Brad Meltzer - Dead Even

Sara crushed garlic, chopped onions, sliced peppers, and cut up the other ingredients for a home-cooked tomato sauce. In truth, she was just as content eating sauce from a jar, but the hope that she was on the path to saving her job put her in the mood to surprise Jared with the real thing. Fifteen minutes later, Jared walked through the door. He took one look at Sara and smiled.

“Guess your day got a lot better,” Jared said.

“It was incredible,” Sara said, unable to contain her excitement as she ran to hug him. “I just started working on them, but they’re completely my own cases. My own facts, my own defendants, my own everything.”

“Wait a minute. There’s more than one?”

“I got five. The burglary, plus two shoplifters, a pickpocket, and a drug possession. The burglary’s the only one that’s really trial-worthy, but it doesn’t even matter. It’s all finally happening – just like you said.”

“You’re incredible, y’know that? You really are.”

“And how’d everything go with your negotiation? Did it all work out?”

“It was great,” Jared said, dropping his briefcase and loosening his tie. “Nothing to really talk about.”

Sara watched her husband carefully. She knew that tone in his voice. “You want to try that one again, handsome?”

Jared turned back toward his wife. He wanted to tell her about the negotiation and the scolding. But not today. Not when she was finally feeling good. He wasn’t going to ruin it for her. Eventually, he said, “It’s really nothing.”

“And you think I’m going to believe that?”

“Actually, I was hoping you would.”

“Well, I’m not. So why don’t you save us some time and tell me the truth.”

Jared slumped down on the sofa and rested his head against the oversized cushions. “There’s not much to tell. I spent the entire afternoon trying to save them from a risky trial and a ton of bad publicity. Then, to thank me for caving in and screwing up, Lubetsky screamed at me for a half hour, followed by Rose, and topped off by Thomas Wayne, big boss extraordinaire.”

“Did you say anything back?”

“They were right. What could I possibly say?”

“How about ‘Stop yelling at me, you fat, bloated weasels – I obviously tried my best’?”

“Call me insane, but I don’t think that’s the best reaction for the situation.”

“So, let me guess – instead, you reacted the way you always do. You stood there and-”

“I stood there and let them yell in my face,” Jared said as his shoulders sagged. “I thought that was the best way to calm them down.”

“Honey, even if they’re right, you can’t keep letting them talk to you like that. You’re still a human being. I know you hate confrontation, but you can’t always pick the path of least resistance.”

“It’s not that I hate confrontation-”

“It’s just that you love having things perfect and neat and clean,” Sara interrupted. “I know why you do it. And I love the fact that you do it – I wish I could be as self-controlled as you are. But when it comes to your bosses, you can’t always avoid fighting with everyone in authority.”

“Listen,” he said, rubbing his temples. “Can we stop talking about work? I’ve had enough tension for one day.”

“Good,” Sara said, “because it’s time to open your present.”

“You bought me a present?”

“Nothing extravagant – I just wanted to say I love you. Your help this morning meant more than you know.”

“You didn’t have to…”

He trailed off as Sara darted to the bedroom and returned with her leather briefcase. “Here,” she said, handing it to Jared as she sat down next to him.

“You’re giving me your briefcase?”

“Your present’s inside. I didn’t have time to wrap it, so I thought I’d pretend the briefcase was a box. Work with me – use your imagination.”

“What a wonderful box,” Jared said as he admired the briefcase. He quickly opened it and pulled out a red, white, and blue metallic pinwheel.

“I told you it wasn’t special,” Sara said. “One of the homeless guys was selling them on the subway. You have to read the words on the stick, though – it says ‘Welcome to the Puerto Rico.’”

“I love it,” Jared said, blowing on his present. As the pinwheel spun, his smile returned to his face. “This is great. I mean it. Go, the Puerto Rico!”

Laughing, Sara took him by the hand and helped him up from the sofa. Dragging him back to the kitchen, she said, “And wait until you see what I made for dinner.” When they were standing in front of the stove, she said, “Close your eyes.”

“I know what you made. I smelled it the moment I got-”

“Quiet. Close your eyes.” When he obliged, she added, “Stick out your tongue.” As Jared followed her directions, Sara dipped her finger in the homemade sauce. She then brushed her finger across his tongue. “How’s that taste?”

“For the record, that was the most blatant sexual come-on you’ve ever employed.”

“So? Did it work?”

“It always works,” Jared said with a grin. Keeping his eyes closed, he felt Sara’s hands around his neck. She pulled him close and kissed him. First on the mouth. Then on the tip of his chin. Then down to his neck. Along the way, she loosened his tie and undid the top buttons of his shirt. He did the same thing to the buttons of her blouse. “Do you want to stay here or go into the-”

“Here,” Sara said as she pressed him against the counter. “Right here.”

“WHAT’D YOU THINK?” SARA ASKED.

“Are you kidding? It was incredible. That part when you were up on the countertop…”

“I’m talking about dinner, dreamboat.” Wearing only a T-shirt, Sara sat at the kitchen table across from Jared, who had put on a pair of sweatpants.

“Oh,” Jared said. He stared down at his empty plate. “It was great. Everything was great. Especially you.”

“Don’t give away all the compliments; you deserve half the credit,” Sara said, reaching across the table to hold his hand. “By the way, what time is it?”

“Why? You got a date?”

“Yeah. A date with Justice. I have to get back to the courthouse. My arraignment’s supposed to come up at around eleven.”

“Oh, God – your case,” Jared said. “I’m so sorry, I meant to ask you more about it. I’ve just been so caught up in-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sara said. “The case is fine. Well, maybe it’s fine. Actually, it probably isn’t fine, it’s a squeaker. I think it can definitely work out, though. Maybe. If I’m lucky.”

“Sounds like you can’t lose.”

“Don’t make fun. You know how I get under pressure: peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys. When I got the case, I was on top of the world; an hour later, I was out of my skin, terrified about my job; an hour after that, I was learning the ropes, obsessed, but somehow confident; and when I got home, I thought it was all going my way.”

“And now?”

“Now I’m back in the valley. Not only am I nervous about the case, I’m worried about how I got it. You should’ve seen me this afternoon. Staring at that stupid little folder, I was in a complete panic. And when that split second came when I had to decide whether I was going to take it – I felt like it was my only chance.” Pulling away from her husband, Sara stood up. “Tell me the truth. Was it wrong for me to take the case like that?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Jared said in his usual diplomatic tone. Deep down, Sara knew he was avoiding the question, but she wasn’t in the mood to hear his lecture. It’d be the same as always: When it came to work, her husband kept it on the straight and narrow. “All that matters is how you feel.”