Page 104 of Feared

Mary asked, “Other documents about the software or anything like that?”

“Emails, but we don’t work that way.”

“So most of the documents were on the lawsuit?”

“Yes.”

“What were they, emails or letters, things like that, relating to the lawsuit?” Mary glanced at Anne, whose green eyes flashed with anger.

“Yes.” Paul looked up, pained.

“How did you give him these documents? You didn’t email them, did you?”

“No, nothing by email. He didn’t want anything traced.”

“You didn’t meet Machiavelli directly, did you?”

“No. He sent somebody to meet me, and I gave them to her.”

“Who was she?”

“I don’t know. She was short. Cute. Hot. I think she was, like, his assistant or something.”

“Do you know her name?”

“No, we never even talked.”

“But she met you in person?”

“Yes.”

“How often did you meet her in the past six-month period?”

Paul paused, in thought. “Probably ten times.”

“Where did you meet?”

“Always in the same place, Rittenhouse Square at lunchtime. On a bench. She would be eating her lunch, and I would sitdown and put the documents inside a newspaper, then get up and go.” Paul rolled his eyes. “It was like I was CIA or something, like a spy.”

Mary thought it sounded exactly like Machiavelli’s modus operandi. He probably had a network of these kids, doing his bidding in all sorts of enterprises, with him pulling the strings on an interconnected web of favors, like a second-rate Godfather. She felt appalled by the theft of business information, but she really wanted to focus on John’s murder. “Did you ever go to Machiavelli’s office and meet anybody else who worked for him?”

“No.”

“Have you ever been to his office?”

“No.”

“So the only contact you had lately with Machiavelli was when he made you this offer?”

“Yes.”

“So the only other contact you ever had with Machiavelli is through this woman?”

“Yes.”

Mary thought it over, because it wasn’t helping on the murder case. “Did she ever come with anybody in his organization, whom you think he used for security?”

“No, she always came alone.”