In the Company of Liars by David Ellis Page B

always. He has one messed-up life there, but when he’s in the lab, he’s going great guns. We’re hearing a couple of weeks, he’ll have the formula perfected.”
    Shiels sighs and raises a hand, as close as he will come to an apology. “The doctor’s still clucking?”
    â€œYes, sir,” McCoy says, her tone indicating that she is as surprised as her boss. It continues to amaze McCoy that some cocaine addicts can function indefinitely in society. They teach their classes, make their deadlines, argue their cases in court. As long as they have their breaks for the occasional fix, they can go out and do their jobs. Some of them give in, are overcome by the addiction, but the truth is, what stops many junkies is the lack of money to continue their habit. And financial resource is one of the few problems that does not plague Doctor Neil Lomas.
    â€œWhat about the other problem?”
    McCoy shakes her head. “He’s not gambling anymore. He seems steady enough.”
    Shiels seems okay with that, or maybe the momentary glazing over of his eyes is due to sleep deprivation. “What do you get,” he poses, “when you cross the murder of a lobbyist with a bribery scandal with a terrorist operation that could kill hundreds of thousands of people?”
    â€œAn ulcer?” she tries.
    â€œRight. Yeah. Exactly.” He moves past McCoy and touches the chair by her shoulder. “And how is the loose cannon?”
    Allison Pagone, he means. “Not loose at all, sir.”
    â€œAre we sure we know everything there is to know about her, Agent?” Shiels is at his window now, looking over the downtown.
    â€œI’m confident,” McCoy says, with a twitch to her gut.The truth is, she thinks she knows all there is to know about Allison Pagone. But she has been around the block. No matter the resources you employ, there is only so much you can know about a person, especially what’s inside her head.
    Shiels turns and faces McCoy. “And what about the rest of her family?”
    â€œIt’s covered, sir.”
    â€œCovered.” He moves his shoe over the carpeting, drawing with his foot, as far as she can tell, a tic-tac-toe pattern. Could be a crucifix. Shiels has seen a lot in his years with the government, and the fact that this thing has him so jumpy doesn’t exactly ease McCoy’s mind.
    â€œWe’re watching Allison,” McCoy adds.
    â€œYou were watching Sam Dillon, too.”
    McCoy bows her head. A sore point, for all of them. Especially for McCoy. She will not repeat the mistake with Allison Pagone. She can’t. It would mean the end of her career, first of all. Maybe not an outright termination but an unspoken demotion, a reassignment, shitty casework. And her career is the least of her concerns. She took it hard when Dillon was murdered, took it personally, even though she had never so much as spoken a word to the man.
    â€œJust what we fucking needed,” Shiels moans, pacing the room again. “A celebrity. It’s bad enough that all of this is connected. Bad enough we have the county prosecuting a murder case around all of this. Bad enough that Pagone could be telling her lawyer God knows what—”
    â€œShe doesn’t know, sir—”
    â€œâ€”no, that’s not enough. No, this case has to involve a best-selling novelist. We only have about three hundred media outlets covering this story.”
    â€œDon’t worry about Allison Pagone, sir,” says McCoy.
    The special agent-in-charge looks at Jane, then sits on the edge of the desk near her.
    â€œAgent McCoy,” he says, “we need Allison Pagone alive.”
    â€œYes, sir.” McCoy nods.
    â€œThis was your call, Agent.”
    â€œYes, it was.”
    â€œAnd I backed it up to Washington. I told them Jane McCoy’s the one they want in charge of this operation. I backed up everything you’ve done on this. You