but not moving until absolutely necessary. Nutsbe could understand that. It looked like a nice place to be. As soon as the thought popped up, Nutsbe pushed it aside. He was here as an Iniquus representative and not some guy looking to buy a girl a drink at the bar.
“Beowolf,” she said with a smile. “Can you back it up, sweetheart? I need to get out now.”
Nutsbe stepped to the side and tapped his thigh. “Beowolf, flank.” For a moment, he was afraid that Beowolf would ignore him for Olivia’s exuberant attention. But Beowolf swung his head around, then trotted over to stand on Nutsbe’s left. “Good boy.”
Olivia stood.
“Uhm.” Nutsbe wiggled a finger at her skirt. There was a poorly positioned wet splotch. “Again, my apologies, ma’am.”
He couldn’t really read the mix of emotions on her face. “Not ma’am, just Olivia, thanks.” She swiped the rag down her skirt, but the liquid had already been absorbed. It didn’t seem to bother her much. Olivia had focused on the house. “Come on, I can see Candace watching us from behind the curtains. Let’s go in and see how she does.”
“Olivia, I’m staying out here to make some calls,” Bob said. “Nutsbe’s got you.”
Olivia shifted her gaze to Nutsbe. “Right, Nutsbe, you said?” She stepped onto the sidewalk. “But Thaddeus Crushed on your court papers.”
“That’s right. People call me Tad or Nutsbe. Your choice.” Nutsbe felt ice wash over him. His name was going to be in the court’s public documentation. If anyone knew how to look, he’d be exposed. Nutsbe would have to tell Sy Covington what was going on.
He thought certain leaders in the FBI might be interested in making the McMahan debacle go away by alleviating the friction point, him. If his testimony were interrupted, the whole “counterintelligence chief as Russian asset” might never find the light of public awareness. And the FBI might never be exposed to scrutiny or embarrassment. And though Nutsbe held the FBI in high esteem, it was a broad organization with a variety of personalities and personal goals. Yeah, Russia and Albania weren’t the only ones with skin in this game.
With Thaddeus Crushed transcribed into the court records, that could very well be the way to draw a bead on him.
Olivia led the way to the front door.
While she rang the bell, Nutsbe waited on the sidewalk with Beowolf in a down-stay. He wanted the witness to have a bit of distance to see Beowolf’s size and come to some conclusion about how she felt.
“Nutsbe, this is Candace,” Olivia said. “And that beast there, Candace, is Beowolf. He’s your personal knight in shining armor. His job is to gallantly sit with you and support you the entire time you’re in the courtroom.”
