Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen
Jack flung his luggage into a corner and his coat on the sofa, trying to keep himself from collapsing on the carpet.The time in Wuya to Ukraine was exhausting, and the seven-hour jet lag was uncomfortable, but Walter, who was in his octogenarians, did not feel tired at all.
Because of Sullivan's wealth and reputation, the security checkpoint let them through quickly and very politely.Thus, a series of endless meetings began.They visited equipment factories, mines, office buildings, hospitals, and then had dinner with the mayor of Kyiv and got very drunk.The next day, the Ukrainian president met with them, and Sullivan ate with him for an hour.Capitalism and the entrepreneur are more respected than anything else in this open republic, and Sullivan was a big capitalist.Everyone wanted to talk to him and shake his hand, as if the money-making magic of him would rub off on them and create enormous fortunes in a short time.
The result has greatly exceeded their original expectations, because the Ukrainians have always agreed to do this deal and spoke highly of its broad prospects.The peak period of dollar exchange for nuclear weapons will come at an appropriate time in the future.What a huge asset, a surplus asset that could be turned into a liquid asset.
Sullivan's remodeled 747 had just returned from Kyiv to the British West Indies, and his car had just flown Jack home.Jack went into the kitchen, there was only yogurt in the refrigerator.The Ukrainian food was good but very greasy, and after the first few days there, he only ate a little with meals.But the wine has been drinking a lot.Obviously, you can't do business without it.
He scratched his head, trying to stay awake.But in fact, he was so tired that he couldn't sleep.However, I was hungry.He looked at his watch. According to his biological clock, it was almost 8 am, but the time on the watch was late at night.Unlike the Big Apple, however, there is something for anyone's appetite or interest, day or night, and no matter how late it is, there are always places where Jack can get some decent groceries on a weeknight .Just as he was pulling on his coat, the phone rang and the answering machine was on.Jack starts walking out, then hesitates, he listens to the perfunctory recording, followed by a beep.
"Jack?"
A sound came to him suddenly, like a ball under the water was released and bounced to the surface. He hadn't heard this sound for a long time.He grabbed the phone.
"Luther?"
The restaurant was as small as a hole in the wall, and it was one of Jack's favorite restaurants.There, no matter day or night, you can eat food prepared according to your needs.It was a place Jennifer Baldwin would never set foot in, but he and Kate used to frequent.Not so long ago, the results of such a comparison would have disturbed him, but now he made up his mind to stop thinking about it.Life can't be perfect, you can spend your whole life waiting for that kind of perfection.But he's not going to do that.
Jack wolfed down some scrambled eggs, meat and four slices of bread.The freshly brewed coffee burned his throat as he drank it; after five days of drinking instant java and bottled water, it tasted so good.
Jack looked across at Luther, who was sipping coffee, looking at the dark street outside the dirty plate glass windows, and looking around the small, dusty restaurant.
Jack put down his coffee. "You look tired."
"You too, Jack."
"I just came back from abroad."
"me too."
That explains the clutter and piles of mail in Luther Yard.Don't worry anymore.Jack pushed the tray away and beckoned the waiter to refill his coffee.
"I passed by your residence the day before yesterday."
"Why go there?"
Jack had been waiting for this question, and Luther Whitney always spoke directly.But anticipation is one thing, and a ready answer is another, Jack shrugged.
"I don't know, just wanted to see you, I think. Haven't seen you in a while."
Luther nodded in agreement.
"Did you see Kate again?"
Jack answered after swallowing a swig of coffee, his temples starting to bulge.
"No, what's the matter?"
"I thought I saw you two together the other day."
"We almost bumped into each other, that's all."
Jack couldn't be more specific about the situation, but Luthor seemed frustrated by the response.He noticed that Jack was watching him closely, and laughed.
"Before, you were the only way I could know if my little girl was doing well. You were the way I got my news, Jack."
"Have you thought about talking to her directly, Luther? You know that would be useful, time never forgives."
Luther ignored his advice and stared out the window again.
Jack watched him.His face was thinner than before, and his eyes were puffy.As far as Jack could remember, Luthor's forehead and the corners of his eyes were more wrinkled than ever.But it has been four years.Luthor is now in the age of rapid aging, and the aging is becoming more and more obvious day by day.
He found himself looking into Luther's eyes.Those big dark blue eyes that have always fascinated Jack, like a woman's eyes, but full of extreme confidence, just like the eyes of pilots you see, they watch life with extremely calm eyes.He'd seen joy in those eyes when Jack and Kate announced their engagement, but more often he'd seen sadness.Yet right there, Jack saw two things in Luther Whitney's eyes that he had never seen before.He saw fear and he saw hatred, but he didn't know which disturbed him more.
"Luther, are you in trouble?"
Luther took out his wallet and paid the bill despite Jack's objections.
"Let's go."
They took a taxi to the grassy plaza that stretches all the way to Fort Smithson, and they walked silently to a stool.The cold evening wind blew them, and Jack pulled up the collar of his coat a little.He sat down while Luther stood lighting a cigarette.
"You're on it again." Jack watched the smoke slowly curve upward in the clean evening air.
