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Dan glanced into the rear view mirror. They’d left Sneaky Pete’s with considerable alacrity. Nonetheless, someone might have been dispatched to keep an eye on them. Or several someones.
Ben noticed. “Are we being followed?”
“Not that I can tell.”
“Which doesn’t mean we aren’t being followed.”
“I know. It’s dark.” Without even thinking about it, he pushed harder on the accelerator.
“Maybe we should park. Or find a motel. Get some shuteye.”
“How would that help anything? I can get us through Arizona. We’ll hit California sometime in the morning.”
“If you say so. But if you want to stop, we should.”
“Not necessary.”
“This isn’t an Iron Man competition. You don’t have to prove how tough you are.”
“We may need some tough if we’re going to survive this.”
“You know what’s more important than tough? Smart. If you fall asleep and wreck the car, that’s not smart.”
“I’ve pulled pretrial all-nighters that went on longer than this.”
Ben borrowed Dan’s phone and called his wife. About ten minutes later, he rang off.
“Christina says there’s trouble at the LCL office in San Diego.”
“What? Why?”
“Don’t know. But it seems likely to be related. If I recall correctly, the Donovan case was originally filed there, then transferred to LA. And I believe San Diego is more or less on our way to LA.”
“Would you like to make a stop at Disneyland, too?”
“No thanks. Hate the crowds.”
They’d crossed into Arizona a few minutes before. They would enter California to the south, but it shouldn’t take long to get to San Diego, and from there, unless something new broke, on to LA. Since he was supposedly in charge of LCL, he should know more about this case. But Ben had established seventeen offices in different major cities and they all had multiple cases, so trying to keep track of everything was beyond the capacity of his memory.
Or interest.
“Christina also gave me an update on what’s happening in St. Pete, which is basically nothing. No one has found a trace of Maria. Even with Jake Kakazu marshaling his entire department and Mike Morelli sending people in from Tulsa.”
Dan drew in his breath. “I have to face the reality that—”
“They haven’t found a body. There would be no reason to hide a corpse. If it existed.”
Dan didn’t reply. Ben was making major logical jumps that couldn’t be justified. But it wasn’t because he was blind or stupid. He was trying to be kind.
He decided to change the subject. “At least she didn’t say Jake has put out an APB on me. He must know I’ve bolted.”
“No substitute for having friends. Mine have saved my bacon time and time again.”
“Speaking of which—you handled yourself pretty well back there. At the bar.”
“I flipped one guy. Not going to make me an Olympic contender.”
“Still impressive for a guy who’s—” He stopped short.
Ben arched an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Who’s...sedentary. Intellectual. Book-loving.”
“You’re trying not to say, ‘old.’”
“Age is a factor in hand-to-hand combat.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a grownup. I’m in good health and have no trouble getting around or remembering my children’s names.”
“Of course. But still.” He smiled. “Impressive.”
“One of the nice things about getting older,” Ben added, “is that you stop feeling like you have to prove yourself. I stretch my legs every day, but I don’t need to pump iron or run marathons.” He paused. “Or kite-surf.”
“Hey, kite-surfing is cool.”
“Extreme sports are by definition not cool. I mean, come on. What are you trying to prove?”
“Just staying fit.”
“Trying jogging. Extreme sports are dangerous.”
“If you’re responsible and careful—”
“Accidents still happen. Accidents will always happen.”
“Are you seriously suggesting that I should give up my favorite watersport?”
“It’s not a hint. I’m telling you. Grow up.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not twenty-one anymore. You’re not really single. And you’re the COO of the LCL network.”
“You’re the CFO.”
“What I’m trying to tell you is, yes, I may be older, but you’re not the young, carefree, flashy lawyer who can do anything that amuses him. Walt Disney used to play polo. But after a close call, his brother told him he had to give it up. Bigwigs can’t run around endangering their lives for no good reason.”
“You should’ve mentioned this when you offered me the job.”
“I’m mentioning it now, because I think you’re at a crossroads.”
“You mean this case?”
“No. I mean...” Ben took a deep breath, then frowned.
“Just say it.”
Another long pause ensued. Finally Ben settled on, “Get some grown-up hobbies. You’re pushing forty. And a lot of people depend upon you.”
“So I have to take up knitting?”
“No. But you need to be more responsible.”
“Fine. Give me an example of an exciting grown-up endeavor.”
“Well”—his eyes darted downward—"you could start a family.”
Dan rolled his eyes. “You are so predictable. It’s the twenty-first century, Ben. Not everyone has to get married and tie themselves down with kids.”
“True. And not everyone should. But...you would be an excellent father.”
“Thanks for the compliment. But there’s no hurry.”
Ben pursed his lips, started to speak, then stopped. “You adore that little girl. The one you got your DA friend to adopt. What’s her name?”
Dan smiled. “Esperanza. Yeah, she’s the sweetest in the world.”
“Until you have your own daughter. And then no one else will come close.”
“Isn’t this all a little pot calling the kettle black? If I recall correctly, you and Christina waited rather late in life before you had children.”
“Because I was an idiot. I’m trying to prevent you from making the same mistake.”
“Thanks, but if I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.”
Dan could see Ben was not happy. Why this sudden concern about his lifestyle choices?
They drove in silence for a long stretch. Although he normally enjoyed the desert landscape, it was difficult to savor at night. Especially when he had so many other things on his mind.
“I should return your compliment,” Ben said. “You handled yourself well back at the bar, too.”
“Took that thug down but good, right?”
Ben waggled his head from side to side. “Certainly you took him down. But what I admired was how well you sized him up. That’s what threw him off. You have a keen gift for observation—and for putting those observations together to gain insight. The way he dressed, his haircut, his ring finger. Impressive.”
“I was glad to give my skills a workout. It’s been a long time since I actually tried a case.”
“Administering the LCL is important too.”
“Not saying otherwise.”
“I always imagined that eventually I would luck into the blowout case that made my fortune. One great jury verdict I could retire on.”
“That’s not how it usually happens.”
“But we all have our dreams.” He sighed. “They aren’t realistic. That’s why we call them dreams.”
“Nothing wrong with having dreams,” Ben replied. “I remember when—”
A sudden jolt from the rear of the car propelled them both into the dashboard.
“What the hell?” Dan muttered.
He glanced at the rear view. Another car was behind them. He couldn’t tell what it was, but it appeared broad and big. Much larger than the rental he was driving.
“Again?” Ben asked, craning his neck.
“They came up behind me with no headlights so I wouldn’t see them.”
“Haven’t we already played this road-rage routine?”
“Yeah. But we’re not dead yet.”
Another slam from behind, this time harder. The first collision was probably just to get their attention. But now the driver appeared to be actively trying to drive them off the road.
“We need to do something,” Ben said. “Take evasive action.”
“This is a crappy rental car, not the USS Enterprise.” Dan swung the wheel hard left, then right. “Speed up? Slow down? Stop?”
“Definitely do not stop,” Ben muttered. “Hard to make out details in the dark. But I think the guy in the passenger seat just pulled out a big gun.”