did. He just went along with whatever I said. He just wanted the conversation to be done. I think he was testing me.”
“Were you wearing a wire?” She couldn’t believe that she was asking Alex questions like this. But she imagined that Miroballi had had the same thought of Alex.
“No,” he answered. “I couldn’t wear a wire. Miro would check for it.”
“Was the F.B.I. listening?”
“Don’t know. They didn’t exactly share their every move with me, Shelly.”
Fair enough. “But Miroballi seemed overly compliant with you. And that made you think he was on to your situation.”
“He must have been. He
must
have, Shelly. I didn’t hear from the guy again. He’s getting regular payments from me, then he’s upping the fee, then all of a sudden he’s being all agreeable, and he disappears off the face of the earth? Of course he knew. He knew the feds had gotten to me.”
She sat back in her chair. Oh, the tangled webs. Alex hadbeen caught and turned into a drug peddler by a dirty cop, then caught by legitimate law enforcement and flipped into a government informant. All of this, for a kid who just had an arrangement with a couple of guys at work for recreational drugs. She hadn’t approved of his side business, but God—surely he hadn’t deserved this.
“The feds are telling me that I won’t be able to prove that Miroballi was working with you,” she said.
Alex waved a hand in anger. “Bullshit. Shelly, they knew. If not, how would they ever know to find me? How would they even know who I was? They only
found
me because I was working with Miro.”
“I didn’t say they didn’t
know,
Alex. I’m talking about proof. Did they have
proof
?”
He pursed his lips, stared at the wall. “Can I prove that Miroballi knew I had been caught by the F.B.I.? Other than the fact that he tried to blow my head off? No, I can’t read the guy’s mind. I can’t prove it.” He looked at Shelly plaintively. “He disappeared the moment I was picked up by the feds, reappears one time and barely says a thing, and he tries to kill me. That’s all I can tell you.”
“I believe you,” she said. She couldn’t possibly say that with confidence.
He shook his head. “Next time I see that cop—well, you know.”
“The next time you saw him was the day of the shooting.”
Alex nodded yes. Shelly had arrived at the moment, but she wouldn’t ask the question yet. She wouldn’t ask him whether he pulled the trigger.
Alex inhaled and looked over Shelly’s head, working his jaw. “See, Shelly, Miro never just walked up to me in the open like that. He didn’t just get out of his squad car and say, ‘Hey, bud, where’s my money?’ I’d drop it somewhere and he’d pick it up after I left.”
“So that day, when he got out of his squad car—”
“Oh, yeah, this guy”—Alex adjusts in his seat, animated now—“he gets out of his car and comes after me—I know what this guy’s doing.”
“You think he wanted to kill you.”
Alex’s eyes fell to the table, a haunting expression on his face. “Shelly, I swear to you—Miro knew. He was going to take me out right there. People think just because a guy’s a cop, he doesn’t do bad stuff.”
“People don’t think that,” she said. At least, she certainly didn’t. She reached across and put her hand on his.
11
Deliberations
S OMETIMES SHE WATCHES
him in court. He is a prosecutor, and today he is talking to the jury. He is tall and strong and speaks very confidently. If she were told that he was king of the world, she would believe it. They are drawn to him, she can see, the jurors, the spectators, even the judge. Daddy is prosecuting a man who held up a gas station in Bakerstown and killed the attendant. Felony murder, she has heard him say to Mother.
The defendant was convicted two weeks ago. This is the sentencing phase. Her father is asking the jury to sentence the defendant to death. She can see the defendant and she’s read about
“Were you wearing a wire?” She couldn’t believe that she was asking Alex questions like this. But she imagined that Miroballi had had the same thought of Alex.
“No,” he answered. “I couldn’t wear a wire. Miro would check for it.”
“Was the F.B.I. listening?”
“Don’t know. They didn’t exactly share their every move with me, Shelly.”
Fair enough. “But Miroballi seemed overly compliant with you. And that made you think he was on to your situation.”
“He must have been. He
must
have, Shelly. I didn’t hear from the guy again. He’s getting regular payments from me, then he’s upping the fee, then all of a sudden he’s being all agreeable, and he disappears off the face of the earth? Of course he knew. He knew the feds had gotten to me.”
She sat back in her chair. Oh, the tangled webs. Alex hadbeen caught and turned into a drug peddler by a dirty cop, then caught by legitimate law enforcement and flipped into a government informant. All of this, for a kid who just had an arrangement with a couple of guys at work for recreational drugs. She hadn’t approved of his side business, but God—surely he hadn’t deserved this.
“The feds are telling me that I won’t be able to prove that Miroballi was working with you,” she said.
Alex waved a hand in anger. “Bullshit. Shelly, they knew. If not, how would they ever know to find me? How would they even know who I was? They only
found
me because I was working with Miro.”
“I didn’t say they didn’t
know,
Alex. I’m talking about proof. Did they have
proof
?”
He pursed his lips, stared at the wall. “Can I prove that Miroballi knew I had been caught by the F.B.I.? Other than the fact that he tried to blow my head off? No, I can’t read the guy’s mind. I can’t prove it.” He looked at Shelly plaintively. “He disappeared the moment I was picked up by the feds, reappears one time and barely says a thing, and he tries to kill me. That’s all I can tell you.”
“I believe you,” she said. She couldn’t possibly say that with confidence.
He shook his head. “Next time I see that cop—well, you know.”
“The next time you saw him was the day of the shooting.”
Alex nodded yes. Shelly had arrived at the moment, but she wouldn’t ask the question yet. She wouldn’t ask him whether he pulled the trigger.
Alex inhaled and looked over Shelly’s head, working his jaw. “See, Shelly, Miro never just walked up to me in the open like that. He didn’t just get out of his squad car and say, ‘Hey, bud, where’s my money?’ I’d drop it somewhere and he’d pick it up after I left.”
“So that day, when he got out of his squad car—”
“Oh, yeah, this guy”—Alex adjusts in his seat, animated now—“he gets out of his car and comes after me—I know what this guy’s doing.”
“You think he wanted to kill you.”
Alex’s eyes fell to the table, a haunting expression on his face. “Shelly, I swear to you—Miro knew. He was going to take me out right there. People think just because a guy’s a cop, he doesn’t do bad stuff.”
“People don’t think that,” she said. At least, she certainly didn’t. She reached across and put her hand on his.
11
Deliberations
S OMETIMES SHE WATCHES
him in court. He is a prosecutor, and today he is talking to the jury. He is tall and strong and speaks very confidently. If she were told that he was king of the world, she would believe it. They are drawn to him, she can see, the jurors, the spectators, even the judge. Daddy is prosecuting a man who held up a gas station in Bakerstown and killed the attendant. Felony murder, she has heard him say to Mother.
The defendant was convicted two weeks ago. This is the sentencing phase. Her father is asking the jury to sentence the defendant to death. She can see the defendant and she’s read about
Similar Books
