“It wasn’t my story, I just helped stitch it together. And I added some stuff.”
“So when you say you’re trying to figure out how much is true… Exactly how are you doing that? Do you have access to source material, documents?”
“Uh, some. But there’s nothing to suggest Mr. Jeffson has done anything wrong. I made that part up. We’re trying to figure it all out.”
“We? You and Carter Beck? Is he with you?”
“Uh.”
“God, you look terrified, you poor thing. You’re a high school teacher, is that right?”
“Ye-es.”
“Honey, I know this will be overwhelming for you, and from what I’ve been told about Mr. Beck, he likes to work alone, to his detriment. Lord knows why he dragged you into it the way hedid, but youdon’thave to do it alone, no matter what he says. Okay? I can protect you, and I have access to money, politicians, excellent lawyers… We want the same outcome here—for this all to go away. Am I right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Then it’s silly for us not to work together, isn’t it?”
“Mrs. Garrett?” a man called from behind them.
“Just a minute,” Tania called back.
“I don’t think this can wait, ma’am. The FBI are downstairs. They want to talk to Mr. Jeffson.”
Tania stopped and briefly looked up to the ceiling as if appealing to a higher being. “That’s all we need. Wait right here,” she said, pointing to Alice. “I can protect you. I’ll see if I can get rid of them. I’m assuming they don’t know for sure you’re here, or they wouldn’t be waiting for an invitation.”
Tania disappeared around a corner, leaving the corridor empty. As tempting as the offer of protection was, Alice sure as hell wasn’t about to stand around waiting. She hurried to a sign announcing the men’s bathroom and pushed the door open. Carter turned in surprise, as did a man who was unmistakably Randolph Jeffson. She was face to face with another fictional character.
“Alice,” Carter said, stepping forward as if to catch her. She probably did look like she was about to collapse. “What are you doing here?”
“The people who shot at us—the driver—she’s here—I saw her. She parked right opposite us. And the FBI. They’re here too.”
Carter turned a searching gaze on Randolph, who raised his hands as if to protest his innocence.
“Nothing to do with me,” Randolph said.
“Really?”
“I could do without the publicity of you being arrested at my fundraiser, on top of all the other shit.” He stepped to the door. “Follow me. You can go out through the kitchens. Well, come on then—it’s not like you have a bunch of other options. There’s a poorly monitored service entrance that runs behind the block, as I’m sure you’re aware. Never go into a building…”
“… without knowing at least two ways out,” Carter said.
“Old habits,” Randolph said to Alice as he ushered them into the hall. He limped to an exit door and pushed it open to reveal a stairwell. “So, you’re the famous Alice Thornton?”
“Yes, Randolph, this is the public school teacher you’re suing,” Carter said. He indicated that Alice should go ahead of him, so she was positioned between the men. His voice sounded tight. “How’s that gonna go down with voters?”
“Better than the optics of being a traitor to my country. Not that we’ve done any polling on it. Don’t take it personally, Ms. Thornton. It’s a matter of time before the media puts together this entire story—and links me to it. I had to sue to get ahead of it.”
“Themedia? How can I not take it personally—you’re probably gonna sue me for more money than I could make in a lifetime.”
“My lawyers are thinking in the region of seventeen million.”
She laughed, the sound echoing in the stairwell, and then her face fell. “Oh God, you’re serious. That’s such a crazy number it doesn’t register in my brain.”
“They’ll need half that to cover their own fee. Cheer up—last my staff told me, you’d passed John le Carré on the spy-thriller bestseller list, though I think he’s past caring, and were rising by the hour.”
“Really?”
