Ted looked up at the fussy-looking attorney. He was no gunslinger. He had nitpicker written all over him.

Lizzie wagged her finger playfully, the wicked smile still on her face. "No, it's not the end of the story. The end of the story is a long way down the road," she said in a singsong, lilting voice that sent chills up and down Ted's spine.

Lizzie turned to Officer Dewberry and snapped her fingers. "My client, please. Now!"

The tank moved forward. Lizzie's arm shot out for him to keep his distance. The finger went up again, wagging in warning as her left hand reached into her bag. She held out her business card. The tank reached for it, his face hard, his slate-gray eyes hooded. "Hold on here!"

"What does that mean?" Lizzie murmured. She sounded like she didn't care one way or the other what it was about.

The tank's lips thinned to a straight line. "It means the Babylon is dropping all charges against your client. They're prepared to be reasonable."

"The word reasonable is not in my vocabulary, Mister Cricket." Out of the corner of her eye, Lizzie detected movement. Marble Rose Barnes was walking toward her, still dressed in her hospital-type scrubs.

Ted's fingers continued to dance on his BlackBerry. He stopped long enough to step backward and snap a few pictures.

Cricket's canoes moved suddenly. "Who is that guy?" he demanded.

Panic rippled across Ted's face, but he continued jabbing at the keys. He wondered if it was possible to get carpal tunnel syndrome of the fingers. Lizzie allowed her eyebrows to shoot upward. The lashes were working overtime, as were the glistening lips. Ted rather thought it was time for a fresh application. He held his breath while he waited for Lizzie's response to the question.

"He's whoever you want him to be, Mister Cricket."

Perfect response, Ted thought as he tapped more words down the line to Maggie.

"Come along, dear," Lizzie said, taking Marble Rose's arm and leading her toward the door. "These gentlemen will take care of all that nasty paperwork."

"Who. . .who was that monster?" Marble Rose asked as she took one last look over her shoulder.

Lizzie laughed. "Isn't the circus in town, Ted?"

"Jesus, Lizzie, that took some balls," Ted said, getting into the front passenger seat. Marble Rose climbed into the back. Lizzie slid behind the wheel, gunned the engine, and turned the wheel a little too hard to the left. Ted almost blacked out at the loud crunching sound.