“I’m going to do all I can, Richie. I really am.”
Richie wanted more reassuring words than those — he wanted a guarantee that he wasn’t going to be charged with the murder — but this was the world of adults and there were no guarantees.
“C’mon, Richie. I’ll walk out with you.”
O’Brien held the door for him and then together they walked down the hall and outside.
They had just reached the sidewalk when they saw Sam Bowers pull up in his official car. Sam had to make the arrest alone because at the last minute Hadley was called to the district attorney’s office for a deposition.
“Need to talk to you a minute, Richie,” Sam said as he started to climb out of the Ford.
Richie had never heard Sam’s voice this distant before. There was a cold, professional quality to it that made Richie’s hand start twitching again.
5
Helen called her brother from home.
“How’d it go?” he said.
“Hadley’s going to help us.”
“We just need to get this wrapped up fast.”
He is such a child, Helen thought. No patience.
“How’re things going at the office?” she said.
“Oh, fine. You don’t think Hadley’ll change his mind, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“A lot of people like him in this town. Richie, I mean.”
“A lot of people used to like him. Not so much anymore. He’s sort of frittered that all away, I think.”
“It’s all everybody’s talking about,” David said. “Everybody who comes in here brings it up. And they all think he killed her.”
“Then I don’t know what you’re so nervous about.” Then, “Maybe you’re just worried about your doctor’s appointment tomorrow?”
“God, Helen, I asked you not to bring that up.”
“I was just saying—”
“Sometimes I think you want me to worry. I wasn’t thinking about my doctor’s appointment at all. But now I am, of course. Thanks a hell of a lot.”
“I’m sure you’re going to be fine. And even if you had to be operated on again—”
“God, Helen, just be quiet, will you? Nobody said that there’s any recurrence at all. Everybody at the hospital seemed very positive the last time.”
“Well, they’re paid to be positive — or to look positive, anyway — but in your case, I’m sure they felt positive.”
“God, I can’t believe you sometimes. My own sister.”
“I just wanted to let you know how it went with Hadley.”
“I appreciate that.”
“And I don’t like being chewed out every time I call.”
“Then quit talking about my appointment tomorrow. See, now I’m bringing it up again.”
She could see the faces of the senators on the floor when she assumed her rightful place... Ted Kennedy, Trent Lott, Alphonse D’Amato... they’d all be happy to see her as a colleague... knowing that she’d been running her brother’s senatorship for years, anyway.
“I’ll let you know if I hear any more,” she said.
“Great. Now I’d better get back to my appointments.” Then, “You know what I just almost did?”
“What?”
“I almost stole one of our new secretary’s ham sandwiches.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Huh-uh. Ham’s about the worst thing you can eat when you’re trying to kick cancer.”
“Right.”
“So I almost picked one of them up and stuffed it into my face. Can you believe that?”
“Oh, I’m sure one or two ham sandwiches wouldn’t hurt you. Not even three.”
“You know, sometimes I think you don’t want me to get well, you know that?”
“That’s a nice thing to say.”
“Well, it’s true.”
“I just want you to enjoy yourself, David. You went through a rough time with the chemo and all — you have to enjoy yourself a little bit.”
“Oh, shit.”
“What?”
“I’m such an ingrate. Here I am accusing you of wanting to make me sick... and all you’re worried about is me being happy. I don’t know why I say the shit I do sometimes, Helen. I’m very sorry.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I don’t expect you to be appreciative of every single little thing I do for you, David. You don’t have the time. You’ve got to look at the bigger picture.”
“That’s what I’m good at, isn’t it? The bigger picture?”
Oh, yes, David, you’re practically a fucking whiz on the big picture. A regular whiz and no doubt about it.
“Well, I’ll talk to you in a while,” she said.
“Thanks for everything,” David said, contrite as only David could be.
“My pleasure,” she said.
And hung up.
6
One time Richie had smashed old man Ryerson’s window with his baseball. He had to sneak over in the Ryersons’ yard to see if he could find his ball. He couldn’t.
Which meant that the baseball was somewhere inside.
Which meant he’d had to sneak in the back door — old man Ryerson, who was retired and slept a lot, always left his back porch screen door open. Richie would have to sneak in there and get his ball back.
So he creaked open the door...
...and tiptoed into the kitchen...
...and tiptoed into the dining room, where he knew he’d find the ball on the floor...
...and there, by God, it was, his brand-new hardball sitting right on the floor amid shining shards of broken glass...
...his brand-new baseball.
He thought he’d heard something and—
— spun around.
And behind him he saw Tuxedo, old man Ryerson’s nasty-tempered black-and-white tomcat.
Tuxedo hissed at him.
Richie gulped. Tuxedo couldn’t hurt him. And he couldn’t bark. So now was the time to grab his ball and get out of the house as fast as he could.
He started to tiptoe across the glass, his seventy-five pounds crackling the glass shards as he passed over them.
“What the hell you think you’re doing, Richie?” old man Ryerson said out of nowhere.
Richie spun around.
This time Tuxedo had a companion... old man Ryerson himself.
“Oh, God,” Richie said.
“Oh, God, is right,” old man Ryerson said. “It’s time that sister of yours gave you a damned good spanking.”
Then old man Ryerson, who was a lot stronger than his gnarled body led you to believe, stepped forward and took Richie’s ear in between his thumb and forefinger... giving it a good hard twist... and then marched him out the back door and over to Richie’s house, where he demanded that Amy come and take care of this damned little brother of hers...
Amy wasn’t here right now to rescue him.
And he wasn’t in trouble over a smashed window... he was in trouble over murder.
Sam reached in his pocket and said, “I have a warrant here for your arrest.”
O’Brien spoke up. “What the hell are you talking about, Sam? Arresting him on what grounds?”
For the first time, Richie sensed that Sam was uncomfortable about this whole thing.
“The Chief feels there’s enough evidence,” Sam said, “to bring Richie in.”
“I didn’t kill her, Sam,” Richie said. “I honest to God didn’t.”
O’Brien, cooler now, elected a more professional approach. “You want my opinion, Sam, he didn’t have anything to do with this.”