Lisa Scottoline - Think Twice

Alice, engaged? Bennie stopped reading. She couldn’t believe it had gone this far. She put the letter back in the stack, and the motion dislodged another envelope from the back, which fell to the rug. She picked it up and opened it, but there wasn’t a letter inside, just a newspaper clipping. The clipping showed a photo of David Gamil in uniform, with the same scar on his cheek and the same lively look in his eyes. But it was an obituary, and the beginning read:

First Lieutenant David N. Gamil, USAF, of Paramus, New Jersey, who served with the 6th Security Forces Squadron, was killed in action on March 20, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device, near southern Baghdad, Iraq…

It was awful news, the loss of a wonderful young man, and she could only imagine the pain Alice must have felt. Bennie checked the date on the newspaper; March 21, just last spring. She looked back at the last letter, his proposal, and it was dated March 19.

She tried to process what she had learned, with the pill taking the edge off her emotions. It must have been Dave’s death, about six months ago, that set Alice back and caused her to revert to form. That was about the time she’d lost interest in her job at PLG, started selling drugs, and sleeping with Q. Alice must have been grief-stricken, off-balance and self-destructive.

But no.

Bennie came out of her reverie. There was a difference between explaining and explaining away. What Alice had done could be explained, but it couldn’t be explained away. Not anymore, and not again. The box had changed everything, and there was no going back anymore, no way of forgiving.

Bennie got up, letting the yearbook and letters fall to the floor. She found her purse, put the pills, money, and the gun inside, then went to the bedroom, tore it apart until she found the extra car keys, and left the building.

Cold rain pounded on her face and shoulders, making her more alert. She didn’t know if Alice had left her car here, but there hadn’t been one in the driveway at the house, she remembered now. She pulled the car key from her pocket and pressed the button on the fob. Down the street, a red Toyota came to life.

She went to the car, got inside, started the engine, and didn’t have another thought until she found herself downtown, parking around the corner from her building, with a view of its entrance. People with umbrellas hurried this way and that on the sidewalk, flowing around the private security guards, still on duty. She didn’t know when they got off, but it didn’t matter. She would follow Alice anywhere she went and take her when they were alone.

She turned off the ignition, looked up at her office window, and caught a glimpse of Alice, moving around her office. It made her want to scream, which must mean that the chill pill was wearing off. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but she was beginning to see why it sold so well. She dug in her purse, pulled out another pill, and popped it into her mouth. She didn’t want to feel angry. She didn’t want to feel anything at all.

Sooner or later, she would get Alice alone.

And it would all be over.

Alice grabbed her coat and the messenger bag, hurried down the hall to Judy’s office, and stuck her head inside. “Carrier, ready to go?”

“Yep. Did Mary and Grady leave? I got caught on the phone.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Judy glanced out of her office window, where sheets of rain streaked the glass. “Should we wait for the storm to let up?”

“We can’t.” Alice picked up Judy’s striped umbrella. “Here.”

“Okay, great.” Judy got up, grabbed her kilim purse, and came around the desk. “We’re meeting the client there, right?”

“Yes. Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s called Roux. Been there?”

“No, but I’ve heard it’s cool, trying to gentrify the neighborhood down by the waterfront, right?”

“Right.”

“I’m in favor.”

“Good.” Alice led her down the hall to reception, where Marshall was working. “You still at it, girl?”

“I still have a few things left, with all the distractions today.”

“Thanks, but go home.”

“I will, soon.”

“We’re out of here.” Alice went ahead to the elevator and pressed the button. Outside, the sky had gone dark with the storm, and cars clogged the street. She flagged down one of the Rothman guards.

“How you doin’, Ms. Rosato?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard over the downpour.

“Did you hear if they caught Alice?”

“No, I’ll keep you posted. By the way, Bob’s fine.”

Alice frowned. “Who’s Bob?”

“One of our guys, the guard your sister punched.”

Whatever. “Good. We’re going out, meeting new clients.”

“You want protection? I can spare a man.”

“No, thanks, it wouldn’t look right. I’m reasonably safe, now that the cops are looking for Alice.”

“So when should we leave here? Our contract says ten o’clock.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” The guard’s eyes shifted to the street. “Hold on, I see a cab.” He waved it down, and when it stopped, Alice opened the door and told the cabbie the address.

They lurched into stop-and-go traffic, and Judy turned to her. “I went online and researched the biotech industry in Ireland, for some background info. I learned a lot.”

“Good for you.”

“I couldn’t research this client, because you didn’t get back to me with its name.”

“I was busy, sorry.” Alice made up a name. “It is Genlynn Enterprises.”

“Gotcha.” Judy went into her purse and pulled out an iPhone. “I can look it up right now, online.”

“No, don’t.” Alice stopped her hand. “Let them tell us. Clients love to talk about their business, and we don’t want to sound like we studied.”

“Oh.” Judy blinked. “Even if we did?”

“Right. Why don’t you tell me what you found out, generally, to give us some context?”

“Sure, well, it’s really interesting. Wyeth is the big dog in Dublin, in biotech, and they have a campus south of the city…”

Judy lectured on, and Alice zoned out as the cab headed east toward the Delaware River. They reached Columbus Boulevard and turned right, passing the well-lit big-box dance clubs and party-of-twelve tourist restaurants. They took the curve, leaving the lights and excitement behind, and steered toward the more deserted section of the Boulevard. The Walt Whitman Bridge loomed ahead, and on the right, train cars that read HAPAG-LLOYD AND HAMBURG SUD stood on rusted tracks.

Alice looked for the restaurant on the left, on the riverbank. They passed old-time municipal piers, then a huge ship with a peeling black hull and three red smokestacks, like a busted Titanic. She spotted Roux dead ahead and scanned the surrounding area. Next to it was some kind of abandoned distribution center, with a rubble-strewn parking lot, empty except for a few tractor trailers without the truck cabs. It was a dark, lonely stretch, with ancient RESTRICTED AREA signs hanging on saggy concertina wire.

Alice felt satisfied. There would be plenty of places to leave a body, so that it wouldn’t be discovered until morning.

“How’d I do?” Judy asked, when the lecture was over.

“Perfect.” Alice smiled. “Just perfect.”

Mary hurried inside her parents’ house, left Grady in their living room, and made a beeline for the kitchen, which looked different from ever before. There was no food on the table, and nothing bubbled on the stovetop. Tony Bennett was silent, and there wasn’t even the sound of coffee percolating. The room was empty except for her mother, who sat slumped in her chair, her hand in her chin, her body a forlorn pile of flesh and spandex.