William Bernhardt - Capitol Murder

“Marshall, at least let them send in a doctor for Marie. She’s seriously wounded.”

“Serves her right. She was never any kind of wife to Todd. All she’s ever done is lay plots and plans, look ahead to when Todd would be out of the way and she could start her own political career.” He snorted bitterly. “There is some justice in that. Todd got exactly the wife he deserved.”

“Whatever she may or may not have done, she doesn’t deserve to die. Please ask them for-”

“No doctors!” he yelled, his gun hand wobbling with such uncertainty Christina was afraid it might fire at any moment. “If they want to send someone in, send Todd. He said in the courtroom that he’d do anything for his wife. Fine. Let him come in and get her.” A thin smile spread across his lips. “I’ll have quite a reception waiting for him.”

In the charging bay in the left arm of his wheelchair, Marshall’s cell phone sounded.

“They want to talk to you,” Christina said.

“I’ve already said everything I have to say.”

“Please talk to them. Maybe you can work something out. Some sort of compromise.”

“No compromises! They give me what I want- exactly what I want-or I start shooting.” He raised the gun again, wheeling himself closer and closer as Christina pressed up against the wall. “And you’re next.”

Ben listened attentively as Agent Martinez attempted to reestablish contact with Marshall Bressler. “Pick up the phone, man. Pick up the phone!”

Finally, on the overhead speaker, they all heard the click of the call being answered. “Have you got Glancy?”

Martinez looked down at his legal pad. Ben could see that he was reading from prepared notes, only improvising when necessary. “Mr. Bressler, I want to help you.”

“Then bring me Glancy!”

“I will consider any reasonable requests. And I won’t lie to you.”

Ben realized Martinez was trying to work his way through those key negotiation steps. But Bressler wouldn’t even let him get to first base: Trust.

“There’s only one thing I want. Todd Glancy.”

“Be reasonable, sir. You know I can’t do that.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to shoot someone else!”

“Please don’t do that. You’ll only make your situation worse.”

“Worse? How could I make things worse?”

“Sir, I know what you’ve been going through.”

“No you don’t. How dare you say that when you don’t. You couldn’t possibly! You can’t know what it’s like to have the only thing you ever cared about in your entire life, the only thing you ever loved or that ever loved you, taken away.”

And that was the final piece of the puzzle. Now Ben understood. At long last he grasped what had happened, what was really going on. He wanted to kick himself in the head. He was so stupid, so slow-why hadn’t he seen it sooner? He’d become so obsessed with the trial, trying to devise some way of winning, that he’d missed the obvious. When you considered all the facts-it was the only possible answer.

“Mr. Bressler,” Martinez continued, “I want to help. I want to give you any reasonable thing you want or need and make sure no one else gets hurt. But we can’t give you another hostage.”

“Tell Todd his wife is dying!” the voice on the phone shouted back. “Tell him even if he doesn’t give a damn about her, his approval ratings will hit the floor if he lets her die.”

Martinez took a deep breath. Ben could see he was struggling to maintain that benign mediator’s voice. “As it happens, sir, Senator Glancy has offered repeatedly to give himself up as a trade for his wife. But we can’t permit it.”

“You’d better change your mind.”

“Sir, you’ve been in government a long time. You know we can never put any private citizen in jeopardy, not under any circumstances. And certainly not a United States senator.”

“Then you’ve doomed every woman in this room!” he hissed back, his voice so loud it made the speakers rattle.

“Sir, wait, please, listen to me. I know you’re scared, confused. You don’t know what’s going to happen. You need someone you can trust. I’m your man. Take me as your hostage. I’ll go in, unarmed, unbugged. I won’t try anything. You have my word on that. Trade me for your hostages. Or at least for Mrs. Glancy.”

“No deal.”

“She needs medical attention.”

“You’re damn right she does! And if she doesn’t get it soon, she’s gonna die. And won’t that be ironic? Won’t that be the perfect quid pro fucking quo!”

“Sir, let me come in. Just to talk.”

“You send Todd Glancy in here in the next ten minutes, or one of the women dies.” The line disconnected with a clatter.

“Jesus,” Agent Cross muttered under her breath. “He’s going to kill them. He’s going to kill them all.”

Martinez’s fists balled up with frustration. “Can someone please explain to me what this guy’s problem is?”

“I can,” Ben said. “I get it now.”

Martinez turned and stared at him. “Then would you please tell me what I’m supposed to do?”

“That’s the problem,” Ben said, eyes widening. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s too late.”

“Why won’t they give me what I want?” Bressler screamed, wheeling himself back and forth across the office lobby. “Is this so hard? All I want is one lousy senator. Hell, they’ve got a hundred of them. No one will miss one. Especially not that one.”

“Marshall,” Christina said, “please try to stay calm.” She knew she was taking a risk, talking to him, but she had to do something. His eyes were red and inflamed, he was incoherent with rage. Christina was no expert, but it looked to her as if this previously calm, efficient man of logic was totally losing his grip. And if that was the case, there was no telling what he might do. “Maybe you should ask for something else.”

“I don’t want anything else!”

“They won’t give you Glancy. They can’t. Why not ask for money? Or just settle for transportation to some country that the U.S. doesn’t have an extradition treaty with. I’m sure you know more about that than I do.”

“No!” he bellowed. “I want Glancy. And I’ll get Glancy, or they’ll see everyone in this room die!”

“P-p-p-please…” It was Hazel, hunched down on the floor, her aged hands covering her head. “Please let me go. I don’t care what you do to Todd. I don’t care what you do to anyone. But please let me go.”

For a moment, gazing at the broken, elderly woman he’d known for more than a decade, Marshall almost regained his usual countenance. “I regret that I must do this to you, Hazel. I truly do. But it’s necessary.”

“I-I can’t take it any longer, Marshall. You know how bad my heart is. I’m not going to make it.”

“If you die, you die. It happens.” His eyes narrowed. “Even to the people you love most.”

Christina steeled herself and took a step forward. “Marshall, please. End this nightmare. Let Marie get medical attention. I know you’re not a bad person. I don’t-I don’t understand what’s happened to you. But I can’t believe you want to hurt anyone.” She held out her hand. “Give it up, Marshall. Give me the gun.”

“You want it. Here it is.” He fired.

Christina’s heart raced. The bullet drilled a hole in the carpet between her legs.

“Now stand by the wall and stay put,” he growled, waving her back with the gun. “Next time, I won’t miss.”

“What was that?” Ben asked, grabbing Agent Cross’s arm, refusing to let her go. He knew he was pushing his luck. They’d tolerated him so far because he had information that was useful to them, but they could get rid of him with a single word to one of the dozens of agents on duty. “What happened?”