The Tenth Justice - Brad Meltzer [74]
“It’s not your fault,” Ben said. “I should’ve seen this one a mile away. This was just dumb. I could’ve been here early this morning.”
“How do you think he knew? Do you think there was someone following us when we left you at the restaurant?” As he struggled to keep pace with his friend, Nathan asked, “Did you tell Lisa where the photos were?”
Ben was silent.
“You told her, didn’t you?”
Again, silence.
“Answer me,” Nathan demanded. “Did you tell Lisa about the photos?”
Coming to an abrupt halt, Ben threw his arms in the air and screamed, “YES! I TOLD HER! What the hell do you want me to say? I told her they were at a camera store a few blocks away!”
“Now why’d you do that? I told you—”
“I told her because I trust her. And when I speak to her, I don’t worry about guarding my thoughts—she’s my friend. So no matter what you say, until you have proof that it’s Lisa, I won’t believe a single bit of your conjecture.”
“What kind of proof are you waiting for? If she put a knife in your back, you’d say it wasn’t her because you didn’t see her with your own two eyes.”
“Lisa has nothing to gain by talking to Rick. If she was after the money, she’d leak the decisions to Rick herself.”
“Is that what you think?” Nathan asked. “What about this scenario: Rick and Lisa are conspiring, and Lisa is leaking the decisions to Rick. The only problem is that if word gets out that information is leaking, there’s no fall guy. Enter one befuddled clerk named Benjamin Addison. Get enough information on him, and if anything ever goes wrong, you have an instant scapegoat. All they need to do is keep amassing evidence of your involvement.”
Ben walked silently for almost a block. Finally, he said, “I don’t agree with you, but I understand what you’re saying. When we get back from Thanksgiving, I’ll be happy to talk about it, but until then, I want to enjoy my time at home. Lisa’ll be with me and I refuse to suspect her the entire weekend.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t take her home with you,” Nathan said.
“Get it out of your head. She’s got her ticket and she’s coming home. That’s the end of the discussion.”
“It’s your life,” Nathan said.
Chapter 10
“THEY DECIDED GRINNELL,” BEN SAID, COMING into the office carrying a stack of books.
“How do you know?” Lisa asked, looking up from the paperwork on her desk. “Conference isn’t over yet.”
“Oh, yes, it is,” Ben said, dumping the books on Lisa’s desk. “Osterman just buzzed his clerks and told them they’ll be writing the majority. Veidt finally went to the dark side.”
“Says who?”
“I just saw one of Blake’s clerks in the elevator. He had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Historical-monument-destroying prick.”
“I can’t believe this.” Lisa picked up the phone. “Where’s Hollis? How come no one told us?”
“I don’t think now’s such a good time to call. He’s probably pissed about it.”
“Are we definitely doing the dissent?” Lisa asked, returning the phone to its cradle.
“That’s my guess. I’m not sure, though.”
“Why’re you so upset?” Lisa asked. “I thought you were in favor of seeing it as a taking of property.”
“I am,” Ben said. “I just don’t like seeing the vampires win. They played dirty on this one.”
“Did they say what the final vote was?”
“It was five to four. Apparently Osterman convinced Veidt that if New York’s zoning was allowed to protect the church, Grinnell and the other owners were going to bear a disproportionate burden.”
“So Osterman’s decision is based on a disproportionality argument? Are you sure it isn’t challenging the legality of zoning?”
Shaking his head, Ben said, “If they attacked the zoning directly, they couldn’t get all the votes they needed for a majority. Blake’s clerk said that was the only way they could get Veidt on board. So Osterman’s decision is going to say that the benefits of historic monuments are enjoyed by the whole city. Therefore, the preservation of such monuments is a burden that should be borne by the city, not by individuals.”
“So if New York wants to protect the church, it’s going to have to pay Grinnell and Associates the expected