Chapter 6
Perry hung up the phone from the Lieutenant. He rubbed his eyes and then returned to rubbing his hands together. then he grabbed his coat and headed over to her place. He knocked there was no answer, but he could hear music from inside, he knocked again still no answer, and slipped the key into the lock
He opened the door, she was pouring herself a drink, a strong drink, she didn't look up.
"Now Counsellor, that key was for emergencies only ," she said, her voice husky and delicious.
She turned and he lost a heartbeat, she was dressed or undressed, in a black satin negligee that clung to her body like a second skin, "So what's the emergency?" she asked him drawing his eyes back up to hers, holding her drink, across her chest as if unaware the effect she was currently having on him.
"I heard what happened I was worried about you," he said honestly.
"It wouldn't be the first time I came across a dead body now would it Counsellor?" she said, it was then that he realized that this was not her first or even her second drink. She saw it in his eyes.
"Don't worry Mr Mason, I haven't been in public like this, I wouldn't drink this much in public, in fact I wouldn't normally drink this much at home, but it seemed like a good idea. She took a long sip.
"Della I.." he took a step closer but she turned away from him,
"I'll pour you one, it might release that grumpy look that you have on your face," she poured him one and started to refresh her own, he grabbed her hand.
"Don't " he said softly.
"Don't what?" she handed him a drink, looking him over, he felt a flush rise to his face, as if he was the one with minimal clothing. He sipped the drink because he didn't know what to do, all his good sense was being overwhelmed by how absolutely sexy she looked. He didn't have an answer for her.
"Funny isn't Counsellor how well we know each other, like right now you have your court face on, if we were in court, I would know exactly what you were thinking, or atleast what you needed from me, " she touched his face, running one perfectly manicured nail along his cheek. "But here and now I have no idea what you are thinking behind that mask. Disgust? Frustration? Anger? Annoyance? Concern?" she said."Or what you need from me." he groaned.
She put her drink down and wrapped her body to his, he tried to hold her away.
"Billings is not my lover Perry," she said.
"Della you don't have to say..."
"And why not?" she slipped into anger, "Why can't we talk. We are friends aren't we, that's why you are here isn't it, to check on me. Well you've checked on me, now you can go." He put down his glass, "I don't want to leave you like this."
"Then ask me who my lover is, ask me why I am mixed up in this mess."
"I don't want to know who your lover is Della, and Tragg already knows you weren't there when it happened."
Her eyes narrowed at that, "Why are you hiding behind your Court face Counsellor?" the anger gone as if the tap had dried up. She took his hands and put them on her waist, then slipped her arms up around his neck,
"It was Aston." she said, but she dropped her eyes not willing to see the expression change on his face.
He tipped her chin up forcing her to look at him, "What do you see in my face now?" he asked her, she ran her finger along his bottom lip, "Concern."
"And?" but she pulled away from him not believing what she wanted to see.
She walked into her bedroom, in the doorway she stopped not facing him and slid her gown off over her head.
He groaned audibly, and followed her, stopping her before she reached the bed, kissing her as if he would never get to touch her again.
"Who do you want to be sleeping with Della?" he asked her, part certain part scared of the answer.
"You, only you, only ever you," she whispered in husky tones that sent electric shocks up his spine.
"Then he doesn't matter Della. Only you and I matter."
"Love me Perry."
"I do Della,I do." he whispered into her neck breathing in her scent, tasting her.
He woke up and was sitting at his desk in his office, he shook his head trying to work at at what part of that was real and what part was dream. He had got a call from Lieutenant Tragg, he had gone to her apartment. He had put her to bed alone. There was no perfume on his skin, he sighed, this was not the time for this to be getting out of control. A man had been murdered and if Burger had his way Della had been the first one on the scene. The familiar ratattatat on his door signaling Paul distracted him, he went and opened it.
"Brother, you look like you haven't slept." Paul said, he didn't look much better.
"I just got an hour on the desk,"
"Comfy. Did you see Della?"
"I got there about twenty minutes after Tragg dropped her off, she was a bit under the weather, I put her to bed." He rubbed his unshaven chin, "I dropped by on my way in here, she was still out like a light, I left a note for her."
