"That's horrible, I liked the guy. They think I did it?"
"Hey, you're the one dressed in gorgeous orange. So what is it?"
"What is what?"
"Your middle name. I'll split what they pay me for it."
He still couldn't think straight and this character wasn't helping. "What about Barner?"
"You know old Sonny, what about him?"
Now it was sinking in-not Barner, the senator. Towson was why he was there. That explains the uproar. No wonder all heads turned when the detective brought him through the squad room. He guessed they didn't yet know about Barner.
They think one shooting is a big deal, wait until they discover Barner's body. When they find it, they'll bring in Loraine for sure. Ray had been with her today as well. Within a few short hours, he realized, he was with the perpetrator of one murder and visiting with the victim of a second. If they release him from Towson's charges, they might arrest him again for conspiracy on Barner.
How'd all this happen? The police better get this mess straightened out fast. "What's going to happen to me in the morning? Don't I go before a judge or something? The detective said I wasn't under arrest, still they took my clothes."
"Arrest isn't the thing you need to worry about right now, thing is you're in custody. Arrest can mean a lot of things. Custody means they got your actual stinking body locked up in the slammer. Learned this shit when I got my license. There're people walking around on the street right now who are under arrest but aren't in custody because they're out on bail. Know what I'm saying? Custody's the thing, man, custody."
"But don't they have to arrest me, read me my rights and all that?"
"I keep telling you man, that's coming. There'll be a brief court hearing in the morning for the Saturday night junk. And in your case, the judge will find some reason to hold you. Your jumpsuit tells me you're gonna be around awhile. They're running a make on you right now and will search all night for evidence. Word is, whether they get a hit or not, you're gonna stay in custody."
"What about my snoring slammer buddy over there, why didn't they take his clothes?"
"He doesn't even know he's in here. They'll let him out when he wakes up, if he ever does."
"I'll miss him, he was such a good listener. Does he have any family?"
"If he does they've forgotten about him. He's a regular."
"Beau, has anyone been arrested besides me?"
"Hey, it's Saturday...hooker and drunk night. Oh, you mean for the senator's murder. Don't think so."