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“Oh, things. The weather. The Redskins’ season. Do they have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting into the playoffs? The new Harrison Ford movie. What’s going on at the White House. Things like that.”

“I don’t know what’s going on at the White House.”

“Of course you do, Howie. You work in a newsroom.”

“Barrie, please, give it up. You’re only going to get into more trouble.”

“I’m touched by your concern. Truly. But I’m more interested in what you’ve

heard about the First Lady recently.”

“Nothing.”

“You must have.”

“Swear to God.”

“Since I’m no longer there, who’s covering the beat?”

“Grant. He says it’s tighter than a rich man’s asshole over there. Nothing’s leaking.”

“There’s always something leaking. Rumor. Gossip. Reportedly Mrs. Merritt has gone away again. Why? Where? Has anyone seen her? Is her health that poor? Is her condition life-threatening?”

“I swear,” he whined, “I don’t know anything. Jeez, you’ve become obsessed, you know that? You’ve turned into a total wacko over this. How come you’ve got nothing on the brain except Mrs. Merritt? It isn’t natural, Barrie. I think you’ve flipped out, is what I think.”

Barrie pulled in a deep breath, then expelled it on a sigh. She looked at Gray and shook her head. “I told you he wouldn’t cooperate. We might just as well go.”

She headed for the door, but Gray stopped her. “We can’t leave him to tell the feds we were here asking questions.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.” She looked down at Howie with a dubious frown.

He was distinctly uneasy with the tone their conversation had taken. “I’m not going to tell anybody you were here.”

“I’m afraid we can’t take that chance.” Bondurant reached inside his jacket and withdrew a pistol from the waistband of his pants.

Howie began chanting, “Oh shit, oh fuck, oh Jesus, oh shit, oh God. I don’t want to die. I don’t. I don’t. Don’t kill me. Please.”

With a terrifying click, Gray pulled back the hammer on his Magnum revolver.

Howie squeezed his eyes shut and he began to sputter. “B… Barrie, p… please, you can’t let him kill me. We were friends.”

“Friends? Friends, Howie? You can’t be serious.” She laughed. “Friends don’t sell each other out, which is what you always did to me with Jenkins. You treated me like crap every day I worked with you. Besides, I don’t make Gray’s decisions. If he’s made up his mind not to leave you to rat on us, there’s really nothing I can do about it. But I’d rather not watch. I’d never eat Chinese food again. Gray, do you mind waiting till I get into the other room?”

“Pleeeeeze,” Howie begged with a sustained sob. “For God’s sake, Barrie.”

“Sorry. It really is out of my control.” She pushed away from the counter. On her way out, she paused to press his shoulder in a final farewell.

Bondurant stretched his arm across the table and pressed the bore of the pistol against the center of Howie’s forehead.

“I did hear something but I don’t know if it’s true or not.” The words rolled out so fast, they tumbled over one another like circus acrobats.

Barrie stopped, turned. She was frowning skeptically. “You’d tell us anything now. You’d make something up just to keep Gray from shooting you.”

“No, no, I swear. I swear, Mr. Bondurant.” He drew an invisible X over his heart.

“What have you heard?”

“There’s a rumor that Mrs. Merritt has been checked into a hospital for substance abuse.”