David Ellis - In the Company of Liars

“Then leak your investigation,” Allison suggests. “Name them. Give someone some ammo to run against them. That’ll hurt them more than a jail term.”

“It’s not our problem, obviously,” Paul says, trying to reassert himself.

“So”-McCoy opens her hands-“we have a deal?”

“We’ll give you an affirmative response after everything’s signed,” Paul says. “The agreement, the affidavits, everything.”

“That will be tomorrow,” McCoy promises. “This is warp-speed for Washington.”

Paul laughs.

“We have a deal,” Allison says.

A look of relief washes over Jane McCoy’s face. She puts her hand out to her partner, who hands her a photograph. “Have you ever seen this man?”

Allison looks at the picture. “No,” she says.

“You will soon, I’d expect. He will introduce himself to you.”

“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 to Allison, anticipating the obvious concern. “He’s going to watch you. He might try to strike up a friendship. We’re not sure, exactly. We assume he’ll approach you but we don’t know how. The point is-”

“The point is,” Paul says, “you can’t guarantee that he won’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 this much I can say to you: He has no reason to hurt you. You’re a celebrity now. It would be a big deal. He’d have to be desperate to do that. And you can put him at 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, let him 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’s worried about.”

She remembers her conversations with Sam, remembers the quiver in his voice immediately. Something was different, wrong.

Sam sighed through the phone. “It’s something I’m going to have to-I guess you could say I’m having an ethical dilemma.”

And the next call, a week later, the Wednesday before his death, the day before the cocktail party his firm threw. Her caller identification 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?” she asked.

“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.

Whatis the thing Larry Evans is worried about?” Allison asks. “What is this all about? What was the ‘ethical dilemma’ Sam was talking about?”

“I don’t think Sam Dillon knew anything,” McCoy answers. “I don’t see how hecould have known. I think Sam Dillon was talking about the bribes.”

Allison doesn’t comment, but she agrees with that assessment.

“Okay,” Allison says, “but what is Larry Evans worried about? What was he afraid that Sam knew about?”

“That, I can’t tell you, Mrs. Pagone. And if you think about it, it’s in your best interest that you not know. It removes any possibility that you could slip up.”

Allison has to concede the logic. It’s something big, she knows that much-big enough that the federal government will guarantee immunity for Mat Pagone if she helps them. Whatever it is, it can’t be what Sam was referring to over the phone. If a crime of that proportion-whatever it is-were going on, it wouldn’t cause Sam any ‘dilemma’ whatsoever. He would report it. Sam was talking about the bribes, about his unconfirmed suspicions about Mat and his prize client, Flanagan-Maxx. Now,that would be an ethical dilemma.

But Larry Evans didn’t know about bribes or House Bill 1551 or the prescription drug Divalpro. All he knew was that, some way, somehow, Sam Dillon appeared to have some damaging information that threatened Evans.

This thing must be a high priority, to receive this kind of treatment from the feds.National security, she assumes with a shudder. The kind of thing where the government would be willing to bend all sorts of rules to get a job accomplished. Neither she nor Paul has ever heard of the federal government promising not to prosecute, or even interrogate, a suspect in exchange for someone else-in this case, his ex-wife-doing something for them in an unrelated case. Nor is it technically enforceable, as a legal matter, but the feds would have a hard time going forward against Mateo Pagone when the attorney general of the United States and the local U.S. attorney have signed letters agreeing to this plan.

“Mrs. Pagone,” McCoy says again, “if it helps you to know this, I don’t think Sam knew anything about what’s going on. It wouldn’t fit.”

“It has something to do with Flanagan-Maxx,” Allison guesses. “Sam was worried about this information he had just discovered about bribery. That’s what the ‘ethical dilemma’ was.”

“We think so, yes-”

“But they were taping his conversations. They thought maybe he was talking about this other thing, this crime you’re investigating. They thought the ‘ethical dilemma’ referred to whatever this is, when really he was talking about bribery.”

“Yes. Exactly,” McCoy says. “Someone-someone-” McCoy freezes. 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 people at Flanagan-Maxx at a time when other people were doing things they shouldn’t be doing. Okay? And they got nervous, bugged Sam’s phone, and they heard him talking to you about an ‘ethical dilemma’ and going to the U.S. attorney. Which made them even more nervous.”

“And so Larry Evans killed Sam,” Allison says, “just in case he 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 killed Sam.

But McCoy just stares at Allison.

“So,” Allison says, “you want me to lead this guy-Larry Evans-to believe that this is all related to the bribery scandal? You want me to make him think that the ‘ethical dilemma’ was that Sam had found out about the bribes.”

“Yes,” says McCoy. “Which we think is true. But what’s true is beside the point. What matters is what this guy Larry Evans believes.”

Allison nods. “And he needs to believe that I know nothing about his crime. Which happens to be true.”

“Make sure he believes that.” McCoy frames her hands. “If you start talking about bribery, or Sam breaking up with you-well, Larry Evans will be very relieved to hear either one of those scenarios. I don’t think Sam Dillon 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, and the people he’s working with aren’t sure, either. So,make him sure. If he believes you know nothing, he’ll have no reason to hurt you. My guess is, he’ll just wait around, making sure, until this is all over. Until he gets what he wants. And then you’ll never see him again.”

Allison sighs. “Maybe I can satisfy him up front, and he’ll just go away.”