"At my age, who cares?" Luther threw the match on the ground, stamped it into the mud with his foot, and sat down.
"Jack, I want to ask you a favor."
"certainly."
"You haven't heard clearly what I want your help with." Luther stood up suddenly. "Would you mind going for a walk? My joints are going numb."
They walked past the Washington Monument.Then headed towards Capitol Hill, at which point Luther broke the silence.
"I'm in trouble, Jack, but it's not that bad right now, but I have a hunch it's going to get worse, and it might come soon." Luthor didn't look at him, his eyes seemed to be fixed on the Capitol ahead Huge dome.
"I don't know how things are going to play out now, but if I have my way, I'm going to hire a lawyer. I'll hire you, Jack. I don't want a bombastic lawyer, or a lawyer with no experience. You The best defense attorney I've ever seen, I've seen a lot of defense attorneys, see it through, and I've seen it with my own eyes."
"I'm not a defense attorney anymore, Luthor. I've given up being a lawyer, and I'm just doing deals." Jack suddenly remembered that he was a businessman, not a lawyer, but it wasn't particularly pleasing.
Luther didn't seem to hear what he said. "It won't be free, I will pay for it. But I want to find someone I trust, and you are the only one I can trust, Jack." Luther stopped walking, looked back at the young man, Wait for his reply.
"Luther, do you want to tell me what's going to happen?"
Luther shook his head vigorously. "Unless you have to, it's not going to be good for you or anyone else." He stared at Jack so hard that he felt uncomfortable.
"I must tell you, Jack, that it will upset some people if you act as my lawyer in this matter."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm saying someone is going to get hurt by this, really hurt, like the kind of hurt that can never make a comeback."
Jack stopped. "If you have someone like that in your hand, you'd better make a deal now, and you'll be safe, you'll get off the witness protection list. A lot of people do that, it's not an innovative idea. "
Luther laughed, he couldn't breathe, laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten up, laughing out the little bit of strength left in his body.Jack held him up, and he could feel the old man's limbs shaking, and he didn't realize it was shaking with anger.This sudden laugh didn't seem like the old man's usual style, so Jack felt goosebumps all over his body.He knew he was sweating, though in the cold of the night he could see little puffs of mist forming as he breathed.
Luther calmed down and took a deep breath, looking a little embarrassed.
"Thank you for the advice, and send me the attorney's bill. I have to go."
"Go? Where the hell are you going? I want to know what's going to happen, Luther."
"In case something happens to me..."
"Damn it, Luther, I'm sick of all this mysterious bullshit."
Luthor's eyes narrowed, and with a burst of intense emotion, he suddenly regained his confidence. "Everything I do is for a reason, Jack. If I don't tell you the whole story now, you better think it's for some good fucking reason. You might Don't understand, but I'm doing this to keep you as safe as possible. I don't want you to get involved, I just want to know if you will stand up for me when I need you. If you don't, forget about us Have you ever talked about something like that, forgetting that you ever knew me."
"You're not serious, are you?"
"Of course I mean it, Jack."
The two stood and looked at each other.The trees behind Luthor's head had lost most of their leaves, and their bare branches stretched skyward like a black bolt of lightning that froze in the air.
"I'll be there, Luther." Luther's hand snapped onto Jack's, and a moment later, Luther Whitney disappeared into the shadows.
The taxi pulled up in front of Jack's apartment building, and the payphone was across the street.He paused for a while, gathering strength and courage, and preparing for the next thing to do.
"Hello?" There was sleepiness in the voice.
"Kate?"
Jack waited for a while, until she had come to her senses and recognized whose voice it was.
"God, Jack, do you know what time it is?"
"Can I come to your place?"
"No, you can't come here. I think it's all over between us."
He paused, pulling himself together. "Not about that." He paused again. "It's about your father."
The prolonged silence that ensued was incomprehensible.
"What's the matter with him?" The tone was not as cold as he thought.
"He's in trouble."
Then that familiar tone reappeared. "Oh? Then why on earth should you be surprised?"
"I mean he's in big trouble. He's got me on my nerves, but he hasn't told me anything specific."
"Jack, it's too late, whatever happened to my father..."
"Kate, he's scared, I mean he's really scared."
Another long pause.When she was thinking of the old man they all knew well, Jack was guessing at her mental activity.Luther will be afraid?That's impossible.A man of steel is required in his line of work.Although Luthor was not a violent man, his entire adult life was spent on the edge of danger.
She asked briefly, "Where are you?"
"Just across the street."
Jack looked up to see a slender figure approaching the window of the building and looking out.He waved.
Jack knocked on the door and saw her go into the kitchen, heard the kettle clang, water was poured in, and the gas burner on the hob was lit.Jack looked around the house, then stood behind the gate, feeling a little silly.
After a while, she came back, wearing a thick bathrobe that reached to her ankles, and her feet were bare.Jack found himself staring at her feet.She followed his gaze to look at her feet, then at him, and he hurriedly stepped back.
"How's the ankle? It looks fine," he said with a laugh.
She frowned and said coldly: "It's late, Jack. How is he?"
