“What did she have to say for herself?”
“She has nothing to say for herself,” Dino replied. “That’s the problem. She doesn’t seem to think she’s done anything wrong.”
“Even after murdering five people?”
“Even after that.”
“There’s a word for that: sociopath. Someone without a conscience.”
“I know that,” Dino said testily.
“Next time, just hang up on her.”
“Trouble is, I didn’t,” Dino said.
“How long did you talk?”
“Not long. She wanted to come over to my place.”
“She may be a sociopath, but she’s not crazy. Why would she want to risk that?”
“Maybe because she believed I wouldn’t turn her in.”
Stone cleared his throat of the bourbon he had nearly inhaled. “Why would she believe that?”
“Because I didn’t turn her in.”
“Wait a minute, Dino, are you saying that she came to your apartment?”
Dino just nodded.
“And you didn’t call anybody? Nine-one-one, the FBI, anybody?”
Dino shook his head.
“Listen to me, pal, you need to take a hike to the nearest post office and take a look at the ten-most-wanted list. You won’t have any trouble finding her there, she’s right at the top.”
“You think I don’t know that, Stone?”
“I know you, Dino, and I know that you are all cop, that you would turn in your mother if she was wanted for five murders.”
Dino shrugged. “I wasn’t all that crazy about my mother.”
“But you’re crazy about Shelley Bach?”
“That’s about the size of it,” Dino said disconsolately.
“Funny, I never noticed that when we met her in Washington.”
“You didn’t notice, because you were in your room screwing Holly Barker while Shelley and I were in my room, fucking our brains out. We didn’t have all that much opportunity to talk.”
“I suppose that’s so,” Stone agreed. “We were both pretty busy at the time.”
“Busier than I’ve ever been in my whole life,” Dino said. “We were fucking at least twice a day every day we were there.”
“That’s a tough schedule, Dino. You’re in better shape than I thought.”
The headwaiter summoned them for their table, and they followed him into the back room, where they were seated.
“Tell me,” Stone said, “in the moments when you weren’t raping each other, what did you talk about? Did Shelley even mention the murders?”
“Nope. It’s like they never happened. I asked her how she got away so clean, and she said that she had started making arrangements not long after we arrived in D.C. She’s a very smart woman. You know that guy from Boston, Whitey Bulger, that the FBI caught not long ago?”
“Sure, it was all over the TV and the papers.”
“The FBI spent sixteen years hunting him, and she worked on the case for the last couple of years. I think she learned a lot about how fugitives disappear.”
“I guess getting lost is an art,” Stone said.
“You bet your ass it is. Just think about all the ways there are to get caught these days, what with cell phone tracing and security cameras everywhere and the Internet. It doesn’t seem possible that somebody could just get lost, but that’s what she’s done.”
“But now she’s made a mistake,” Stone pointed out. “She’s contacted you.”
Dino shook his head slowly.
“Dino, do I need to point out that abetting a fugitive can end your career and get you some serious time? What are you going to do if she kills somebody else? Then you’re in deep shit.”
“I don’t think she will,” Dino said. “She killed the first one in a rage and the others to cover it up. She doesn’t have to cover up anything anymore.”
“Dino, you’re playing a very dangerous game here.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“How about this: the next time she contacts you, tell her not to get in touch again, because you’ll have to turn her in. That would put you pretty much in the clear.”
“That’s a good idea, Stone. When I get home tonight, I’ll tell her just that.”
“You mean she’s in your apartment right now?”
“I told her I was going out with you, so she ordered a pizza.”
“Dino, promise me you’ll drop-kick her right into the street, first thing in the morning.”
“I will,” Dino said. “If I can.”
10
Herbie was in his cubicle at Woodman amp; Weld at seven-thirty the following morning. He emptied his briefcase of the files he had worked on at home until midnight the night before, then walked up one level to one of the two partners’ floors, to Karla Martin’s office. Karla had a well-deserved reputation as the toughest partner in the firm where the treatment of associates was concerned.
With the knowledge of Mike Freeman’s offer bolstering his courage, Herbie walked into Karla’s office and dumped the stack of files on her desk. “Good morning, and there you are,” he said. “There’s a memo in each file listing the relevant precedents and case law. That makes you and me entirely up to date.” He walked over to a table in a corner where a coffee thermos sat and poured himself a cup, then sat down opposite her.
Karla stared at him, unblinking, a glare that any associate would have recognized in a flash as preceding heavy weather. “I don’t believe I invited you in for coffee,” she said acidly.
“That’s just one of the many mistakes you make with associates, Karla,” Herbie replied, “especially with me.”
“ What? ”
“I’ve spent two years shoring up your reputation in this firm, and I’m all done now. I’d like you to recommend me to Bill Eggers for senior associate.” This was a step toward partnership, and the appointments were handed out stingily. In fact, he thought, no one could remember Karla ever recommending anyone for senior associate.
“You must be out of your mind, Herbert,” she spat, “coming in here and making yourself at home and thinking I would promote you.”
“You can’t promote me, Karla, I know that, but if you sign this letter, it might help a bit with Eggers.” He removed a letter, neatly typed on the firm’s letterhead, and slid it across the desk.
Karla picked up the letter and read it.
“I don’t think the praise is overdone, do you? I tried to frame it in your own inimitable, grudging style.”
Karla was trembling with anger. “You little twerp,” she said through clenched teeth. “You get out of my office!”
“Just as soon as you sign the letter,” Herbie said. “Oh, and a phone call to Bill would be nice, too.”
“Why do you think I would ever do such a thing?” she demanded.
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to start making people around here aware of what a lousy lawyer you are.”
“ What? ”
“You’ve been kept afloat for years in this firm by smart associates who’ve done your work for you and kept their mouths shut about it, but I’m not going to keep my mouth shut. I’m in a very strong position in this firm. I have an excellent reputation here, and you don’t.” Herbie saw a flicker of something in her face that might have been fear. He pounced.
“You know that as well as I do, don’t you? You know you couldn’t count on the support of a single associate here and not more than one or two partners. You’ve lost two accounts in the past year, and you haven’t brought anything in. You’ve been on the edge at Woodman and Weld, and all you need is a nudge to tumble into the abyss of unemployment.”
“Then why would you want the support in the firm of someone as weak as you think I am?” She smirked, as if she had won the argument.
“Because you never praise anyone for anything, Karla, and the shock just might get Bill Eggers’s attention. That’s the only reason, believe me.” He stood up. “I’ll be going now, and I’d like to take the signed letter with me.” He held out a hand.
She tried the glare again, saw that it wasn’t working, and signed the letter. “Now you can go to hell,” she said.
Herbie put the letter into his pocket. “You first,” he said, then walked out. He was quivering with excitement and exultation. He had nailed Karla Martin, and he had it in writing. She could never retract that letter.