"That's not like her, not when there's a case." Paul said concerned.
"She'd had a couple of drinks."
"Must have been fast ones, she hardly touched a drink all night, you know what she's like. Whats the next move?" he asked. Perry looked at his watch.
"Who have you got watching the Arcane Club?"
"Felix."
"Lets stop by there first then I have to bring Della back here to talk to Tragg."
"I bet the DA liked that,"Paul said.
Perry shrugged, "He had to argue with Tragg over it. Tragg knows the body was cold when Della got there."
"Still Della was the first one in there, Butler holding the gun, a dead Delray, you know what Burger is going to think. That she has tampered with the scene." Paul said grimly.
"First things first Paul. Find out who was at that club after you left last night."
There was a note for her when she woke up "Morning Della, I will pick you up at ten o'clock, Tragg wants to see you but he'll come to our office."
Perry, she thought, she didn't remember him being there last night. But she noticed that he wrote "our" and it gave her a warm glow. In fact she couldn't remember anything after that first scotch, she rubbed her face. Her head pounded like a bass drum. She put on some coffee, and thought over the events of last night. Butler his scared face, terrified, holding the gun, and his friend, his closest friend dead.
She was dressed when he arrived, he looked her over, she was dressed completely conservatively, jacket buttoned up, scarf hiding every bit of flesh, and a long skirt down to her ankles, even looking tired and completely covered she looked completely beautiful.
"Perry when did you come by last night?" she asked him.
"You don't remember?" he was surprised.
"No, Lt Tragg dropped me off, I remember having a drink I was ... I don't know. I woke up in bed."
"Tragg rang me. You didn't answer your phone, I called by about twelve, you had had more than a few drinks," he commented. He had in fact rushed straight over.
He handed her a bottle of aspirin, that he'd brought with him, "here take some of these."
"I hope I didn't ..." she couldn't say it, what could she say, 'embarrass herself, throw herself at him, tell him the truth."
"You told me who your secret lover is," he said, but he wasn't looking at her.
"Oh..." she said quietly, she turned away to picking up two glasses to put them away,"Did you have a drink with me before or after I told you?" she asked.
"during." Now his eyes burned into hers, she was blushing violently.
"You know I don't care." he said.
"I know." she said sadly.
He moved to her, moved to take her shoulders,"I mean I care, it just doesn't change anything between us, it doesn't change how I feel about you," he said but he let her go.
"So you had a drink and then you left?" Not sure how to interpret this information. Knowing he would never take advantage of her if she was as intoxicated as she was regardless of how much she had thrown herself at him.
He closed his eyes, "Let me see you kissed me, you were wearing a black satin negligee, you asked me what I was thinking."
"And then you left?" her eyes narrowed as she watched him, she had no idea if he was teasing her.
"Well I put you to bed first, by yourself and then I left."
"So I was bad," the blush still on her cheeks. He touched her lips with the pad of his finger
"Not as bad as you were later when I fell asleep and dreamt about you," he admitted. She felt her knees going weak, but the massive headache chose that moment to start pounding making it hard for her to think.
"I dropped by about six but you were still sound asleep."
She seemed to have missed his comment about his dream and was looking around at her belongings
"Perry, that bottle of scotch, that was only half full yesterday and you and Paul did that."
"Yes?"
"If I had drunk myself as badly as you say I was, as badly as my head hurts then, there wouldn't be any left would there. Why from what you describe and how little I remember, there should be nothing left."
"You don't remember having much too drink?"
"I had one when I first got home, then I put on a record ... ."
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Where I should have taken you last night to the doctor." He took her coat out of the closet by the door and held it for her, he was seething. He made a phone call and then he grabbed her elbow and lead her out of her apartment.
"Perry what is it?" she asked him as they were driving, he smiled at her reassuringly,
"Lets just let the doctor examine you first."He covered her hand with his and squeezed it, she let the questions she had drop.
He was angry with himself, he should have known her better, known that she did not stand around her apartment drinking herself into oblivion. He'd let his jealousy over ride his good sense, override what he knew about her.
They got back from the doctors to find the Lieutenant waiting for them.
"Thanks for coming here Lt."
"That's alright Perry, it wasn't for you though."
"I know, she's in the library."