He went into the small living room and sat down.She sits across from him.
"He called me a few hours ago. We grabbed a few bites at the tavern on the edge of the Oriental Market and started walking. He told me he needed help, he was in trouble, and something was going to hurt him for life. People get into trouble, indeed for life."
The teapot began to ring and she jumped up.He watched her walk away, hoping that the sight of her plump ass against the backdrop of her bathrobe would make him think nothing of it.She came back with two cups of tea.
"What can I do for you?" She sipped her tea, but Jack didn't move.
"He said he was going to hire a lawyer. He probably did, although in the end he probably didn't need a lawyer. He wanted me to be his defense lawyer."
She puts down her teacup. "that's all?"
"Isn't that enough?"
"It might have been enough for a man who was both honest and respectable, but not for him."
"My God! Kate, he's scared. I've never seen him scared before, have you?"
"I've seen everything I need to see in him. He's chosen the way he lives and obviously he's getting his comeuppance now."
"For God's sake, he's your father."
"Jack, I don't want to talk about him." She started to stand up.
"What if something happens to him? So what?"
She looked at him coldly. "That will happen, it has nothing to do with me."
Jack got up to go, then turned, flushed with rage. "I'll tell you how the funeral went. Come to think of it, what do you care about? I'll make sure you have a report of his death in your file."
He didn't expect her hand to come so fast, but that slap would last him a week, and that feeling was like someone had spilled acid on his face, which was a better description than What is realized at this time is more real.
"How dare you say that?" She glared, and he stroked his face slowly.
Then tears welled up in her eyes, splashing the front of her bathrobe.
He whispered as calmly as possible: "Don't be mad at the bearer, Kate. I told Luther, and I tell you now, life is too short for such useless things. I lost my parents long ago. , of course, you have reasons to dislike him, that's your business. But that old man loves you very much and cares about you very much, no matter how you think he ruined your life, you have to respect that love. This is what I give It's up to you whether to listen to your advice or not."
He started for the door, but she beat him again.
"You don't know anything about it."
"Well, I don't understand. Go back to sleep, I'm sure you'll be asleep soon, there's nothing big to worry about."
She tugged on his coat and turned him around, even though he weighed 80 pounds more than she did.
"He was in prison for the last time when I was two and he was out when I was nine. Can you understand the great shame of a little girl whose father is in prison? Whose father lives by stealing? When you In Acting and Speech class at school, one kid's dad was a doctor and the other was a truck driver. When it was your turn, the teacher looked down and told the class that Kate's dad had done something bad. And having to leave the house, and then she jumps over it and lets another kid do the show, how humiliating is that?"
"He never thought of us. Never! Mother was always worried about him, but she was always thinking of us, until the end, and he was even more free because of it."
"She ended up divorcing him, Kate," Jack reminded her softly.
"Because that was the only choice she had. Sadly, just as her life was about to improve, she developed a lump in her breast and died six months later."
Kate leaned against the wall, looking tired.It hurts to bring this up. "You know what's really funny? She loved him all the time, even though he put her through all kinds of unbelievable hardships." Kate shook her head, unable to believe what she had just said.She looked up at Jack, her cheeks trembling slightly.
"But that's nothing. I'm disgusted with both of us, father and daughter." She stared at him with a look of pride and justice intertwined on her face.
Jack wondered if he was exhausted from holding back what he wanted to say for so many years.But that is the truth.For years he had been watching the inscrutable and complex relationship between father and daughter, but seeing the beauty and vivacity of the woman sitting across from him, he put it aside, thinking she was perfect.
"Is that what you think is fair, Kate? Hate against love and everything even out?"
She took a step back. "what are you saying?"
He moved forward, and she continued to retreat into the small room. "I've heard your fucking pain and I'm tired of it. You think you're a good advocate for victims, no such thing, it's not you, it's not me, it's not your father. You sue there Every son of a bitch you see, the only reason is because your father hurt you, and every time you prove someone guilty is another nail in that old man's heart."
Her hand slapped his face, and he grabbed it and held it tight. "You've been getting revenge on him all your adult life, for all the wrong things, all the hurt, because he never thought of you." He held her hand tightly until he heard her gasp. "But have you ever calmed down and thought about it, maybe you never thought about him?"
He let go of her hand.She stood there, staring at him, with an expression on her face he had never seen before.
"Luther loves you so much, he never wants to connect with you, never wants to be a part of your life, because he knows that's what you want, do you know that? His only daughter lives near him miles away, yet completely cut off from his life. Did you ever think about how he felt? Did your resentment make you think that way?"
She didn't speak.
"Didn't you ever wonder why your mother loved him so much? Your picture of Luther Whitney was so damn twisted that you couldn't see why she loved him."
He shook her by the shoulders. "Has your bloody resentment ever made you feel a little compassion? Has it ever made you love anything? Kate!"
He pushes her away.She staggered back, her eyes fixed on his face without moving.
He hesitated for a moment. "Miss, in fact you don't deserve him." He paused, and then decided to finish his sentence. "You don't deserve his love."
