The Tenth Justice - Brad Meltzer [110]
“Believe what you want,” Nathan said. “But that’s the truth.”
“Nathan, let me tell you something,” Ben said, pointing a finger at his roommate. “I know you. I probably know you better than I know myself. And if you even had the chance, just the possibility, of using a briefcase that concealed a microphone, you’d grab it in a second and bring it right to us, even if it hadn’t ever worked.”
“And how do you figure that?”
“Because I know you love to show off. And I know you love to strut like a peacock when you have something no one else has. You would’ve loved walking into Lisa’s with that briefcase mike—you’d have looked like Q from James Bond. And even if you couldn’t get it to work, you’d have brought it home just to show us you could. I mean, think about it logically. Any of us would’ve loved to show off with that thing. But now you want me to believe that not only did you not want to bring it home, but you didn’t even think it was worth mentioning? Please, Nathan. You’re way too competitive and your ego’s way too big for me to believe that you’d ever keep it quiet.”
“Are you done?” Nathan asked calmly, his arms crossed in front of him.
“I think so.”
“Then you can go fuck yourself, you paranoid little piece of shit! I busted my ass to get you that equipment! I risked my job by lying to everyone in my office, and I drove myself crazy trying to figure out a way for you to get out of this nightmare. But when you have the gall to accuse me before you actually even speak to me—well, you can ride the Hindenburg alone. I know you’re in a tough situation, but I have better things to do than take abuse from you.”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen! This thing has made you absolutely insane. And the fact that you accused me and not Lisa shows me that you’re not only way beyond reason, you’re also only a few beats away from the nuthouse. When you regain your senses, I hope you’ll have the integrity to apologize.” Nathan turned away from his roommates and walked out of the living room. As he approached the stairs, he turned around and added, “And when he and Lisa shatter your existence, just know you’ll be sweeping up alone.”
When Nathan was out of sight, Ben remained silent.
“You shouldn’t have accused him like that,” Ober said. “That was dead wrong.”
“What was I supposed to do? No matter how I started, I knew we’d wind up in this position.”
“Still, there are better ways to pick a fight. Some of that stuff you said is unforgivable.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Ben said. “If Nathan were in my position, he’d have done the exact same thing.”
“Y’know, Eric said the same thing to you when he wrote his story. And just like Nathan, you told him to fuck off,” Ober said. He got up from the sofa and moved toward the stairs. “Pretty eerie, huh?”
“So are you going to take the pills?” Lisa asked, sipping coffee at her desk the following morning.
“Of course I am,” Ben said, flipping through a Michigan Law School yearbook. “What choice do I have?”
“You can decide not to take them.”
“And I can also decide to fail the test,” Ben said. “Even if they have no effect, I might as well take them. It’s not like they’re mini-cyanide pills and they’ll kill me.”
“How do you know what they are? They can contain anything: cyanide, No-Doz, truth serum—”
“That’s enough,” Ben interrupted. “I’ll take my chances, thank you.”
“I’m serious,” Lisa said. “Who knows what Nathan gave you?”
“You don’t believe that. You’re just mad because I told you he was the one who suspected you.”
“Of course I’m mad about that. Screw him.”
“C’mon now—be nice.”
“Be nice?” Lisa asked. “You want me to be nice? You’re the one who spent last night alienating your closest friends.”
“Thanks for pointing that out. I had almost gone a full two minutes without thinking about it.”
“I’m surprised they’re still letting you live there. If I were them, I’d have thrown you out on your ass.”
“It definitely wasn’t happy town at breakfast this morning. Eric, Nathan, Ober, and I were all eating at the same time and no one said a word to anyone else. If someone wanted more milk or