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"What did you write?"
"Just that she had an infection that required penicillin."
"Someone with Ben's medical sophistication could have figured it out, Bill. And what about the lab tests? Did you destroy the results?"
"I- don't believe so… but still it's not possible. Not Ben. Why are you thinking in these terms?"
"Because I have an open mind. If that upsets you, we can end the discussion."
He gritted his teeth. "This isn't the last time I'll be hearing these kinds of speculations. I might as well get used to it. Let's assume- for the sake of argument- that Ben did know she'd been infected. Why in the world would he murder her?"
"As I said, it could have led him to believe she was easy. One scenario is that they'd had a relationship for a while, or even that last night was a one-night stand. In either case, they went up to the park, got drunk, and things got out of hand."
"That's ridiculous! You saw him with Claire tonight. He loves her, they've got so much going- the children."
"Lots of psychopaths lead double lives."
"No! Not Ben! And he's not a psychopath. He didn't kill A
"Does he have an alibi for A
"He was never asked to present one. But I remember the way he reacted to the murder. Utterly revolted!"
"Did you tell him A
"No! Only De
"But once again, Ben had access to the information. And De
"He's not a premeditated killer! This whole line of reasoning is spurious!"
"No one else knew about A
"The killer knew- a killer who isn't Ben."
"What about the fishermen who found A
"Alonzo Rubino and Saul Saentz," he said. "They're even older than I. Saul's downright frail. And they didn't know the details."
"Leaving only Ben, who might have."
"You were at di
"He was in the park. What's his explanation for that?"
"De
"Ben's still free to offer an explanation. Has he?"
He paused. "After De
"When will Ben have an attorney?"
"De
"There are no lawyers on the island?"
"No. Until now that's been a plus."
"How long will it take for the appointee to get over?"
"The next boat's due in five days. If the base allows a plane to land, it could be sooner."
"Why would the base cooperate all of a sudden?"
"Because this is just what they want. Another nail in Aruk's coffin." He made a fist and regarded it as if it belonged on someone else's arm. The fingers opened slowly. The bandage on his hand was soiled.
"Why is the Navy waging war on the island, Bill?"
"The Navy's a branch of the government, and the government wants to rid itself of responsibility. Ben's arrest is yet another reason to abandon ship: murderous savages. Ca
"I thought you believed the killer had moved on."
"Perhaps he left and returned. Corpsmen fly in and out all the time. A look at Navy flight records would be instructive, but try obtaining them. There's more than one kind of barricade, Alex."
"You said De
"That's true. As far as it goes. But some of the places in the region- I've heard there's a restaurant in Bangkok that serves human flesh. Perhaps apocryphal, perhaps not. But there's no doubt things go on we never hear about."
He rubbed his head. "Aruk has been abandoned, but I won't abandon Ben."
"Does Senator Hoffman also have a vested interest in Aruk's decline?" I said.
"Most probably, strip away the veneer of political correctness and you've got a strip-mall builder."
"In cahoots with someone like Creedman's employer- Stasher-Layman?"
"The thought has occurred to me."
"Creedman's an advance man?"
"I've thought about that, too."
"At di
"The fool." He looked ready to spit. "That book of his. No one's ever seen it and he won't be pi
"Have you found any co
"Not yet, but we mustn't get distracted. We must focus on Ben."
"When Ben caught Creedman snooping, what was Creedman after?"
"I have no idea. There's nothing to hide."
"What about the A
"No. As much as I'd like to attribute something malicious to him, he was snooping before A
"One more thing: after you came back from speaking to Hoffman alone, you looked dejected. Why?"
"He refused to help Aruk."
"Is that the only reason?"
"That's not enough?"
"I just wondered if there was some personal issue between the two of you."
He sat straighter. Stood and smiled. "Oh, there is. We dislike each other immensely. But that's ancient history, and I simply can't allow myself to be drawn into nostalgia. I acted stupidly with De
He came around and rested a hand on my shoulder.
"Please, Alex."
We hadn't gotten into his lie about being part of the Marshall Islands compensation, the nighttime boat rides. And he'd avoided explaining his reaction to Pam and De
"All right," I said. "But let's get something straight: I'll give Ben the benefit of the doubt till the forensics come in. Unless I get into that cell and he tells me he murdered Betty- or A
He walked away from me and faced the wall. One of the watercolors was at eye level. Palms over the beach. Not unlike the one where Barbara Moreland had drowned.
Delicate strokes, washed-out hues. No people. A loneliness so intense…
"I accept your conditions," he said. "I'm glad to have you on my side."