The Innocence Game Part 2

"Omega?"

"It's a women's organization in Evanston. They run a shelter service for abused women. We set up safe houses and move women in and out of them. Hide them from the a.s.sholes trying to beat them up until they can make other arrangements."

"And you work there?"

"I volunteer. One night we were taking a woman out of her house and the husband showed up drunk. Bashed in my windshield with a baseball bat."

"Did you get her out?"

"You bet. I wrote a couple of articles about it for one of my cla.s.ses."

"Holy s.h.i.t. I'd like to read them."

Sarah touched my hand, and I felt my heart jump. "Thanks, Ian. I'll show them to you. Anyway, that's why I got into this seminar. My teacher loved the stories and pushed for me. Actually, it's kind of ironic now that I think about it."

"What's that?"

"Me trying to help abused women and hooking up with a jerk like Kyle."

"You can't quit, Sarah. Not after one cla.s.s."

"Who said anything about quitting?"

"You just told me you weren't good enough."

"Oh. I was just venting. I'm plenty good."

"So you're not gonna quit?"

"And let Jake Havens get the last laugh. Please." She tipped her eyes toward the front door. "Speak of the devil."

I turned and looked. Jake Havens had slipped onto a stool and ordered himself a drink.

Havens was staring at a line of bottles behind the bar. Light glinted off the gla.s.s. I tapped him on the shoulder. It was a workingman's shoulder, full of knotted muscle, tendon, and sinew. Havens turned a fraction.

"What's up?"

"Thought you might like to come over for a drink?"

Havens nodded to the booth and Sarah, alone in it. "You two pals?" Up close his features were hard and clean, betraying no real interest in the question he'd just asked or whatever response might come back.

"We went to undergrad together," I said.

"I figured that." Havens picked up his pint and led the way back to Sarah. Like it was his idea and I could come along if I wanted.

"Sarah Gold. Like the name." He slid into the booth and immediately owned it. I pulled up a chair. It was almost five now, and Nevin's was filling with an after-cla.s.s, happy-hour vibe. Everything seemed to dim, however, as Havens leaned across the table.

"That your boyfriend who was in here?"

"My ex."

"You got a lot of ghosts following you around?"

"Excuse me?"

"Forget it." Havens took a sip of his beer. "What did you think of today?"

"Honestly?" Sarah said. "I thought there'd be more guidance."

"You mean hand-holding?"

She threw Havens's condescension back at him with a smirk of her own. He'd have to do a lot better if he wanted to get under Sarah's skin. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

"I'd think she might want to set up some parameters for our research," Sarah said. "Maybe an overview. A little more background on cases she'd like us to look at. A section of the country to focus on."

"I already have a case."

"So you told us." Sarah's eyes brushed mine, then danced away.

"Why don't you take a look?" Havens pulled his backpack onto the table.

"Actually, I've got to get going." Sarah was on her feet, looking down at Havens, making him seem suddenly small. And being infuriatingly nice about it. Inside, I was tickled. Havens took it in stride.

"Z just e-mailed me. She got the okay from the clerk's office for tomorrow. It's a Sat.u.r.day, but I guess the county people are there in the morning. You guys have cars?"

We both nodded. Sarah slumped into the booth. Havens was back in control.

"Here's what I'm thinking," he said. "One of us takes the records center. Goes through all the paper files on Harrison and pulls out whatever's relevant. The other two go to the evidence warehouse. See what's there."

"I'll take the records center," Sarah said.

I looked over at her. "Evidence warehouse sounds like more fun."

"Picking through the b.l.o.o.d.y clothes of a dead little boy? No thanks."

Havens shrugged. "Fine with me. I'll e-mail the addresses to both of you. They open at nine. Z suggested we get there first thing. Joyce, why don't I meet you there ..."

Sarah's head snapped to one side as Kyle Brennan slammed back into the booth beside her. He had both elbows on the table and his nose pressed close to her cheek. "Miss me?"

Sarah looked more embarra.s.sed than alarmed and pushed at her ex's forearm. He crowded in closer.

"f.u.c.k these losers. Let's get out of here. Head into the city." Brennan put a hand on her shoulder. His other went under the table.

"Kyle, no."

"Hey, a.s.shole." I made a move toward Brennan, not really sure what I hoped to accomplish once I got there. Fortunately, Havens beat me to it.