She suddenly became angry, her teeth were clenched tightly, and her face was crooked with anger.She screamed and threw herself on him, pounding his chest with her fists and slapping him across the face, but he didn't feel her beating because he saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
She stopped beating quickly, and her arms seemed to be filled with lead, and she clung to his coat tightly.Just as they pulled each other, she sat on the ground, tears welled up, and the cry rang through the small room.
He picked her up and put her gently on the couch.
He squatted beside her and let her cry for a while.She cried for a long time, and her body kept tensing and softening for a while, but he couldn't take it anymore, his hands were cold and wet.Finally he put his arms around her, his chest against her side.Her slender fingers gripped his coat tightly, and they hugged each other for a long time.
After that, she stood up slowly, her face was flushed, and her face was stained with tears.
Jack moved back.
She doesn't want to look at him. "Get out, Jack."
"Kate..."
"Get out!" Although she was screaming, her voice was weak and mournful, and she covered her face with her hands.
He turned and walked out the door.As he walked down the street, he looked back at her house.Her figure was reflected in the window, she was looking out, but not at him.What she was looking for, he didn't know, maybe even she didn't know.He was still watching, but she turned away from the window.After a while, the lights in the room went out.
Jack wiped his eyes, turned and walked slowly down the street.After one of the longest days he could remember, he went home.
"Damn it! How long has it been?" Seth Frank stood beside the car. It was not yet eight in the morning.
The young policeman in Fairfax County, unaware of the importance of the matter, was taken aback by the sudden words of the detective.
"We found her about an hour ago, someone who was jogging early in the morning saw the car and reported it."
Frank walked around the car, looked in from the passenger side, and saw that the woman's face was very peaceful, completely different from the corpse he saw last time.The long hair was loose and fell over the edge of the car seat and fell to the floor.Wanda Bloom appeared to be asleep.
Three hours later, the crime scene investigation was over.The police found four pills in the seat, and an autopsy would prove that Wanda Bloom died from an overdose of digitalis, which she had prescribed for her mother, but which she had apparently not given to her mother.Her body was found about two hours after her death on a remote dirt road that circles a five-hectare pond, about eight miles from where Sullivan lives and not far from the county border.The only other piece of evidence was in a plastic bag that Frank took back to headquarters with the consent of the Sister County sheriff's office.It was written on a piece of paper torn from a spiral telephone notebook, in a woman's handwriting, smooth and round.Wanda's last words before her death were a strong desire for redemption, expressing her inner guilt aloud in four words.
I'm very sorry.
Frank drove on, past the rapidly fading trees and the faint swamp that paralleled the winding road.It never occurred to him that this woman would kill herself, and Wanda Bloom's resume indicated that she would live.Frank could only feel sorry for the woman and angry at her stupidity.He could have made a deal with her, a private deal!Then he remembered that at least one of his instincts were right, that Wanda Bloom had always been an extremely loyal person, that she had been loyal to Christine Sullivan, and that she couldn't, no matter how inadvertently, To live with the guilt that she contributed to Christine Sullivan's death.Her suicide was understandable but regrettable, and with her death, Frank's best, perhaps only, chance to catch a big fish was lost.
As his memories of Wanda Bloom faded, he concentrated on how to punish the man who had murdered two women.
"Damn it, Tull, is it today?" Jack looked at the clients sitting at the reception of Barton-Shaw Law Firm.The man looked uncomfortable, like a flea market mutt on display at a dog show.
"Come at 10:30, it's 11:15, does that mean I've been idle for 45 minutes? By the way, you look awful."
Jack looked down at his rumpled suit and smoothed his messy hair with one hand.His biological clock was still Ukrainian time, and his sleepless nights made his appearance even worse.
"Trust me, I look better than I ever imagined."
The two shook hands.Tull was fully dressed for the meeting, that is, no holes in his jeans, socks and tennis shoes.His corduroy top is a holdover from the early '70s, and his hair is still in its usual wavy and straight tufts.
"Hey, we can talk another day, Jack. I know what jet lag is all about."
"It's not easy getting you dressed. Come on. I just want to get something to eat right now. I'll take you to lunch and you won't have to pay the bill."
Lucinda sighed in relief as the two walked down the corridor.Her image is dignified and elegant, in harmony with the company's environment.More than one Barton-Shaw partner who passed her was terrified at the sight of Tull Crimson.This week is sure to be full of memos.
"Sorry, Tull, I've been so busy lately." Jack threw his coat on a chair and sat sadly behind a desk with a pile of pink papers about six inches thick.
"I hear you've been abroad. I hope it's an interesting place."
"Not a good place. How's business?"
"Excellent. Before long, you'll probably call me a legitimate client. Your colleagues won't hate me so much when they see me sitting in the lobby."
"Never mind them, Tual, you pay the bill."
"It's better to be a big customer and just pay your bills, rather than a small customer with bills flying all over the place."
Jack smiled. "You made us all understand, didn't you?"
"Hey man, you only need to see one algorithm to know them all."
Jack opened Tull's file and took a quick look.
"We'll have your new company formed by tomorrow at the most. The Delaware company will be qualified in Washington, D.C., understand?"
Tull nodded.
