Focusing on Rayfield once more, Michael wondered where they would dump his body. As he had done as a child, he suddenly found himself wishing that his big brother would appear to help him. He looked on dully as Rayfield handed him the papers and motioned the guard to leave. As Michael clutched the papers, Rayfield looked apologetic.
“I’m afraid my men were a little overzealous,” said Ray-field. “We don’t usually photocopy documents in a sealed envelope.” Actually, Rayfield had opened the envelope and photocopied its contents himself. None of his men had seen the documents.
Michael looked down at the papers. “I don’t understand. The envelope was still sealed.”
“The envelope is a very common one. They just put it back in a new one and sealed it.”
Michael inwardly cursed himself for missing something that obvious.
Rayfield broke into a chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Michael demanded.
“This is the fifth time Rufus Harms has named me in some cockamamie lawsuit, Mr. Fiske. What else am I supposed to do but laugh?”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s never gone as high as the United States Supreme Court before — that’s who you’re with, isn’t it?”
“I don’t have to answer that.”
“Okay. But if you are, then your presence here is a little unusual.”
“That’s my business.”
“And my business is running this prison in a precise, military way,” Rayfield snapped back. But then his voice softened. “I don’t blame you, though. Harms is slick. Looks like he conned his old military lawyer to help him this time, and Sam Rider should know better.”
“You’re saying Rufus Harms makes a practice of filing frivolous lawsuits?”
“You think that’s unusual for prisoners? Too much time on their hands. Anyway, last year he accused the president of the United States, the Secretary of Defense and yours truly of conspiring to frame him for a murder he committed, and which was witnessed by at least a half dozen people.”
“Really?” Michael looked skeptical.
“Yes, really. It was finally dismissed, but it cost a few thousand bucks in government attorney time to get it done. I know the courts are open to everybody, Mr. Fiske. But a nuisance suit is a nuisance suit and, quite frankly, I’m getting tired of them.”
“But he said in his petition — ”
“Right, I read it. Two years ago, he claimed it was Agent Orange suffered in combat that caused him to do it. And you know what? Rufus Harms was never exposed to Agent Orange, because he was never in combat. He spent most of his two-year Army career in the stockade for insubordination, among other things. It’s no secret — look it up yourself if you want. That is, if you haven’t already done so.” He gazed at Michael, who was looking down. “Now take your little papers, go back to Washington and let it work its way through the system. It’ll get dismissed like all the others. Some innocent people are going to get embarrassed as hell, but that’s the American way. I guess it’s why I fought for this country: to sustain all those freedoms. Even when they’re abused.”
“You’re just going to let me go?”
“You’re not a prisoner here. I’ve got a lot of real inmates to worry about, including one that just beat the crap out of three of my guards. You’re going to have to answer some questions that one of my men will be here shortly to ask you. It will relate to what happened in the visitors’ room. We need it for our incident report.”
“But that means it will go into the official record. My being here, everything.”
“That’s right, it will. It was your choice to come here, not mine. You have to live with the consequences.”
“I know. But I wasn’t counting on any of this.”
“Well, life is full of little surprises.”
“Look, do you really have to file anything?”
“Your presence here is a matter of official record anyway, Mr. Fiske, regardless of what happened in that visitors’ room. You are in the visitation book with an assigned badge number.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought that all the way through.”
“I guess not. I take it you’re not really experienced in military matters?” While Michael stood there looking miserable, Rayfield thought for a moment. “Look, we need to fill out the report, but other things being equal, I may not officially file it. Maybe your presence here at the prison gets expunged too.”