He dragged Brennan out of the booth and put him on his belly. It took all of three seconds. Brennan flopped like a fish at the bottom of a boat. Havens kept a knee in his spine and a forearm across the back of his neck. "You need to calm down." Havens cinched his knee down a touch so the side of Brennan's face pressed flat against the sticky barroom floor. There was a low hissing sound. That was Brennan, struggling to breathe.

"Hey, man. Let him up." One of Brennan buddies stepped forward, but not too far.

"He's fine," Havens said. "Just taking a little time-out."

Brennan grunted and flipped onto his side, swinging an elbow in the general direction of Havens's jaw. Havens leaned back and looped one arm around Brennan's neck, his Adam's apple fixed firmly in the crook of Havens's elbow. Havens flexed. Brennan's eyes fluttered, then closed. His chest didn't look like it was moving. The already quiet bar had turned into a morgue.

"Let him up," I said. Havens glanced at me, then released his grip. Brennan's pals rushed in. The football player hung limp in their arms.

"Sit him up straight," Havens said. They did. Havens punched Brennan once in the back, between the shoulder blades. He coughed and his eyes flickered open.

"Get him out of here," Havens said. No one had to be told twice. Havens slid back into the booth. I looked around for Sarah.

"She left," Havens said. "Probably too embarra.s.sed."

I took a seat across from him. We were quiet for another minute.

"Where did you learn all that?" I said.

"All what?"

"Putting a guy out like that?"

Havens shrugged. There was a long scratch and fresh blood on his forearm, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You lift weights?" I said.

"I used to long line tuna out of Chatham and Gloucester."

"New England?"

"I fished full-time for three years. Worked Georges Banks a week, month, at a time. Slept on the boat. Snow, ice. All kinds of seas. Hauling heavy lines and nets." Havens moved his hands to cup his pint. "Don't need weights when you're doing that."

"Huh."

We fell silent again. I could hear some talk at the bar, but everyone seemed to be giving us a wide berth. Havens began to pull papers out of his backpack. "You want to take a look at what I've got on the case?"

"Why not?"

He nodded like that was the only sensible answer. "I heard you're one of the stars up here."

"Up where?" I said.

Havens raised his chin. "Here."

"I don't have time for that stuff."

"What stuff?"

"The Chicago-Northwestern stuff. Our school's better. More rigorous. Academically pure. All that garbage."

"You think that's what goes on in Hyde Park?"

"It goes on in Evanston. And it's what I'm hearing from you. Listen, I know you're a smart guy. Now, I know you're a bada.s.s, too. Good for you. Great for you. I probably couldn't beat myself up. But I'm smart. Never been a problem. Sarah's no dummy either."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive. So why don't we cut the bulls.h.i.t and work together. You're a G.o.dd.a.m.n lawyer on top of everything else. Let's just get into the cases. Your case, Z's case, any case. Pick one out and see what we can dig up."

"Is Gold okay with that?" Havens said.

"I don't know Sarah that well, but I think she's a pretty straight shooter."

"What does that mean?"

"f.u.c.ked if I know. Just thought it sounded good."

Havens cracked a smile that seemed genuine enough and lifted his mostly empty gla.s.s. "You got a thing for her."

"Hardly."

"Been like that since when? Soph.o.m.ore year?"

"f.u.c.k you."

Havens widened his eyes and opened his mouth to laugh. His teeth, of course, were white and straight. "Jesus Christ, Joyce. Lighten up."

Jake Havens could kick the s.h.i.t out of me in any one of a half-dozen ways, but I didn't care. I never cared. And that had gotten me a nice a.s.s kicking more times than I cared to count.

"Can't blame you," he continued. "We all got one, right? Maybe more than one. Besides, she's pretty hot."

"Yeah, Sarah's hot."

"But it's her world and you're just in it?"

"Something like that."

" 'Something like that.' Exactly like that. Welcome to the club, my friend. I'm gonna get another one. You?"

"Thanks."

Havens headed to the bar.

"Hey," I said.

Havens turned, empty pint gla.s.ses in both hands.

"You really think Harrison's innocent?"

Havens slipped back into the booth. "Forget the letter. You saw the shirt. If that's from the victim, it should be easy to prove. And if it is real ..."