“Hello, Agent McCoy,” Allison says. “Agent Harrick.”
“It’s Jane. Nice being out?” McCoy asks.
“Very. Thank you.” She looks at Paul. She has alreadyviolated his command. She is sure that he isn’t surprised by this.
Harrick moves the two chairs by the desk so they face thecouch. It looks like a talk show in the office.
“We have a deal?” McCoy asks.
“We haven’t seen the final documents,” Paul says.
“You have. We’ll have the signatures tomorrow.”
“It seems like my client is taking all the risks,” Paulsays. “And getting very little in return.”
McCoy recoils. “ ‘Very little in return’? I thinkabsolute, complete immunity for her ex-husband is quite a lot, Counselor.”
“More than just immunity,” Allison says. “He doesn’t evenhave to talk to you about it.”
“That’s right, Mrs. Pagone, which means, in effect, that wecan’t investigate this bribery at all.” McCoy frowns. “We’re not exactly happyabout that. There are three state senators who are going to walk away fromthis. Your husband-your ex-husband-doled out thirty grand to them, and they’regoing to walk.”
“You can still go after them in other ways.”
“With what?” McCoy asks. “Sam Dillon is dead, Mrs. Pagone.And your husband doesn’t have to so much as smile at us. The senators aren’tdumb enough to talk. We can’t prove anything.”
“Then leak your investigation,” Allison suggests. “Namethem. Give someone some ammo to run against them. That’ll hurt them more than ajail term.”
“It’s not our problem, obviously,” Paul says, trying toreassert himself.
“So”-McCoy opens her hands-“we have a deal?”
“We’ll give you an affirmative response after everything’ssigned,” Paul says. “The agreement, the affidavits, everything.”
“That will be tomorrow,” McCoy promises. “This is warp-speedfor Washington.”
Paul laughs.
“We have a deal,” Allison says.
A look of relief washes over Jane McCoy’s face. She puts herhand out to her partner, who hands her a photograph. “Have you ever seen thisman?”
Allison looks at the picture. “No,” she says.
“You will soon, I’d expect. He will introduce himself toyou.”
“This is Larry Evans, I assume?” Allison asks.
“Yes.” McCoy smiles. “That’s the name he’ll use, I expect.”
“And what is Larry Evans going to do?” Paul asks.
McCoy shrugs. “He’s not going to hurt you,” she says toAllison, anticipating the obvious concern. “He’s going to watch you. He mighttry to strike up a friendship. We’re not sure, exactly. We assume he’llapproach you but we don’t know how. The point is-”
“The point is,” Paul says, “you can’t guarantee that hewon’t try to hurt her.”
“No, I can’t. I can’t guarantee that.” McCoy stops on that point.She’s being straightforward, at least, Allison thinks to herself. “But thismuch I can say to you: He has no reason to hurt you. You’re a celebrity now. Itwould be a big deal. He’d have to be desperate to do that. And you can put himat ease about that. You can make him feel safe.”
“How does she do that?” Paul asks. “Make him feel safe?”
“She-” McCoy turns from Paul to Allison. “Mrs. Pagone, lethim know that the only thing you know about is the bribery. That’s what the‘ethical dilemma’ was. That’s what Sam was talking about to you on the phone.Or this thing about Sam dumping you, which the cops seem to be buying.Whichever. It could be either of those, as long as it’s not the thinghe’sworried about.”
She remembers her conversations with Sam, remembers thequiver in his voice immediately. Something was different, wrong.
Sam sighed through the phone. “It’s something I’m going tohave to-I guess you could say I’m having an ethical dilemma.”
And the next call, a week later, the Wednesday before hisdeath, the day before the cocktail party his firm threw. Her calleridentification told her that he was calling from the city.
“I–I can’t explain what’s going on, Allison.”
“This is that ‘ethical dilemma’ you were talking about?” sheasked.
“I really-I can’t talk to you about it.”
“Something’s going on,” she said.
“Yes. You’re right. And when the time comes, I’ll tell you.Not now.”
“I’m worried about you,” she told him.
What is the thing Larry Evans is worried about?” Allisonasks. “What is this all about? What was the ‘ethical dilemma’ Sam was talkingabout?”
“I don’t think Sam Dillon knew anything,” McCoy answers. “Idon’t see how he could have known. I think Sam Dillon was talking about thebribes.”
Allison doesn’t comment, but she agrees with thatassessment.
“Okay,” Allison says, “but what is Larry Evans worriedabout? What was he afraid that Sam knew about?”
“That, I can’t tell you, Mrs. Pagone. And if you think aboutit, it’s in your best interest that you not know. It removes any possibilitythat you could slip up.”
Allison has to concede the logic. It’s something big, sheknows that much-big enough that the federal government will guarantee immunityfor Mat Pagone if she helps them. Whatever it is, it can’t be what Sam wasreferring to over the phone. If a crime of that proportion-whatever it is-weregoing on, it wouldn’t cause Sam any ‘dilemma’ whatsoever. He would report it.Sam was talking about the bribes, about his unconfirmed suspicions about Matand his prize client, Flanagan-Maxx. Now, that would be an ethical dilemma.
But Larry Evans didn’t know about bribes or House Bill 1551or the prescription drug Divalpro. All he knew was that, some way, somehow, SamDillon appeared to have some damaging information that threatened Evans.
This thing must be a high priority, to receive this kind oftreatment from the feds. National security, she assumes with a shudder. Thekind of thing where the government would be willing to bend all sorts of rulesto get a job accomplished. Neither she nor Paul has ever heard of the federalgovernment promising not to prosecute, or even interrogate, a suspect inexchange for someone else-in this case, his ex-wife-doing something for them inan unrelated case. Nor is it technically enforceable, as a legal matter, butthe feds would have a hard time going forward against Mateo Pagone when theattorney general of the United States and the local U.S. attorney have signedletters agreeing to this plan.
“Mrs. Pagone,” McCoy says again, “if it helps you to knowthis, I don’t think Sam knew anything about what’s going on. It wouldn’t fit.”
“It has something to do with Flanagan-Maxx,” Allisonguesses. “Sam was worried about this information he had just discovered aboutbribery. That’s what the ‘ethical dilemma’ was.”
“We think so, yes-”
“But they were taping his conversations. They thought maybehe was talking about this other thing, this crime you’re investigating. Theythought the ‘ethical dilemma’ referred to whatever this is, when really he wastalking about bribery.”
“Yes. Exactly,” McCoy says. “Someone-someone-” McCoyfreezes. She seems to be pondering what she can reveal. “Listen, Mrs. Pagone,we are confident that what you just said is correct. Sam was seen with peopleat Flanagan-Maxx at a time when other people were doing things they shouldn’tbe doing. Okay? And they got nervous, bugged Sam’s phone, and they heard himtalking to you about an ‘ethical dilemma’ and going to the U.S. attorney. Whichmade them even more nervous.”
“And so Larry Evans killed Sam,” Allison says, “just in casehe did know. Before he could talk to the feds.”
McCoy sighs. She will let the empty air fill her response.
Say it, Allison silently pleads. Say that Larry Evans killedSam.
