“If Sanders beats me, I’ll start a practice here in Prentiss.”
“You’ll win. You have the PD’s endorsement.”
They’d made their peace with Neal Lester. Neal had cornered Crawford one day in a corridor of the courthouse and manfully apologized for letting personal feelings get in the way of the investigation. “I screwed up.”
“Keep doing what you do, Neal,” Crawford told him as they shook hands. “Departments need cops like you to balance out the cops like me.”
Now, drawing Holly closer, he said, “You also have the backing of Prentiss County’s criminal element. Smitty called me today. He wanted to know when you’re going to redeem your coupon.”
“I can’t believe Judge Mason granted him bail.”
“He’s a small fish. The authorities are after bigger fish, and Smitty knows it. He’ll plea-bargain himself out of any serious jail time. Actually I hope he’s not in for long. He’s useful. Never mind that he’s a damn douche bag.”
“Shh. Watch your language.”
“Sorry. He’s a regular douche bag.”
Holly laughed. They resettled their attention on Georgia as she squirmed into the tutu. “You should bring her to the courthouse one day soon. I could give her a tour of the courtroom and take her up to my office.”
“She’d like that. A few days ago, she asked me if you wore a robe like Judge Judy. I told her yes. What I didn’t tell her was my fantasy about disrobing you.”
“Oh?”
He moved them out of sight of Georgia, and situated her between him and the adjacent wall, where they’d stood before and kissed under much more desperate circumstances.
“In my fantasy,” he said, “you’ve got nothing on under your robe.”
“And you discover this how?”
“I’ll show you when we act it out.” Their smiles met, meshed, and as he nudged his way between her thighs, the kiss intensified.
“Daddy?”
Holly tried to spring apart from him, but he held her close, keeping his arms looped around her waist. “She had just as well get used to it,” he whispered. Then to Georgia, “Yeah, sweetheart?”
She walked into the hall, wearing her tutu, tiara, and ballet shoes, carrying her new doll. Taking in the scene, she said to Holly, “You have to be careful not to hug Daddy too tight because he’s got a big Band-Aid around his tummy.”
“I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Okay. Can we make sundaes now, Daddy?”
“I promised sundaes, and I always keep my promises.”
“Can Holly stay?”
He looked deeply into her eyes. “Can Holly stay?”
She replied, “Holly can stay.”
Acknowledgments
I want to thank the Honorable Diane Haddock, Associate Judge, District Court 233rd, Tarrant County, Texas…
…first for being a fan, then for becoming a friend, and, as I was writing this book, for providing me with valuable information. Please don’t hold her accountable for any mistakes I made.
And my family joins me in extending a special thank you to Parrie Jane Carroll, who served as my personal assistant for twelve years. They didn’t seem as long to me as they must have to her! She managed to keep our lives in order with admirable patience, poise, grace, and seeming ease, when we all know full well we’re virtually unmanageable. She is missed, but has earned every moment of a peaceful retirement.