The Shadow Project. Scott Mariani

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       Chapter Eight

      When Jeff walked into the office at Le Val, Ben was slamming down the phone. He sat down heavily in his desk chair, clapped his hands to his head and swore loudly.

      ‘Listen, Ben, I’ve got to tell you something. The doctor said—’

      ‘I already know what the doctor said,’ Ben replied without looking up.

      ‘You’ve spoken to him?’

      ‘I didn’t need to. Shannon’s lawyer’s just told me. Multiple contusions, possible lower back injury, out of action for at least three weeks.’

      Jeff looked perplexed. ‘The bastard’s been talking to his lawyer? Already? From his hospital bed?’

      Ben got up from the chair and went over to the window. ‘Not one to waste time. He’s threatening to press charges. Grievous bodily harm.’

      ‘Nothing that grievous about a bit of a twisted elbow and a couple of bruises. Shannon can take it.’

      ‘Tell that to the lawyer,’ Ben said. ‘But that’s not all.’

      Jeff was quiet for a second as the meaning sank in. He swallowed. ‘He’s suing us, isn’t he?’

      ‘For loss of earnings,’ Ben said, still gazing out of the window. Over the roofs of the facility buildings he could see the trees beyond. He so much wanted to be there. Hidden deep within Le Val’s sprawl of woodland was the tumbledown ivy-covered ruin of an old church that for the last seven hundred and fifty or so years had been home to the wild creatures of the forest. It was a place Ben loved to go and spend time away from everything, just him and the stillness of the sun-dappled woods, the whisper of the trees and the sound of the doves nesting in the remains of the steeple. At this moment, all that seemed infinitely beyond his reach.

      ‘As in one point two million kind of earnings?’ Jeff asked quietly.

      Ben nodded. He tore himself away from the window, went back to his desk and reclined in his chair. ‘The Swiss gig will have to be cancelled. Which basically leaves Shannon and the rest of the team out of a job. And I’m responsible for that.’

      ‘Can’t they manage without him?’

      ‘Apparently not. He insists they need a leader. It’s his contract, and he can do what he wants.’

      ‘Then we’re fucked,’ Jeff said.

      They sat in silence for a long time. Three minutes passed, then four. Both men sat staring into space.

      ‘Why? Why?’ Ben muttered under his breath. ‘Why did I have to hit him?’

      ‘You didn’t exactly hit him, Ben. If you’d really hit him, you’d be up for manslaughter now.’

      ‘That’s a comforting thought, Jeff. Thanks for that.’ Ben took out his cigarettes and Zippo, and lit one up. Offered one to Jeff, and they sat smoking together.

      ‘There’s got to be a way out of this,’ Jeff said. ‘Is there no way we can just deny responsibility? Pretend it never happened?’

      ‘Nice idea, if you can forget the six witnesses who saw him go down. Seven, if you include Brooke.’

      ‘Brooke wouldn’t say anything.’

      ‘That’s not the point, Jeff. If it comes down to it, I won’t ask her to perjure herself for nothing.’

      ‘It was self-defence. He made the first move.’

      ‘But I overreacted. I didn’t have to cripple the guy.’

      ‘What about public liability insurance?’

      ‘I don’t think the policy underwriters would be happy about forking out a seven-figure sum because I beat up my client.’

      ‘It wasn’t your fault. The bastard had it coming.’

      ‘It is my fault. No excuses. I’ve put the customer in hospital, and that’s it. He has every right to sue for loss of earnings.’

      Silence again for a few moments.

      ‘How about this?’ Jeff suggested suddenly. ‘We go back to the hospital, you and me, right now. We hang around and wait until Brooke and the doctor are out of the way. And then we slip into Shannon’s room and tell him that if he goes ahead with this, we’ll—’

      ‘Forget it. That’s not going to work either.’

      ‘Then we’re fucked,’ Jeff said again. ‘Completely screwed. Dead in the water.’

      ‘Maybe not,’ Ben said. ‘I’ve got another idea.’