Applaud the Hollow Ghost by David J. Walker

Author:David J. Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781250112729
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

CHAPTER

23

“YOU’RE JOKING,” RENATA SAID.

“Nope. He’s gone, all right.” I offered her one of the Cokes I’d bought at the newsstand in the lobby and taken back up with me to her office.

“No thanks,” she said, waving her hand vaguely and walking over to the windows. She stared down as though she’d be able to spot Lammy on the sidewalk—which wasn’t even in sight from her floor. “Gone where? Home?”

“Home if we’re lucky. But your talk about getting indicted and going back to jail frightened him. Maybe he’s running away.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Running away when you’re scared is a pretty time-honored practice.”

“What I mean is he doesn’t have … well … the ambition or something, to run off. Besides, it won’t help any—”

“Easy for you to say. You’re in his mother’s position.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re not facing going to jail, anymore than his mother is.” I took a long swig of my Coke. “You don’t know, Renata, how bad it is in there for him.”

“Oh, I know how bad—”

“You’ve visited lots of clients in lots of jails, but you’ve never been a prisoner. You don’t know what it’s like from the inside. Lammy does, and he’s scared to death.”

“If he’s so afraid, why didn’t he jump at the chance to plead guilty?”

“That surprised me, too. Maybe there’s something inside Lammy that people don’t often see. He’s terrified. But you can’t be brave if you’re not scared in the first place, so he made a very courageous choice.” I waited for a long time, but she didn’t say anything. “Then, as soon as he makes it, you tell him he’ll probably have to go to jail anyway, and he knows he’ll stay there if he doesn’t come up with more bond money—which he doesn’t have.”

She spun around and glared at me. “Don’t blame me, for God’s sake. He should have spoken up. We could have talked about it.” She stopped, then heaved a tired sigh. “I should tell you what he wanted to ask me with you out of the room. He wondered if I knew how he should act around you, to make sure you don’t go away.”

“Jesus.”

“I told him it didn’t matter how he acted. I said I didn’t know why, but I didn’t think you’d leave him alone even if he wanted you to—or even if I asked you to back off.” She paused. “Anyway, he’s probably on the el right now, headed home. You’ll find him there.”

“Maybe. Meanwhile, you’ll just have to stall Heffernan, tell him Lammy’s thinking about the plea agreement. Even if he takes that as a ‘no deal,’ it’ll be a few days before he can get an indictment, if he’s not bluffing about that. And, if Lammy really has run, I’ll have to find him.”

“But there’s a status hearing on the case tomorrow, at two o’clock,” Renata said. “Lammy has to be in court with me.”

“I’ll have him there, I hope. Otherwise, you’ll have to make an excuse for him, get a new court date.”

“Not a chance.

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