"I want to talk to her alone Perry."
"I know."
"Its fine Lt,"Della said from the doorway, "Mr Mason and I don't have any secrets from each other."
Lt Tragg glanced at the two of them, Perry was watching Della and Della was watching Tragg.
"Its alright Della, the Lt won't ask you anything out of order." Perry said.
Tragg looked at Della across the table, after Perry had closed the door. "Why would you be getting mixed up with this crazy lot of people Della?" he asked her. His tone was disapproving.
"You brought me in here to give me a lecture?."
"No, but I should. These are not respectable folk Della."
"What did you want to ask me Lt?" she said wearily. To tired to defend her friends to someone who wouldn't listen.
"Did you see Delray alive last night?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"At the Archane Club, we were there until 9ish," she answered his next question.
"and after that."
"I didn't see him after that not alive anyway," Della told him her voice low.
"Where did you go after the Archane Club?" he asked
"To Penelope's we were there until eleven or so."
"Who were you there with."
"There were seven of us mostly others came and went."
He put his notebook down."I need names Della."Who were you there with and don't tell me Paul Drake, I already know that and that he he has been dating Claire Avery."
"I was there at the invitation of Mr Gabriel." she said."You know how a girl goes all soft over movie stars."
"Don't be ripe with me Della.' he wagged his finger at her.
"I can give you everyones movements between 9 and eleven thirty lieutenant but not the times, I wasn't looking at my watch, and I wasn't paying attention to everyone."
"When I picked you up you said you were heading home."
"Yes I was feeling a bit run down."
"Too much champagne?" His tone was so disapproving, she felt like she was being dressed down by her Father.
"Two glasses - probably not." a thought occurred to her, he saw it in her eyes,
"Yes."
"Ahmm, well Vaughan was going to drop me home and then Butler Billing volunteered to take me said he was leaving anyway. We stopped at the Archane Club, he said he'd left something in the cloakroom, he was gone for maybe fifteen minutes, I went to find him, they said he was in the back office, I went in and he was sitting on a chair holding a gun, frozen. Mr Delray was lying at his feet, I told him to put the gun down and had to take it off him. I checked Delrays pulse and looked at Butler,at Mr BIlling he was staring at me., and then I rang you. I sat with him outside the office until you came in."
"You didn't call Mason?"
"No Lieutenant."
"Okay that will do for now. You will tell me if you remember anything else.'
"Of course."
"Hmmpf." he paused at the door. "Why didn't you ring Perry, Della?"
"The body was stone cold Lieutenant, Butler didn't do it, we'd been there maybe fifteen minutes at the most. He was in shock, Mr Delray was his friend, he needed a friend not a lawyer."
"But when I spoke to Perry, when I told him about you, he already knew, he didn't say so but I could tell." Tragg said, she could tell that this point confused him.
"I didn't ring him Lieutenant."
"Della the papers are going to be all over this."
"I don't expect special treatment Lieutenant." she told him, a tad hostile that he might even think that. His face softened,
"I know Della, I know."
"Are you alright." Perry asked her.
"Yes."
He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
"Maybe I should take you home and you can get some sleep."
She didn't protest and he took that as agreement, that and she could hardly keep her eyes open.
He saw her to her apartment, "Ring me." he started but left off at her expression.
"What is it?"
"Maynard, you know Astons boss brought the last drinks over, the glass I drank out of was meant for Aston., Vaughan knocked me accidentally, Aston passed me his." His brow furrowed, as he listened, "You don't remember me coming to your apartment?"
"No Perry."
"Did you drink anything else before you got home."
She thought about it, "Only water, at the club, Pengally, the one they call the Penguin gave it to me, when I was waiting for Lieutenant Tragg."
"Get some rest Della."
"Are you going to see Butler now."
"Yes."
"Don't you need me to come with you."
"I need you to get some rest, we've got a big week coming up"
"He's only a boy Perry, he's not very brave, he is used to being protected."
"Its okay Della."
"He wouldn't kill someone."
"I'll speak to him. Is there anything else you need to tell me?" he asked, she shook her head, she had given him a more detailed run down than she had given Tragg.
He didn't like this feeling that it was not Butler she was protecting.