Stan smiled this time. 'Maybe I didn't deny it because I'm using Win's credo.'
'How's that?'
'Denying it would harm me,' Stan said. 'As would boasting about it.'
Myron didn't have a chance to look before he heard Win say, 'Damn good.'
'I still don't see the relevance of any of this,' Stan said.
'Stick with me, I think you will.'
Stan shrugged.
'Where were we?' Myron asked.
'The feds take him to court,' Win said.
'Right, thanks, the feds take you to court. You battle back. Then something happens you totally didn't foresee. The plagiarism charges. For the sake of discussion, we'll assume the Lex family sent the book to the feds. They wanted to get you off their back — what better way to do that than to ruin your reputation? So what did you do? How did you react to the charges of plagiarism?'
Stan kept quiet. Win said, 'He disappeared.'
'Correct answer,' Myron said.
Win smiled and nodded a thank-you into the camera.
'You took off,' Myron said to Stan. 'Now the question again is why. Several things come to mind. It could have been because you were trying to protect your father. Or it might have been that you were afraid of the Lex family.'
'Which would certainly fit Win's credo,' Stan said. 'Self-preservation.'
'Right. You were afraid they'd harm you.'
'Yes.'
Myron treaded gently. 'But don't you see, Stan? We have to think selfishly too. You're presented with this serious plagiarism charge. What choices did you have? Two really. You could either run off — or you could tell the truth.'
Stan said, 'I still don't see your point.'
'Stay with me. If you told the truth, you would again look like a louse. Here you've been defending the First Amendment and your father and whoops, you get in trouble and you sell them out. No good. You'd still be ruined.'
'Damned if you do,' Win said. 'Damned if you don't.'
'Right,' Myron said. 'So the wise move — the selfish move — was to vanish for a while.'
'But I lost everything by vanishing.'
'No, Stan, you didn't.'
'How can you say that?'
Myron lifted his palms to the skies and grinned. 'Look around you.'
For the first time, something dark flicked across Stan's face. Myron saw it. So did Win.
'Let's continue, shall we?'
Stan said nothing.
'You go into hiding and start counting your problems. One, your father is a murderer. You're selfish, Stan, but you're not inhumane. You want him off the streets, yet you can't tell on him. Maybe because you love him. Or maybe there's Win's credo.'
'Not this time,' Stan said.
'Pardon?'
'Win's credo doesn't apply. I kept quiet because I loved my father and because I believe in protecting sources. And I can offer proof.'
'I'm listening,' Myron said.
'If I wanted to turn my father in — if that would have been in my best interest — I could have done it anonymously.' Stan leaned back and folded his arms.
'That's your proof?'
'Sure. I didn't do the selfish thing.'
Myron shook his head. 'You got to go deeper.'
'Deeper how?'
'Turning your father in anonymously wouldn't help you, Stan. Not really. Yes, you needed to put your father behind bars. But more than that, you needed to be redeemed.'
Silence.
'So what would answer both those needs? What would put your father away and put you back on top— maybe even more on top than before? First, you had to be patient. That meant staying hidden. Second, you couldn't be the one who turned him in. You had to set him up.'
'Set up my father?'
'Yes. You had to leave a trail for the feds to follow. Something subtle, something that would lead to your father, and something you could manipulate at any time. So you took a fake ID, Stan — the same way your father had. You even took a job where people would spot the disguise your father used and hey, maybe you could also tie in your dad's old nemesis the Lex family in the process.'
'What the hell are you talking about?'
'You know what bugged me? Your father had been so careful in the past. Now all of a sudden he's leaving incriminating evidence in a locker. He rents the kidnap van on a credit card and leaves a red sneaker in it. It didn't make any sense. Unless someone was setting him up.'
Stan's look of disbelief was almost genuine. 'You think I killed these people?'
'No,' Myron said. 'Your father did.'
'Then what—?'
'You're the one who used the Dennis Lex identity,' Myron said, 'not your father.'
Stan tried to look stunned, but it wasn't happening.
'You kidnapped Jeremy Downing. And you called me and pretended to be the Sow the Seeds killer.'
'And why did I do that?'
'To have this heroic ending. To have your father arrested. To have yourself redeemed.'
'How the hell does calling you—'
'To get me interested. You probably learned about my background. You knew I'd investigate. You needed a dupe and a witness. Someone outside the police. I was that dupe.'
'The dupe du jour,' Win added.
Myron shot him a look. Win shrugged.
'That's ridiculous.'
'No, Stan, it adds up. It answers all my earlier questions. How did the kidnapper happen to choose Jeremy? Because you followed me after I left your condo. You saw the feds pick me up. That's how you knew I'd spoken to them. You followed me to Emily's house. From there, any old newsman worth a damn could have figured out her son was the sick kid I told you about. His illness wasn't a secret. So Jeremy's being taken is no longer a coincidence, see?'
Stan folded his arms across his chest. 'I see nothing.'
'Other questions get answered too now. Like why did the kidnapper wear a disguise and make Jeremy wear a blindfold? Because you couldn't let Jeremy identify you. Why didn't the kidnapper kill Jeremy right away, like he had the others? Same reason you wore the disguise. You had no intention of killing him. Jeremy had to survive the ordeal unharmed. Otherwise you're no hero. Why didn't the kidnapper make his usual demand not to contact the authorities? Because you wanted the feds in. You needed them to witness your heroics. It wouldn't work without their involvement. I wondered how the media was always in the right spot — in Bernardsville, at the cabin. But you set that part up too. Anonymous leaks probably. So the cameras could witness and replay your heroics — your tackling your father, the dramatic rescue of Jeremy Downing. Good television. You knew the power of capturing those moments for all the world to see.'
Stan waited. 'You finished?'
'Not yet. You see, I think you went too far in spots. Leaving that sneaker in the van, for example. That was overkill. Too obvious. It made me wonder how neatly it all came together in the end. And then I start realizing that
