Perfect Justice

8.

BEN THOUGHT IT MIGHT be prudent to get off the streets for a while, just to make sure Garth and company had cooled off. Following the hint his ASP bodyguard had provided, he decided to pay a visit to the “Vietcong-loving lawyers down the street.” He sprinted to the corner and turned into their streetfront office.

The office was small and barely decorated at all—just a few desks and card tables. The walls displayed posters and the tables were topped with brochures. Boldface print demanded AN END TO HATE and STOP ORGANIZED EVIL. It looked more like a lobbyist’s office than a lawyer’s. Ben expected someone to shove a petition in his face and ask for a dollar.

“May I help you please?”

Ben saw a brunette head rise over one of the desks in the back. He approached; the woman met him halfway.

She was on the tall side—taller than Ben actually, as he noticed almost immediately. Her hair was cropped at the shoulders; her trim figure indicated that she didn’t spend her entire life behind a desk. And she was extremely attractive.

“I’m Ben Kincaid,” he said, extending his hand. “Is this the Hatewatch office?”

“Can there be any doubt?” She grinned, gesturing toward the propaganda on the walls and tables. Her sweet southern accent told Ben she was not an Arkansas native. “I’m Belinda Hamilton. I’m in charge here. I don’t do the decorating, however. My two assistants get overzealous at times.”

She shook his hand firmly. “You don’t look like a Silver Springs native.”

“I’m not,” Ben answered. “I live in Tulsa—I’m on vacation. I’m a lawyer, and when I heard about what was going on—”

“You decided to drop by and check us out. Great. I can use all the help I can get.”

She hadn’t understood at all, but Ben decided to leave it alone for the moment. “Are you assisting the prosecution with the Vick case?”

“I’m planning to conduct my own independent investigation. The prosecution has not requested our assistance. They seem to think they have the case under control.”

“Really,” Ben said, trying not to sound too interested. “They have strong evidence against this kid?”

“So I’ve been told. Vick’s hatred of the Vietnamese is a matter of public record. He’s been at that ASP paramilitary camp for months running combat maneuvers. He was seen the afternoon before the murder picking a fight with the murder victim. Just before he was thrown out of the bar, he shouted, ‘I’m gonna kill you, you perverted Vietcong bastard.’ Plus I’ve been told trace evidence found at the scene of the crime links him to the killing.”

“If the prosecutor has the case under control, why is Hatewatch here?”

“The murder trial didn’t bring us. We came because ASP is here. We try to provide support for victims of racially motivated crimes, and to file civil suits to prevent or punish the terrorist tactics ASP uses to intimidate the Vietnamese and their supporters.”

“Sounds like dangerous work. Aren’t you concerned they might come after you?”

“I’ve been threatened often enough.” She tried to make light of it, but Ben sensed she wasn’t quite as nonchalant as she sounded. “Once a few years ago they—well, never mind. So far no one’s hit the office with a bucket of napalm. I’m not going to let them scare me.”

Ben suspected they would scare him whether he let them or not. He realized he was talking to one seriously courageous woman. “How’d you get assigned to this trouble spot?”

“To tell you the truth … I assigned myself. See, I run Hatewatch, from our Montgomery headquarters. In fact, I founded the organization.”

“You—” Ben’s embarrassment was palpable. “I’m sorry. I—”

She laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone makes the same mistake.”

“Well—” Ben floundered, trying to save himself. “You don’t seem old enough to be in charge of an organization like Hatewatch.”

“Or male enough, eh?”

“No, no, I didn’t mean that—”

“I know you didn’t. At least not consciously. Don’t worry about it.” She touched him lightly on the shoulder.

Ben brightened immediately. He fleetingly fantasized that she was as interested in him as he was in her. Was it possible …? No, he told himself—climb back down to earth. A world-class woman like this would never give you the time of day.

“I just remembered.” She snapped her fingers. “Ben Kincaid. In Tulsa. You were involved in the investigation and capture of a serial killer several months ago. Right?”

“Well … yes.” He forced his tongue into action. This was not the time for false modesty. “You heard about that?”

“Heard about it? I monitored the situation very closely. Anytime some wacko—or a group of them—starts systematically slaughtering women, alarms go off in my head. Hatewatch confronts organized hatred in all its shapes and permutations. I was planning to send a task force to Tulsa to assist. But that turned out to be unnecessary.” She took a step closer to him. “Since you resolved the whole case before I had a chance.”

Ben stared at the floor and shuffled his feet. Her hazel eyes were dazzling. “I had first-rate help. …”

“Don’t try to bamboozle me, Ben. I’ve read the files. You were instrumental in solving that case. And you put your own life on the line to do it. If it hadn’t been for you, more people would have died.” She glanced back at her desk. “You know, I have several reports and letters I need to finish. But I’d welcome the opportunity to talk with you in more detail.”

Ben took a deep breath and swallowed. “And I’d enjoy learning more about Hatewatch. …”

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. You’d be a magnificent addition to our organization.” She tilted her head to one side, causing her bobbed hair to sway enticingly. “But more than that, I’d like the opportunity to find out more about you.”

Ben’s heart felt as if it might palpitate out of his chest. “We could probably arrange that …”

“Will you be in town for a while?”

“Definitely.” His head was reeling. This never happened. Anytime he was attracted to a woman, she was inevitably married, diseased, or not remotely connected to this solar system. But this time the attraction appeared to be mutual. And possible. “I could stop by later. That is, if you’re free tonight.”

“Splendid. I usually don’t leave until nine or ten, but I can make an exception. Could you pick me up around seven?”

“I could do that,” Ben said, perhaps a little too quickly. “That would be fine. Belinda.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Till then—”

Ben was distracted by a noise from the back of the office. Someone was coming in the back door. “That must be one of your—”

Ben glanced over Belinda’s shoulder. A man was crouched behind the rearmost desk. To his astonishment, Ben saw that the man was holding a gun. And the gun was trained on Ben’s face.

“Freeze!”