Jeffery Deaver - Hard News

Randy Boggs was sitting forward in a chair in Megler's office, his hands pressed tightly together as if they'd been manacled. He wore blue jeans and a blue denim work shirt, clothing he'd worn when he'd entered the prison three years before. Rune, sitting nearby, smelled mothballs.

"Little girl, yessir." Boggs was nodding a lot, agreeing with what everybody said. But at the little girl part, he looked questioningly at Rune, who launched Courtney toward him. Boggs's hands reached out and she gave him a shy hug.

"Daddy," she said and looked at Rune to see if she'd gotten the line right. Rune nodded at her, smiling, then said to Boggs, "Mr Megler didn't know that you had a little girl. That was one of the reasons he was so nice to help you even though the program hasn't run yet."

"Yeah," Boggs said, squinting to see if that helped him understand things any better. It didn't seem to. "Sure appreciate it."

Megler paced. His polyester tie with the Bic repair job flopped up and down on the baggy shirt where his belly would have been if he weighed forty pounds more. His hair jutted out behind his thin skull as if he were facing into a gale. He said, "So, here's the deal: The young lady here had some pretty good evidence that would've gotten you out but seems some asshole…" He looked at Courtney but she was playing with daddy's shoelaces and missed the word. "… someperson got into the studio and stole it. That was strike one. Then-"

"Oh, you should've seen it!" Rune interrupted. "It was a really great story, Randy. It would've gotten you out in a minute. I did the fades just perfect. The sound was mixed like a symphony. And I had a really, really super shot of your mother-"

"Mom? You did?" He grinned. "What kind of stuff'd she say?"

"Didn't make a lot of sense, I have to tell you. But she looked real motherish."

"Yeah, that's one thing she does good."

Megler said, "You guys mind?" Courtney pointed her tiny index finger at him like a pistol and fired. It was a game she'd decided they should play. He smiled grudgingly at her and shot back. She clutched her chest and fell to the floor. Seemed to hope she'd play dead for a long time.

Rune preempted the lawyer. "You know who did it? You know who the killer was?"

"Uhm. If I knew that…" Boggs shrugged.

"It was the guy who picked you up who did it. Jimmy."

Boggs was shaking his head. "I don't know about that."

"Wait, wait, wait," Rune's legs bounced in the chair. "I'll tell you why I know in a minute. But, see, everything got stolen by Jimmy – he somehow found out about the story. I kind of told a reporter about it and there was this newspaper story so I think he read it and came to town to stop the program…"

Courtney revived and climbed up into her lap.

"Anyway, I came here to tell Fred that the evidence had been stolen. We felt awful, didn't we, Court?"

"Awful, yeah," the little girl said.

Megler said, "And I told this young lady that not having the tape or the second witness-"

Rune interrupted to explain about Bennett Frost's death.

Boggs was frowning. "Got himself killed?"

"Medical examiner says it was an accident, but who knows?" Megler said, wanting to take the stage again. "Anyway, with him dead, it wasn't looking too good. But what with you having a cute little girl you have to support-"

Megler missed the glance Boggs shot Rune and the sweep of her eyes across the grimed ceiling.

"-I thought we could make a good case in court. I got a deposition from the first witness, Ms Breckman, who admitted that most of her ID was based on seeing you on TVafter you'd been arrested. Then…" He paused dramatically. "I got a special ex parte hearing and presented my new secret witness."

Boggs cocked his head. "You found yourselfanother witness?"

Rune bowed. "Me!"

"I put Rune on the stand for Frost's testimony. Frost told her what he saw, about this other guy killing Hopper. Normally, that's hearsay and wouldn't be admissible but since Frost is dead she can testify about what Frost said."

She said, "Oh, I was great. 'Do you solemnly swear…'"

Megler said, "I also let slip the fact that she was a reporter forCurrent Events. I mean, justice is one thing but media? Forget about it… The judge practically made sure she had the correct spelling of his name."

Rune said, "And, poof, he released you."

"From the bench," Megler said solemnly. "Don't happen too often that way."

"I'm free?"

"Pending the prosecutor's decision on a new trial. They'll probably just let it drop. But you have to stay in New York City until they decide. You can travel if you tell the DA's office but you can't leave the state."

"My dear Lord," Boggs said. "I don't know what to say." He leaned forward and shyly kissed Rune's cheek. Then he stood up and walked to the window.

Megler said, "You've earned yourself the right to walk through the slime of New York just like anybody else… Now, you got any money?"

"They give me some when I came out. Not a lot."

Megler was opening up his wallet. A wad of twenties appeared. A couple hundred bucks' worth. He aimed it toward Boggs, who shook his head. "No, sir, thank you anyway."

"It's a loan is all it is. Come on. Pay me back when you can. Ha, you don't, I'll sue your butt."

Boggs was blushing as he took the money and he put it into his pocket as quickly as possible.

Megler was giving him advice about getting jobs, what sort of work to look for.

Boggs looked solemn for a moment. "Something I'd like to do. A friend of mine got himself killed in prison. I'd like to go see his family. Up in Harlem."

"You look like you're asking permission," Megler said. "You want to go, just go."

"Yeah, I could, I guess. Sure. I wasn't thinking."

Then Boggs was saying he had to look for a hotel room… No, first some food then a room. No, first he wanted to walk down… what was that street there? Boggs pointed out the window.

"Over there? Broadway," Megler answered.

"I want to walk down Broadway."

Rune corrected, "Actually, you'd probably be walkingup Broadway from here."

"Up Broadway, and I want to stop and go into some of those stores."

"Plenty to choose from," the lawyer offered. "Shitty merchandise, overpriced."

"Shitty," Courtney echoed.

"And check out some other streets too. And nobody's going to tell me not to."

"Not a soul in the world."

Boggs was grinning.

Rune said, "I've got some tapes left but I'll have to interview you again. I want to start as soon as possible."

Boggs laughed. "Well, you don't hardly have to even ask. There's only one thing I'd ask first."

"Sure."

"You think we might rustle up some beer? It's been a while, and I've really got me a taste."

The plastic bag rang like sleigh bells. It contained: a Heineken, a Moosehead, a Grolsch, two Budweisers ("Not the best by a long shot but it was my first – mind if I get a couple for, you know, sentimental reasons?"), a Tecate and a six-pack of Corona. Rune had also bought some Amstel but Randy Boggs had never drunk light beer in his life. "Don't believe I'd like to celebrate my freedom with something like that."

They turned onto Christopher Street and aimed themselves at the Hudson, waiting for the stoplight to change. When it did they crossed the wide West Side Highway, Courtney holding tight to Rune's hand and looking left and right the way she'd taught the little girl.

Boggs asked, "Uh, where'd we be going?" He looked uncertainly toward the deserted waterfront.

Rune felt Southern when she was with Boggs and she answered, "Yonder."

He looked at where she was nodding and laughed. "There?"

They walked up the yellow gangplank to the houseboat, Boggs grinning and looking around him. "You don't need me to say anything 'bout it, I suppose. You live on one of these, you musta heard all kindsa comments by now."