Chapter Text
The phone rang, jolting Della awake. The alarm clock said 2:15 am: only one person would be calling at this time.
“Hello?”
“Della, I need you to go to the office.”
No pleasantries, no greeting, no apology. That was how these phone calls went.
“Ok,” she replied, reaching for the pencil and paper she left on her nightstand.
“Take a cab to my office. In the bottom drawer of my desk, there’s a blue envelope. I need you to bring it to me. My car is in the garage,” he instructed.
“Where?”
“I’m at the police station. It’s my emergency bail money.”
Della rolled her eyes. Of course, he was bailing someone out of jail in the middle of the night. “Who are we bailing out?”
“Well, uh...Paul and me.”
“Paul and you what?” Della asked, wondering if the conversation cut out while he finished the statement.
“Paul and I need to be bailed out,” Perry repeated sheepishly.
“Perry, I told you--”
“We’ll talk about it when you get here, Della.” His response was firm, much like his tone when speaking with a client who was keeping things from him. The line clicked closed before she could argue.
00
Della looked like a disapproving mother as Perry and Paul came out of the gated hall. Her arms were folded and she looked expectantly at Perry, waiting for him to start talking.
“The homicide detective got a bit carried away, is all,” he assured her. “We were well within the confines of the law.”
“People who act well within the confines of the law don’t need to get bailed out of jail at three in the morning,” Della snapped. “I want a better explanation than that.”
“Go home and get some rest, Paul,” Perry instructed. The private detective looked more than happy to get out of the sightline of the very angry Della. “I can take you home before I go back to the office,” he told her.
“I’ll take a cab,” she spat angrily. “I’m still waiting for an explanation,” she said angrily. Perry looked a bit taken aback by her lingering resentment.
“We were watching the Barring residence, just as I told you we were going to do. Eli Reicher showed up, just as I suspected, and we tailed him around the back of the house. Turns out the police were also staking out the place. They grabbed all three of us as co-conspirators. It will take only Mr. Barring’s word that we had permission to be on the property to clear Paul and I of all the charges that Lieutenant Tragg threw at us,” Perry assured, leading her out to the parking lot.
The rain that had been threatening to fall earlier was now coming down in droves. Della pulled the collar of her raincoat up against the weather.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, walking her through the dark parking lot to the street.
“I thought you said there wasn’t a risk in going out to the Barring place tonight,” Della changed the subject abruptly.
“Well, no more risk than usual, I suppose.”
“Perry, look at me.” She looked him square in the eye, the rainwater glinting off her face and throwing her tense expression into harsh relief. “You’re not thinking! You’re of no use to any of your clients when you’re in jail, and heavens, if you were to be disbarred?!” she said.
“Everything requires a little danger when dealing with criminals, Della. It’s a high-stakes, no limit game. Sometimes, you have to lose a lot to go after the bigger pot,” he explained, trying to soften her.
“This isn’t some Wednesday night poker game, Perry, this is your career. Our careers!”
“I’m well aware of that!”
“You don’t think any of this is just a little cavalier? I don’t think Gertie has ever had to bail Mr. Burger out of jail!” she shouted as thunder rumbled over the city.
“You know better than comparing anything I do to our illustrious district attorney,” Perry shot back.
“You scared me tonight, Perry! You scare me every time you go out on a limb for a client like this, and it makes me even more angry that I can’t do anything but love you more for it,” she admitted.
Perry was silent, searching her hurt face as the rain continued to fall around them. He took her gently but suddenly the the shoulders.
A gust of wind blew through the parking lot and blew Della’s coat open. Perry saw a thin floral pattern before she yanked the coat closed.
“Are you in your nightgown?” he asked.
“It’s three in the morning! You told me nothing other than the fact that you and Paul were in jail and that you needed bail money. What did you expect, a ball gown?”
“No, of course not. I...Della…” A cab pulled up to the curb. “Get in and get warm. You’ll catch your death on a night like this,” he told her, releasing her as suddenly as he’d touched her.
Perry watched as the tail lights on the car faded into the driving rain, water dripping from the brim of his hat into his eyes. I should have kissed her, he thought.
00
When the phone rang this time, Della wasn’t jolted awake. She was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out why she felt so terrible.
“Hello?”
“I just wanted to make sure you made it home.” His voice was quiet, almost hurt.
She knew why she felt terrible.
“Oh, yes.”
The line was silent for a moment, and they both started to speak at once.
“Listen, I’m sor--”
“Perry, I didn’t mean--”
They were silent again for a moment, and Della bit her lip.
“I didn't intend to scare you. I'm sorry," he repeated.
"And I didn't mean to snap at you. Well, I suppose I did, but--"
"I understand, Della. You had every right to be upset. And if you'd rather I not call you in the middle of the night with things like this--"
"No, no, of course not. This is part of my job. I just--lost my head."
"I...I need someone to trust. Completely, with everything. It's a big responsibility, and a big weight to carry around. I don't want to burden you with that if--"
"Perry, its...I wouldn't want it any other way. I want to be the one you can trust completely, but you have to trust me, too. Don't keep me in the dark about things."
"I won't," he promised. She heard him try to stifle a yawn.
"Get some sleep, Counselor," Della instructed softly.
"You too, Ms. Street. In the interest of full disclosure, we'll likely be visited by a member of the bar association."
"I'll be sure to bring my prettiest smile," she teased.
"That will distract them all, I'm sure," he replied, the sound of a smile on his voice bringing one to her own lips. "Goodnight, Della."