Sucker Punch (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #27) - Laurell K. Hamilton Page 0,41

he and his deputy got you out of the cell, but the shapeshifter grabbed Blake. She’s lucky to be alive. Hell, she’s lucky she got out of there without getting cut up. Now you want me to let one of my people go into the cell with that thing. No. Just no.”

I wondered if Leduc really believed his heroic version of the incident, or if he’d knowingly lied to make himself look better. If he believed the story, then we were fucked, because that would be how he wrote it up later. If he knew he was lying, then I might be able to get him to back down and use that to get some wiggle room with Livingston.

“You didn’t tell me that the suspect attacked you, Marshals.” This came from Kaitlin, the crime scene tech who had volunteered to help us. She was a few inches taller than me, five-five, maybe five-six, which made her short compared to everyone else in the room but me. Her straight blond hair was tied back in a tight, perky ponytail that bobbed in the air when she spoke. Most of the people I knew who did ponytails had longer hair, so the weight of the hair held it down more. If she hadn’t talked with her hands, maybe the hair would have lain there like normal, but she was so animated when she moved that her hair was, too.

“He didn’t,” Newman said.

“I saw him start to change form,” the sheriff said.

“You saw his eyes change,” I said, finally joining the conversation. I’d try for logic but didn’t hold out much hope that logic was what would win the day.

“You didn’t tell me he started to shift in the cell after the murder,” Kaitlin said.

“Eyes can change from strong emotions,” I said. “Finding out you’re accused of killing your father is pretty emotional.”

“He killed his uncle, not his father,” Livingston said.

“Bobby was raised by his uncle,” I said.

“Bobby’s parents were killed in a car accident when he was a baby. Ray is the only dad he remembers,” Newman added.

“I’m aware of the family history, and you can call him by his first name all you want. It will not humanize him to me, because only half of him is human. The other part is a murdering animal,” Livingston said.

“Legally he’s human, and I don’t want to kill another human being unless he’s guilty,” Newman said.

“You can be a bleeding heart on your own time, Marshal, but that animal has already killed one person and attacked another marshal. How many people have to die before you do your duty?” Livingston asked.

“Bobby Marchand did not attack me,” I said.

“I was there, Blake. I saw it,” Leduc said.

“You pointed a gun at both of us, Sheriff.”

“I was aiming at the monster.”

“Then why did Newman have to point his gun at you to save my life from your bullet?”

“You are both full of shit,” Leduc said.

“Your own deputy told you to calm down and lower your gun,” I said.

“I’m sorry as hell that Bobby did this, but I will not let you and Newman drag my reputation through the mud in some misguided attempt to get a stay of execution for him. Bobby has to pay for what he did.”

I wondered if we got Deputy Anthony in here whether she’d tell the truth or lie for her boss. I’d be leaving town, and she’d have to deal with the fallout. Apparently, Newman had no doubts that she’d do the right thing, because he said, “Call Anthony up here. She’ll tell you that Bobby didn’t attack anyone in the jail.”

I was glad that he didn’t say that the deputy would admit that Leduc had pointed a gun at me until I felt in danger for my life. If she just backed us up on Bobby not attacking me, I’d take it. We just needed Kaitlin of the perky ponytail to do her job on the evidence that was Bobby’s body.

“His eyes had changed to kitty-cat eyes. I wasn’t going to stand there and let him do to Blake what he’d done to Ray,” Leduc said.

“I had the suspect under control when you continued to aim your weapon at me,” I said.

“He was starting to shape-shift, Blake. You didn’t see Ray’s body. I did. If I had to choose between that and being shot, I’d take the bullet.”

“I wasn’t in danger from Bobby Marchand—only from you, Leduc.”

“Well, that’s gratitude for you,” he said, and he was so calm—calmer than