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"You know what for, Ben. For the same reason I called him on Thursday afternoon."
Under her meaningful stare, he squirmed in the seat of the wheelchair. "What purpose would it serve to talk to him now?"
"Maybe none. But I still want to say what I feel I must."
Amanda looked impatient and made an event out of checking the time on her wristwatch. The woman really was too self-centered and mean-spirited to deserve Berry's notice.
Addressing Ben, she said, "Good luck with the campaign. It's all yours now."
"He had nothing to do with that."
Amanda was so quick to make the point, Berry was certain the opposite was true. Her expression must have conveyed her feelings, because Ben came in right behind his wife with a denial of responsibility.
"Swear to God, Berry, I never thought Delray would take such a hard stance. Not with you, you of all people."
Berry actually laughed. "Me of all people? The scarlet woman of the company? Isn't that what Amanda implied to them?"
"That's not how it was, Berry. They drew their own conclusions about what went down in the lake house, and why. I swear I ... we ... didn't--"
"Don't work yourself into a lather, Ben. Whatever you or Amanda told them or led them to believe, whatever explanation or apology you're about to sputter now is meaningless to me. You let me take the fall, and that was dishonest and disloyal.
"But I'm not all that broken up over it. I don't want to work for a company that has so little regard for me as to believe the worst without even extending me the courtesy of a defense." She drew herself up. "The portfolio with everything in it, from the first sketches to the final mock-ups, is at the lake house. I'll have it sent to you by courier."
"He doesn't need your largesse," Amanda said. "And you can keep the portfolio. Ben has made copies of everything all along."
Berry looked from Amanda back down to Ben, whose expression bore the imprint of guilt. "Oh. I see." Berry held his tortured gaze for several seconds, then, without shaking hands or even saying good-bye, she walked away.
She'd been outside Oren's ICU for almost an hour when Ski arrived, looking recently showered and dressed in fresh clothing. Upon seeing him, her heart kicked up its pace, but his demeanor was suitably professional, so she curbed the impulse to fling her arms around him and, instead, greeted him with a reserve that was appropriate.
After they'd exchanged hellos, he turned to the deputy sitting in a formed fiberglass chair, who'd been assigned to guard Oren's room. "Do you need a break?"
Either he took the hint or he really did need a break, because he thanked Ski, left his chair, and walked away, leaving them alone.
Berry, speaking quietly, said, "Dodge told me about your heroic efforts to bring Oren in."
He waved off her compliment. "I should have caught him sooner."
"I shouldn't have called him on Thursday. I shouldn't have invited Ben to come here on Friday. I shouldn't have treated Oren so unkindly. His parents and teachers should have recognized his psychotic tendencies." She gave him a wan smile. "The blame extends a long way back, Ski."
She glanced into the ICU, where Oren's vitals were being monitored by softly blipping machines. "They let me go in. There were things I wanted to say to him, and I did." Regretfully, she shook her head. "But I don't think he heard me."
She could feel the weight of Ski's c
ontemplative gaze on her. "Why did you want to talk to him, Berry? Why are you still here?"
"I really can't explain why. I just feel I should be. Is it macabre of me to stand vigil, waiting for something to happen?"
"It's macabre to have restraints on him." In addition to all the tubes and wires attached to Oren, there were bands around his wrists and ankles that secured him to the bed. "But he killed three people. Ruthlessly. We shouldn't feel sorry for him."
"I don't. Not really. I don't know how I feel, Ski. I'm relieved that he's no longer a threat to me or to anyone else, but my emotions are mixed. I don't know what to think about anything." Her eyes coming back to his, she added helplessly, "About that."
He knew exactly what she was talking about. His voice dropped in volume. "Right. That. The kiss that rocked my world. I don't know what to think about it, either. I just know that I do. Constantly." Inclining a fraction of an inch closer, he added, "I didn't want to leave you last night."
"I almost came after you."
"You did?"
"I made it as far as the door. I knew you had to go, but I didn't want to be away from you."