"How are you going to value your capital?"
Tull pulled out a legal pad. "I have listed all kinds of possibilities, which are the same as the last transaction. Can I get a discount?" Tal smiled.He liked Jack, but business had to be done.
"That's right, this time you won't have to pay tuition for an overpaid and inept partner."
Both of them laughed.
"Tal, as always, I'll keep my expenses to a minimum. By the way, what deals does the new company do?"
"Seize the favorable opportunity and engage in the sales of some new technologies of monitoring equipment."
Jack looked up from the notebook. "Surveillance equipment? That's kind of irrelevant to you, isn't it?"
"Nice, but you have to follow the trends, partnerships are going downhill. As a savvy entrepreneur, when one market shrinks, I look around for other opportunities. Surveillance equipment in private residential estates has always been hot. Now law enforcement's new The change is the use of tracking radar."
"It's kind of funny for a guy who went to jail in every major city in the country in the '60s."
"Hey, I was where I was for a good reason. But we're all grown up."
"How does the tracking radar work?"
"Two methods: First, low-altitude orbit satellites are connected to urban police tracking stations. These satellites have scanning devices that work according to a predetermined program. They will detect problems and transmit signals to the tracking stations almost simultaneously, providing accurate What happened, the police took action at the same time. The second way is to install military surveillance equipment, sensors and tracking devices on the telephone poles, or buried in the ground, and the ground sensors are installed outside the building. Of course, Their exact location will be classified, but the devices will be placed in the areas with the highest crime rates. If the situation starts to deteriorate, they will call in mobile units."
Jack shook his head. "I think, in that case, some human rights may be trampled on."
"Talk about it. Still, these measures are useful."
"We have to wait for those bad guys to come out."
"It's hard to escape the satellites, Jack."
Jack shook his head and went to look at the file again.
"Hey, how are the wedding plans going?"
Jack looked up. "I don't know, I've tried my best to arrange it properly."
Tull laughed. "Damn it, Julie and I only spent $20 when we got married, including the honeymoon. Paid $10 for a magistrate, bought a box of Michele Roberts with the rest, and drove a Harley We drove to Miami and slept on the beach. We had a great time.”
Jack smiled, shaking his head. "I think the Baldwins had something too formal on their minds, even though it sounded like a lot of fun to me."
Tual looked at him in bewilderment, remembering something. "What happened to that girl you used to date while you were defending criminals in this just city? Was it Kate?"
Jack looked down at the table. "We have decided to part ways," he said quietly.
"Ah, I've always thought you were a perfect couple."
Jack looked at him across the table, licked his lips, then closed his eyes for a moment, and replied, "Well, sometimes appearances can be deceptive."
Tar stared at his face. "Are you sure?"
"certainly."
After lunch and finishing some procrastinated work, Jack answered half of the phone messages, deciding to return the rest the next day.He looked out the window, thinking again of Luther Whitney.Jack could only guess at what he might be involved in, but Luthor was a loner both in his private life and when he committed the crime, which caused Jack a lot of headaches.Jack had gone through some of Luthor's priors when he was a public defender.He committed crimes alone, and even in those cases where he was not arrested but was interrogated, there was never a second person involved.So who would those other people be?A bootlegger that Luthor had somehow blackmailed?Luthor's been in this business for a long time though, he's not going to do that again, it's not worth it.Perhaps his victim?They may not be able to prove that Luther did the case, but have a vendetta against him.But who would hold a grudge against him because of the theft of property?Jack knew that would happen if someone was hurt or killed, but Luthor wouldn't do that.
He sat at the small conference table and thought for a while about the night before with Kate.It was the most painful experience of his life, even more painful than when Kate left him.But he had said what had to be said.
He rubbed his eyes.At this time in his life, the Whitney family wasn't particularly popular.But he had promised Luthor.Why did he do that?He loosened his tie.For his own spiritual well-being, he may have to draw a line or cut off contact with her.Now, he hopes the promises he made will never have to be kept.
He went downstairs to get a bottle of soda from the kitchen, sat back at the table, and settled last month's bill.The company invoices about $300,000 a month to Baldwin Enterprises, and the workload continues to grow.During Jack's absence, Jennifer had transferred two new cases, which would take about six months for a large group of colleagues to complete.Jack quickly calculated the profit distribution for the quarter, and when he got an approximate figure, he whistled softly.It's almost too easy.
The relationship between Jennifer and him was really improving, and his brain was telling him not to screw it up.But his heart wasn't so sure, but he was thinking that he should start letting his brain run his life.It's not that their relationship has changed, just that his expectations for that relationship have changed.Was that a concession he made?maybe.However, who can say that they can live a smooth life without making compromises?Kate Whitney has tried it out to see what it does for her.
He called Jennifer's office, but she wasn't there, having been out for the day.He looked at his watch, it was 5:30.When Jennifer Baldwin isn't traveling, she rarely leaves the office before 8 o'clock.Jack looked at the schedule, she was in the city all week.When he called her from the airport the night before, there was no answer either.He hoped nothing would happen.
He was considering leaving the office and going to her place when Dan Kirkson poked his head in.
