Chapter 26

You Do The Crime, You Do The Time

Danny walked into the offices of Sunny South Publishing, Inc. and was greeted by the cute blond, twenty-something receptionist, "May I help you, Sir?"

"Yes Ma’am, I'm here to see Regina, I mean, Ms. Ripley."

"May I ask who wishes to see her?" the receptionist said with a grin.

"Danny Johnson."

"I thought you might be the infamous Danny Johnson; the man Ms. Ripley, and half the women in town have been talking about."

"I hope it was good." Danny replied.

"Usually," she said with a laugh. "I'll tell Regina you're here."

The receptionist picked up the telephone, and dialed Regina's office while Danny looked around the plush office. After a couple of minutes, Regina came out to meet him. "Has Sally been trying to put a move on you?" Regina said with a laugh. "I've had to keep my eye on her since she divorced her husband a few months back."

"No," Danny answered. "She's been behaving."

"Really," Regina said. "Sally, are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor or something?"

"I'm fine," Sally laughed. "I'm smart enough to know when they're taken. Besides, I like my job."

"Come on in my office," Regina said looking at Danny, "There's some things we need to talk about."

Danny followed Regina into her bright modern office where his lawyer, Edd Sutter, and Sheriff Pendergrass were already waiting, "Good morning, Mr. Sutter, Sheriff Pendergrass."

"Good morning Danny," the sheriff replied. "We've got good news for you."

"It's about time," Danny said.

"Yes Danny," Mister Sutter said, "Sheriff Pendergrass has informed me that the District Attorney has decided not to pursue the charges against you."

"Really," Danny asked, "but why?"

"Well," said the sheriff, "it seems the DA. hasn't really got a case. Deputy Cox never did any detective work when he arrested you at the Ripley mansion, my subsequent investigation failed to find any evidence of forced entry, and the odds that you just walked into the house without being spotted by a security guard are slim to none."

"As for the fire," Mr. Sutter continued, "it seems the witness who said he saw you at the scene is an associate of a certain group of criminals who are currently under investigation for drug trafficking and money laundering among other things. Besides, Ms. Ripley, and Mrs. Wilson both stated you were at home at the time of the fire."

"In other words," the sheriff went on, "the DA. doesn't have a case against you, so he's decided to drop all charges pending further investigation."

"Does that mean it's over now?" Danny asked.

"No, it's not over," the sheriff answered, "but the odds are pretty slim that the DA. will indite you, and if he does, then he's on his own because my department no longer considers you a suspect in either case. Furthermore, Mr. Sutter and I have been discussing the case, and we feel it would be in your best interest if you file charges of false arrest against Deputy Cox, and assault and battery with intent to kill, against Junior Ripley and anyone else we can put at the scene of your beating that day."

"So what do I have to do?" Danny asked.

"Just sign these papers I brought with me and I'll carry them down to the magistrate's office myself," Sheriff Pendergrass said.

"Is this what you want me to do?" Danny said looking at Regina. "He is your brother."

"Half brother," Regina said. "The worst half, remember?"

Danny signed the papers, then looked at Regina and said, "Looks like I'm not going to be needing those fancy duds you bought me after all."

"Oh yes you will," she said with a laugh. "I need a date for a big meeting of the publisher's association in Los Angeles this weekend, and you're it, Big boy."

"I can't help you out of that one, Danny," the sheriff said with a laugh, "you're going to need more than a small town lawyer, and a country sheriff to get loose from Miss Regina."

"Who said he wanted loose?" Regina said with a grin.

"I just thought I was coming here to apologize for the other night," Danny said, "I didn't know I was getting into all this."

"You've still got a lot of apologizing to do, Big Boy," Regina said, "You're going to be paying for that for a while."

"You do the crime, you do the time," the sheriff said as he, and Mr. Sutter walked to the door. "You do the crime, you do the time."