because her ex-husband wasin on it. That was his dilemma. He knew if he turned in Mat Pagone, he’d behurting Allison.”
“So Dillon wasn’t talking about our operation.” Haroontrains a scolding look on Evans. “When he told Ms. Pagone he had an ‘ethicaldilemma,’ he wasn’t talking about us.”
“Hard to say,” Evans says. “Likely, no. But how can we besure?”
“So Sam Dillon was killed for nothing. Without myauthorization, and for nothing.”
Larry Evans wets his lips. He does not like the topic.
“I never said I killed Sam Dillon,” he says. “I never saidthat.”
No, of course he didn’t. He’s too smart to reveal suchthings to Haroon. It’s part of his training, no doubt. Haroon’s training was nodifferent. Admit nothing unless you have no choice. Co-conspirators can becaught and made to turn on each other. The less known, the better. Yes, thereis a trust here, between Haroon and Evans, but it only goes so far. FromEvans’s perspective, why admit he killed Sam Dillon? Dillon is dead. Whether heknew about their operation or not, he is dead, and now Allison Pagone may knowsomething.
“When is this formula going to be ready?” Haroon asks.
“April, May,” Evans says. “We lost some time after Dillondied. The doctor flipped out. But he’s back in line now. He’s working on it.You understand, he can only develop it when no one’s looking. But he’s close,he said.”
“How hard can it be?” Haroon asks.
“The hard part is the detection. Anyone could taintchildren’s aspirin. The hard part is getting it past the regulators.”
“Fine. Well, I promised this formula in April or May. Am Igoing to be wrong about that?”
Evans raises a hand. “You know, as well as I, that thedoctor is worried about Pagone. Her trial. He wants her situation resolvedfirst.”
“Her ‘situation resolved.’ ” Haroon chuckles. “I likethat.”
“She’s going to be convicted,” Evans continues. “She seemsto want it. She’s protecting someone. Her ex- husband, I think, or maybe herdaughter, or both. I don’t really get it. But she’s going to let them convicther, Mr. Haroon.”
“And she thinks you believe in her innocence.”
“Oh, yeah.” Evans lightens up. “She thinks I’m a crusader.I’m doing like we said. I’m piling fact upon fact against her ex-husband andher daughter. The more I push, the more she resists. By the time I’m done withher, she’ll be begging them to convict her.”
“Fine.” Haroon thinks things over, clears his throat. “Thisother thing. About Mrs. Pagone’s ‘situation’ being ‘resolved.’ We are clearthat I will handle that. Not you.”
“Crystal,” Evans says.
Haroon looks at him.
“We’re clear, Mr. Haroon.”
“All right. Good. It’s not time yet. It will be soon. Withany luck, we can make the transfer before the trial. Then, by the time anythinghappens to Mrs. Pagone, you and the doctor will be on a beach somewhere.”
“Okay.” Evans looks like he has something more to say.Haroon raises his eyebrows.
“Mr. Haroon,” he says, “I really don’t think Allison Pagoneknows anything. I really don’t think she needs to die. It’s too risky. She’shigh-profile. And the doctor will have a coronary if someone else dies. He’s notin our business. We need him to keep working for us.”
Haroon waits out the impassioned plea, then immediatelysays, “It’s my decision. It’s my money and my decision.”
Evans raises his hands.
“You will let me know when things are looking darkest forher,” Haroon says. “That will be when we do it.”
ONE DAY EARLIER…
I killed Sam.
You want to protect me, but you can’t.
Pointing at you is pointing at Jessica.
Mat parks his Mercedes in Allison’s driveway. It’s like oldtimes, a tradition for them. The city is crawling with great weekend breakfastspots, and Allison needed the time out. The place where they went is wellwithin the confines of her conditional bond. It’s a place they’ve been manytimes, in fact. Mat, true to his nature, stuck with his favorites, in this casean omelet with chorizo and goat cheese. She could make a short list of hisfavorite foods and would bet her mortgage that Mat would not stray from thosefew items, regardless of the restaurant. Veal piccata. New York strip,medium-rare with crumbled blue cheese. Cheese ravioli.Carne asada. Omelettewith chorizo and goat cheese. Or a good old cheeseburger.
“Thanks,” she says, and this part is new. Thanking him forbreakfast. It’s one of those subtle changes that comes with divorce. Nothing istaken for granted now.
“It was fun,” he responds without looking at her. He hasthat same sensation, she imagines. It’s still weird, their relationship sincethe divorce last year.
“We should go in.” Allison looks at Mat. Neither of them isparticularly excited.
I killed him. I killed Sam.
We have to protect Jessica. Pointing at you is pointing ather.
Inside, she offers Mat coffee but he declines. He sits onthe burgundy couch that is no longer his, although if anything in this houseshould go to Allison, it is this old piece. Mat never really cared for thecouch, anyway. Objectively, Allison wouldn’t disagree. A dark purple couch in aroom that was otherwise black-and-white. But it was the only piece of furniturefrom her old house where she grew up, and she would never consider getting ridof it.
“So-what we were saying at brunch.” Mat is calling toAllison, who is in the kitchen. “I want you to think hard about this.”
Allison comes into the living room and sits across from himin the leather chair. Mat looks at her briefly but his eyes wander. This is nothis strong suit here, his attempts to help her. She will have to carry theball, a phrase he often used.
“You want me to think hard,” Allison says, “about my lawyerclaiming that you killed Sam? And framed me? And he puts you on the stand, andyou refuse to answer? So that you look guilty, not me?”
“Yes,” Mat says. “It could be enough.”
“The judge wouldn’t buy it.” Allison shakes her head.
It’s worth a shot.
“We should at least consider it,” Mat says.
“It would ruin your career.”
I don’t have a career. Not anymore.
“My career.” Mat has already suffered considerably from theallegations surrounding the Divalpro legislation. There are at least threestate senators who would never speak to him again, would feel threatened ifthey did. That kind of thing spreads like cancer in the capital. Mat’s careeras a lobbyist is effectively over. “Tell me that’s not the only reason.”
“It’s not the only reason.”
Mat is silent. He is working this through in his head,trying to keep everything straight.
He is older now in so many ways. He has lost so much in soshort a time. He has maintained his composure publicly but she can see it allover him. He has lost his wife’s love. He has lost much of his career. And hemust know, he must have some sense of self-incrimination for all of this.
I killed Sam.
“I killed Sam, Mat,” Allison says. “I suppose you alreadyknow that.”
Allison rubs her hands together. She is feeling a chill. Matcannot look at her at all now.
