Part 14 (2/2)
Ben handed the papers back to her, unsmiling. ”Natural enough mistake, I guess.”
”Do they have a case?” she asked.
Ben shook his head. ”Against you? Well, civil suits are not my specialty. But no jury is going to see this as your fault.”
”I hope you're right,” she said.
”Of course, a crafty attorney can keep one of these suits dragging on for years. And Nelson Abbott is just the kind of client they love. Self-righteous and mean-spirited.”
Tess nodded, feeling both embarra.s.sed and chastened. She wanted to retreat as hastily, if not gracefully, as possible. ”I'm very sorry...Ben. I...I know you're busy. I really am sorry...let me just get out of your hair.”
Ben resumed his seat behind the desk. ”You're not in my hair. I'm glad you came. Especially since that has nothing to do with me,” he said, pointing his pencil at her pocketbook.
Tess nodded.
”You will need to get yourself an attorney, though,” he said. ”To fight this.”
Tess shrugged. ”Interested?” she asked.
Ben shook his head. ”Not my area of expertise. And it could be a conflict of interest. But I can recommend my senior partner...”
”I have an attorney at home. He handled my adoption of Erny. I'll call him and send him the papers.”
”You might want to have somebody here in town,” he said.
”I'll be fine,” she insisted stiffly. ”I don't want to take up any more of your time.” She pulled tight the belt on her coat. ”Thanks,” she said, turning to leave.
”Wait. Don't go,” he said.
Tess frowned at him. ”Why not?”
Tess thought she noticed his face color slightly. ”The fact is,” he said, ”I wanted to talk to you. I was thinking about what you said earlier.”
”What I said?” Tess asked.
”Yes. Do you have a minute?”
Tess nodded.
”Sit,” he said, pointing to the client's chair. Tess hesitated and then sat down.
”After I got back to the office, I was thinking about what you said about Lazarus having an accomplice.”
”This morning you accused me of clinging to that idea so that I could still blame Lazarus.”
”I asked you if that was a possibility,” Ben said. ”I didn't say it was a bad idea.”
”Wait a minute,” she said, holding her forehead. ”It's a conflict of interest for you to represent me, but you want to talk about whether or not Lazarus had an accomplice?”
”Lazarus wasn't my client,” he said.
”That's splitting hairs,” she said.
”Not to my mind,” he said. ”We're just...friends, having a conversation.”
Tess tilted her head and studied him. She had noted his hesitation on the word ”friends” but she wasn't about to mention it. ”Does this mean that you think there might be something to the accomplice idea?” she asked.
”Well, if we a.s.sume that you were right in your identification of Lazarus...”
”You're a.s.suming I was right?” she cried.
”Just for argument's sake,” he said.
”Ah,” said Tess calmly. But she felt almost giddy with surprise and...grat.i.tude.
”It would explain the DNA discrepancy,” said Ben. ”I was doing some research this afternoon. The experts seem to agree that in a pair of killers there is usually a dominant personality and a subservient one. The subservient one is in some kind of thrall to the dominant one. The dominant one can be cruel and controlling. It's very often a relations.h.i.+p based on fear. Now, if there was such a pair at work here, it's unlikely that Lazarus was the dominant one. He would have been the pa.s.sive one, the follower. Doing the bidding of the other.”
Instantly, as he spoke, a face appeared in Tess's mind's eye and she blanched.
”What?” he asked.
”I was just thinking. According to the sentencing phase of the trial transcript, and what I've heard from everyone else, Lazarus was a loner who had no friends. He didn't have dealings with anyone outside the family.”
”That doesn't mean that he didn't have any relations.h.i.+ps-”
”Wait, hear me out,” said Tess.
Ben nodded.
”Now, apparently, his only occupation was working for his stepfather, Nelson Abbott. And Nelson Abbott was always angry at him. He abused him for years.”
”That's true. n.o.body ever said that Lazarus...wait a minute.” Ben peered at her. ”Are you suggesting...?”
Tess stared back at him.
”Not Nelson,” Ben scoffed.
”Why not?” she asked.
”Well, for one thing, Nelson has no record as a s.e.xual predator.”
”Yes, but he's got a history of violent behavior in his own family.”
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