Part 11 (2/2)

”Okay. I'm coming right around.” Realizing she probably couldn't hear him, he nodded and gestured toward the front of the house, to let her know his intentions. Jake quickly descended the ladder, went around the side of the house, and rushed up the porch steps. Just as he was opening the front door, he heard the sound of barking. He turned and saw Leo, barreling toward the house alone, barking a warning, like a canine Paul Revere.

CHAPTER 12.

Tess thanked Chan for his help and left before he could suggest another, longer interview. Clutching the articles she had copied, and keeping her gaze lowered, she hurried toward the door of the newspaper office and nearly collided with a man who had reached it at the same time. ”Sorry,” she murmured without looking up.

”We've got to stop meeting like this.”

Tess looked up at the silver-haired man who had spoken and blushed furiously.

Ben Ramsey raised his hands in surrender. ”I'm not tailing you. I swear.”

”I didn't think you were,” Tess said, feigning coolness as she opened the door to the vestibule and slipping outside. Ramsey caught the door and followed her through. She did not look at him, but started quickly down the sidewalk to the parking lot. Unfazed, he fell into step beside her. ”I met a reporter here to do an interview about the case, actually,” he said.

”Love that press coverage,” she said grimly. ”Good for business.”

He ignored the implied criticism. ”I thought you would be avoiding the press.”

”I was looking something up in the archives,” she said.

”What were you looking for?” he asked.

Tess sighed. Why should his persistence surprise her? He was a lawyer, after all. Persistence came with the territory. ”It wouldn't interest you,” she said.

”Actually, if it's about this case and Lazarus Abbott, it would interest me very much,” he said seriously. ”I thought a lot about what you said when I met you at the campsite the other day. The fact that you still believe you were right in your indentification. I mean, you seem to be a very intelligent, observant person. Maybe it's not as simple as a case of mistaken ident.i.ty.”

Tess did not want him to know how much she had thought about what he'd said during that conversation. She thought about the photo in her pocket of Ken Phalen, transformed by a pair of drawn-on gla.s.ses. ”Or maybe it is,” she murmured.

Ben Ramsey squinted at her. ”What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Standing there on the sidewalk, Tess could feel the warmth of the springlike day seeping into her. Ramsey's concerned expression, and his broad chest and shoulders were magnetic. She was tempted to lean against him. Tess shook her head. ”Look, I can't talk to you about this. You're the Abbotts' attorney. You just won the victory of a lifetime for them.”

”For Mrs. Abbott,” he said. ”Only for Mrs. Abbott. Mr. Abbott was not equally fond of me. In fact, he told me, on one memorable occasion, that I could 'stuff my bill where the sun don't s.h.i.+ne.'”

Tess smiled in spite of herself. ”Well, it seems now that Mr. Abbott is one of Lazarus's biggest supporters. And among the latecomers rallying to the cause is his nephew, the police chief, who thinks I lied to protect my deviant father,” Tess said in disgust.

Ben Ramsey shook his head. ”Well, that's just insulting.”

Tess felt grateful to him for saying that. ”Yes, it is.”

”So what was it that brought you here today?”

”I shouldn't be talking to you,” she said. ”We're adversaries.”

”No, we're not,” he said seriously. ”We both want to know the truth.”

Tess met his gaze and thought that if he was lying to her, he was the best liar she'd ever seen. She felt as if his eyes were drawing her to him, speaking silently to her in a secret language known only to the eyes. ”I don't know,” she demurred.

”I know how much fun it is to search through that pile of old papers,” he said wryly. ”I spent some time doing that myself, trying to get a clue as to what happened. I had a sneezing fit. Several of them, in fact. What about you? Did you find anything?”

Tess hesitated. ”I'm very mixed up at this point,” she admitted. ”When I came here this morning, I had a theory. Something my son said to me got me thinking.”

Ramsey did not even smile. ”What? What did he say?”

His open, interested gaze made her feel safe, as if he were an ally. And part of her really wanted to tell him, but she knew better. It was time to terminate this conversation, she thought. Don't start romanticizing this guy, she thought. That is dangerous. He is not your friend. ”Nothing important,” she said dismissively.

Ben noticed her change of att.i.tude. ”You know, I understand why you wouldn't trust me, but I probably know this case better than anyone in this town right now,” he said. ”And I can tell you that it became more than just a job to me. I've studied that trial transcript a thousand times looking for that missing piece of information that would explain what really happened. I'd be very interested to hear your theory.”

Just as she was about to shake her head and hurry away, Tess suddenly realized that this might be an opportunity, and that Ramsey might be just the person to talk to after all. She looked at him with narrowed eyes. ”Do you still have a transcript of Lazarus Abbott's trial?”

”Sure,” he said.

”Do you think I could take a look at it?”

”Well, if it would be of use to you, sure.”

”Great. Could I get it now?” she asked.

”If you don't mind coming with me,” he said.

”To your office?” she said.

Ramsey grimaced. ”Tess. Can I call you Tess?”

Tess nodded.

”I'm Ben,” he said. ”Call me Ben. Look, I know this doesn't sound too professional, but...I have to be honest with you. I just...um...got a pup, and I have to go home and deal with him.”

”A pup?” she said, surprised.

”A puppy. He's only ten weeks and he's at that stage where he's kind of...high maintenance. Well, you know. You have a dog.”

Tess realized after a moment's confusion that he was referring to Leo. ”It's not my dog,” she said.

”Oh. I thought...”

”Leo belongs to my mother.”

”Well, in any case, I have to run home for a few minutes. It's only about ten minutes from here. And I'm coming right back...”

”I can't wait,” said Tess stiffly. ”I have to get back.”

”No,” said Ramsey. ”You don't understand. The trial transcript is at my house. I meant, do you want to ride out there with me?”

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