Mellanie looked up. Her auburn hair was in complete disarray. She’d been crying badly; sticky trails down her cheeks. Even so, she remained gorgeous. Perhaps even more so in this state: a classic damsel in distress. “What?”
He grinned ruefully. “Never mind. You do know why those people are here, don’t you?”
She nodded, and lowered her head again.
“The penthouse belongs to the bank now, Mellanie. You have to find somewhere else to stay.”
“This is my home,” she wailed.
“I’m really sorry. Would you like me to drive you back to your parents’ house?”
“I was going to wait for him here. Then when he comes back, everything will be just the same again.”
That shocked Hoshe more than anything else in the whole case. “Mellanie, the judge gave him a hundred and twenty years.”
“I don’t care. I’ll wait. I love him.”
“He doesn’t deserve you,” Hoshe said sincerely.
She looked up again, her face troubled as if she didn’t know who she was talking to.
“If you want to wait, that’s your decision, and I respect that,” he said. “Though I’d love to try and talk you out of it. But you really can’t do it here. I know it must be horrible for you seeing the bank walk in and take everything like this. But busting up a bot isn’t going to help get rid of them. In any case, the idiots outside are just doing their job. Annoying them just means people like me have to turn up and do their dirty work for them.”
“You’re a very strange policeman. You care. Not like that—” Her lips tightened.
“Paula Myo’s gone. She left after the trial. You won’t ever see her again.”
“Good!” Mellanie looked at the carving knife, and extended a leg, pushing it away with her toes. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “But everything nice I ever had happen in my life happened here, and they just barged in and started… They were really nasty.”
“Small people always are. You going to be okay, now?”
She sniffed loudly. “Yes. I think so. I’m sorry they bothered you.”
“Not a problem, believe me; any excuse to get out of the office is welcome. So, why don’t I help you pack a couple of suitcases, then I’ll take you home? Humm, how about that?”
“I can’t.” She stared straight ahead. “I will not go back to my parents. I can’t do that. Please.”
“All right, that’s okay. How about a hotel?”
“I don’t have any money,” she whispered. “I’ve been eating the packets in the freezer since the trial. They’re almost gone. That’s why all the staff left. I couldn’t pay them. Morty’s company won’t help. None of the directors will even see me now. God! Those bastards. They loved me before, you know. I stayed at their houses, played with their children. And the parties we had. Have you ever been rich, Detective?”
“That’s Hoshe, and no, I’ve never been rich.”
“They really don’t live by the same rules as anyone else. Whatever they want to do, they just do it. I found that exciting. It was so wonderful being a part of that, not having limits, living so free. Now look at me. I’m nothing.”
“Don’t be silly. Someone like you can achieve whatever they want to. You’re just young, that’s all. Changes this big are frightening at your age. You’ll pull through. We all do in the end, somehow.”
“You’re very sweet, Hoshe. I don’t deserve that.” She wiped some of the moisture from her cheeks. “Are you going to arrest me?”
“No. But we do need to find you somewhere to stay for tonight. How about a friend?”
“Ha.” Her smile was bitter. “I don’t have any. Before the trial I had hundreds. Now, there isn’t one of them who’ll talk to me. I saw Jilly Yen the other week. She actually left the shop so she didn’t have to say hello.”
“Okay, look, I know the manageress of a B&B not far from here. Have a couple of nights there on me while you get yourself sorted out. You could maybe get a job waitressing or something, there are enough bars in this town. And the colleges will start enrolling in another three weeks. You must have had some thoughts on a career before all this happened.”
“Oh no, no. I can’t take money off you.” Mellanie pushed herself to her feet, combing at her snarled hair in embarrassment. “I don’t want charity.”
“It’s not charity. I’m doing all right now as it happens, I got a decent raise as part of my promotion.”
“You got promoted?” Her brief smile died as she realized why. “Oh.”
“You have to go somewhere. And, believe me, this B&B is cheap.”
Mellanie bowed her head. “One night. That’s all. Just one.”
“Sure. Let’s go and pack a bag.”
She peered at the door. “They said I couldn’t take anything that was mine. They said Morty paid for it all, so it belonged to the bank now. That’s why I… Well, you know.”
“Sure. I’ll sort it out.” He guided Mellanie out into the living room. “The young lady is packing a bag of clothes and leaving,” he told the suits.
“We cannot allow any bank property—”
“I’ve just told you what’s happening,” Hoshe said. “You want to make an issue of it? You want to call me a liar?”
They looked at each other. “No, Officer.”
“Thank you.”