"Can I trouble you for a moment, Jack?"
Jack hesitated.The little man and his bow tie made Jack uncomfortable, and Kirkson knew exactly why.Kirkson was very deferential, but if Jack hadn't controlled a multimillion-dollar business, he would have thought of Jack as a piece of shit.Besides, Jack knew that Kirkson wanted to see him as a piece of shit, and hoped that one day he would be able to do so.
"I was going out. I've been very busy lately."
"I know." Kirkson smiled. "It's been talked about all over the company. Sandy better watch out—there's a rumor that Walter Sullivan is very fond of you."
Jack snickered.Lord was the only one besides Jack whom Kirkson would have preferred to pick up.Lord would be vulnerable without Sullivan.Jack could see through all those thoughts that flashed behind the glasses of the firm's managing partner.
"I don't think Sandy has anything to worry about."
"Of course not. It'll only take a few minutes, meeting room one." Kirkson disappeared as quickly as he appeared.
What the hell is going on in all of this?Jack was puzzled.He grabbed his coat and walked down the corridor.他走过走廊中的几个同事身边时，他们都斜眼看着他，这更增加了他的疑虑。
会议室的推拉门关着，这是很不寻常的，除非里面发生了什么事。杰克推开一扇厚实的门，他面前黑暗的房间里猛然间灯光大亮。杰克愣住了，这时，他才渐渐地看清楚了那些人。远处墙上的旗帜上写着：祝贺你，合伙人！
洛德主持了盛大的酒会和昂贵的宴席。詹妮弗也在场，还有她的双亲。
“我太为你骄傲了，亲爱的。”她已经喝了几杯酒，那温柔的目光和轻轻的拥抱使杰克知道，等会儿今天晚上的情形只会更好一些。
“那么，我们应为这种合作关系对你爸爸表示感谢。”
“呃，亲爱的，如果你工作干得不行，爸爸很快就会和你断绝关系的。为你自己挣点荣誉吧。你以为桑迪·洛德和沃尔特·沙利文很容易得到满足吗？亲爱的，你让沃尔特·沙利文很高兴，甚至还让他大为震惊，只有少数几位律师曾这样做过。”
杰克喝下了剩余的酒，仔细地考虑着这句话。他很受沙利文的赏识，但是有谁可以说如果杰克不能胜任这份工作，兰塞姆·鲍德温就不能在其他地方做业务？
“或许你是对的。”
“我当然是对的，杰克。如果这家公司是一支橄榄球队，你会成为该年度的最佳选手，或是最佳新人，或许两者皆是。”詹妮弗又喝了一杯酒，手臂挽住杰克的腰。
“而且，你现在可以维持我已适应的那种生活方式了。”她拧了一下他的胳膊。
“已经习惯的，没错，从一出生就极力去适应这种生活方式。”他俩偷偷地来了个快吻。
“你最好去和别人聊聊，超级巨星。”她把他推开，去找她的父母。
杰克环顾四周。这个房间里的每一个人都是百万富翁。毫无疑问，他是这些人中最穷的一个，但是他的前景可能会超过所有这些人。他的基本收入刚刚翻了两番，该年度的利润分红很可能会是收入的两倍。他意识到，从技术上来讲，他现在也是一位百万富翁。四年前，当在地球上生存似乎远远用不了100万美元的时候，谁会想到今天呢？
他曾做过律师但没有致富。几年来，他一直勤勤恳恳工作，但挣的钱只是寥寥无几。不过他现在很富裕，对不对？这就是典型的“美国梦想”，是不是？但是当你最终实现梦想时，那个使你有负疚感的梦想又是什么呢？
杰克感到一只粗壮的手臂搭在他的肩上。他回头一看，桑迪·洛德双眼红红的，正盯着他看。
