warden excuse

"For all I know it was an honest accident," I said.
Grayson nodded. "There's some clothes in your backseat. Looks like they have blood on them."
"Leftovers from last Halloween," I said. "It's costume stuff. A cloak and robes and such, had fake blood all over them. It looked cheesy as hell."
Grayson snorted. "You're worse than my kid. He's still got some of his football jerseys in his backseat from last fall."
"He probably has a nicer car." I glanced up at the Beetle. It was a real mess, and I winced. It wasn't like the Beetle was a priceless antique or anything, but it was my car. I drove it places. I liked it. "In fact, I'm sure it's a nicer car."
Grayson let out a wry chuckle. "I need to fill out some papers. You okay to help me fill in the blanks?"
"Sure," I told him.
"Thanks for the call, Sergeant," Murphy said.
"De nada," Grayson replied, touching the brim of his cap with a finger. "I'll get those forms, Dresden, soon as the wrecker gets here."
"Cool," I said.
Grayson moved off, and Murphy stared at me steadily for a moment.
"What?" I asked her quietly.
"You lied to him," she said. "About the clothes and the blood."
I twitched one shoulder.
"And you did it well. I mean, if I didn't know you..." She shook her head. "It surprises me about you. That's all. You've always been a terrible liar."
"Urn," I said. I wasn't sure how to take that one. "Thank you?"
She let out a wry chuckle. "So what's the real story?"
"Not here," I said. "Let's talk in a bit."
Murphy studied my face for a second, and her frown deepened. "Harry? What's wrong?"
The limp, headless body of that nameless young man filled my thoughts. It brought up too many emotions with it, and I felt my throat tighten until I knew I wouldn't be able to speak. So I shook my head a little and shrugged.


Proven Guilty Chapter 4, Page 22-23