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Gray threw off Spence’s hands and shoved him away. “But you won’t. Because killing me would be stupid, and no one’s ever accused you of being stupid, Spence. Not until now.”

A flicker of interest appeared in his eyes. It was fleeting, soon replaced by his characteristic cynicism. “Who are you, the good cop?”

Gray shrugged. “Take this for what it’s worth. You should have accepted Yancey’s deal.”

“Do you really think he, or anyone, could bring down David’s administration?” Spence chuckled. “It’ll never happen, Gray. You’ll all be made to look like idiots for trying. You’ve aligned yourself with the wrong side, pal. We’ve been scrupulously careful. David’s airtight. You know that.”

“Whether or not his administration collapses is inconsequential to you, Spence. You’ll never know one way or the other, because you’ll be long dead.” Spence’s smirk lost some of its insolence. “Beginning to catch on now, Spence? You were in on David’s plans for Vanessa, probably for the baby as well. So, as long as you’re alive, he’s not airtight. Once that occurs to him, you’re history.

“David will find himself another Ray Garrett. Remember him? That nice young Marine assigned to assassinate me when I became an embarrassment to the Oval Office? Too bad you’re so goddamn self-assured you can’t see the hazardous position you’re in. Yancey’s deal would have afforded you some protection.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Perfect, Spence. The defensive comeback of every dumb schmuck who has no other defense to offer.” Gray opened the office door, saying over his shoulder, “Watch your back, pal.”

* * *

It was midafternoon of the next day when Barrie returned to Washington. A lot had happened in her absence. Dr. George Allan’s attempted suicide had been reported on the front page of the Post. He was in a coma, his wife at his side.

“How’d they manage to keep it under wraps for two days?” Barrie asked.

“Out of deference to his family,” Gray told her. “That was Neely’s line anyway.”

They were guests of the federal government in a comfortable hotel suite. U.S. marshals were posted outside the door. Bill Yancey was on the telephone in the adjoining room. Every once in a while, they caught snatches of his intense conversations.

“Poor Amanda. It must have been horrible for her to find him like that.”

“The gunshot woke her up. She rushed into his office. If she hadn’t, he would have died at his desk.”

“I hope for her sake he makes it, and that if he makes it, he’s not a vegetable.”

“Either way, it’s rough for her and the kids,” Gray said. “What was the son of a bitch thinking?”

“I guess he was desperate and didn’t know what else to do.”

“There’s always an alternative to that, for chrissake,” he said angrily. “Yancey probably would have offered him a deal to turn state’s witness.”

“If he pulls through,” she said, “I’m sure that’s exactly what Bill will do.”

She saw the consternation in Gray’s face and remembered that he’d lost both parents when he wasn’t much older than the Allans’ sons. He also looked tired and haggard, unshaven and irritable. They were all frazzled. It had been an eventful forty-eight hours.

And there was no respite in sight.

At least Daily was out of harm’s way and resting peacefully. He was in comparative luxury in another suite of the hotel. When she stopped in to see him, he’d grumbled about not being allowed to go home, but he was enjoying cable TV, room service, and the companionship of the two young FBI agents who’d been assigned to guard him. They were a captive audience for his tall tales about his years as a newsman.

Barrie glanced down at the copy of the Post on the coffee table and referenced another front-page story. “Would Spence be offended by the small write-up he received?”

“Flattered, more likely,” Gray said. “He cultivated his mysterious persona. The less anyone knew about him, the better he liked it.”

“I can’t believe it.” Barrie scanned the concise story again.

“I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen. It was only a matter of time before David took him out. The only thing that surprises me is how swiftly he struck.”

“You really think Merritt arranged this mugging?”

“Mugging my ass.” Gray shot her a retiring look. “Spence was dropped outside his apartment by two guys who all but had FEDS tattooed on their foreheads. What kind of muggers select a victim who’s got that kind of heat around him? Spence was always armed. Besides his knife, he carried a pistol in an ankle holster. Whoever mugged him was aware of that. They knew exactly how to disarm him.”

After what Barrie had learned in Mississippi, she didn’t doubt Merritt’s ruthlessness. Without a qualm, he could have his most loyal friend killed. Shivering with fear, she hugged her elbows. “We’re on his hit list too, aren’t we?”