Ben zeroed in on her eyes. “I’m positive I left something.” As subtly as he could, he extended his forefinger and pressed his thumb on top of it. Ro’s eyes got wide. “Oh . . . sure. Maybe. Hold on. I’ll get my keys.”
Jane said, “I’ll go with Ben. You go back inside.”
“No, no, no,” Ro insisted, a little too vociferously. “It’s my car. It’ll take a minute.”
Andrew Majors came out. He was still dressed in a suit and tie, his blond hair slicked back and light eyes holding malice for all. He was not a happy man. “What’s going on?”
Ben said, “I came over to apologize.”
“You certainly should apologize. I realize that my daughter has a way of pushing herself into situations, but c’mon, Ben. Use some common sense.”
“You’re right.”
Andrew turned to his wife. “Would you mind if I talked to Ben for a moment?” Without waiting for an answer, he threw his arm around the kid’s shoulder and led him away from the front door. “Were they hard on you . . . the police?”
“No, not too bad,” Ben said. “I’m sure they asked Ro a lot of questions about me.”
“They did. They think you’re an oddball. You arouse their suspicions.”
“I know. I suppose if the tables were turned, I’d be suspicious of me as well.”
“Your father is a general lawyer. He’s not a criminal lawyer.” His eyes bored into the kid’s. “Do you need a criminal lawyer?”
Ben’s face went hot, but he managed to keep eye contact. “No. Not at all.”
“Now’s the time, son. We all make mistakes. Don’t tell me what happened, but you can tell me if you made a mistake. I’ve hired myself as your pro bono lawyer and we have confidentiality.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, sir, but crime isn’t one of them.” He should have been offended. Instead he was just tired. “I don’t need a lawyer. But I appreciate your asking.”
Majors patted the kid’s back. “Okay, I believe you. Personally, I think you’re just one of those weirdo math types. I knew a few of them at Princeton. Ro thinks you’re a genius. She told me your scores. Are you considering Princeton?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You should.”
At that moment Ro came out holding the car keys. She regarded her father. “He left his notebook in the Explorer. You can go inside, Daddy. I think I can handle this.”
“Give me the keys.”
“Daddy, don’t be ridiculous.” She pushed him toward the house. “Mom’s waiting for you. Go inside and think about other ways to make my life miserable.”
“Dorothy, stop it. You deserve all the grief that we’ve given you.”
“I’m a good kid. I don’t deserve any grief, FYI.”
“I’m not saying you’re not a good kid. But you can be infuriating.”
“Can you give me a few minutes alone with my friend without embarrassing me, please?”
Mr. Majors shook his head. “Remember what I said, Ben. Princeton has a great physics department.”
“Dad, stop!” She pushed him again. “Go away!”
Ro waited until her dad was inside, then she unlocked her car. Ben climbed into the backseat, retrieved the gun and ammo, and placed them in his jacket. As he exhaled, a cold cloud of mist surrounded his face. “Sorry.”
“For what? I insisted that I go with you. I’m not sorry about it. I found the grave.”
“Yes, you did. Good eyes, girl.” A pause. “I’d better go.”
“See you in school tomorrow?”
“Uh, no, actually. I’m playing hooky. I’m going back down to Albuquerque tonight. They’re digging up the spot. The Doogans got wind that something’s going on and . . .” He threw up his hands. “They’re probably there right now. I need to be there too. But this time I’m going to meet up with Shanks at the spot and be official.”
“I’m coming!”
“Ro, you know that’s not happening.”
“I’ll talk to my dad.”
“I’m not taking you.”
“I have a car. And I don’t need your permission to come down, Vicks.”
Andrew Majors came back out, the porch light bathing his face in a yellow glow. With his blond hair, he looked like he was frozen in amber. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Ben said. “I was just leaving.”
Ro held his arm. “Ben’s going back to Albuquerque. They’re digging up the spot we found . . . that I found. I want to go with him.”
“And I told her no,” Ben said.
Mr. Majors said, “Ro, come inside and stop pulling a tantrum.”
“I wouldn’t pull a tantrum if you wouldn’t treat me like a child. I’m going to be eighteen in three and a half months.”
“But you’re not eighteen yet.” Ro’s dad rolled his eyes. “Come inside. Let’s not create a spectacle.”
“Dad, did you know the age of sexual consent in New Mexico is seventeen?”
Ben hit his forehead. “I’m going.”
Ro kept her hand clamped on his arm. “If I’m old enough to have sex, I’m old enough to go with Ben. Besides, I found the spot. Why can’t I go?”
“I don’t want you to go,” Ben said.
“Okay. Don’t take me,” Ro countered. “I’ll go myself. I’ll flounder around in the mountains and probably get lost and be eaten by a bear.”
Mr. Majors said, “Give me your car keys now.”
Ro dropped them into his palm. “I will remember this.”
“You’re not going to the mountains by yourself and Ben doesn’t want you to go with him.”
“Only because he knows that you don’t want me to go.”
“Um, Shanks is expecting me. I really do have to go,” Ben interjected.
“Sam Shanks, the detective? He’s going with you?” Mr. Majors asked.
“No. I’m meeting him at . . . where we were hiking today.”
“See? I’ll be under police protection.” Ro looked at her father. “Please!”
“Ro, I’m not coming back tonight. I’m sleeping over at my grandparents’ house.”
“I’ve always wanted to meet them. Or I can come back with Shanks. Please, please?”
“All right, all right.” Mr. Majors waved her away. “Just take her with you, Ben. To tell the truth, I’m too damn tired to deal with her histrionics anymore. Just watch her like a hawk. She’s your responsibility.”
Ben didn’t want that responsibility, but the cosmic wheels were turning and fate did what fate always did to screw him up. Ro let go of his arm. “I’ll be right back. I’ve got to go put on shoes.”
“Hiking shoes,” Ben shouted out.
Mr. Majors said, “Son, I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Don’t disappoint me. And think about Princeton. If my daughter had your scores, it would be a done deal.”
They left him alone on the sidewalk. The smart thing to do would be to just get in the car and drive away. But when it came to Ro, he wasn’t too smart. The problem was he really liked her. And on some level, he knew she liked him. If he told her about JD’s indiscretions, she’d break up with him in a heartbeat. But she’d also wind up hating him for ratting JD out.
Some math theorems took a lifetime to prove. Some took centuries. Others were still unsolved, waiting for some young mind to make a name for future generations. One thing math taught him was patience.
All good things come to geeks who wait.
Chapter 21