“我让你大吃了一惊，对不对？”
杰克不得不同意这一点。桑迪的呼吸中夹杂着烈性酒和烤牛肉的气味，这使杰克想起了在菲尔莫尔饭店初次见面时的情景。那不是愉快的回忆。他小心翼翼地与其醉酒的伙伴保持一段距离。
“往这房间四周看看，杰克，这里可能除了我一个人之外谁都喜欢处于你这样的境地。”
“这似乎太突然了，来得太快了。”与其说杰克是在和洛德说话，还不如说他是在自言自语。
“唉，这些事总是这样的。对少数几个幸运者来说，唉，几秒钟内就从一穷二白成为最富有的人。难以置信的成功就是那样：难以置信。不过这正是它他妈的令人满意的地方。顺便说一声，为你这样细心地照顾沃尔特，来，让我和你握握手。”
“没什么，桑迪，我喜欢这个人。”
“顺便提一句，星期六我将在我家里举行一个小聚会，有些你应该见见面的人会去的。看看你能否说服你那貌若天仙的未婚妻也来参加，她或许能找到一些推销产品的机会。那女孩子生来就像她父亲一样会抓住任何一个机遇。”
杰克和在场的人一一握手，有些还不止一次。9点钟不到，他和詹妮弗已经乘坐公司的轿车向家赶。到1点钟，他们已经做爱两次了。到1点30分，詹妮弗已睡得很熟了。
杰克却睡不着。
他站在窗边，看着外面已经飘落的几片零星的雪花。早冬的暴风雪，尽管强度不是很大，但已降临这个地区。但是，此刻杰克想的不是天气。他探头看看詹妮弗，她穿着丝绸睡衣，躺在缎子被窝里，在一张与他公寓的卧室一般大小的床上。他抬头看看他的老朋友，那些壁画。尽管非常正统的鲍德温家族决不会在互相宣誓前允许共享所有权，但他们的新居将会在圣诞节前完工。房子的内部在他未婚妻的严格监督下正在重新装修，可以符合他们各人的品味，也可以让他们大胆提出各自的意见——无论那些看法意味着什么。在他打量着天花板上那些中世纪的装饰时，杰克突然觉得它们可能在嘲笑他。
他刚刚成为市里最有威望的公司的合伙人。你所能想象到的一些最具影响的人纷纷向他敬酒，他们中每个人都渴望把他们早已昙花一现的生涯推向更大的辉煌。他拥有了一切，有美丽的公主、富有的老岳父、极其严厉但受人尊敬的指导者以及银行里的大笔美元。他有一大批强权作后盾以及一个真正无量的前途，然而杰克从来没有觉得比那天晚上更孤单了。尽管他意志很强，但还是不时地想到一位既害怕又愤怒的老人和对老人毫无感情的女儿。两位美人一直在他脑际出现。他静静地看着雪花轻轻飘落，直到看见破晓时那淡淡的光亮。
黑色轿车驶入她的车道时，那位老妇人透过布满灰尘的软百叶帘向外看，帘子把起居室的窗户挡住了。她患关节炎的两个膝盖肿得非常厉害，很难站立起来，更不要说挪动身躯了。她的背总是驼着，她的肺因50年来焦油和尼古丁的轰击而变得稠密，变得不可治愈。她在算计着离死亡还有多久，她的身体已差不多是在尽量让她多活几天了，她已经比她的女儿活得还要长些。
她用手摸摸放在那件粉红色旧晨衣口袋里的信件，晨衣没有把她红红的、起了泡的脚腕全部遮住。她估计他们迟早会来的。万达从警察局回来后，老妇人就知道这样的事会发生的，只不过是迟早的问题。当她回想起以往几周发生的事情，眼里充满了泪水。
“这是我不对，妈妈。”她女儿像个小女孩一样坐在狭小的厨房里帮她母亲烤煎饼，把从花园后面的狭长地上收获的西红柿和刀豆装入坛子。她曲身向前靠在桌子上时，反反复复地说着那样一些话，每吐出一个字，身子就剧烈地颤抖。埃德温娜试图和她女儿理喻，但她没有足够的说服力，无法减轻笼罩在这个身材纤细的女人身上的罪恶感。这个女人出生时曾是一个满头长着浓密黑发、双腿结实的胖婴儿。老妇人曾给万达看过这封信，但对她没有任何用处。老妇人无法让她的孩子明白一切。
现在她死了，警察来调查此事。埃德温娜现在必须作出适当的反应。虽然已经81岁，而且十分虔诚，但这次埃德温娜将要对警察撒个谎，这对她来说是唯一能做的事。
“我为你女儿感到难过，布鲁姆太太。”弗兰克的话让老妇人听起来是真心实意的，一滴眼泪顺着她那满是深深皱纹的老脸掉了下来。
万达留下的条子是给埃德温娜·布鲁姆的，她用放在桌上手边的厚实放大镜看了一遍条子上的内容。她看看这位侦探严肃的脸。“我无法想象她写这条子时在想些什么。”
“你知不知道在沙利文家发生了抢劫案？知不知道克里斯婷·沙利文被一个闯进去的人谋害了？”
“我是在事情发生后不久在电视上看到的。这太可怕了，可怕极了。”
“你女儿有没有跟你谈起过这件事？”
“当然说过。她对整个事情感到极为不安。她和沙利文夫人相处得很好，确实很好。这件事使她心神不宁。”
“你认为她为什么要自杀？”
“要是我能告诉你，我会的。”
她把那样一句模棱两可的话摆在了弗兰克的面前，直到他合上了记事本。
“你女儿有没有跟你说过她的工作情况？这可能有助于查明凶杀案。”
“没有，她非常喜欢她的工作。从她的话中可以知道，他们对她相当不错。住在那么大的房子里，真是棒极了。”
