Now and then - By Robert B. Parker Page 0,23

a recently deceased FBI agent.”

“Sexual congress is neither illegal nor rare,” Alderson said. 109

“But the postcoital chitchat suggests that you may be involved in, ah, antigovernment activity.”

“Who wouldn’t oppose this government?” Alderson said.

“Matter of degree and method,” I said.

Alderson gave me his blank dignified stare again, while he thought about things.

“Posit, as an hypothesis,” Alderson said after a time, “that such a tape existed, how would I know you had it?”

With my left hand, I pushed the play button on the tape recorder.

“Shall we have a drink while we talk about what you know?”

Alderson’s voice said.

“Let me get my body covered,” Jordan’s voice said.

“I like your body the way it is,” Perry said. “Stay here. I’ll get us a drink and we can talk in bed.”

“Perfect,” Jordan said. “I’ll tell you what I’ve learned from Dennis.”

I shut off the recorder. Alderson pursed his lips slightly.

“Posit a second hypothesis,” he said after a while. “That it was actually my voice on that tape, and that I wanted to acquire it, how much would it cost me?”

“Fifty thousand dollars,” I said.

“What is to prevent someone from simply taking the tape from you?” Alderson said.

“Me,” I said.

“You fancy yourself a tough guy?” Alderson said.

“Known fact,” I said.

“And should one pay your price, how would one know one wasn’t getting one copy of many?”

“One would not know,” I said.

Alderson pursed his lips some more.

“You are arrogant,” he said.

“Confi dent,” I said.

Alderson mulled for a time.

“May I have time to consider this?” he said.

“Sure,” I said. “Week from today, in the afternoon, I turn everything I got over to the special agent in charge, Boston offi ce, FBI.”

Alderson stood and looked down at me for a while with his eyes empty. Then he turned and left without speaking again.

27.

An hour after Alderson left, Epstein arrived.

“Alderson came to visit you,” he said.

“He did.”

“You made contact with him at the college yesterday,” Epstein said. “And this morning he was here for about forty minutes.”

“Your guys are pretty good,” I said. “I didn’t make them yesterday, and I was looking for them.”

“We have our moments,” Epstein said. “What’s the story?”

“Off the record,” I said.

“Off what record?” Epstein said. “You been watching television again. I didn’t send a couple agents down to bring you in. I came here alone. In your office.”

“I need your word,” I said, “that we’ll do it my way.”

“No,” Epstein said.

“Don’t equivocate,” I said.

“I can’t give you my word blind,” Epstein said. “I can’t let you decide what’s bureau business. Maybe I never could, but the rules have changed since nine-eleven.”

I nodded. Epstein didn’t say anything. I didn’t say anything. We had gotten to the bridge we were going to cross when we got to it. And we both knew it. The muffled sound of traffic drifted up from Boylston Street. The sound of someone in high heels walking briskly came from the corridor outside my office.

“You asked me to trust you,” Epstein said. “I can’t do that. But what I can do is ask you to trust me.”

I waited.

“Bureau business comes first,” Epstein said. “That stipulated, I’ll cut you as much slack as I can.”

My office refrigerator cycled on quietly. Susan had decided I needed a refrigerator. It was a small one, next to the file cabinet. I kept milk in it, for coffee, and beer, for emergencies. I opened my middle drawer and took out the tape recorder. I had rewound it to the beginning when Alderson left. Now I had only to punch the play button. Which I did. Epstein listened to the whole tape without saying anything. When it was through he said, “Got a dupe?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll take that one,” Epstein said.

I took the tape out of the recorder and handed it to him.

“Okay,” Epstein said. “Talk to me.”

I got us each some coffee, sat in my chair, put my feet up, and took a sip.

“I edited that tape down to the stuff Doherty had to hear to know she was cheating,” I said.

“Why not play the whole thing?”

“He was going to have enough trouble hearing her cheat,” I said. “I didn’t want to make him sit through it all.”

“And?” Epstein said.

“The next day she came here and begged me for the tape.”

“So Doherty confronted her.”

“Yes,” I said.

“Played her the tape.”

“I assume so.”

“That must have been pretty,” Epstein said. “So why’d she want it?”

“Wondered the same thing,” I said. “She offered money. She offered sex. A combination of both. Whatever I wanted. She said if she didn’t get the tapes it