“You call handcuffing me in my place of work an invitation?” I raised an eyebrow. “I’d hate to be invited to your dinner parties.”
Williams coughed once before schooling her features. “We apologize for the misunderstanding. Our intention was to invite you here to answer a few questions. The officers are being reprimanded for their mistake.”
Chambers grumbled in a way that made me think she was telling the truth, because he didn’t seem happy about it. Well, good. I didn’t like being handcuffed and marched through the hospital like some kind of criminal either.
“So I’m not under arrest?”
“No.”
“Great. I’ll be wanting my things so I can leave.” I stood.
“Miss Hayes, please sit back down. We just want to ask you a few questions about your involvement with the fugitives known as Avalanche, The Weaver, Whisper, and Hemlock. If you don’t cooperate now, we will have no choice but to issue official charges,” she said.
“Great. Then I want my lawyer.”
I didn’t have a lawyer but I was sure I would find one between this moment and the next time they showed up to arrest me. I knew a lot of people who probably hadfantasticlawyers.
“Miss Hayes, it’s in your best interest to speak to us right now.”
“Sure, but I have a right to see a lawyer, so be a good little detective and follow the law.” I gave Chambers a sarcastic smile. He didnotlike that.
“Listen here?—”
“No. Go get me a phone, so I can call my lawyer or let me out of this room.”
“You—”
The door swung open and one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen walked in. She had long, wavy, dark-brown hair with caramel highlights and golden-brown eyes. She wore a bright red shirt that matched her lipstick, a black pencil skirt that clung to every curve, and cream stilettos.
“Detective Chambers! You’re not trying to intimidate my client now, are you? Remember the headache I caused you last time?”
If this was a cartoon, steam would be coming out of his ears. Oh, she was a good lawyer; I could tell by the daggers he was staring at her.
“You’re not her lawyer.”
“Am too.” She smiled. “We received her retainer twenty minutes ago and rushed right over.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her leather briefcase and handed it to Williams. She scanned the paper and looked over at her partner.
“It’s all in order. Miss Law’s firm is handling anything relating to Miss Hayes.”
I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing. Miss Law? Priceless.
“She’s been here for two and a half hours. How did you just receive her retainer?”
“Tsk-tsk, Detective Chambers, you’re not telling me that you’ve had my client sitting here for two and a half hours without letting her contact an attorney, are you?”
I didn’t think it was possible for him to look more pissed off, but he did.
“Your client isn’t under arrest. There was no need for her to contact an attorney.”
“Funny, I received word that she was escorted out of her place of employment in handcuffs and forced into the back of a cop car. You’re saying she wasn’t under arrest but was still treated like a criminal?”
Chambers scowled before storming out of the room. Williams gave my lawyer a quick smile.
“We’ll give you a few minutes to confer with your client. But we do need to ask her a few questions before she leaves.”
“I’ll confer with my client and maybe we’ll answer your questions. You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t want to sue after the way she’s been treated.”
Ooh, I liked the sound of that. I didn’t need the money, but it’d be nice to have—especially when it came out of the RMPD’s budget.
