Page 38 of Ozzie

One thing I’ve always liked about Jerry is that he tells it how it is.

“He insists on moving forward with discovery. I have a private investigator searching for witnesses or any video of what happened. In the meantime, don’t talk to anyone about this. If anyone from the media contacts you, direct them to my office.”

“The media? Why would they contact me?”

Jerry sighs. “Your ex somehow got his side of the events on the local news last night. Hopefully, no one picks up the story, but they might.”

I lean back. John went on the news? “Why would he do that?”

Jerry shrugs. “I can’t say for sure, but Durango said John wanted you to go back to Montana with him. Maybe he’s trying to turn public opinion on you here so you feel you have to leave. It’s just a guess.”

Now, that sounds like something he would do. “John is very manipulative. He lies to everyone. And sadly, they believe him. But this is New York. No one here would care about me. I don’t understand why a news station would care enough about him to even run the story.”

“My guess is his attorney has some kind of pull with areporter. Hopefully, no one watched it. But he gave us enough ammunition to counter-sue for libel.”

“Counter-sue? No, I just want this to be over.”

“I understand. Let’s hope my PI finds something that can bring this to a swift end. But if not, we’ll revisit the countersuit idea.”

That would be great, but what will John do next? Because he will not walk away.

“That’s all I have for you for now. Do you have any questions for me?” he asks.

“I do. Can I leave town? Durango wants us to move to Seattle, and I don’t want to go. Please tell me I need to stay in New York.”

Jerry’s brow shoots up. “Well, this isn’t a criminal case, so you can leave if you want. But it would certainly be easier if you stayed here to deal with everything.”

I smile. “Thank you. I’ll tell Durango we need to stay.”

He chuckles. “Sounds good to me.”

“And thank you for coming here to talk to me.”

He stands up. “No problem. I always love an excuse to see my son.” He steps out of the office, but I remain seated, letting it all sink in.

What is your game plan, John? Make me look bad so I leave New York? And if that doesn’t work out? Will you try to kidnap me again?

I take several deep breaths to calm my nerves and walk back to my desk. Durango steps into the office, holding a bag of food as I enter the reception area.

“Hey, why are you walking without that cane?”

After telling Durango I was done with the crutches, hehad pulled a cane out from his closet. I’d agreed to use it to keep the peace between us. “I forgot it, but I seem to be doing all right.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t push yourself. Give the cane another day or so.”

I nod, not wanting to argue. “Jerry’s here. We spoke about the case.”

He pulls my lunch from the bag and hands it to me. I take the cover off and dig in.

He sits on the edge of my desk, holding his bowl. “What did he tell you? Can he get the suit dropped?”

After I swallow my bite, I shake my head. “No, he spoke to John’s attorney, but the guy is pushing forward. Jerry is looking for witnesses or video cameras to show what really happened.”

He frowns as he eats. This is what he does when he’s processing something. I know enough to leave him alone, so we eat in silence for a few minutes.

“Mrs. Murphy has a security camera outside her shop. It’s on the corner, but it might have picked up part of your scuffle.”

I arch a brow. “Scuffle?”

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