first, before they got to the iron bar part, Claire and Shane were seated on a wooden bench--it was a lot like a church pew, only with big bolts drilled into it on either side--and cuffed to the bench; too far apart, for Claire's comfort. She really ached to be held by him right now. "Hey, sir? Could I use the bathroom?" Shane asked. "Not until you're processed."
"I'm not kidding. I really need to go. Please? Or would you rather clean it up?" The deputy stared at him, harassed and doubtful, and Shane did a convincing squirm that Claire wasn't absolutely sure was fake. The deputy finally sighed and unhooked him to escort him to the small bathroom off the main room. Eve, meanwhile, had been taken straight to the sheriff's desk, where he offered her a big box of tissues and a glass of water. Claire was wondering what the heck to do, when she saw a flash of a face in the window of the station, behind the sheriff's back. A tall, lean figure in a long black coat, hat, and gloves. Oliver. Dressed for the sun. Out and moving, getting an assessment of where they were and what had happened. He saw her watching him and gave her a quick nod that told her nothing at all, not even, Don't worry. Then he vanished. Her phone gave out an ultrasonic ringtone. She blinked and looked around, but neither the sheriff nor the deputy had noticed it at all. Eve had, but after that first involuntary glance, she kept her back turned and stared off into space, Kleenex crumpled in both hands. Claire squirmed and managed to get her phone out of her pocket without attracting attention. She had a text message, from Michael. It read, We'll get you guys out of there soon. Meanwhile, stay quiet. It was pretty much the same advice Shane had given. She wanted to believe it, but her insides were still shaking. She was definitely not meant to be a career criminal. Right. She should just sit here, then, and--think of something else. Like science. Some people recited baseball scores to distract themselves; Claire liked to go through the entire periodic table of elements, and once she'd finished with that, she started on all of the alchemical symbols and properties Myrnin had taught her. That helped. It made her remember that there was something out there beyond this room, this moment, and that there were people out there who might actually care if she didn't come back. Shane came back from the toilet and was cuffed in place again. He edged over a little closer to her and leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, head hanging down so his hair covered his face. "There's a window in the bathroom," he said. "Not very big, but you could get out of it. Doesn't open, though. You'd have to break it out, and that would be noisy." Claire coughed and covered her mouth. "I'm not breaking out of jail! Are you crazy?"
"Well, it was a thought. I mean, seemed like a good idea at the time." Shane sat back up and looked at her, forehead crinkling in a frown. "I just don't want you here. It's not--" He shook his head. "It's just not right. Me and Eve, well, yeah, she piled into it head-on, and I'm always in trouble. But you ..."
"I'm okay." She reached out and put her palm against his cheek, feeling the slightly rough stubble there. It made her steadier. It made her want to be somewhere else, like in the motel room, with the door closed. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
"I am such a bad influence on you."
"Trying to get me to stage a jailbreak? Yeah. You really are."
"Well, at least you didn't do it. There's that." The deputy got up from his desk and came to unlock Shane from the bench. "Let's have a talk, Mr. Collins," he said. "Oh, let's," Shane said, with totally fake enthusiasm. He winked at Claire, which made her smile for a second, until she remembered there really was something tragic here--one man dead; two missing. Granted, they hadn't been the nicest people, but still... She realized, with a grim, cold, drenched feeling down her spine, that she had no idea what Oliver had been doing when those men were being killed. No idea at all.
The sheriff kept them talking for hours, then locked them in the cell in the back. Shane