“Listen, I don’t need the speech,” Nathan interrupted. “I’m on your side. Ober’s really upset by this and he’s on your side. If you want Eric out of the house, that’s your decision. I just want you to consider all your options.” Flipping through the newspaper, Nathan asked, “Have you ever stopped to think what Eric might do back to you if you do make him move out?”
“What are you talking about?” Ben asked in disbelief.
“I’m just saying that if you made me move out, I’d be pretty pissed at you. Maybe I’d even write another story about you for revenge.”
“I dare him to write another story,” Ben said, seething. “I’d rip his head off. And then I’d-”
“Calm down,” Nathan said. “He hasn’t written anything. It was just a hypothetical.”
Ben took a sip of his juice. “You don’t really think he’d do that, do you?”
“If he did it once…”
“Are you telling me I should make up with him just so he doesn’t hurt me further? Are you absolutely nuts?”
“I didn’t say make up with him. I just think you should watch your back.”
Ben waved hello to Nancy, Hollis’s secretary, as he walked through her office on his way to his own. “Hi, Ben,” Nancy smiled back. Nancy had worked for Hollis for almost twenty years. She’d been with him when he was a judge on the D.C. Circuit, and she was one of the five people in his office the day he found out about his nomination to the Court. A matronly woman with graying brown hair, Nancy would probably work for Hollis until the day he retired. As far as she was concerned, there was no more exciting job in the world.
Nancy picked up a large envelope from the corner of her desk and held it out for Ben. “This just came for you. By messenger-must be important.”
“Thank you,” Ben said, and headed for his office. Before he took off his coat, he ripped open the package. Inside was the current edition of the Washington Herald. Eric’s byline was circled in red. Next to it was a handwritten message: “Still trust him?”
Asshole, Ben thought. Never lets me forget he’s around. Ben tossed the newspaper in the garbage and saw a pink message sheet with Lisa’s handwriting on it taped to his computer screen: “Call the Marshals Office. ASAP.” He pulled the message from his computer, crumpled it up, and added it to the garbage. Taking a quick glance at the Court’s telephone directory, he dialed. “Hi, this is Ben Addison, with Justice Hollis’s chambers.”
Seconds later, Carl Lungen, the chief marshal, was on the line. “Hello, Ben. How’re you doing?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” Ben said, struggling to remain calm. “What’s happening there?”
“Nothing much,” Lungen said. “I just happened to see that your roommate had another scoop, and it reminded me that we haven’t spoken in a while.”
“Listen, you know I didn’t have a thing to do with that story,” Ben shot back, raising his voice. “Every paper in the country carried it today.”
“I didn’t say you had anything to do with it,” Lungen said. “I just said it made me think about you. The last time we spoke, you promised that you’d come see us after you confronted Eric.”
“I never promised you that,” Ben said. “Fisk asked me if I’d come. I said I’d think about it. Now, I don’t mean to be abrupt, but is there anything else you want to talk about? I’m really busy here.”
“Actually, we were wondering what happened with Eric.”
As Lisa entered the room, Ben said, “Eric and I aren’t talking anymore. He had no excuse for his actions, so I told him to fuck off. All he could say was that he wanted to help his career. Any more questions?”
“There was no other explanation for his actions?” Lungen asked.
Ben wrote the word “Marshals” on a scrap piece of paper and passed it to Lisa. “If there was, he didn’t tell me,” Ben said. “Anything else?”
“One last thing,” Lungen said. “We wanted to take you up on your offer to take that lie detector test.”
Ben froze in his chair. “I don’t see any reason why-”
“It’s just precautionary. You know we’re trying to keep this investigation low-key, so we haven’t notified the justices yet. If you don’t, though…”
“I’ll take the test.”
“Great,” Lungen said. “We scheduled it for the twenty-third. Is that okay?”
“Sure. That’s fine,” Ben said. “That’ll be fine.”
“Great. We’ll see you down here in two weeks. Say hello to Justice Hollis for me.”
Ben hung up the phone and stared at his desk.
“What’s wrong?” Lisa asked. “What’d they want?”
“They saw Eric’s story about Kuttler’s nomination, and they want me to take a lie detector test.”
“No way,” she said, throwing the scrap paper at Ben. “That was in every paper in the country. The announcement ceremony is today. The white House leaked it late last night so they could get two days of press out of it.”
“Tell that to the marshals.”
“They can’t make you take a lie detector test,” Lisa insisted. “It’s a violation of privacy.”
“Well, they scheduled it for the twenty-third. And I’m going to be there to take it.”
“Why?”
“I have to take it,” Ben said, rearranging a stack of papers on his desk. “If I don’t, they’ll tell Hollis everything they know, which’ll definitely get me thrown out of here. And even if they’re just bluffing about telling Hollis, if I don’t take it, they’ll be more suspicious than ever.”
“I’ll tell you when they’ll be suspicious: when you fail the test.”
“I won’t fail the test,” Ben insisted. “Those tests are beatable. That’s why they’re not admissible in court. They’re not foolproof. At this point, I may’ve done something wrong, but I didn’t do anything maliciously against the Court. If I keep a cool head, I bet I can pass it.”
“If you say so,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “But, I still think-”
“You know what? I just don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“But-”
“I said drop it,” Ben demanded, refusing to look at his co-clerk. “I’ll deal with it.”
Later that evening, Ben returned home covered in the first snow of the year. Wiping frozen clumps of hair from his eyes, he searched for the key to his front door and unlocked it.
“Put your stuff down, we’re going out!” Ober shouted as he threw on his coat. Getting no reaction from Ben, Ober stopped and searched Ben’s face. “What’s wrong with you? You look like crap.”
“Thanks.” Ben dropped his briefcase on the floor and let his jacket slide from his arm.
“Tough day on the job, dear?”
“Terrible day,” Ben said, undoing his tie and unbuttoning his collar. “The decision we’re working on still isn’t done. The Marshals Office is making me take a lie detector test. Rick’s on the loose. I can’t trust Lisa. My life is a mess.”
“They’re making you take a lie detector test?” Nathan asked. “They can’t do that.”
“I know they can’t, but they’ll tell Hollis if I don’t.”
“No offense, but are you coming with us or not?” Ober asked. “Nathan got promoted today and all we’re doing is moping around here.”
“You got the S/P job?” Ben asked. Nathan smiled. Ben gave him a bear hug. “Congratulations!”
“You are now looking at the newest member of the secretary of state’s policy planning staff,” Ober explained. “Whatever that is.”
“From now on, I get to muck with all the major policy work that comes through our department,” Nathan said.
“That is unbelievable!” Ben said. “I knew you’d get it. I hope you got a bigger office.”
“Bigger office, bigger computer, slightly bigger salary.”