Every other time she had answered. She was programmed to do so.
Apparently, she was still programmed to do so.
She said, “Hello?”
A man’s voice said, “Did you remember the phone number?”
“Yes. Surprised you still have the same one after all these years.”
“Federal bureaucracy moves slowly, if at all. I’ve gotten a few promotions over the years, but the main number is still the same. And when the request came through I told them I wanted to handle it. You were and still are a very special case.”
“What request?” said Reel.
He didn’t respond right away. “Your father,” he finally said.
Reel said nothing at first. It was like a hand from the grave had just closed over her mouth.
“I don’t have a father.”
“I know in every sense of the word except biologically, you don’t. But the biological one has asked to see you, before he dies.”
“I have no interest in seeing him ever again.”
“I thought that would be your answer and I sure as hell can’t blame you.”
“He’s still in prison?”
“Absolutely. Same place. Alabama. And he’s not going anywhere. He’s currently in the prison hospital ward. Cancer. They can’t execute him because of his medical condition. He’s terminal. I was assured of that. The man will not be leaving prison alive.”
“Good. Lethal injection is fast. Cancer is slow. The more pain the better. Hell is too good for him. Anything that happens to him is too good for him. He was born a son of a bitch and he’ll die a son of a bitch and he won’t have one person to mourn him.” Reel’s voice had risen as she spoke.
“I know, but I’m just the messenger, Sally.”
“That’s not my name anymore.”
“They wouldn’t tell me what you’d changed it to. So Sally is the only one I know.”
“Okay.”
“Look, I debated whether to even bother you with this. But I decided it was ultimately your decision, not mine. I made a few calls. I sort of knew where you ended up. Pulled a few strings and they gave me your current number but not your name. Said I could make one call. It was up to you to answer it or not. They wouldn’t have even done that, but I am a fellow fed. It probably freaked you out when you saw the number.”
“It did. You know I’m no longer in Witness Protection. Haven’t been for a long time.”
“I know, but this was the only way he could think to reach out to you. Apparently he knew you were in the program. It must have come out all those years ago.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going.”
“No argument here.”
“How much longer does he have to live?”
“What? Oh, um, they didn’t really say. The doc I talked to said he was bad off. Cancer all over him. She wasn’t sure what was keeping him alive. Any day now, I guess. And then you can really lay that ghost to rest.”
Reel nodded to herself, thinking about things. “I appreciate the call.”
“Well, I wish it were over something better than this. You were very memorable, Sa—I mean, whatever name you go by now.”
“Jessica. It’s Jessica.”
“Okay, Jessica. It’s been a long time, but I’ve never come close to forgetting you. And with all the hoops I had to jump through to get to even talk to you, I imagine you’re a pretty big deal now. I’m happy for you. Always knew you’d do something special with your life.”
“I wouldn’t characterize my life as being ‘special.’”
“Well, whatever the case, I wish you the best of luck. And if you ever need anything, please call. I know you’re not in WITSEC anymore, but, well, I still care about what happens to you.”
“I appreciate that, I really do.”
“And your old man can go to hell.”
Reel clicked off and stared down at the phone in her hand.
She was still staring at it when Robie came back.
“What’s up?” he asked, taking off his coat and coming over to sit next to her.
“Nothing. How’s Julie?”
“She’s fine. She said you two had a nice talk on the drive over, but she wouldn’t tell me anything about it.”
“I like that kid more and more.”
Robie looked at the phone and then up at her. “What is it, Jessica?”
She let out a long breath that she seemed to have been holding in, because she gave a little gasp of discomfort. “Easy choices are among the most difficult of all,” she said in a husky voice.
“I take it you never got to face him back then?”
She shook her head, drank more coffee down, and retreated into a shell seemingly as thick as the armored hide of an Abrams tank.
“And you want that shot now, before it’s too late? Hence the easy becomes difficult.”
“It’s irrational.”