"Ooh," he said, "that was nasty. Wonder if I can think of a comeback half that good."
"Let me have my gun, Maiden."
He locked the door behind us. Jason was sitting in the little row of chairs across from the desk. He looked up. "Can we go home now?"
"Wasn't Officer Maiden entertaining?" I asked.
"He wouldn't let me play with his handcuffs," Jason said.
Maiden went behind the desk and unlocked the drawer. He brought out the Browning, slipped the clip back in it, and pulled the slide back, which jacked a shell into the chamber. He checked the safety and handed it to me, butt first.
"You think Myerton's dangerous enough to need to carry one in the chamber?" I asked.
Maiden looked at me. It was a long look as if he were trying to tell me something. "You never know," he said finally.
We stood staring at each other for a few frozen moments, then I put the Browning in the holster with the bullet ready to go, though I checked the safety twice. Didn't usually go around with a live round in the chamber. Made me nervous. Made me more nervous that Maiden might be trying to warn me. Of course, he might just be yanking my chain. Some cops, especially small town ones, tended to give me grief. Being a vampire executioner made some of them want to trade macho shit with me, like getting me to carry a live round in the chamber.
"Have a nice day, Blake."
"You, too, Maiden," I said.
I had the door open, Jason at my back, when Maiden said, "Be careful out there."
His eyes were guarded. There was nothing to read on his face. I am not a subtle person, big surprise. "You got something to say, Maiden?" I asked.
"I'm going to be taking my lunch break after you leave."
I looked at him. "It's ten o'clock in the morning. Little early for lunch, don't you think?"
"Just thought you'd like to know I won't be here."
"I'll try and squelch my disappointment," I said.
He flashed a quick grin, then stood. "I gotta lock the door behind you, since I'm leaving the desk unattended."
"Locking Belasarius in with Richard?"
"I won't be gone that long," he said. He opened the door for us, waiting for us to go outside.
"I don't like games, Maiden. What the f**k is going on?"
He wasn't smiling when he said, "If the fancy lawyer gets bail for your boyfriend, I'd leave town."
"You're not suggesting he jump bail, are you, Officer?"
"His family has been here almost from the first night he was taken into custody. Before that, it was the scientists that he's been working with. A lot of nice, upstanding citizens standing around for witnesses. But the nice upstanding citizens won't be here forever."
Maiden and I looked at each other. I stood there for a minute, wondering if he'd stop hinting and just tell me what the hell was going on. He didn't.
I nodded at him. "Thanks, Maiden."
"Don't thank me," he said. He locked the door behind us.
My hand wasn't on the butt of the Browning, but it was sort of close to it. It'd be silly to draw the gun on a nice August morning in a town with a population lower than most college dorms.
"What was that all about?" Jason asked.
"If we don't get Richard out, he's going to get hurt. The only reason he hasn't been yet is that there have been too many witnesses. Too many people to ask questions."