Robert Browne - Trial Junkies

He was calling from his living room as Ronnie helped her mother and son get settled into the apartment. Lola Baldacci didn't seem pleased to be here, especially after she saw that only one bed had been slept in, but any remarks had been reserved for Ronnie's ears, not Hutch's.

Not surprisingly, Christopher was a little shy, but Hutch had at least provoked a smile from the boy when he showed him an old coin trick his father had taught him. When Hutch produced a quarter from Christopher's ear, the boy giggled and said, "Do it again."

So Hutch once again made the coin disappear and reappear from the other ear, then took Christopher's hand and dropped the quarter on his palm.

"Put that in your piggy bank," Hutch said, and the boy's eyes lit up in surprise and delight.

There was a rustling sound on the line and Hutch heard Monica say to Tom, "What section is he in?" Then, to Hutch: "Science and Medicine."

"Surprise, surprise."

"No kidding. Why couldn't this jerk be a normal pervert like the guys who visit my chat site?"

"I assume you're aware that we've all checked it out at one time or another."

"Exactly. Like I said-normal. I mean, all guys are perverts, but I shudder to even think about the kind of websites this weirdo goes to. Necrophiliacs-R-Us?"

"Ugh," Hutch said, remembering the photos in that book. "Let me know when he leaves the place, and as soon as I'm done here, I'll take over."

"Roger," she told him, then hung up.

They were nearing the end of dinner when Hutch got the call.

Lola had insisted on cooking and took over the kitchen, recruiting Christopher as her sous chef, the two falling into what was obviously a standard routine. The boy dutifully fetched ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator as Lola directed him like a stern but loving drill sergeant.

"That used to be my job," Ronnie said to Hutch. "But I think Chris enjoys it a lot more than I ever did. Those two are nearly inseparable."

When Lola and Chris were done, they had rustled up an impromptu chicken and capers pasta dish that had Hutch wondering why Lola didn't own a restaurant.

"With dishes like this," he told her, "you'd make a fortune."

"Money isn't everything, young man. You should remember that. Spend a little time in a poor man's shoes and you might learn to appreciate the life God gave you and not waste your precious days on earth worshipping the almighty dollar."

Hutch smiled stiffly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Lola had remained distant during the meal, and despite Hutch's efforts at conversation, it was obvious she didn't approve of him. He wasn't quite sure why, although the unmade bed in his room probably had something to do with it. Ronnie's mother struck him as a conservative religious woman who frowned on any activities that weren't church vetted and approved. Especially when they involved her daughter.

And apparently Hutch's money was another black mark against him. According to Ronnie, her mother had spent her life working in factories, most of it on the assembly line at the local Pepsi bottling plant. So her resentment toward a rich boy with very little talent, who had gotten even richer through luck and happenstance, was completely understandable.

None of this negated her skill in the kitchen, however. As he ate Lola's fettuccine, which was high on the nirvana scale, Hutch did his best not to moan after every bite. But it was a struggle. And considering the reason Lola was here in the first place, he almost felt guilty for enjoying it so much.

He was polishing off a glass of cranberry cocktail-a distant second to the Pinot the Baldacci women were drinking-when his phone rang. Checking the screen, he saw that it was Tom, and knew that this was his cue to get moving.

"He's got some new books and he's at the checkout counter," Tom said. "Start heading in this direction and I'll tell you where to meet us."

Less than a minute later Hutch was pulling on a hoodie when Ronnie appeared in his bedroom doorway. "I'm going with you."

"No," he said. "You've had a long day. Stay here with your family."

"And listen to the Wrath of Lola all night long? I don't think so."

"What about Christopher?"

"He can barely keep his eyes open. I'll make it up to him tomorrow."

Hutch nearly told her that she might not have too many tomorrows, but he bit his tongue. The whole point of this exercise was to make sure she did.

Snatching an old UIC baseball cap off a hook in his closet, he tugged it on, then pulled his hood up over it, hoping he'd pass as just another college student. "Right now you're a more visible target than even me," he said. "And if Langer catches us following him, he may react violently."

"But he's my number one fan, remember?"

Hutch frowned. "This isn't funny, Ronnie. If I'm right about him, he's a very dangerous man."

"Then I guess we'll just have to make sure he doesn't catch us."

Heaving a sigh, Hutch moved to the dresser and found a gray woolen cap he'd brought with him from Los Angeles. It wasn't much, but it might cut down on the recognition factor.

He tossed it to her. "Has anyone ever told you you have a stubborn streak?"

"You're just noticing this now?"

"I'm just noticing a lot of things about you."

She pulled the cap on and grinned at him. "Better late than never."

"So much for getting caught," Ronnie said. "This guy's oblivious. Like my brother was, whenever he got hold of a comic book."

They were standing in the vestibule between two train cars, the clatter of the tracks beneath them as they looked through the window at Langer. He was seated facing the aisle, and as usual, had his head buried in a textbook.

They'd made the switch with Tom and Monica at the very same train stop where Hutch had seen Langer two nights before, and they had been watching him for several minutes now.

"You have a brother?" Hutch said.

" Had . I don't talk about him much. He died when I was seventeen."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"So was I. He hung himself in his dorm room just before Thanksgiving. We had a hell of a family get-together that year."

"Jesus," Hutch said, and thought about Lola Baldacci. First her son, now this. Quite a burden to carry. For Ronnie, too. "What was his name?"

She smiled wistfully. "Christopher."

The train braked to a stop and they stepped back slightly, afraid Langer might suddenly look up from his book.

"We'd better get out of this vestibule," Hutch said. "Ride in the car behind. It's probably not safe here, anyway."

"And risk him leaving the train without us knowing it?"

"Better than getting spotted. We can always try again tomorrow."

"Forget that," Ronnie said, then quickly adjusted the wool cap, pulling it down close to her eyes, as she pushed the bar on the door in front of her. It hissed open and she stepped through to the next car, sliding onto the first seat she saw-facing forward, not fifty feet from where Langer was sitting. The car was well populated, but there was no one in the aisle and his line of sight was clear.

Hutch's stomach clutched up, but he felt he had no choice. Stepping quickly through the doorway, he slid in next to her.

"You're a maniac," he murmured as they huddled together, keeping their heads low. Hutch felt exposed and vulnerable, worried that Langer would spot them at any moment.

"You didn't seem to mind in bed last night."

It was the first time either of them had mentioned what had happened between them, and Hutch wasn't sure he wanted to go there. But she was right-she had been a maniac in bed. And desperate. And needy. And attentive.

It was the kind of thing he could get used to.

But this? Not so much.