48

Addison

The Harley salesman was apologetic but said his manager had put the kibosh on Katie’s test-drives until she was prepared to commit to a purchase. “We’ll then be happy to enroll you in classes so you can become proficient,” he said.

“Sounds like you’d be happy to have me buy from another dealer,” she said.

Brady saw panic in the man’s eyes. “Oh no, not at all. But you understand there’s a limit to how many times we can have you—”

“And my fiancé . . .”

“Look, if you need one more spin to help you make your decision, I can talk to my—”

“Do that. We’ve pretty much made up our minds about the metallic blue Fat Boy, and—”

“Really?”

Now Brady saw something else in the salesman’s eyes. Dollar signs.

“And we’re prepared to pay cash.”

“Let me get the key.”

As the man jogged into the showroom, Katie squeezed Brady’s shoulder. “Too good to be true!” she said. “We’re not even going to have to rent!”

“You’re not really going to buy—?”

“Of course not. Once you start working, you can buy your own.”

“Yeah, like that’ll happen. I’m really gonna buy a bike worth twice as much as the best car I could afford. And in the winter . . .”

“I’m just saying, I like a man on a Harley. And you’re getting awfully good on ’em. You ready to buzz my dad?”

“I’m up for anything you want,” Brady said.

Once again Katie left the Benz and they took off on the big bike. Half a mile away, they switched places, and she hollered directions in Brady’s ear as he headed north to the exclusive suburbs. He felt that familiar tingle up his back, the one that told him he was on the edge of danger, or disaster.

Adamsville

Dirk Blanc proved as engaging as ever, and in spite of himself, Thomas simply liked the man.

“Have you forgiven Rav?” he said.

Dirk squinted at him. “So you know everything.”

“I know enough.”

“Apparently. Tell you the truth, forgiveness was hard. We’d been drifting, like couples do. Well, most couples. To hear Ravinia tell it, you guys are next to perfect.”

“Oh no, now—”

“Just telling you the standard that has been raised before me. Fact is, my parents are pretty tight too, though in some ways I think my mother is an enabler. Life pretty much revolves around Dad. ’Course he loves it, and she seems okay with that. But back to us. I know I contributed, okay? We were both trying to gain traction in our careers, and yeah, I can see where she was lonely and I was the reason—or a big part of it. I mean, it falls to me to be sure she’s not lonely, am I right?”

“I see it that way, yes,” Thomas said. “Unless there’s something pathologically wrong with the wife, it’s the husband’s lot to be sure she’s happy.”

Dirk shook his head. “I’d love that chance again.”

“But you never answered my question.”

“Formally, no, I guess I haven’t actually forgiven her. I was deeply hurt, sir. You cannot imagine.”

“Has she asked your forgiveness?”

Dirk shook his head. “Might open an old wound if I announce forgiveness that hasn’t been asked for.”

“Let me talk to her.”

“Is she going to think I want her to ask?”

“Give me a little more credit than that, Dirk.”

“I’ll leave it with you. And I appreciate your interest more than I can say.”

Dirk proved as energetic about Thomas’s case as he would have been for a paying client. He came to the penitentiary with court documents allowing him to conduct his due diligence—seeing the pods, the cells, and even interviewing anyone within earshot of the conversation between Thomas and Jorge.

“I found the other prisoners understandably closemouthed, protecting their own. But they also seemed reluctant to cast you in a bad light, and that’s a good thing. Not one would say that you were mean or cold or acrimonious to Jorge. And while there is no tape of your conversation, we have the next best thing. Two officers in the control unit for that pod overheard the entire exchange through the intercom.”

“Then they know.”

“And their recollections are just disparate enough to pretty much prove reliability without collusion. The only drawback is that they would naturally take your side against an inmate. But if it comes to needing witnesses, we’ve got them. Once I get their depositions, I may be able to get a summary judgment, a decision by the court before it even gets to trial. If I were Jorge’s counsel, this would persuade me to stop wasting my time.”