But McCoy just stares at Allison.
“So,” Allison says, “you want me to lead this guy-LarryEvans-to believe that this is all related to the bribery scandal? You want meto make him think that the ‘ethical dilemma’ was that Sam had found out aboutthe bribes.”
“Yes,” says McCoy. “Which we think is true. But what’s trueis beside the point. What matters is what this guy Larry Evans believes.”
Allison nods. “And he needs to believe that I know nothingabout his crime. Which happens to be true.”
“Make sure he believes that.” McCoy frames her hands. “Ifyou start talking about bribery, or Sam breaking up with you-well, Larry Evanswill be very relieved to hear either one of those scenarios. I don’t think SamDillon knew what Evans was involved in. I don’t think Evans thinks he did,either. He’s inclined to believe that you know nothing. He’s just not sure, andthe people he’s working with aren’t sure, either. So, make him sure. If hebelieves you know nothing, he’ll have no reason to hurt you. My guess is, he’lljust wait around, making sure, until this is all over. Until he gets what hewants. And then you’ll never see him again.”
Allison sighs. “Maybe I can satisfy him up front, and he’lljust go away.”
“That would be great,” says Harrick. “But I wouldn’t expectit. You’ve made some people nervous, Mrs. Pagone. And we understand thatthey’re insistent that you be watched, just to be sure. No, I think Larry Evanswill stick around until this thing is over.”
“When the topic of Mat or Jessica is raised,” McCoy adds,“be very defensive. Be protective. I suppose, Mrs. Pagone, that that will notbe very difficult for you.”
Allison glares at McCoy.
“And you will swear,” Allison says, “that Larry Evans is theone who killed Sam.”
“Yes. We will swear to that. You saw our affidavits. Yourdaughter’s in the clear, Mrs. Pagone. And so are you.”
“My daughter didn’t kill Sam.”
“And our affidavits agree with you,” McCoy says, which isnot the same thing as agreeing with Allison’s statement.
Allison looks at her lawyer, Paul Riley. Paul does not seemsatisfied, and she can sympathize, from his perspective. He is representingAllison, not the rest of her family. Worrying about the fate of Mat or JessicaPagone is not in his job description. But it is in the job description of amother and ex-wife. The FBI clearly understands that. Allison is not gettingmuch for herself in this deal. Yes, the affidavits from several agents of theFBI, identifying Larry Evans as the killer of Sam Dillon, will clear Allison aswell as Jessica. But they also have figured, correctly so, that Allison couldbeat this charge if she were so inclined. There are two people at whom Allisoncould point to establish reasonable doubt. They just happen to be Mat andJessica.
“My problem here,” Paul says, “is there’s little guaranteeof safety for my client. You can’t predict what this man, Larry Evans, will do.You can tell us he probably wouldn’t want to kill Allison. You can give usodds. Odds aren’t a guarantee. This guy Evans will never be sure aboutAllison.”
“What do you want us to say, Counselor?” McCoy asks. “Iacknowledge that your client is taking a risk here. She’s doing it for hercountry. And,” she adds, “to keep her family out of jail.”
Paul shakes his head.
“Look,” McCoy says to Allison. “You studied to be anactress, right?”
“I was a theater major, yes,” Allison confirms withembarrassment.
“So-this is the role of a lifetime.”
It is, Allison realizes, a role that she has played before.Nora Helmer, she thinks to herself, a prisoner in her own home,underappreciated even after she saves her husband. A role that, in many ways,Allison has played her entire married life.
“Be protective of Mat and Jessica,” McCoy advises. “Ifanyone brings either of them up, mentions their potential involvement-whetherit’s this guy Evans, or Mat, or Mr. Riley here-be defensive. Insist on theirinnocence. Say you’ll ‘never let anything happen to them.’ Stuff like that.Just be sure you say it in the parts of the home where Larry Evans can hearyou.”
“And you’re sure he’ll be listening?” Allison asks.
“As sure as I’m sitting here,” McCoy says. “Your place isbugged, Mrs. Pagone. We’ll confirm that for you.”
“How are you going to confirm it? You can’t very well waltzin.”
McCoy looks at her partner. Allison senses that Harrick hasa thing for McCoy.
“Did you clean up your house after they searched it?” McCoyasks.
“Of course I did. Right away.”
“Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ve been talking to the countyprosecutors. I’ll give them a reason to want to search your house again.”
“What reason?”
“I’ll mention the statuette,” McCoy says. “The murderweapon. I’ll tell them it was on Sam’s mantel, which is true, and now it’smissing, which is also true. They’ll want to do another search. They’ll takeyour place apart and you’ll need it cleaned up afterward. This time, you’llcall one of those companies that specializes in that sort of thing. I’ll give aname and number to Mr. Riley here, and a specific time for you to call, and itwill be our guys who take that call and do the cleanup. FBI technicians. Theyknow what they’re doing. They’ll confirm it. And they’ll tell you where, in thehouse, he can hear you best.”
“Sounds like you already know,” Paul Riley says.
McCoy shrugs. “I would imagine it’s the area around yourtelephones. Where are your phones?”
“One in my bedroom,” Allison says, “and one in my livingroom.”
“Okay. He’ll have your phones tapped and he’ll have theability to hear around there as well. So if you want him to hear something, sitin the living room. Or the bedroom.”
“Will the FBI be eavesdropping, too?” Paul asks.
McCoy shakes her head. “We can’t bug Allison’s home. Wecan’t run the risk that Evans would detect it. He’s good, this guy. He hastop-of-the-line industrial espionage equipment. We put something inside herhouse, we can’t be sure he won’t know about it. That would blow everything. Sono, we just have to rely on our other surveillance.”
“And if they become the wiser?” Paul asks.
“They won’t.” McCoy deflects her eyes.
“You mean you hope they won’t.”
“That’s what I mean, yes.” McCoy opens her hands. “I’ll sayit for the tenth time. She’s taking a risk. We’re grateful. You’ll probablyknow what this is about someday, and you’ll be a hero, Mrs. Pagone.”
“Until then,” she says, “I’m a black sheep.”
“Mrs. Pagone,” Owen Harrick chimes in, “you’re only a blacksheep because you wanted to be. We’d be more than happy to put this briberyscandal front and center. We’d be more than happy to feed all kinds ofinformation on Operation Public Trust to the county attorney. Roger Ogren woulddefinitely take that bait, because it’s an obvious motive. He might even dropthe charges against you, eventually.”
“No-”
“He charged you because you fell into his lap, Mrs. Pagone.And you fell into his lap because you wanted to.”
“We could tell him about your daughter, too,” McCoy adds,squeezing the pressure point. “We’re doing what you want us to do here.”
“No, you’re right, I understand that,” Allison says. “Idon’t want you mentioning this to the county attorney. Nothing about Mat,nothing about Jessica. That’s”-she looks at Paul, then at McCoy-“that’s part ofthis deal, I thought.”
“It is,” McCoy assures her. “We won’t say a word aboutJessica. I’ll handle those conversations personally with Roger Ogren. We’llkeep the AUSAs off of your ex-husband, too. That won’t be fun, but we’ll doit.”
That won’t be fun. What McCoy means, Allison assumes, isthat this thing is so top-secret that even other federal prosecutors are beingkept in the dark.
A chill creeps up her spine.
“Right. Okay.” Allison takes a deep breath. “That’s what Iwant. I’ll do what you ask. I’ll-I’ll work with this
