"If there's a gal in the crowd, Fred will find her," Dean commented as Fred joined them. He wore a poker face-one that said he held four aces.
"That's some of my fellow jurors," he said. "How was the mine tour?"
"A bit complicated. We'll fill you in back at Bird Song. So you made it on the jury. Congratulations," Dean said as Fred climbed in back.
"Looks like you should have kept the top on," he muttered. He remained standing in the open vehicle, holding on to the roll bar for support, looking like a parade politician as he waved to the strolling women.
Dean pulled away from the curb, keeping his speed to a parade crawl. "So fill us in."
"Nope," Fred answered. "Mum's the word. The judge told us not to discuss the case."
"That makes sense," Cynthia said, reaching back and unnecessarily holding on to the old man's belt.
"The trial's delayed until the fifth," Fred said. "They're giving us the day off tomorrow and the Fourth of July."
"A real juicy case, I suppose," Dean prodded.
"Can't discuss it. Just the name." Two clicks up on the smugness meter. "Dawkins versus Dawkins."
"Dawkins?" Dean said as he braked the Jeep, nearly tossing his standing passenger. "As in the Dawkins of Bird Song?"
Just a grin. "Can't discuss the case. Mum's gonna be the word around here for a while."
"So the boys are suing each other," Cynthia mused.
"Didn't say that." Dean looked back at Fred in the rear view mirror but there was no hint of clarification.
"There's another Dawkins?" Dean's question was met with a smile and a kindergarten finger to Fred's shushing lips.
"The 'gold-digger bitch' perhaps?" Cynthia asked, matching Fred's continued smirk.
They pulled up to Bird Song but Dean made no effort to alight. "You know the Dawkins. How can you sit on a jury that involves guests staying at Bird Song?"
Fred straightened his bow tie as he stepped down. "I told the judge them folks were staying with us. He said in a small town like Ouray, it was an exception when the jury didn't know half the parties in his court. Neither of them lawyers had a problem with me either. I just had to promise not to discuss the matter and keep an open mind-which I always maintain anyhow." He popped out of the Jeep, leaving the Deans to unstick themselves from their seats and follow.
"He's about as open-minded as the Ku Klux Klan," Dean muttered.
"I suppose this means it's inappropriate to fill Fred in on what happened at the Lucky Pup," Cynthia mused as they climbed the steps to Bird Song. "Whatever legal action the Dawkins are involved in would certainly be tainted if Fred knew how Joseph acted up there."