Youre being well paid to waste it.

And if theres any truth at all to the story, its not smart for me to go around digging up

But you said there wasnt any truth to it.

Its too wild to think its Kennedy, but it could be Jimmy Hoffa or some Mafia goon.

Providing I havent paid through the nose for a fairy tale.

Which youve probably done.

Then come with me and well find out. He paused. Unless you think you couldnt do the job with an unprejudiced mind. Theres no way I want you putting Jimmy Hoffas face on this skull.

You know damn well Im too good to do that. Dont try to manipulate me, Logan.

Why not? Im good at it. We all do what were good at. Arent you even a little bit curious to find out if Donnellis telling the truth?

No, its just another wild-goose chase.

Not so wild if they tried to scare you off. Or per-haps youd rather forgive and forget what happened to your lab?

Manipulation again. Strike where it hurts. She turned away. Im not forgetting anything, but Im not sure I believe

Ill double the contribution to the Adam Fund.

She slowly turned back to him. Dammit, youre paying too much for too little. Even if its true, it all happened a long time ago. What if nobody cares that the Democrats did a massive cover-up?

What if they do? The climate is right. The public is sick to death of being manipulated by politicians.

Just what are you up to, Logan?

I thought you had me figured out. Im just your run-of-the-mill low-life tycoon trying to stack the deck.

She wasnt close to figuring him out and there was no way she would accept one word he had spoken as truth.

Will you think about it?

No.

Yes, you will. You cant help yourself. Give me your decision in the morning.

And what if I say no?

Why do you think I bought a property with a cemetery?

She stiffened.

Just joking. He smiled. Ill send you home, of course.

She started for the door.

And I wont ask for the Adam Fund money back. Even if you dont complete your part of the bargain. Which makes me appear a good deal more honorable than you, doesnt it?

I told you I wouldnt do anything illegal.

Im not trying to involve you in anything really illegal. No raid on Arlington or digging up a grave-yard. Just a brief visit to a cornfield in Maryland.

Which is probably still illegal.

But if Im right, our little transgression will come out smelling like the proverbial rose. He shrugged. Think. Sleep on it. Youre a reasonable woman and I think youll agree that Im not asking you to do anything that would betray your code of ethics.

If youre telling me the truth.

He nodded. If Im telling you the truth. Ive no intention of trying to convince you that I am. I know it wouldnt do any good. Youll have to make up your own mind. He opened the top desk drawer and pulled out a leather address book. Good night. Let me know your decision as soon as you make it.

She was dismissed, she realized. No persuasion. No protestations. The ball was in her court.

Or was it?

Good night. She left the library and swiftly climbed up the stairs to her bedroom.

Kennedy.

Impossible. Kennedy was lying at Arlington, not in some hole in a Maryland cornfield. Logan had been suckered into paying for nothing.

But Logan was anything but a sucker. If he thought there was any truth to Donnellis story, that might be enough reason for her to look deeper into it.

And to give credence to any plan Logan might have for a smear campaign. He could be lying, dig-ging desperately for a way to get what he wanted.

She had made a deal with him and he had kept his end of it.

Oh, what the hell. She was too tired to make a de-cision now. She would go to bed and hope she would see things more clearly in the morning. It would be the sensible thing to

The window.

She stiffened and inhaled sharply. Imagination. She wouldnt let herself be tricked by her own mind. She was tired and discouraged and prey to her own imagination. She wouldnt let herself be

The window.

She moved slowly across the room to the window and stood looking out into the darkness.

Darkness. Mosquitoes. Bugs. Snakes.

His Italian designer loafers were being ruined by the damp, rotting foliage on the trail, Fiske real-ized with annoyance.

He had never liked the woods. He remembered one time when he was a kid, hed been sent to some fucking camp in Maine and been forced to stay there for two weeks. His parents were always sending him somewhere to get rid of him.

Bastards.

But hed fixed them. Hed made sure the camp would never accept him back after that summer. They hadnt been able to prove anything, but the counselor had known. Oh, yes, he had known. It had shown in the pricks scared face, the way his eyes slid away from him.

That summer had taught him a few lessons hed been able to apply to his chosen vocation. Camping nuts almost always needed reservations for a camping site at a national park, and each reservation was tidily documented by the forest rangers.

There was a glimmer of fire up ahead.

Target.

Approach directly or wait until they were asleep?

Adrenaline was starting to pump through him.

Direct approach. Let them see him, feel it coming.