CHAPTER 9: Southern Gothic

Laney's was quiet; it was a big court day and not yet noon. Karne sat across from me. His knees brushed mine under the table even though he'd pressed himself against the back of the booth. The light wool of his trousers tickled my knees through my stockings. I tried to shift without him noticing.

"You're squirming, Connell."

"This seat's in bad shape." It was a transparent evasion, but he let me have it. And it was true: we'd chosen the least comfortable booth along the windows. The center of both benches had dropped down from years of patrons, and the rigid outer frame of the seat dug under my knees and alongside my thigh. I was finding it hard not to sit at a tilt.

"You could join me."

"It'd make McLynn feel like she was facing a panel of judges," I hedged. It would also make me feel like we were on a Junior High date. Do you want to share a milkshake, too, Karne?

"I'm not gentleman enough to abandon my seat for you, if that's what you're asking." He gave me a small smirk before turning his attention back to the sidewalk outside the window.

"It isn't," I laughed. Karne was in an unusually good mood. That worked in my favor, since I had to go to court just after our lunch. It's especially irritating to go to court when you're already annoyed.

Laney came by to refill our coffee cups and gave both me and the rapidly-filling ashtray on our table pointed looks. I nearly hid my smile at her, and she almost clamped down on hers. "Just saw the doctor walking up, Hon," she smiled. I craned my neck around and saw McLynn walking down the aisle toward us. Laney beckoned her back into the smoking section.

I thanked her and stood up to greet McLynn. I was surprised to see Karne take the hint and follow me.

"Welcome home, girly," McLynn called down to me. When she reached arm's length she set her briefcase down and gave me a hug. I could tell Karne was swallowing a laugh, and I was grateful he was making the effort. "Lord, when you didn't show up Monday morning I thought you'd died."

"I'm fine," I laughed. "This is my friend Oliver Karne." Karne stretched an arm out, and the two shook. I introduced McLynn while they looked each other over.

"Well let's sit," McLynn said. She slid in next to Karne, to my surprise. She turned to him and clamped a hand on his forearm. If I didn't know him so well I wouldn't have noticed, but it startled him. "I hear I'm going to be lying to DuPret for you, Honey."

Karne coughed. I ducked my chin and tried to keep my shoulders from shaking. McLynn looked at me out of the corner of her eye, and I could see her laugh lines crinkle. I settled into the hollow of the deflated bench cushion to watch.

"Yes, if you agree to," Karne managed. McLynn let his arm loose when Laney walked back over. He gave me a short glare while McLynn ordered, and I sucked a little of my cheek between my molars to be ready for the next time I wanted to crack up.

"Now, tell me all about it," McLynn directed. Karne told her just what he'd told me, with the addition that the donor bodies had been preserved as beating heart cadavers. "So they would've gone pretty fresh," McLynn mused. "What else are you looking to find out?"

Karne seemed to need a few beats to parse that sentence. I took a moment to wonder where Karne was from, and I almost missed what he said next. "I need identities for the bodies."

"If you've got no evidence of crime I've got no right to know, darlin;' you know that." McLynn set her coffee mug down and turned toward me. "Ya'll might need a doctor at that hospital. A tech might could do it, too."

"Perhaps not, doctor," Karne stubbed out his cigarette. "Harvesting organs without appropriate consent is a crime."

"Oh my goodness," McLynn muttered. "You're going to do that, aren't you."

"I'm sure the paperwork actually is in order, doctor." Karne waved his hand. "That's not the point."

"The point is to get the paperwork to get other information," I interrupted.

"A snipe hunt." McLynn looked at each of us with a crooked grin on her face.

"Precisely," Karne declared. He lit another cigarette and exhaled the first drag right over my head. I frowned at him. McLynn smirked.

"You know how much worry this is going to cause those poor doctors," she said.

"No harm, no foul," I interrupted. "If they haven't done anything they'll just hand over the files and that'll be that."

"Now what do I have to do with all this?" She turned to Karne and gave him the 'mom' look that's made me spill my secrets before. I bit lightly on my cheek in preparation.

Karne squirmed. I looked out the window and bit down a little harder. "I will get the inquiry in motion. I need you to convince DuPret that the appropriate files cannot be understood by a non-medical reader."

"And somewhere while I'm giving my expert opinion I'll just happen to make some copies?" She lifted her eyebrows. Karne inclined his head toward her. McLynn shook her head and looked over at me.

"Why the hell am I agreeing to this, Amy?"

"Same reason I do, probably." I shrugged. "And maybe don't make copies." Karne raised his eyebrows at me. "I think they're starting to file scans from the copier on your floor. I've got a peripheral scanner you can borrow."

"My laptop?" McLynn flipped over her paper placemat and scrawled a phone number on one corner.

"Yeah," I nodded. "We'll switch files."

"Here's my home phone number," she thrust the piece of paper across to me. "Give me a call tonight and we'll finish this up. Right now I've got to get to court." She looked at my blazer hanging on the peg at the side of the booth. "Looks like you do too. Oh—and if you call me after six it'll be after gymnastics and soccer, so one of my babies'll probably answer the phone. They'll know your name." She stood, and I clambered up from the sunken seat cushion. Karne smirked at my flailing as he followed us out of the booth.

"Thank you, doctor." He extended his hand to McLynn again.

"I'm not going to say 'anytime,' Honey, but I'm sure you understand why not." They smiled at each other. I hefted my bag onto my shoulder and shook my watch down to my wrist to check the time. One of these days I'll get those extra links removed.

"We need to run," I declared. McLynn nodded at Karne. He smirked at me and I found myself grinning back. As I walked past him he caught my arm just above the elbow.

"Why do you 'agree to this,' Connell?" He stood close to me and I had to crane my neck to make eye contact. His hair had fallen forward, and the sleeve of his shirt had tightened a bit over his bicep. I shook my head at him.

"I have to go," I said. My voice was quiet; it probably barely reached him. He gave my arm a small squeeze before he let go.