Trial Junkies

'And if Langer catches us following him, he may react violently.'

'But he's my number one fan, remember?'

Hutch frowned. 'This isn't funny, Ronnie. If I'm right about him, he's a very dangerous man.'

'Then I guess we'll just have to make sure he doesn't catch us.'

Heaving a sigh, Hutch moved to the dresser and found a gray woolen cap he'd brought with him from Los Angeles. It wasn't much, but it might cut down on the recognition factor.

He tossed it to her. 'Has anyone ever told you you have a stubborn streak?'

'You're just noticing this now?'

'I'm just noticing a lot of things about you.'

She pulled the cap on and grinned at him. 'Better late than never.'

— 45 -

'So much for getting caught,' Ronnie said. 'This guy's oblivious. Like my brother was, whenever he got hold of a comic book.'

They were standing in the vestibule between two train cars, the clatter of the tracks beneath them as they looked through the window at Langer. He was seated facing the aisle, and as usual, had his head buried in a textbook.

They'd made the switch with Tom and Monica at the very same train stop where Hutch had seen Langer two nights before, and they had been watching him for several minutes now.

'You have a brother?' Hutch said.

'Had. I don't talk about him much. He died when I was seventeen.'

'I'm sorry to hear that.'

'So was I. He hung himself in his dorm room just before Thanksgiving. We had a hell of a family get-together that year.'

'Jesus,' Hutch said, and thought about Lola Baldacci. First her son, now this. Quite a burden to carry. For Ronnie, too. 'What was his name?'

She smiled wistfully. 'Christopher.'

The train braked to a stop and they stepped back slightly, afraid Langer might suddenly look up from his book.

'We'd better get out of this vestibule,' Hutch said. 'Ride in the car behind. It's probably not safe here, anyway.'

'And risk him leaving the train without us knowing it?'

'Better than getting spotted. We can always try again tomorrow.'

'Forget that,' Ronnie said, then quickly adjusted the wool cap, pulling it down close to her eyes, as she pushed the bar on the door in front of her. It hissed open and she stepped through to the next car, sliding onto the first seat she saw-facing forward, not fifty feet from where Langer was sitting. The car was well populated, but there was no one in the aisle and his line of sight was clear.

Hutch's stomach clutched up, but he felt he had no choice. Stepping quickly through the doorway, he slid in next to her.

'You're a maniac,' he murmured as they huddled together, keeping their heads low. Hutch felt exposed and vulnerable, worried that Langer would spot them at any moment.

'You didn't seem to mind in bed last night.'

It was the first time either of them had mentioned what had happened between them, and Hutch wasn't sure he wanted to go there. But she was right-she had been a maniac in bed. And desperate. And needy. And attentive.

It was the kind of thing he could get used to.

But this? Not so much.

When a flurry of passengers had come and gone, the train lurched into motion again. Hutch took a peek at Langer and relaxed a bit. The guy was still caught up in his textbook, as oblivious as ever.

For now, at least.

Ronnie said, 'Waverly tells me Raymond the rat is probably gonna testify tomorrow.'

'Who?'

'My old boss at the Cuttery.'

Hutch furrowed his brow. 'Why?'

'In the month before Jenny was killed I took a lot of time off. Couple hours here and there around lunch, and it's all on my time cards. They're gonna try to show it corresponds with the calls from the Dumont, which is only about six blocks from the shop.'

Hutch stared at her, incredulous. 'And you didn't feel the need to mention this? That doesn't look good, Ronnie.'

'I know, I know. But all I was doing was running errands, getting stuff together for the custody case. I swear to you, Hutch, I didn't go anywhere near the Dumont and I didn't-'

'I believe you, okay? That's not what I'm saying. But if Langer is our guy and he was timing those calls to your schedule, it makes me think this wasn't just some misguided attempt to help you, but a calculated maneuver. He's not doing this to protect you, but to screw with you.'

'So maybe he is. What difference does it make?'

'Think about it. What if he's the one who planted that hoodie and not the cops? And what if he's keeping the knife somewhere, ready to throw it into the mix? A last minute discovery that seals the coffin?'

Ronnie suddenly looked sick. 'My god, I hadn't even thought about that.'

'We need to nail this guy, Ronnie. And we need to do it fast.'

She nodded, absently, and they rode in silence for a moment. Hutch peeked up the aisle again, but Langer still hadn't moved.

His ability to focus was uncanny.

Then Ronnie said, 'Nadine will probably testify tomorrow, too.'

'We all knew that was coming. What do you think she'll say?'

'I know what she'll say. That I called her up after I ran into Jenny at the theater and ranted about how Jenny was a two-faced bitch and I knew they both had always hated me.' She sighed. 'But I was drunk, Hutch. Stupid drunk. I think you know what that's like.'

He did indeed-along with half the population. And hopefully that would work in Ronnie's favor.

'I called her the very next day and apologized,' she said. 'Profusely. Offered to take her and Jenny out to lunch to make amends-even though I was flat broke. I called Jenny, too. The one call I actually did make to her office. But do you think Nadine'll testify to any of that?'

Hutch thought about his visit to her apartment. 'Waverly might have to coax it out of her.'

'Assuming she even tells the truth.'

'Come on, Ronnie. She may have her problems with you, but she's not vindictive.'

She looked at him in disbelief. 'Problems? She thinks I'm guilty.'

Her voice had risen in pitch and volume and Hutch touched her knee, trying to calm her. 'Easy,' he said, glancing toward Langer. 'Let's not forget who we're riding with.'

She lowered her voice. 'Sorry… I'm sorry. I just get so crazy about this stuff. One minute I'm laughing, the next I'm screaming at the sun.'

'It's called being human. And this isn't exactly an ordinary situation.'

They were silent again, Ronnie struggling to regain her composure. Then she took hold of his hand and squeezed it, that wistful smile returning. 'He would have liked you, you know.'

'Who?'