Trial Junkies

— 26 -

The bailbondsman was a guy named Leon Johnson who looked as if he could snap you in two just by thinking about it. He reminded Hutch of a young Ving Rhames-an actor he'd long admired and had always wanted to work with-and he figured this was about as close as he'd ever get.

He was sitting in Johnson's office about three blocks from the courthouse, a pre-fab two-room suite that had been sublet from a local dentist. Hutch could hear the whine of a drill coming from one of the other rooms.

Johnson's desk was a metal monstrosity that took up most of the real estate, but Johnson himself made it look like furniture built for dwarves.

"You understand how this works?"

"Yes," Hutch said.

"Once you sign these papers and hand over a check, I don't want you coming back bitchin' about it. You lay down two hundred large, you better be damn sure you know what that means."

"I know what it means."

"So tell me."

"It means I don't get the money back. That this isn't a deposit or collateral for a loan, it's a nonrefundable fee that I'll never see again."

Ten percent of Ronnie's bail, was what it was. And for that amount, Johnson-or more likely his insurance carrier-would pony up the two million needed to spring her. It was also, coincidentally, the exact amount Hutch had been paid per episode during the last two seasons of Code Two-Seven, minus agent and managerial fees.

Almost criminal, when you thought about it.

"You also understand," Johnson said, "that if she decides not to show up for court, I will hunt her down and throw her ass back in the can."

The thought of being manhandled by this guy gave Hutch a little shiver. He figured most of Johnson's clients probably made the decision not to run the moment they saw the size of his biceps. And his chest. Neck. Forearms. Hands.

"That won't be a problem."

Johnson snorted. "I've heard that before."

"She's got no reason to skip," Hutch told him. "She's not guilty."

"I've heard that one, too."

Two hours later, Hutch, Matt and Andy waited as Waverly escorted Ronnie out of the judge's private elevator into the underground parking lot-an escape route that was often used by high-profile defendants.

After a quick round of hugs and a few tears, they hustled Ronnie into the back of Andy's Mustang. Hutch climbed in next to her and they drove in near silence to the house in Roscoe Village, circled the block twice to make sure there weren't any reporters around, then pulled up to the curb.

"You guys want to come in?" Ronnie asked.

Hutch shook his head. "You spend time with your family."

"You're my family, too."

"Your son doesn't need a bunch of strangers stomping around his house. Spend some time with him, eat a decent meal and get some sleep for once. Andy'll pick you up in the morning."

She looked at him for a long moment, a trace of tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Hutch. Thank you so much."

Without warning, she threw her arms around him and kissed him square on the mouth. Hutch stiffened with surprise, then went with it, kissing her back.

Then she pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed as she got out of the car and crossed the sidewalk to the front steps.

Hutch gave her a wave goodbye, and as they pulled away from the curb, Matt-who sat up front next to Andy-craned his neck to look at him, a slight smile on his face. "So how does it feel to be the knight in shining armor?"

If he was any kind of knight at all, Hutch thought, it was a tarnished one.

But he nodded.

"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all."