“布鲁姆太太，我知道不久前万达惹上了官司。”
“那是很久以前的事了，探长，很久以前。从那以后，她过得非常好。”埃德温娜眯起了眼睛，嘴唇紧紧闭了起来。她低头盯着塞思·弗兰克。
“我相信她过得不错，”弗兰克马上接话道，“万达在以往几个月里有没有带着人来看你，或许是某个你不认识的人？”
埃德温娜摇摇头，那大都说的是实话。
弗兰克久久注视着她，她满含泪水的双眼也径直盯着他。
“我知道事情发生时你女儿出国去了，是吗？”
“和沙利文一家到那个小岛去了，她告诉我他们每年都要去那儿。”
“但是沙利文夫人没有去。”
“我想她没有去，因为她是在这儿被谋害的，探长。”
弗兰克差一点要笑起来。这位老太太一点也不像她看上去那样地不晓世事。“你不会知道为什么沙利文夫人没有同行。万达可能会告诉你一些个中缘由？”
埃德温娜摇摇头，抚摸着一只跳到她腿上的银白色猫。
“好吧，谢谢你跟我讲了这些，我再次为你的女儿感到难过。”
“谢谢，我也很难过，非常地难过。”
她艰难地站起身，送他到门口时，那封信从口袋里掉了出来。弗兰克弯腰把信拾起来，连看都没看就还给了她，这时，她那颗疲惫的心几乎停止了跳动。
她看着他把车开出了车道，然后慢慢地回到壁炉边的椅子上，打开了那封信。
那是一个她很熟知的男人的笔迹：我没有干那件事，但如果我告诉你是谁干的，你是不会相信的。
对于埃德温娜来说，这就是她所要知道的一切。卢瑟·惠特尼和她做朋友已有很长一段时间了，他是为了万达才闯进那幢房子去的。如果警察抓到他，也可证明那不是在她的帮助下干的。
她会做她朋友求她做的事。愿上帝帮助她，那是她可以做的唯一一件合适的事情。
塞思·弗兰克和比尔·伯顿握了握手，坐了下来。他们在弗兰克的办公室里。这时，太阳刚刚升起。
“很感谢你能见我，塞思。”
“这有点不一般。”
“要我说，真他妈的不一般。”伯顿咧着嘴笑。“我能抽支烟吗？”
“和你一起抽怎样？”两人把香烟掏了出来。
伯顿前倾着身子用火柴点烟，随即又坐回到椅子上。
“我在特工处干了很长时间了，这件事对于我来说是第一次，但我很理解。老沙利文是总统的一位最要好的朋友，帮助总统从政，是一位真正的良师。长期以来，他俩的私交很深。我想总统实际上不想让我们过多插手此事，我们绝不想得罪你。”
“除非你有权那样做。”
“完全正确，塞思，完全正确。见鬼，我曾做过八年州警，我知道警察查案怎样进行，你需要知道的最后一件事就是有人会他妈的监督你。”
弗兰克眼睛中警惕的目光开始收敛了。一位前州警成了一名特工处的特工，这家伙确实是一位职业执法者。在弗兰克的记事本里，你只能知道这一些。
“那么你有什么建议呢？”
“我认为自己是连接总统的信息通道。一旦案件出现端倪，给我打个电话，然后我再转告总统。这样当他见到沃尔特·沙利文时，他就可以很内行地谈论此案。相信我，这并不是真与假的问题，总统是真心关注这件案子的。”伯顿暗暗地笑了笑。
“而且没有联邦调查员插手。事后也不会遭到批评？”
“见鬼，我又不是联邦调查员，这也不是一个全国性大案。把我看成是重要人物的便衣特使就行了，真的不需要那么多专业礼规。”
弗兰克环视着他的办公室，渐渐地对情况有了了解。伯顿循着他的目光，试图尽量对弗兰克作出精确的评价。伯顿认识许多侦探，大多数人能力平平，当承担成倍增加的案件时，他们拘捕案犯的频率就很低，而给案犯定罪的频率会更低。但是他调查过塞思·弗兰克。这家伙以前是纽约警察局的警员，他的一连串嘉奖信加在一起足有一英里长。自从他来到米德尔顿县后，没有一件凶杀案不被侦破的，一件都没有。这固然是个农村小县，但是百分之百的破案率还是给人留下了极为深刻的印象。所有这些事实使伯顿感到非常地欣慰。虽然总统已要求伯顿与警方保持联络，从而兑现对沙利文的承诺，但伯顿想要参与警方调查，是有他自己的理由的。
“如果案情真的很快有了眉目，我可能无法马上通知你。”
“我并没希望出现奇迹，塞思，只是当你有线索时就给我提供一点消息，就这些。”伯顿站起身，把香烟熄掉。“说定了？”
“我会尽力的，比尔。”
“也只能这样了。那么，你有线索吗？”
塞思·弗兰克耸耸肩。“可能有，也可能没有，天晓得。这种事你是知道的。”
“有消息就通知我。”伯顿刚要离开，又回头看看。“喂，作为交换，如果你在调查期间想简化手续，需使用资料库什么的，请告诉我，你的要求我会优先考虑的。这是我的电话号码。”
弗兰克接过递来的名片。“非常感谢，比尔。”
两小时后，塞思·弗兰克拿起电话，但什么也没有，没有拨号音，也没有外线，他通知了电话公司。
一小时后，塞思·弗兰克再次拿起电话时，这次有了拨号音。系统被固定了，电话盒子一直锁着。不过，即使有人能看见里面，所有这些电话线和其他设施外行是看不见的，所以警察一般不必担心有人会在他们的电话线上安装窃听器。
比尔·伯顿的通讯线路现已开通，比塞思·弗兰克所能想到的要畅通得多。
Notes:
Notes: