as he could generate enough saliva.
“I am sorry, believe me,” Orlansky answered. “But you see my problem.”
“No, I do not. I have no idea why I’m tied up in this fucking warehouse. And I’ve got to pee, so can you let me out of this S&M getup?”
“I am also sorry for your discomfort, but it won’t last for long.”
“What have I ever done to deserve this?”
“It is not what you have done, although I do have a bone to pick with you about the way you treated Gregor. No, Charlie, it is what you might do that troubles me.
“Peter has been keeping me apprised of the police investigation into several murders. You are in trouble, Charlie. The authorities have an open-and-shut case against you for trying to murder a woman in that hotel parking lot last night, and there is considerable evidence that you framed Horace Blair for the murder of his wife, which suggests that you were the person who murdered her.”
“They can’t prove I killed anyone.”
Nikolai nodded. “You are very skilled at covering your tracks, but there may be too many tracks this time. If I were in your shoes I would cut a deal. I would tell all you know about my activities in exchange for freedom.”
“I’d never rat you out,” Benedict stated emphatically. “Look, Nikolai, I’ve got an escape plan. If your men hadn’t kidnapped me I’d be gone by now and no one would ever find me.”
“The world has changed, Charlie. If they can find bin Laden, they can find you. When they find you, the authorities will be pissed off that you gave them such a hard time. They will want to make you pay for wasting taxpayer money on the manhunt that could have financed education, or higher pay for politicians, so they will want to see you on death row. They will want blood, Charlie.”
“Jesus, Nikolai, we’re friends. I’d never sell you out.”
“I don’t doubt that you are sincere now, but will you still feel this way when you are facing a death sentence? I like to think the best of people, but I cannot take the chance that I might be wrong, because I do not want to pay for my crimes. So I must hope for the best but plan for the worst.”
“Don’t do this.”
“I have to, but I really do like you, so I will make sure your end will be painless. So long, Charlie.”
“Wait!” Charlie said, but Nikolai gave terse orders to the two guards and walked away.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Horace Blair sat in his breakfast nook and looked out at his garden. He had been out of jail for a week and today would be his first day in the office. Everything had happened very quickly after Benedict was fired. Soon after, Jack Pratt and Bobby Schatz had come to his cell with Rick Hamada to tell him that Charles Benedict was under arrest, and that he was a free man. He had left the jail in a daze, not really believing that his ordeal was finally over.
Horace wanted to thank Dana Cutler, but he had not seen her since Pratt brought the private investigator to the jail. She had made it clear during her visit that she was acting for Carrie and did not want to be paid. But he would figure out a way to let her know how much he appreciated what she had done for him.
Blair’s ordeal had taken a lot out of him. Anger had kept him going much of the time while he’d been locked up, but he felt as if he had only a limited supply of energy, and fighting for his freedom had drained most of the tank. When he took a bite out of his croissant it tasted like cardboard. He set it down half-eaten. He had no appetite. When he woke up at five he had thought about swimming, but he didn’t have the energy for it so he’d stayed in bed for another hour. He’d given his newspapers a cursory read, but he couldn’t concentrate. The garden, which usually gave him joy, now left him cold.
An image of Carrie invaded his thoughts and suddenly he was choking up. He had not loved Carrie for some time, but he had always cared for her. It made him sad to think that she had died young and in such a terrible way. He could not imagine how she felt when Charles Benedict snuffed out the vibrant flame that animated her,