“The lawyers say that they’ll rest the case today, and the judge will adjourn until tomorrow. I was thinking of calling a news conference after adjournment. But I don’t want to.” She shivered. “I don’t want them all … screaming at me.” He looked at her quizzically, with a glint of amusement. “Are you joking, Jenna? Maybe you’re too close to this thing. You don’t realize how big it is. Not just here. Everywhere. If you don’t want to deal with a crowd of reporters, if you’d rather have a quiet hour with Dan Rather or Diane Sawyer, all you’ve got to do is pick up the phone.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. You’re sure?” “I’m sure.”

“Do you know either of those people?”

“Sawyer and Rather? I’ve met them both. I don’t really know them.” “Never mind. I’ve got it. You’ll think I’m crazy, but …” She went to the phone and called information. Then, taking a deep breath, she punched the number.

“Mr. Manning’s in conference,” said the voice in Boston. “May I take a message?”

“Tell him it’s Jenna Sorrel.”

Barry Manning was on the line in four seconds. “Doc! Great to hear from you! My, but you’ve been a busy little bee since the last time I saw you.”

She told him what she wanted.

“An hour today, doc? You got it.” He shouted instructions to some- one—“Bump Moynihan. That’s right, I said bump him!”—then came back to Jenna. “Wait a minute, doc. Aren’t you in California?”

“Yes. I want to do it here. Today.”

“Yikes! Doc, I gotta ask: This is big, right? I mean, you didn’t just suddenly decide to push a book or something.”

“It’s big. I’m told it’s very big.”

“Then you got it.” More shouts to the background: “Book the first flight to LAX. Scratch that. Charter one. Half an hour. Me and the whole crew.” He sounded slightly winded when he came back on. “Don’t move a muscle, doc. I’ll be there.”

“I have to go to court. I won’t be hard to find.” “I’ll find you. Doc? Thanks.”

She hung up and breathed a deep sigh. Then she was laughing. “What?” said Brad.

“My deep, dark secrets!” she said, and laughed harder. “I’ve been hiding them my whole adult life, and now suddenly I’m babbling them over and over like a … a crazed parrot! Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?”

O

The defense rested at five minutes to noon, and the court stood adjourned until the following morning.

Jenna had a brief moment to spend with Malik before he was escorted back to his cell. For the first time, he seemed deflated, his customary cheer nowhere in evidence.