Page 71 of A Star is Scorned
Livvy tried to protest. “No, Flynn, you can’t do that. I won’t let you.”
“That’s nothing to me. You’ve been helping me make sure I keep my career and, therefore, my money. Might as well put it to good use.”
“But—”
“We’ll discuss terms later. Let’s just get Judy out for now.”
She nodded, unsure if she was more grateful or ashamed that Flynn had come to her rescue. Particularly when her desire for him had kept her from knowing her sister needed help until now.
“But tell me, Officer,” Flynn continued. “That seems an awful high price for a harmless little hoofer.”
The officer scrunched up his face, clearly reluctant to share the next bit. “The gentleman she attacked insisted. He’s got a lot of sway, so the captain had no choice.”
“Who is it?”
“I’m not at liberty to disclose his identity.”
Livvy wanted to shake the officer and curse Flynn. What were they doing still sitting here? She needed to go find Judy, to get her out of that terrible place.
She stood up, swaying a little unevenly on her feet. “You twocan keep discussing the terms of my sister’s arrest, but I need to bring her home.”
The officer nodded. “I can drive you in the patrol car if you’d like, miss.”
“There’s no need,” Flynn said. “I’ll drive her. I need to come to write a check for the bond anyway.”
Livvy wanted to object, to tell Flynn to keep out of it. He had already caused enough trouble. Last night, he told her she needed to let Judy make her own mistakes. Well, she certainly had now, hadn’t she? The mother of all mistakes. Though something kept telling her she was missing part of the story. Judy would never attack someone. At least not without good reason.
She let Flynn lead her out the door and to the passenger side of his roadster. Right now, she needed to get Judy out. The rest of the details could wait.
Chapter 25
The Hollywood precinct station was housed in a gray stone building with a terra-cotta roof, a facility that looked more like a bank or an insurance agency than a center of law and order. Flynn had spent a few nights at this Wilcox Avenue station in his time, mostly drying out in the drunk tank after particularly louche evenings. Harry had always bailed him out the next morning, taking the cost out of Flynn’s salary and scrubbing the incident from Flynn’s criminal record. The studio had a half-dozen fixers on payroll, ready to clean up after their stars. But there was no erasing it from the papers, considering Flynn’s caddish reputation.
Approaching the station, he was brought back to one particularly memorable evening at the Cocoanut Grove. The club had decided it would be a brilliant idea to have live animals for the evening, perching parrots and cockatoos around all the booths and the bandstand. He’d brought Rallo along as a joke, figuring that a real monkey would liven things up. But at one point during the night, a parrot had pooped in Flynn’s drink, and Flynn, already three sheets to the wind, had tried to throttle it. The parrot had flown up to the top of a papier-mâché palm tree, and he’d sent Rallo climbing up after it.
By the time they’d gotten the monkey and the bird down, the parrot had lost several feathers. How was Flynn to know theexotic bird trainer responsible for the creature was the guest of honor that night? Flynn had been arrested for destruction of private property, while Rallo, the little devil, had gotten off scot-free.
He opened his mouth to tell Livvy the story to try to lighten the mood, but one look at her ashen face told him this wasn’t the time. Her lips, so plump and inviting last night, were twisted into a wrinkled little line. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest as if she were holding herself together.
He pulled into the parking lot and put the car in park. “Let’s get your sister.”
Livvy nodded sternly, and Flynn didn’t push her. He came around to open her door and played it off when Livvy didn’t reach for his proffered arm, marching under the stone archway and through the glass side door alone.
He sighed and followed her, not knowing the right thing to do or say. He wanted to be there for her, to tell her that she didn’t have to shoulder this by herself. But she was shutting him out.
Livvy marched into the precinct and told the officer at the front desk in an icy tone, “I’m here to see my sister.”
The officer raised an eyebrow, stunned at Livvy’s haughty demeanor. Flynn hadn’t seen her like this since their first days together, donning the mask she wore to protect herself, to make people think she was above their reproach. But right now, all this was going to do was make things worse.
He interjected over her shoulder, “Her sister is Judy Blount. She was brought in last night on charges of assault. I’m waiting for my valet to bring me my checkbook, but then I will pay her bail.” Flynn had called before they’d left the bungalow to see if Hugh could come to the station. He’d had to promise Hugh another day off next month to make up for it.
The officer met Flynn’s gaze, and his eyes lit up. “Mr. Banks!Good to have you back here.”
Livvy gave him a shocked look, reassuring him that it had been best to skip the story about the parrot.
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Erm, yes. Well, can’t say I feel the same.”
The officer chuckled and opened the heavy wooden door to the right of his desk. “Miss Blount can receive one visitor at a time.”
