Brad Meltzer - Dead Even

With an angry snip, Sara chopped a large clump of hair in half.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jared asked as he saw the remains fall to the floor.

“What makes you think I’m such a loser?”

“This isn’t about you; it’s about your case. You said it yourself – two of your witnesses canceled on you. You owe it to the city to not waste its resources. If they canceled, you shouldn’t prosecute just for job stability’s sake.”

“First, I still have the cop. Second, of the two that canceled, one came back. Doniger agreed to come in.”

“She did?” Jared asked.

“Actually, no,” Sara said as she resumed her cutting. “I made that up to see your reaction.”

“You what?” Jared asked, pulling away.

That was all she needed. “You knew all along that they both dropped out, didn’t you?”

Jared stood up to face his wife. She was closing in. “Sara, I-”

“Who told you?” Sara asked, pointing the scissors. “Was it someone in my office, or did Kozlow tell you himself?”

“I didn’t-”

“It was Kozlow, wasn’t it? Man, I’m going to charge him with tampering and intimidation first thing tomorrow.”

“Sara, I really don’t think it was him.” Jared fought to maintain eye contact with his wife. That was the only way it worked. “Honestly. I swear.”

“Then how’d you find out that Doniger and Harrison canceled?”

“They told me themselves. I called them to get their side of the story. There. Now you know.” It wasn’t a complete lie, Jared told himself, searching for confidence. After speaking to Rafferty, he did call them both to back up his story.

“And why’d you pretend not to know when I first walked in?”

He felt a flash of inspiration. “The same reason you lied about Doniger testifying – I wanted to see what you knew.”

As she stared at her husband, a smile broke across her face.

“What?” Jared asked, forcing a smile of his own.

“Look at us. I mean, can we be more psychotic?”

Jared stared at his wedding ring. “Actually, we probably could.”

“I’m sure we could. But that doesn’t mean we have to play mind games.”

“No, you’re right,” Jared said. He still had to push her a little farther. “It’s just that this case-”

“I know it’s important, but you really have to calm down about it,” Sara said as she resumed her cutting. “Stop being so obsessed.”

“Then start reading between the lines. I’m not doing this just for myself – I’m doing it for you.”

“What’re you talking about?”

Jared got up from his chair and faced his wife. “You should take another look at what you’re working with. I know you’re suspicious about what’s going on, but you don’t have the evidence to prove it. Your cop’s unhelpful; your witnesses are hostile. If you take the dismiss and seal, at least you won’t lose your first case. Then you can go in and pick up a better one. All I’m trying to do is help you, honey. And you and I both know that’s the best way to show everyone that you’re an asset to the office – let them see that you can move things along.”

“I don’t know.”

“Sara, if you take these facts to trial, you’re going to lose. And if you lose, in the blink of an eye, you’re back on the unemployment line.”

Sara didn’t move. The way her lips were pressed together, Jared could tell she was upset. “How about pleading out for a reduced sentence?” she stuttered.

“No settlements,” Jared said. He wanted to let up, but he couldn’t. “So if you’re happy going back on unemploy-”

“Stop saying that!” Sara shouted.

“Don’t get mad at me – I didn’t create the problem. I’m just trying to help you out of it. Now what do you say?”

Stepping away from her husband, Sara gazed aimlessly around the room. Jared knew he had her. The lying left a hole in his stomach, but it was about to pay off.

“Do you really think I’m going to lose?” Sara asked.

“Yes,” he said without pause. “I really do.”

“I’m serious. Don’t lie about this one.”

He took a deep breath. All he wanted to do was protect his wife. “I’m not lying to you, Sara.”

“Then let me sleep on it. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

Sara left the room and Jared closed his eyes. He was almost there.

Arched over the kitchen sink, Jared cleaned the remaining dishes from the Thai dinner they had ordered in. Although he knew he had to keep applying pressure, he felt, for the first time, that things were finally looking up. When the phone rang, he called out to Sara, “Hon, can you get that?”

Soon after, he heard Sara shout back, “It’s for you.”

Jared shut off the water, dried his hands with a nearby dish towel, and picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Lynch, it’s Bari Axelrod with American Health Insurance. I just wanted to get back to you with that address for Dr. Kuttler. A colleague just told me I could access it from your file.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

There was an awkward pause on the other line. “I’m sorry, is this Jared Lynch?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Mr. Lynch, can you give me your date of birth and social security number?”

“I don’t think so. Now who’d you say you were again?”

“My name is Bari Axelrod and I’m with American Health Insurance, your insurance provider.”

“Why do you need that information?” Jared asked suspiciously. “Don’t you already have it?”

“Sir, I just spent a half hour on the phone with someone who said his name was Jared Lynch. If that wasn’t you, I have to figure out who I’m speaking to. If it makes you feel any better, I know the last three claims you filed were for Doctors Koller, Wickett, and Hoffman, in that order. Believe me, I already have your information. Now, can you please give me your date of birth and social security number?”

Hesitantly, Jared obliged. “What did he want?”

“And for verification purposes, can you tell me which knee Dr. Koller treated you for?”

“My left. Now tell me what he said.”

“He asked me to go through all of his expenses so he could get a better idea of what he spent.”

“And you just gave him my confidential medical information?”

“I thought he was you. He gave me your birthdate and social security number. Said he was trying to put together a budget.”

Wiping his forehead with the dish towel, Jared started pacing across the kitchen. “What exactly did you tell him?”

“I went through Dr. Hoffman’s dental bills, Dr. Wickett’s annual checkups, and the visit to Dr. Koller for your knee, including the charge for making the brace. And then when I got through those, he started asking about your wife.”

“What’d you tell him?” Jared asked, his voice shaking.

“Sir, I had no idea-”

“Please just tell me what you told him.”

“I just went over expenses. That’s all we have here. Her prescriptions for birth-control pills, Seldane for allergies, and the four-month prescription for antidepressants from her psychiatrist. That’s when he asked me for Dr. Kuttler’s address or phone number. He said he wanted to check her rates. I didn’t realize we had them here, so I asked him if he wanted to hold. He said it was no big deal, that he could look it up himself. And then when I found out that I could access them, I called you back and realized that-”

“I don’t believe this,” Jared said.

“I’m truly sorry, sir. He had your policy number, so I-”

“How would someone get that?”

“I have no idea. It’s printed on your health insurance card. Have you lost your wallet recently?”