“I’m sorry. I just had to get out of there. I felt sick to my stomach.”

“What the hell did you need my I.D. for?”

“I thought the marshals were going to put a lock on mine so I couldn’t leave the building. That’s how they got me last time.”

“So now I’m stuck here?”

“No,” Ben said, checking over his shoulder. “You can still use mine. If the marshals lock you in, it means they know about Grinnell. If not, I’ll know they’re clueless.”

“But that doesn’t answer my question. If they lock me in, how am I supposed to get out of here?”

“Just walk to the main exit and tell them you can’t find your I.D. They’ll look you up manually and you’ll get out. Meanwhile, have you figured out who Rick bought the property from?”

“I went through the list we printed out last week and there was only one name missing. Addison and Company replaced a company called the Micron Group.”

“And the Micron Group is?”

“I ran a Lexis search on them and it came up blank. All I could find was that they were a limited partnership chartered in Delaware about five years ago. The original incorporation papers were registered to a Murray Feinman, but when I looked up Feinman, the only story on him was his obituary. He died late last year at the age of eighty-four. Micron was probably created solely to make predeath investments, and I have no idea who runs it now.”

“And you couldn’t find anything else?”

“What the hell else do you want? I mean, all I have to work with is Lexis, which means I’m limited to periodicals and public records. I was impressed I found as much as I did.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just freaking out,” Ben explained as a small crowd of guided tourists walked past him. He waited until the last of the group was gone before he said another word. “Do you think we can find Rick by looking at Addison and Company?”

“I don’t know. I looked up the name, and it’s not incorporated anywhere. My bet is he’s either incorporated in another country or Addison and Company is a subsidiary of a company that we don’t know the name of. Obviously, Rick used the Addison part just to piss you off.”

“I think it was more than that. Shining a light on me means that no one will be looking for him.”

“That may be true. So what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to wait here until you get off work. That way I’ll know if the marshals are after me.”

“You’re going to wait there for two hours?”

“Screw two hours. Just leave now. Hollis doesn’t care. The Grinnell decision is fine-send it to Nancy. Besides that, we have nothing else to do.”

“So I guess we don’t have about fifty cert petitions to go through?”

“C’mon, Lisa, it’s Friday. Just leave.”

“Fine, fine,” she said. “Tell me where you are.”

“I’m at the pay phone on the corner of Maryland and D.”

“You got it. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”

When Lisa arrived on the corner, she was concerned when she couldn’t find Ben. Looking around, she saw a few dozen people fighting their way through the recently shoveled sidewalks, none of them resembling him. Spotting the pay phone on the corner, she approached it and was surprised to see a sheet of paper sandwiched between the receiver and its cradle. She picked up the phone and removed the paper, which contained a note written in Ben’s handwriting: “Hail the black and beige taxi across the street.”

Lisa crumpled up the paper and looked over her shoulder, wondering if she was being followed. Crossing the street, she saw the black and beige taxi. “Taxi!” she yelled. When the driver nodded back, she opened the back door and got inside. Before she could say a word, the car headed down Maryland Avenue. “Excuse me, but do you know where we’re going?” Lisa asked.

“So was there a problem?” Ben asked as he popped his head up from the front passenger seat.

Lisa jumped back in her seat. “Holy crap, you scared the hell out of me!” she yelled. “Why the hell were you hiding on the floor?”

“I didn’t know if someone was going to follow you or if you were going to come out alone.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry. Your I.D. worked with no problem. I think the marshals are lost.”

“Or maybe they knew I was already gone.”

“Ben, you have to calm down. No one but us knew to watch that database. The marshals don’t know dick. You said it yourself: They’re morons.”

“Whatever.” Ben’s eyes were focused on the back window behind Lisa.

Lisa turned around. “Stop it already. No one is following us.”

“I just can’t believe this is happening,” Ben said, shaking his head. “My life is ruined.”

“Let’s not talk about it now,” Lisa said, motioning with her chin toward the taxi driver. “We can discuss it when we get home.”

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Ben’s house. “See, you’re home free,” Lisa said as Ben put his key in the door. “If the marshals really wanted you, they would’ve jumped us as soon as we got out of the taxi.”

When Ben opened the door, he was surprised to see Ober watching TV in the living room. “Hey, why are you home so early?” Ober asked. “Oh, now I see,” he added when he saw Lisa follow Ben inside. “What’s new with you, missy?”

“Nothing really,” Lisa said, taking off her coat. “You?”

“Not much,” Ober said.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Ben asked his roommate. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I am,” Ober said, shutting off the TV. “I’m just taking a long lunch.”

“It’s almost three-thirty,” Ben said.

“It is?” Ober said, turning the television back on. “Then I have at least another half hour before I have to show my face.”

“Do you realize that our tax dollars are paying for you to sit around?” Lisa asked as she took a seat on the couch. “Go back to work.”

“Hey, my tax dollars are paying your salary, too,” Ober said. “Aren’t they?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ben said, collapsing next to Ober on the couch.

“What happened?” Ober asked, still staring at the TV.

After explaining the entire story, Ben said, “And once the decision comes down on Monday, Grinnell and Associates is going to make millions and every finger is going to point to me.”

“And they should,” Ober said. “You are the president of Addison and Company.”

“This is not the time for jokes,” Ben said.

“Then can I ask you a favor?” Ober said. “If Monday is going to be your last day at the Court, can I come along to watch the decision being announced?”

“Do you really want to come?” Ben asked.

“Absolutely,” Ober said. “If you’re not going to be there anymore, I figure this’s the last time I’ll be able to get backstage.”

“There’s no stage,” Lisa said. “The justices sit behind a bench.”

“Then backbench,” Ober corrected himself. “So will you take me?”

“Sure,” Ben said, shrugging his shoulders. “Why not?” He turned toward Lisa and added, “By the way, I guess the Addison and Company purchase answers your question about whether Rick was going to take part in Grinnell.”

“I just don’t understand it,” Lisa said. “How could Nathan do that to you?”

“You have no proof it was him,” Ober interrupted, suddenly angry.

“Oh, yeah?” Lisa asked. “Then how come we never saw that briefcase mike?”

“Don’t ask me,” Ober said. “But if you want to talk about Nathan, do it elsewhere. I don’t want to hear that crap anymore.”

“That must make you Hear No Evil,” Lisa said. “Now if we only could’ve gotten Nathan and Eric to play Speak No Evil and Print No Evil.”

“Listen you bony little bitch, you can-”

“Both of you, stop it!” Ben interrupted. “I don’t have time to play mediator now. Save it for later.”

“How can you let her get away with that?” Ober asked. “These people are still your friends.”

“Me?” Lisa asked, pointing to herself. “What about you?”

“Listen, I don’t care if it’s Nathan,” Ben said. “I don’t care if it’s either of you. In fact, I don’t even care if it’s my own damn mother at this point. The bottom line is that come Monday, it’s all over.”