“Mike!”
Ben rushed into the hospital room, still dragging his carry-on luggage. Kate Baxter was seated beyond the bed, close at hand. Mike was awake-awake and sitting upright, looking healthier than he had since the shooting incident, and sturdier-and seriously pissed.
“My God! It’s good to see you. I was so afraid-” Ben rushed forward, arms extended for a hug.
Mike held up his hands. “Please. No chick-flick moments.”
Ben pulled back, grinning. “I’m glad to see the concussion had no effect on your prickly personality.”
“You might be surprised. Look who’s here, Kate,” he added. “It’s our distinguished senator.”
“I guess he needs your vote,” Baxter said wryly.
“Well, he ain’t gonna get it.”
Ben took a tentative step closer. “I came as soon as I heard you were awake. How do you feel?”
“Terrible. But not bad for a guy who got thrown twelve feet by a car bomb. This IV is pumping something yummy into my bloodstream, and that helps. How are you doing?”
Ben’s head tilted to one side. “I-feel fine.”
“No, I was inquiring more as to the state of your mental health.”
“I…don’t think I quite follow you.”
Mike looked at him levelly. “What I’m trying to ask in the nicest possible way is: Have you totally lost your goddamn mind?”
Ben felt as if a shock wave had slammed him up against the wall. “Mike…I know you’re probably a little loopy from the pain medication-”
“I’m not remotely loopy, thank you very much, but you’re acting like a crazy person, and you’re not even on any medication, as far as I know. Or am I wrong?”
Ben walked to the side of the hospital bed, trying not to show his disappointment. He had been waiting and praying for so long for the moment when he might speak to Mike again. This was a far cry from what he had expected.
“Kate,” Mike said abruptly, “would you mind stepping outside for a moment?”
She tucked in her chin. “Oh, I was good enough company when you were unconscious, but now that you’re awake and there’s another guy around you’re throwing me over?”
“I’m not throwing you over. I am, however, preparing to use language unfit for a lady’s ears.”
“What, you’re going to recite poetry?”
Mike almost smiled. “Yeah, lots of it. Possibly even some Shakespeare. You should flee.”
“No need to say more. I’m a-fleeing.” She stepped past Ben and excused herself.
“Now, then,” Mike said, fixing his gaze on Ben with piercing eyes, “perhaps you’d like to explain yourself.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t play games with me, Ben. I’ve talked to Christina. She tells me you’re supporting this cockamamy constitutional amendment. In fact, she tells me you’re leading the crusade.”
“Well…yes.”
“In fact, she tells me that you caved on an education bill and a bill that might feed starving children in exchange for the passage of this amendment.”
“I’m considering it.”
“You’re considering ignorance and starvation in order to get this fascist wet dream written into the Constitution?”
Ben felt floored. “I-I thought you’d support it, too.”
“Excuse me? You thought I’d support it?” He stared at Ben incredulously. “Like maybe while I was sleeping I entered an alternate universe and joined the Nazi party?”
“No, but you are a member of the law enforcement community-”
“Which is exactly what equips me to know just how much trouble this law could be. I see every day what can happen when law enforcement has too much power. When the proper checks and balances are not in place. Good God, Ben-you’ve seen the same thing in the courtroom. What were you thinking?”
Ben pressed his fingers against his forehead. He was confused and disoriented and finding it difficult to speak coherently. “I thought you would approve-”
“After all we’ve been through together? Ben-have you forgotten what happened in the Kindergarten Killer case once the Feds came to town? Have you forgotten how a tiny cadre of corrupt cops managed to get you tossed into the slammer and accused of murder? And that was under the current legal system. Imagine what might happen if this law were passed. The Feds declare an emergency state and suddenly anyone in the FBI or Homeland Security can do anything they want to any American without any possibility of legal review. It’s outrageous. It goes against everything the Constitution stands for.”
“Well, we have to do something. The terrorists killed the first lady. And three senators. They tried to kill me.”
“Or someone did, anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’ve spent most of my time since I woke up reading about this case, and I am unconvinced that there’s any link between the death of Senator Hammond and the attacks on Senator DeMouy and you.”
“They were all ricin poisonings.”
“So what? Ricin is easy to concoct from easily obtained items. Spend ten minutes on the Internet researching it and you can make some, too. That’s no justification for this crazy new law. For repealing our basic civil liberties.”
“Only on a temporary basis.”
“You hope!” Mike tossed back. “But you don’t really know, do you? Because once this security council has declared a state of emergency, they can do anything they want. For as long as they want.”
“If you assume that every law will be abused, you’ll never pass anything.”
“When it comes to law enforcement types getting more power, you shouldn’t pass anything. You’re playing with fire. What were you thinking, Ben?”
He hesitated, still unsure what to say, still stunned by Mike’s reaction. “I was thinking that…given what happened to you-”
“Stop right there. Don’t lay the blame for this pitiful exercise in poor judgment at my feet. I don’t want this law. And if you’d thought clearly about it for one moment, you’d have realized that.”
“Mike-you were almost killed!”
“And that means I want to repeal the Constitution? I can promise you, I don’t.”
“April nineteenth was a tragedy. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I agree. And the way we do that is by taking extra precautions. Working every possible security detail. Maybe even beefing up law enforcement-meaning their resources, not their powers. But you don’t make people safe by giving up their most basic rights. What good is being safe if we have no freedom?”
“Most people approved of the Patriot Act-”
“Because 9/11 was so shocking most people couldn’t think straight. And Congress was afraid to go up against the president. Make no mistake, Ben-the current president is manipulating public opinion in exactly the same way, trying to push this through before everyone shakes off their stupidity and realizes what a truly bad idea it is.”
“Mike-” Ben wanted to reach out, but he didn’t know how. “When I saw you in this hospital bed, not moving, not waking, because you took the time to shove my sorry butt out the door before you saved your own, I-” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I had to do something.”
“I get that, Ben. I truly do. You thought I was headed for ‘the undiscovered country’ and you wanted to do something about it.”
“I wasn’t sure…what to do.”
“Right. ‘And the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.’”
“I had to do something. ”
“You want to do me and my colleagues a favor, pass a bill that gets us the money and equipment we need to do our job right and pay public servants in the manner that they deserve. Expand our capabilities-not our power.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything-to me. Get back on the damn plane and tell the president that he can take his amendment and shove it-”
The phone rang, interrupting him.
“Perhaps that’s the president now.” Mike picked up the phone. “Close, but no.” He held out the receiver. “It’s for you. Loving.”
“Loving! He hasn’t checked in for days.” Ben snatched the phone. “Loving? Where are you? What’s happening. Why-?”
Ben’s voice fell silent. For the better part of the next minute, he just listened.
“Who have I told what? What’s that got to do with anything?” Ben didn’t begin to comprehend, but he thought a moment and answered the question.
“You’re kidding! I don’t believe it.” Another pause. “Are you sure? My God, that changes everything. And-”
Another pause, this time even longer.
“Loving, are you certain? Because this is very important. The president is making a public appearance tomorrow in Baltimore to drum up support for the amendment. He-”
Ben’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to find out. Get over there as soon as possible. Then call me back.” Ben disconnected the line and began dialing again.
“What is it?” Mike asked, his eyebrows knitted. “What’s going on?”
“Something…very…bad,” Ben whispered as he dialed the phone.
“Come on. You can give me more than that.”
Ben glanced up as he waited for the receiver on the other end to pick up. “If Loving’s intelligence is right-and let’s face it, it usually is-the April nineteenth killer is a lot closer than we ever imagined. And about to strike again.”