Lizzie tossed her yellow legal pad and her Montblanc pen into her briefcase and snapped it shut. "If you change your mind in the next twenty-four hours, call me."

"How would you suggest I do that? I have no money in here. I did ask for an attorney, and they ignored me. I'm not even sure why I'm in here."

"They told me up front that you had no ID when you were brought in here."

"That's a lie. I had a wallet in my pocket. I asked for an attorney more than once. They didn't read me my Miranda rights, either. I'm not stupid, Miss Fox."

Lizzie absorbed what she was hearing. She leaned across the table. "Do you want to get out of here if I can guarantee your safety?"

"Yes, but how are you going to do that? I don't want my mother involved in my life, certainly not this part of my life."

"I'm a lawyer, remember. Leave it up to me. I guess that means you are Marble Rose Barnes. Right or wrong?"

The young woman nodded. "Yes, I am Marble Rose Barnes, and I just remembered how I know you. I don't mean personally. I just remembered where I saw you and why you are so familiar. I sent money for their defense. I'm not just saying that, I did. Two hundred dollars."

Lizzie smiled. "Why don't we agree to keep that knowledge to ourselves for the time being? Deal?"

The bright blue eyes sparked again. A matching smile tugged at the corners of the young woman's mouth. "Deal."

Chapter 11

Lizzie signaled to the officer standing near the door that she was ready to leave. Marble Rose stood up, and the two women shook hands. "This might take a while, so be patient, but you will be out of here as soon as I can arrange it."

"And my mother?"

"Since you're retaining me, your mother just ceased to be part of the equation. I will have to call her and tell her. It's the right thing to do. You signed a legal, binding contract with me. Once you're home, you can write a retainer check. Everything has to be legal, Marble Rose. By the way, if you want, I know a law firm that can chase down that lawyer that took off with your twenty-five-thousand dollars. The Nevada State Bar Association frowns on things like that, as does the legal community in every other state. I'd do it myself, but I think I'm going to be a little too busy to take on any side issues."