Exposed (Rosato & DiNunzio #5)(48)
“Pardon me?”
“The defamation case against Simon.” Mary repeated, her jittery gaze traveling over her desk, which was cluttered with Xeroxed cases on trade libel.
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“I didn’t think you did,” Mary said, relieved. “It’s retaliation, pure and simple, and I knew you wouldn’t sanction them serving papers on him in Children’s Hospital, especially when they know that he’s represented. That was shameful. I assume the orders came from Nate, and you should tell him that—”
“Mary, I should really go. I wanted to let you know as, uh, a friend.”
“Sure, right, thanks.” Mary heard the hitch in Bennie’s voice and realized she’d been about to say partner. That Bennie called her friend was enough. Mary tried to ignore the wound in her own chest, which was definitely self-inflicted. “Where are you?”
“Declan’s.”
“Good, that’s good.” Mary felt another wave of guilt. Declan usually came to Bennie because she was the busier of the two. Bennie must have been at an all-time low if she’d chucked work and made the drive out west.
“You okay?”
“Yes.” Mary felt tears come into her eyes. She had betrayed Bennie and she deserved to feel terrible. There was no penance for this sin. “How are you, though?”
“I’m really okay, Mary. Don’t feel bad about your decision. I understand. Take care. Stay well.” Bennie hung up, and Mary swallowed the hard knot around her Adam’s apple. It only made her feel worse that Bennie was being so nice, but Mary willed herself to get her head back in the game. She had to tell Simon what happened and he’d be beside himself. His talk about breaking points this morning worried her, and she knew he’d feel responsible for Todd’s suicide, if it had in fact been a suicide.
Mary pressed in his phone number, listened to the phone ring, but then it went to voicemail. She cleared her throat and left him a message: “Simon, please call me when you get a chance, it’s important.” She pressed End, concerned. It was hard to reach him in the hospital because he was always busy, so she texted, Please call when you get a chance. Important.
Mary set the phone down, hopped back on the computer, and started reading through the stories about Todd Eddington, hoping for more details. There weren’t many and none of them had any more details, since the big news was the thunderstorm raging outside. Rain pounded on the window behind her, and had been all afternoon. Still she would never understand why the weather got better coverage than human life, but that was a question for another day.
Mary rose, picking up her phone, and grabbing her purse and an umbrella before she left the office. She didn’t want to wait for Simon to call back and, on second thought, it was better to deliver the news in person. She just wanted to get the jump on telling him, so he didn’t find out on the TV, which was on all the time in Rachel’s hospital room, though was usually turned to Nickelodeon unless Feet was there, watching the Phillies game.
She hurried out of her office and down the hall, past the empty reception desk, since she was the last one still at work. She crossed to the elevator bank, pressed the button, and found herself turning to face the brass plaque in the lobby, which read Rosato & DiNunzio. She looked at it for a long time and didn’t turn away until the elevator finally came.
Mary hustled out of the building, opening the umbrella and hurrying to the curb to flag down a cab. Rain snarled the traffic, which was congested because it was rush hour, but she spotted a Yellow cab up the street and flagged him down. Businesspeople flowed around her on the sidewalk, their umbrellas bumping into one another as they hustled along, shouting on their phones to be heard above the downpour.
Mary waved at the cab frantically, and it flashed its lights at her, which calmed her down. She had to collect her thoughts because Simon would be full of questions about his lawsuits, once he got over the initial shock of Todd Eddington’s death. Its effect on the lawsuits wasn’t easy to figure out, and again, Mary felt the loss of not having somebody to bounce ideas off of. Not only didn’t she have Bennie, but she didn’t have Judy anymore, either, as a result of the conflict of interest. She was completely on her own, which was undoubtedly the shape of things to come.
Be careful what you wish, came immediately to mind, but Mary shooed that thought away. She jumped into the cab as soon as it arrived, closing the door behind her and calling and texting Simon again as they lurched off into traffic. She left the same phone messages and texts, but they weren’t returned even by the time the cab had reached Walnut Street and was heading west to the Penn campus.
The traffic lightened up once they left the expressway entrances behind, and Mary used the time to compose herself, focusing on the task at hand. Simon would need her to be calm, even if she felt inwardly jumbled. His problems were far worse than hers right now, and the only way she could lighten his load was to inspire trust in him. She squared her shoulders as she got out of the cab, hurrying under the canopy, keeping her umbrella closed.
She entered the hospital, which was even busier than usual, filled with families standing near the entrance waiting for rides, their babies in their arms, some with a child-sized plastic tube taped to their little cheeks. She hurried to the elevator bank, grabbed the first one, and had it mostly to herself, patting her hair into place and getting her act together as the elevator doors opened.