The Fugitive

“A big trial, right?”

“Just like the last one, only Duffy will also face charges of taking flight and being a fugitive. His goose is cooked, Theo, and you’re the hero.”

“I don’t want to be the hero, Ike. I keep thinking about Omar Cheepe and Paco and those other tough guys who work for Pete Duffy. I’m sure they’re still around. I don’t want my name mentioned.”

“I’m sure we can keep things quiet.”

“And if there’s a big trial, that means Bobby Escobar will have to testify.”

“Of course it does. He’s the star witness. He’s still in town, right?”

“I think so, but... the last time I talked to Julio they were all living in the same apartment, still waiting on immigration documents.”

“Does Bobby still work at the golf course?”

“I think so. This worries me, Ike.”

“Look, Theo, I’m sure the police will be very careful in dealing with Bobby Escobar. The prosecution’s case is pretty weak without him, and the police will protect him. We can’t allow thugs to influence our judicial system. Come on, you’re a lawyer, you know how important it is to have fair trials. Judge Gantry will be in charge, and if he gets wind of any type of threats made to a witness, he’ll lower the boom on Duffy and his gang. It’s time to step up.”

Theo suspected that Ike’s eagerness to nail Duffy and to protect the idea of fair trials also had something to do with the reward money: $100,000.

Theo said, “I need to go. Be careful tomorrow.”

“I’m not getting caught, Theo. You didn’t recognize me, did you?”

“No, and you look nice for a change, almost like a real lawyer.”

“Gee, thanks. And I have another disguise for tomorrow, then, it’s back to the old wardrobe.”

“Thanks for coming, Ike.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I haven’t had this much excitement since I got out of prison.”

“See you later.”

“You take care and have some fun. And, Theo, nice work.”

As Theo rode the elevator back to his room, he asked himself if he was doing the right thing. Bringing a murderer to justice sounded great, but there could be a price to pay. He thought about calling his parents and telling them, but such a call would only worry them. He was supposed to be in Washington having a ball as a tourist, not playing detective and stalking a killer.

He trusted his uncle. Ike always knew what to do.

Early Saturday morning, Theo, his roommates, and forty other students got off the bus near the Mall and headed toward the Washington Monument. As they got closer to it, Mr. Mount began a walking tour. He explained that the monument, built of course to honor our first president, is a true obelisk and is constructed of marble and granite. At 555 feet in height it is still the world’s tallest all-stone obelisk. When it was completed in 1884, it was the tallest structure in the world, a record it held until 1889 when the Eiffel Tower was finished in Paris. Construction was started in 1848, and it took six years to build the first 150 feet. Then, for a number of reasons, including a shortage of money and the Civil War, work on the monument was halted for twenty-three years.

Theo wasn’t sure about the other students, but after two days of nonstop history lessons, the dates and numbers were begi

They gathered at the base of the monument, waited in line for almost an hour, then entered the ground floor lobby. A friendly park ranger guided them to an elevator and locked the door. Seventy seconds later, they stepped out and onto an observation deck five hundred feet above the ground. The views were stu

After two long hours, the students were ready to move on. They descended in the elevator and left the lobby.

At eleven forty-six, Theo got a text from Ike: No sign of Duffy. Must have different routine for Sat. At airport, headed home. C U there.

Chapter 5

Mrs. Boone picked Theo up at the school Monday afternoon. During the ten-minute drive home, she wanted to know every detail about the trip and Washington. Theo was tired — he had slept little Sunday night because Woody and Aaron played a stupid game to see which one could stay awake until morning, and he hadn’t slept on the bus because there had been a lot of punching, slapping, loud music, laughing, and, of course, passing of gas — so he had little to say to his mother. He promised her he would give her a full report after a nap. At home, she fixed him a grilled cheese sandwich and asked him when was the last time he took a shower. He thought it was either Friday or Saturday, and she instructed him to take one right then, after lunch. When Theo was in the shower, she went back to the office.

Theo Boone did not take naps. Even though he was dead tired, he had somewhere to go. It was, after all, Monday afternoon and he was required to visit Ike. He did not always look forward to these visits, but today was different. They had important business.

Ike had been able to run a number of photos of Pete Duffy through FuzziFace, and Theo was eager to know what he had found.

It was the old Ike — no dark suit, no white shirt and tie, no shiny leather loafers. Instead, he was wearing his standard office attire of faded jeans, faded T-shirt, and sandals. Bob Dylan was singing softly on the stereo when Theo and Judge bounded up the stairs to his messy office. Ike was excited and spent fifteen minutes showing Theo the various images of Pete Duffy on his laptop. The FuzziFace software analyzed every inch of Duffy’s face from the old photos Ike had found, and compared those to a still shot from Theo’s video. The bottom line: There was an 85 percent chance it was Duffy.

Theo and Ike were convinced beyond a doubt.

“Now what?” Theo asked.

“Have you told your parents?”

“No, but we should. I don’t like keeping secrets from them, especially something as big as this. They might even be ticked off when we tell them everything we’ve already done.”

“Okay, I agree. When do you want to tell them?”

“How about now? They’re both in the office. It’s Monday, so we’ll go to Robilio’s for di

It was a complicated question because Ike avoided the law offices of Boone & Boone. He had once worked there; in fact, he and Theo’s father had started the first Boone law firm in the same building many years earlier. Then something bad happened. Ike got into trouble, left the firm on bad terms, lost his license to practice law, went to prison, and now generally avoided anything to do with his old firm. But, thanks to Theo, the difficult relationship between Ike and Woods Boone was showing signs of improving. During the first Duffy trial, Ike showed up at the office one night when Judge Gantry stopped by for an important conversation with the entire family.

Ike would do almost anything for his nephew. “Sure,” he said. “Let’s go.”

“Great. I’ll see you there.” Theo and Judge left in a hurry. After four days in the big city, Theo was thrilled to be back on his bike and darting along the streets of Strattenburg. These were his streets and he knew every one of them, and every alley and shortcut. He could not imagine being a kid in a big city where the streets were clogged with cars and the sidewalks were packed with pedestrians.

Theo took the long way back to the office, stalling until five thirty when Elsa Miller would close up her desk, lock the front door, and go home. Elsa was the firm’s receptionist and head secretary, and a very important person in the lives of the Boones. She was like a grandmother to Theo, and at that moment she would pounce on him with amazing energy, even more amazing when you considered that she was seventy years old, and hit him with a hundred questions about his trip to Washington. Theo just wasn’t in the mood, so he did a few laps around the block, with Judge close behind. He hid behind a tree down the street — a favorite hiding place — until he saw Elsa’s car leave. He entered the building through a rear door and went straight to his mother’s office. As usual, she was on the phone. Judge parked himself on a dog bed by Elsa’s desk, one of three such beds at the office, while Theo went up the stairs to check on his father.