Tags:
Fiction,
General,
LEGAL,
Suspense,
Crime,
Police,
Murder,
Legislators,
Attorney and client,
Traffic accident victims,
Kincaid; Ben (Fictitious character),
Confidential communications
that got my Joslyn killed in the first place.”
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s disappointing. I heard you weren’t afraid to bend the rules here and there in the name of justice.”
“Bend the rules? You’re talking about murder!”
“No. I’m talking about the man who killed my wife. Deliberately.” He hunched forward, leaning against Ben’s desk. “Did I tell you that my wife’s liver failed? Totally shut down. The buildup of toxins in her body was horrifying. Physicians have told me that’s the worst kind of pain it’s possible to experience. Constant. Inescapable. Imagine enduring that for seven days, helpless to do anything about it.”
“My heart goes out to you for your loss, but—”
“Her left leg was gangrenous. Even if she had lived it would’ve had to be amputated. She was so hungry she tried to eat the vinyl upholstery on the seat she was pinned down against.”
Ben felt a dryness in his throat. “You have my sympathy, but—”
“You’re a married man, senator. Do you love your wife?”
“Of course I do. More than—”
“Would you want to see her tortured for seven days?”
“Of course not.”
“I know you wouldn’t. I can see it in your eyes. If you were in my shoes, you would feel exactly the same way I do.”
“But I would never contemplate murder,” Ben replied, realizing how weak and unconvincing he sounded.
“Did I tell you I didn’t get to say goodbye?” He collapsed on the desk, his head falling onto his arms. “I saw her for only a moment, when they pulled her out of the car. Then the … the bastard cop had me arrested for hitting him. What self-respecting husband wouldn’t?”
Without even thinking about it, Ben placed his hand on Dennis’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“I was locked up late on a Friday. I couldn’t get an attorney, couldn’t get released before my arraignment. By the time I was out—” His voice cracked. “They had already cremated Joslyn. That was her wish—but it was implemented before I was released. She was gone. I never got to see her, Mr. Kincaid. I never even said goodbye!”
Ben pressed against his shoulder, hoping to somehow feed the man the comfort that eluded him. “I know how hard dealing with grief can be. But murder is not the answer. It won’t help anything. And you won’t get away with it. You’ll be convicted. Would your wife have wanted that? The best thing you can do is move forward, get on with your life. If you want to bring some action against the police department, I will help you. Sure, the odds are long, but I have personally experienced police misconduct like you wouldn’t believe. I know it happens—much more frequently than anyone wants to acknowledge. I will fight to the last to see that your wrong is righted. I promise you.”
Ben knelt down beside him. “Will you let me? Will you let me do that for you?”
Dennis slowly rose to his feet. He brushed his wet face, then tugged at the lay of his shirt. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to help me, Mr. Kincaid.”
“Dennis …”
“Even though you won’t be representing me, I assume this conversation is protected by attorney-client privilege. Since I came in as a prospective client.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t extend to planning criminal—”
“I didn’t say anything about any plan. I’m researching a book. So the privilege applies. And we have nothing more to talk about.”
2
Christina peered across the fifteen-by-fifteen grid, obviously not pleased.
“There is no way I am accepting this, Ben.
Za
is not a word.”
“It is.”
“What does it mean?”
“It’s slang for a slice of pizza.”
“If it’s slang, it shouldn’t be in the dictionary.”
“But it is. And that makes it a valid Scrabble word.”
“Use it in a sentence.”
Ben contemplated a moment. “Whenever I look at you, I think, Wow-
Za
.”
She gave him the look that he had come to recognize as the sort of serious