Midnight Before Christmas by William Bernhardt Read Free Book Online Page B

there’s going to be a lot of traffic on the streets today, and the police can’t possibly check everyone. Plus, I’m almost certain Carl saw me take down the license-plate number. He may be smart enough to ditch the truck.”
    Bonnie agreed. “He may be drunk and desperate, but he isn’t stupid.”
    “That was my impression as well.” Megan tried to lift the sudden gloom that had descended. “Still, the important thing is, you’ve got Tommy back. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to have a very merry Christmas.” She tried to put as much enthusiasm into this pronouncement as possible, but she observed very little change in Bonnie’s demeanor. “The most important thing is, you’re all safe.”
    “But for how long?” Bonnie asked. “I want a restraining order.”
    “Definitely.” Megan glanced at her notepad. “And we’re appearing before the emergency domestic judge in forty-five minutes. Given what I know, and what the police have on record, it should be a cinch. And after we serve notice on Carl and have a formal hearing, I see no problem with getting a permanent restraining order.”
    “Good. I don’t want Carl near us. I don’t want him anywhere in a ten-mile radius.”
    “You know, Bonnie …” Megan fingered the edge of her desk. It seemed she had nothing to bring but bad tidings this Christmas. But as an attorney, she had obligations—like the unpleasant duty to give her client a healthy dose of reality. “We’ll get the restraining order. But when all is said and done, an order is just a piece of paper. Like any other law, it can be broken. Ultimately, it’s only as effective as the police who enforce it.”
    “The police won’t lift a finger against Carl.”
    “I’m not sure I believe that, Bonnie. Especially not now. But you should realize that if Carl really is desperate—a piece of paper isn’t going to stop him.”
    “So what are you saying?”
    “I’m saying I wouldn’t necessarily stop with the restraining order. Maybe consider buying a big dog. A Doberman pinscher might slow Carl down.”
    “I can’t do that.” She pulled her boy closer to her. “Not with Tommy in the house.”
    “Perhaps a high-grade security system.”
    “We can’t begin to afford that.”
    “Well, you need to do something. At least until Carl is safely behind bars.”
    Bonnie nodded, but Megan wasn’t sure how much of this was sinking in. Bonnie was so overwhelmed with relief at having Tommy back, she didn’t seem able to process any additional information.
    “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Bonnie asked, after a bit. “It … maybe personal.”
    Megan’s brow creased. She hadn’t anticipated this. “Can’t hurt to ask.”
    “You seem … very professional,” she said haltingly. “Very lawyerly.”
    “Well, I try,” Megan said, adjusting the collar on her gray skirt-suit.
    “Everything in this office is just about as I would expect it to be. With two exceptions. First, this.” She lifted the end ball bearing of Megan’s new desk toy and let it slam into the rest of the ball bearings.
    “That was a gift from my buddy Cindy. Sort of.” Megan grabbed the toy and dropped it into her oversize purse. “Maybe I’ll give it to some needy person. Very needy.”
    “And the other anomaly,” Bonnie continued, “is this.” She pivoted slightly, then pointed to the long row of ceramic Kewpie dolls lined up on a shelf just over Megan’s law books. “What’s the story with the dolls?”
    Megan smiled. “My mother made those. She took a ceramics class at OCU about a million years ago. Learned how to paint them, bake them in a kiln. For years afterward, she gave them to me as presents. I have a bunch more at home.”
    “I would never have guessed there was such a … wide variety of Kewpie dolls.”
    Megan laughed. “Or wanted to, right?” She walked over to the shelf. Each of the figures seemed to have the same wide, big-eyed face, with different apparel