The Tenth Justice - Brad Meltzer [156]
“But you should’ve known—”
“Don’t tell me what I should’ve known,” Rick interrupted. “You can’t anticipate something like this.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Rick said. “Drop it.”
“Consider it dropped,” Claremont said. “Now, what are we going to do about the decision?”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Rick pulled a miniature bottle of white wine from the hotel refrigerator. “I’m afraid Ben’s no longer running in the maze.”
“You don’t think he’s going to meet us tomorrow?”
“Not a chance,” Rick said, opening the wine. “He’ll be talking to the authorities by noon.”
“But if he—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Rick reassured his colleague. “He’ll never get there.”
Wrapped in a haze of anguish and remorse, Ben walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He undressed and stepped into the hot stream of water, anxious to wash away the past few hours. With his arms outstretched in front of him, he leaned against the front wall of the shower, letting the water glide over his body. For a full three minutes, he stood there, motionless. Slowly and without warning, a quiet fit of weeping overcame him. “I’m sorry, Ober,” he sobbed, as his crying became hysterical. “I’m so sorry.” As the water rushed over him, he imagined carrying Ober’s coffin, and remembered carrying his brother’s. He imagined Ober’s mother’s face when she heard her son was dead, and remembered his own mother’s wails. He imagined the future without Ober, and knew how much he’d miss his brother.
Chapter 18
AT A QUARTER AFTER NINE ON SUNDAY MORNing, Ben put on his coat and picked up his briefcase. Still reeling from Ober’s death, he tried not to think about the unnerving silence that now filled the house. Instead, he turned around and walked out the front door. A new layer of snow blanketed the neighborhood. He stepped outside, carefully maneuvering into the footprints left behind by Eric and Nathan. As he headed toward the Metro station, he periodically looked over his shoulder. After the events of the past few nights, Ben’s watchfulness had become instinctive. When he rounded the corner he saw a man in a navy winter coat and a brown fedora coming toward him. He was bothered that the brim of the hat blocked the man’s face. In the street, a gray car pulled up and stopped. Ben immediately recognized it as Eric’s.
“How’re you doing?” Eric asked, rolling down his window.
“Okay, I guess,” Ben said unconvincingly. He stepped into the street and leaned in the window. “I slept about five minutes last night.”
“Me too,” Eric said. “I can’t get him out of my head. Just the thought of him dangling there…”
“Please, let’s not talk about it,” Ben said, his gloved hands gripping the metal door frame.
“Did you tell Lisa?”
“I called her late last night. Before I finished my first sentence, she was crying. I never heard her like that. She offered to help with the eulogy.”
“That was nice of her.” Noticing the briefcase in Ben’s hand, Eric asked, “Where are you headed now?”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
“So this is it?”
“I hope so,” Ben said. “By this time tomorrow, I should be done with this nonsense.”
“I know I didn’t say this last night, but I think you’re doing the right thing.”
“Thanks,” Ben said as the stranger in the navy coat passed behind him. Ben turned around to watch him walk down the block. “Does that guy look suspicious to you?”
“Not really. Why?”
“He looked a little weird to me.”
“I wouldn’t worry,” Eric said. “I’m sure he’s no one.”
“Yeah,” Ben said, pulling out of the window.
“Do you want a ride to the Metro?” Eric asked.
“I’d prefer a ride downtown.”
“No time. I have to do some quick edits at the house, then I need to get back to work. The Metro is as good as it gets.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ben said, heading back to the sidewalk. “I think I can handle the two blocks.”
“Your choice,” Eric said, rolling up his window. “See you tonight.”
“I hope,” Ben said. “If you don’t hear from me by dinner, it means I’m still in the middle of my plea bargain.”
As the car pulled away, Ben continued his walk up the block.