“Understood. If I do all this, and provide you with information leading to her arrest—”
“Then Danny’s charges will be dropped. You’ll get full immunity. Along with any protection you need and the thanks of a grateful nation. You have my word.”
“It’s a deal. The judge is coming. I’ve got to run. Bye.”
Dropping the call, she went inside. The restaurant was warm and steamy, smelling of coffee and maple syrup. She slid into a booth.
“I ordered you scrambled eggs with wheat toast,” Judge Conroy said. “How’d it go?”
“We’re on.”
* * *
Later, when they were back in the motel room, the phone with the spyware rang. The screen showed an incoming call from Ray Logue.
Kathryn caught Madison’s eyes. The intern nodded.
“Hello.”
“Kathy. It’s Ray.”
“What do you want?”
“I have something that belongs to you,” he said. “I think you’re going to want it back. I’d like to arrange a handover.”
“And walk into an ambush? I’m not stupid.”
“I would never do that to you.”
“You’ve been doing it for half my life. Any information I gave. Any cases I threw. And yes, I admit I did some of that, but only because you forced me. You and Charlie and Nancy. She put you up to this, didn’t she?”
“What?”
“Nancy Duffy, my so-called case manager. She’s Charlie’s mother, Eddie Wallace’s widow. She’s been part of your scheme all along, and she put you up to this.”
There was a pause on the line.
“What are you doing?” Ray said. “Leave her out of it.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“She’s just an old woman. I’m not down with this. Nancy wasn’t part of the deal. I didn’t agree to that.”
It was true, he hadn’t. But Kathryn had scores to settle, whether he was on board or not.
“Nancy gave the order to kill my husband, didn’t she?”
“I won’t deny she was involved, but give the order—”
Kathryn hung her head. “I knew it. God.”
“Kathy, why are we talking about this now?”
“Because. She kept me a virtual prisoner for years. She’s the one who murdered Doug Kessler. I know that because I was there. I saw it, and I have a photo to prove it, of her leaving the scene after Doug was shot. You can clearly see her in the driver’s seat. She pulled the trigger. Not me. Not Charlie. And now she wants me dead.”
“I’m not bringing Nancy into this when the feds got nothing on her. I’m trying to make things right here, not become a snitch in my old age.”
“Oh, come on, Ray. You know she’ll kill me the second she has a clear shot. So would Charlie.”
There was a pause.
“Ray?”
“Well. It’s true you and her never were on the same page. I guess she didn’t treat you too good.”
She scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”
“But I don’t want to take sides.”
“I’m not asking you to. At the end of the day, giving up Nancy is on me. You can have a clear conscience, so don’t let it prevent us from doing business. Remember, there’s something you want more than anything else, right? Eyes on the prize.”
His sigh was audible. “You’re right. Where should we meet?”
“How about the Mass. Ave. bridge? There’s always traffic there. I’ll feel comfortable.”
“Works for me. Say, ten o’clock tonight?”
“Sure.”
“No funny business now.”
“You either.”
“I swear it on your mother’s life.”
“I’ll see you then. Oh, and I’ll be wearing a plaid raincoat.”
“Gotcha. And Kathy?”
“Yeah.”
“Take care of yourself.”
Tears filled her eyes. This was goodbye, and there had been too many of those. When she finally spoke, it was with a catch in her voice.
“You too, Uncle Ray. You too.”
38
Judge Conroy had an arrangement with a waiter named Theo, who worked at a restaurant that she’d been frequenting for years. She paid him to do things for her that she couldn’t do herself, out of fear of being watched. This waiter had arranged for her to park the Volvo behind the restaurant the night before. Theo was willing to pick up the judge’s Nissan and drive it to the Best Western, for use in the meeting later tonight.