No Legal Grounds by James Scott Bell Read Free Book Online

ceiling. “Was she very upset?”
“If stomping out of the house with tears in your eyes is upset, then yes, I would have to say she was.”
“And you just let her go?”
“Now don’t turn this around and put it on me.”
Linda had her iron-eyed look, the one that let him know what was quite obvious — he was being unfair. “I didn’t mean that. I’m talking about now. I want to know what she does when she goes out with these friends.”
“She’ll let us know when she’s ready. In the meantime I suggest you start rehearsing a speech. Convince her to pronounce you not guilty.”
“I just forgot. It’s not like I took her iPod away. That would be a national tragedy.”
“I don’t think trying to be funny is going to help the situation.”
“Is that really what you think I’m doing?”
“Isn’t it?”
“So you think I should wallow in guilt?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
He stormed off to the study and closed the door with practiced finality. He didn’t want to argue with Linda about Heather tonight. He just wanted everything to be normal for once.
Maybe a little work was the ticket, digging in on the FulCo case. He first went to his email.
There was another message from Nicky Oberlin. He opened it with a sense of dread.
    Hey, good buddy, it was sure great seeing you and tripping down memory lane. But I feel like we just sort of scratched the surface. Let’s do it again, what do you say? I know you’re the big busy lawyer and all that, but hey, remember I’m the guy who can help you. You want to say same time next Wednesday? Just lemme know.
    No, Sam thought. I won’t just let you know. You’re going to have to find some other companionship, buddy. He deleted the email without answering.
    He worked another hour, then turned everything off in the study. By the time he was ready to get to bed, Heather still hadn’t called. Now he wasn’t just worried, he was angry. Sure, he’d been wrong about missing their dinner date. But that did not give her the right to stay out and worry her parents.
    And she wouldn’t answer her cell.
He decided he wasn’t going to sleep after all. He turned on the TV and found an old movie. The Asphalt Jungle. It was the story of small-time hoods trying to make a big score. Marilyn Monroe had a small part in it.
By the end of the movie, when Sterling Hayden dies while trying to get to his childhood home, the Trask household was still missing one daughter. He tried her cell phone again. No answer.
Linda came into the room, rubbing her eyes. “Is Heather home yet?”
That’s when Sam called the police.
7.
    “I can’t believe you called the cops on me!”
    At four forty in the morning, Heather’s anger seemed to hold added emotion. The only ones in the house who were getting any sleep were Max and Buzz, who slept in Max’s room. Everyone else was on the sharp edge of rage. Sam told himself to tread softly. He didn’t want to lose control at this critical juncture.
“It wasn’t on you, Heather, it was in order to find you.” “Don’t be a lawyer, Dad.”
“We didn’t know where you were.”
“You don’t need to know all the time.”
Her dark makeup made her seem hard, and she smelled of
    smoke.
“As long as you’re living here I want to know where you go. We
have a right to know.”
Heather glared. “Then maybe I just won’t live here.” “Stop being foolish.” The treading softly idea was melting away
like wax on flame.
“You can’t stop me if I want to.”
She was right. The legal wrangling that could come from a teenager seeking emancipation fell to her favor. All Heather would have
to do was walk into a free legal clinic, get some forms, and file them
in court. Family law in California didn’t give parents many rights
anymore. Then, in the months it would take to get a hearing, she’d
turn eighteen.
After that she could live anywhere, do anything, without her
parents’ consent or even knowledge.
Sam looked at Linda, who