The Last Day

TWENTY-TWO

It took a concerted effort for Ward to open his eyes. Lying on the bed in his clothes, his body felt heavy. He could tell he'd overslept by the angle of the sun's rays stretched across the floor. He stood and went into the bathroom to shower, and after, as he shaved, he studied his face in the mirror. The still- young man staring back at Ward had the dull gaze of a man who'd had too much to drink, and the body seemed to have softer edges than he remembered. How many Scotches had he consumed the night before? As best he could recall he'd had no more than two drinks. He didn't remember feeling tipsy, nor did he have any memory of going to bed in his clothes.

Up until a year ago, Ward had been in pretty good physical condition. He had done daily laps in their pool year- round, and he and Natasha rode their bikes several miles through the countryside. While his biceps were still solid enough and his leg muscles well defined, Ward was going to seed, and he resolved to start riding his bike again.

In the kitchen, Ward looked at Todd's business card. The address was the Bank of America Tower, pretty expensive real estate. The card contained a landline, a fax number, and a cellular line. Ward slipped it into his wallet next to a picture of Barney and Natasha.

Ward looked out at the covered swimming pool and felt a rush of sadness. The fading blue cover had remained in place since just after the accident. A year before, he and Barney had been swimming in the pool when the phone rang. Ward had been expecting a call. His uncle had business to discuss. Ward left Barney alone for a minute. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the phone before voice mail picked up. As he spoke with his uncle, the lights blinked for a split second. A flicker. A damaged spot in the insulation on a wire connecting the pool's pump and the lights had become saturated by the sprinkler system, and when the barefoot and wet child got out of the pool he stepped on a hot spot and was electrocuted, his heart stopping forever. When Barney fell, he broke the connection. Had that not been the case, Ward would have also been electrocuted when he'd knelt and grabbed his son up into his arms. The child had a gash in his head from the fall, which never bled because his heart had stopped.

When Ward turned, his eyes found the defib-rillator case on the refrigerator. He'd bought the apparatus after Barney's death. Maybe if he'd had it then, he could have brought his son back. Its presence was a perfect example of closing the barn door after the horses were running free in the meadow.

Ward wiped a tear from his eye. He unplugged his cell phone from the charger, slipped it into his pocket, and took his keys and briefcase before leaving the house. The BMW's big eight-cylinder purred, and as he pressed down on the accelerator, he could hear the tires against the asphalt humming as he gained speed. He tuned in to that sound and tuned everything else out.

When his cell phone rang a few minutes into the trip, Ward glanced at the name and saw that his uncle was calling.

“Yes, Unk,” he answered.

“Ward, where the hell are you?” Mark yelled into the phone. “I've been calling you for an hour.”

“I overslept. I'm leaving the house. What's up?”

“We've got big trouble here.”

“As in?”

“Computer virus. It's a disaster.”

“Give me fifteen minutes.”