“I assume there is an excellent explanation,” Haroon says,“for what I have been reading in the newspapers and seeing on television.”
“Everything’s fine,” Evans says.
Haroon approaches him, partly so he can keep his voice downbut more to make his point clearly. “Last week, you tell me there is a man, SamDillon. You tell me your scientist is nervous. You tell me you’re going to keepan eye on this man Dillon.”
“And I did.” Larry Evans is immediately defensive. “Ilistened to him. Watched him.”
“ ‘Keep an eye on him,’ you said. You said nothing aboutkilling him.”
Larry Evans takes a moment with that. He will neither admitnor deny killing Sam Dillon, obviously. “I think all the worry was fornothing,” he says instead. “I don’t think Dillon knew and so I don’t think sheknows, either. The woman. Allison Pagone.”
“And how does your scientist feel about this?”
“He’s upset. He wants me to watch Pagone, so I will. But Ithink we’re okay.”
“You think.” Haroon runs a hand over his mouth, paces in asmall circle. “Her home is still bugged?”
“Yes. And it’s been interesting. She looks like she’s goingdown for the murder.”
Haroon nods. “I saw on television. She was questionedtoday.”
“She’s going to be arrested.” Evans stuffs his hands in hispockets. “She thinks so. It’s like she wants to go down for it.”
“Why would she want to be arrested for murder?” Haroon turnsto Evans.
He shrugs in response. “I think she’s protecting herdaughter.”
“But why?”
“Here’s the thing.” Evans steps closer. “They were boththere that night. The night he was murdered.”
“Allison Pagone and her daughter?”
Evans nods. “Both of them. And Allison told her daughter shekilled Sam. She confessed, that night.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would she do that? Confess toa murder she did not commit?”
Larry Evans laughs.
“You killed Sam Dillon,” Haroon says. “Correct?”
“I never said that, Mr. Haroon. I never said that. All youneed to know is that I would never be connected to it.”
A man stumbles by, a drunk, singing to himself, oblivious tothe two men standing in the darkness of the alley.
“We’ve been out here too long,” Haroon says. “The policewon’t find your surveillance equipment in Allison Pagone’s house?”
“No. City cops? They’ll have no idea. I promise you. Andworst case, they’d never be able to trace it to me or anyone else.”
“All right. And what, exactly, do you propose we do?”
“We sit tight, for now. I’ll keep an eye on Allison Pagone.I promised the scientist I would, anyway. We watch her. We do nothing for acouple of weeks. You and I don’t speak. My scientist does nothing. I’ll listenand watch and see what happens.”
“All right. Now listen to me carefully.” Haroon standswithin inches of Larry Evans. “Nobody else dies unless I say so. I will decidewhen and how, and I will do it. There will be no more mistakes.”
The perceived criticism does not seem to sit well with LarryEvans, but it is clear who has the upper hand here. Haroon could abort thisoperation at any time, and Evans says good-bye to twenty-five million dollars.
“That’s the way the doctor wants it, too,” Evans says.“Nobody else dies. So don’t worry. No one’s killing her.”
“Unless and until I say so.” Ram Haroon straightens his coatand walks down the alley.
ONE DAY EARLIER…
Allison stands outside her daughter’s dorm room, or what shebelieves to be Jessica’s dorm room. The divorce has separated Allison morefully from her daughter than from Mat. This spring semester, she knowsvirtually nothing about what classes her daughter is taking, or even where shelives.
“Yeah, that’s Jessica’s room,” says a student.
Allison looks at her watch. She has been loitering in thehallway for over an hour. Jess must be at class. Hopefully, she’ll come backhere soon. Allison has other engagements.
Just after one in the afternoon, Jessica walks down thehall, a backpack slung over her shoulder, her eyes down. Her daughter iswearing a deep frown. She looks up and sees Allison, turns ghostly white. Sheis immediately aware of her surroundings, manages a perfunctory smile to twostudents who pass her. When they’re gone, she lowers her head and moves quicklytoward her mother. She unlocks the door to her dormitory room and walks infirst. Allison follows.
Jessica closes the door and locks it.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
Allison takes her daughter by the shoulders. “I wanted to besure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” she says, though she does not look it. Her hairis flat, her eyes bloodshot and weary.
“Everything is going to be fine, Jessica. This is all goingto work out.”
This statement, naturally, is of little comfort to Jessica.She looks at her mother with a combination of distrust, fear, and resentment.“What did you do?” she asks. She wiggles out of her mother’s grasp, takes astep back, so that now her back is to the door.
“I can’t tell you, Jess. For your own protection. I can’t.”She puts her hands together as in prayer. “But you have to believe me.Something is going on. Something bigger than all of this, bigger than all ofus. All you have to know is that, whatever happens, I’m going to be fine. Andso is your father. You have to believe-”
“I have to believe you?”
“I’m going to be charged with Sam’s murder,” she says.
“You’re going to be charged.” Jessica’s face contorts; sheangles her head to get a different look at her mother, as if it could changereality.
“Yes,” Allison says simply. “It was my earring, Jess. Notyours. You’ve never borrowed my earrings. Never. Do you understand?”
She does, eventually, taking in her mother’s statement witha mounting horror.
“No one is ever going to know you were there that night,”Allison says.
Jessica looks around the room, claustrophobic, though sheknows she can’t leave. This conversation cannot take place in the open.
“Sit,” Allison says.
Jessica moves to her bed, unmade, with three pillowsscattered. She was always that way, her beautiful daughter. Always loved tobury herself in the pillows.
“Now listen to me.” Allison clears her throat. “The policewill have reason to believe that I was at his house that night.”
Jessica looks up at her mother.
Allison raises a hand. “They will probably think I killedhim. That’s a pretty safe bet. And it’s okay with me that they think that. It’sokay because nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“No,” Jessica whispers, her voice failing, tears comingfast.
“Jessica, I don’t have time for this,” Allison says. Sheneeds to stay above her emotions so that Jessica will follow her lead. “And I’mnot going to tell you why. But I’m covered. I am not going to be convicted.That’s a one- hundred-percent guarantee. Now look at me.”
It is a moment before Jessica manages to comply, her bodyquivering, her eyes unrecognizable.
“I’m not going to tell you anything more than that,” Allisoncontinues. “It will be tough for you but you’re going
