Page 25 of Outlaw Xmas
“I need to talk to you in private.” His eyes were everywhere but on her.
“All right. Let’s go into my office.” As she passed Asher, he tilted his head to her as if to say he had her back. Stepping inside, she gestured to the man to sit down. When he started to close the door, she shook her head and grasped its edge. “The door always stays open. Have a seat.”
The man stared at her, then at the door, and back at her. Slowly he turned around and walked to the chair. She noted he was a thin, wiry man with long, unkempt hair. He looked like he was in his late twenties or very early thirties.
Sitting behind her desk, she looked fixedly at him and he seemed to squirm under the intensity. “What brings you to my office? Are you in trouble?” The way he fidgeted in his seat, kept running his hand through his hair, and looking everywhere but at her told her something was amiss with him. She’d been a criminal defense attorney long enough to be able to read people when they came in to see her.
“Nah. I’m not in no trouble.”
“Okay. What’s your name?”
“Why do you need to know that fer?”
“Because you know mine. That doesn’t seem fair, does it? Would you like some water, juice, or a Coke?”
“Coke’s good.”
She swiveled around and opened a mini fridge in the corner behind her. Handing him the can, she smiled and reached for a legal pad.
“Thanks,” he said before popping the top. He took a long drink, then burped. “Name’s Garret.”
“Hi, Garret. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to ask a few questions, that’s all.” Another long drink. Another burp. “Uh… what’s the punishment for breaking into someone’s house?”
“It depends. Colorado has two degrees of burglary for breaking and entering into a home. If a person breaks in with the intent to commit a crime against another person or property inside, then that’s second-degree. It’s a felony and the max is four years in prison. First-degree has the same elements as second-degree except the one breaking in has to assault or menace a person during the burglary. That felony carries a maximum of twelve years in prison.”
Garret crushed the can with his hands and wiped the corners of his mouth. Nodding, he stood up and paced back and forth for a few seconds, then sat down on the edge of the chair.
“I’d need more details if you want me to answer with more specificity.” Cara’s nerves began to tingle as Garret leaned forward, then slammed back against the chair.
“You don’t need nothing more. Why’re you asking me fer details? I didn’t do nothing.” Bouncing his knee, he bit at his lips.
Noticing he was jumpier than a jackrabbit, Cara pushed back a little from the desk.I may have to make a dash for it.“I didn’t say you did anything. I just wanted to give you a more accurate answer, that’s all.”
“I’m thinking of writing a mystery book. That’s all. Anyway, in the book, the guy goes into people’s home to break things. You know, vernalize.”
“Vandalize?”
He grinned, exposing crooked teeth. “Ya. That’s it.”
“If no one is hurt and—”
“No one’s at home when it happens.”
“It’s second-degree burglary. So that would be four years and a hefty fine.”
“But if he never done nothing before, he could get less, right?”
“Yes. A person may even receive probation and a few months in jail. The punishment isn’t a mandatory sentence.”
Cara jumped when, all of a sudden, he leapt to his feet. He paced back and forth three times, then stopped in front of her desk.
“Thanks. Thanks.” He rushed out of the office.
When she heard the front door close, she slowly got up and went over to Asher, who stared at the door. “That was one of the strangest conversations I’ve had with a potential client in a long time,” she said.
Asher laughed. “Face it, Cara… you’re a magnet for nutty clients.”
