‘We really don’t know,’ Wesley said. ‘It’s never going to be an exact science, Paul. Especially when we’re dealing with violent offenders rotting their brains with drugs. The more they decompensate, the more bizarre the behavior.’
The chief of police leaned forward, looking hard at him. ‘Please tell me what the hell you make of all this.’
‘They were connected before. I suspect they met through a spy shop in northern Virginia,’ Wesley said. ‘That is how CAIN was compromised – is compromised. Now it appears the connection has moved to a different level.’
‘Yeah,’ Marino said. ‘Bonnie’s found Clyde.’
15
We drove to my home on streets barely touched by traffic. The late night was perfectly still, snow covering the earth like cotton and absorbing sound. Bare trees were black against white, the moon an indistinct face behind fog. I wanted to go for a walk, but Wesley would not let me.
‘It’s late and you’ve had a traumatic day,’ he said as we sat in his BMW, which was parked behind Marino’s car in front of my house. ‘You don’t need to be walking around out here.’
‘You could walk with me.’ I felt vulnerable and very tired, and did not want him to leave.
‘Neither of us needs to be walking around out here,’ he said as Marino, Janet and Lucy disappeared inside my house. ‘You need to go inside and get some sleep.’
‘What will you do?’
‘I have a room.’
‘Where?’ I asked as if I had a right to know.
‘Linden Row. Downtown. Go to bed, Kay. Please.’
He paused, staring out the windshield. ‘I wish I could do more, but I can’t.’
‘I know you can’t and I’m not asking you to. Of course, you can’t any more than I could if you needed comfort. If you needed someone. That’s when I hate loving you. I hate it so much. I hate it so much when I need you. Like now.’ I struggled. ‘Oh damn.’
He put his arms around me and dried my tears. He touched my hair and held my hand as if he loved it with all his heart. ‘I could take you downtown with me tonight if that’s what you really want.’
He knew I did not want that because it was impossible. ‘No,’ I said with a deep breath. ‘No, Benton.’
I got out of his car and scooped up a handful of snow. I scrubbed my face with it as I walked around to the front door. I did not want anyone to know I had been crying in the dark with Benton Wesley.
He did not drive off until I had barricaded myself inside my house with Marino, Janet and Lucy. Tucker had ordered an around-the-clock surveillance, and Marino was in charge. He would not entrust our safety to uniformed men parked somewhere in a cruiser or van. He rallied us like Green Berets or guerrillas.
‘All right,’ he said as we walked into my kitchen. ‘I know Lucy can shoot. Janet, you sure as hell better be able to if you’re ever gonna graduate from the Academy.’
‘I could shoot before the Academy,’ she said in her quiet, unflappable way.
‘Doc?’
I was looking inside the refrigerator.
‘I can make pasta with a little olive oil, Parmesan and onion. I’ve got cheese if anybody wants sandwiches. Or if you give me a chance to thaw it, I’ve got le piccagge col pesto di ricotta or tortellini verdi. I think there’s enough for four if I warm up both.’
Nobody cared.
I wanted so much to do something normal.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said in despair. ‘I haven’t been to the store lately.’
‘I need to get into your safe, Doc,’ Marino said.
‘I’ve got bagels.’
‘Hey. Anybody hungry?’ Marino asked.
No one was. I closed the freezer. The gun safe was in the garage.
‘Come on,’ I told him.
He followed me out and I opened it for him.
‘Do you mind telling me what you’re doing?’ I asked.
‘I’m arming us,’ he said as he picked up one handgun after another and looked at my stash of ammunition. ‘Damn, you must own stock in Green Top.’