As soon as she dropped into her chair, the waitress came by and Kate ordered two Sloe Gin Fizzes, figuring she’d save the girl an extra trip. When the waitress left, Kate said, “I had to go out for sustenance at some point. You can take only so much of watered-down coffee and cookies before you start craving a vegetable or two.”
“Well, if it’s vegetables you’re craving, David here is an excellent couch potato, and when he’s drunk a couple of beers, Logan gets rather corny.”
She recognized David Washington and Logan Bradford as interns from Joseph and Long. They didn’t work with Hannah and Kate in the “bat cave,” the name coined by previous interns for the room due to its lack of windows. David and Logan interned for criminal defense attorneys and worked in the “cafeteria,” a room with plenty of natural sunlight, its own coffeemaker, a refrigerator, and a microwave. Kate had passed by it on her way to the copy room and was surprised by the sounds of laughter coming from inside. Almost made her wish she’d chosen to pursue criminal law.
David hooked an arm over Hannah’s shoulder and squeezed her. “Funny, Hannah Banana. What kind of law are you planning on practicing? Entertainment law? Because you always entertain me.”
David was older than Kate by a few years, heavy-set yet handsome with a dimple in his chin, laughing blue eyes, and black curly hair. He reminded her of a teddy bear, but she’d heard through the grapevine that he had one hell of a growl. Logan, on the other hand, was tall and lean, with a buzz cut and serious brown eyes. Closer to Nick’s age, he’d spent a few years in the army before attending law school and still looked every bit the military man. She was glad to finally meet some of the other interns out of the office.
“Family law,” answered Hannah. “Although if Ryan Gosling sought my expertise, I wouldn’t turn him down.”
“I bet you wouldn’t,” Kate said wryly.
The waitress returned with the drinks, and Kate started in on hers immediately, relishing the burn of the alcohol down her throat.
“Speaking of celebrities, we caught the six o’clock news at the firm,” said Hannah. “You clean up good on camera, although they got only a couple of brief shots of you standing behind Mr. Trenton. So we’re dying to know. What happened?”
David and Logan stopped chatting. She shouldn’t feel awkward, but she did, as if she were in the spotlight on stage, giving her debut performance. “Obviously I can’t get into the specifics of the case, but Mr. Trenton brought me to Mr. Deveroux’s police interview.”
David crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. “I’m surprised they haven’t arrested him yet.”
“Why’s that?” she asked.
“Oh, come on. It’s far more likely Deveroux did it over a stranger. He probably got carried away while they were getting their kink on and killed her. I mean, who else would have bound her naked in their bed?”
A feeling of unease spread through her. “How did you know she was bound naked?”
He gave her a quizzical glance. “The news. They did a whole report on S&M, and Friday night they’re airing a special on the seedy side of underground sex clubs. As if there’s a sunny side to them.”
She pulled out her cell phone and started dialing. “I should call Nick.”
“Why?” Hannah asked.
“He should know about the media.”
“I’m sure he does,” Logan said, plucking the cell from Kate’s hand. “He didn’t get to where he’s gotten by being ignorant. I’m sure if he needs you, you’ll get a call. After all, you’re his intern.”
She retrieved the phone from Logan and tossed it in her purse. “So is Hannah, but he didn’t bring her to the police station.” As soon as the words left her lips, she realized her error, not intending to have insulted her friend.
Hannah waved her beautifully manicured fingers in the air. “He knows I’m squeamish from my initial interview. That’s why I’m going into civil law rather than criminal. He was being considerate of me.”
David snorted and muttered, “If you say so.”
“I’m sure he’ll include you if anything else happens,” Kate said to Hannah in an attempt to rectify her mistake.
David brandished a hundred-dollar bill in front of them. “I’ll put a hundred bucks down that the DA will issue an arrest warrant by Halloween. You guys in?”
Hannah laughed, but Logan had the decency to frown at his friend and tell him to put his money away. Kate didn’t understand how anyone could make light of murder. She reeled in her temper and took another sip of her drink. These were her co-workers after all.