I?T WAS MIDNIGHT WHEN THEYpulled to a stop in the parking lot of a bargain-rate motel outside of Naples.
He looked at her, but Roe stared straight ahead.
“Okay,” he said.
She turned to look at him. “I know that Alan Draymont was not a good person.”
“You know personally?”
She nodded.
“Because he was blackmailing you?”
She nodded again.
“How?” he asked.
“You’re with the FBI.”
“So it’s something illegal on your part?”
She remained rigid. “No, but it’s not…something I’m proud of, either.”
“Was Lancer involved as well?”
“What do you think?”
“They seemed to be quite the team, so my bet is yes. Two nasty peas in a pod.” He looked at the motel. “What was the price you paid for them to keep your secret?”
“Payment was made in…several ways.”
“One of them being here, with you doing something with Draymont you didn’t want to do? In bed?”
She swallowed, perhaps choking back a sob. If he hadn’t been watching her closely, Decker would have missed the barely perceptible nod of her head.
“How did Draymont find out?”
“I don’t know for certain. He might have followed me.”
“Followed you to where you did what you’re not proud of?”
She let out a long breath and turned to him. “I went to the home of a wealthy, politically powerful, andmarriedperson in Miami. Later, Draymont showed me pictures, and recordings of…me and the person engaged in…certain acts. I have no idea how he managed that. I was quite shocked when he showed me.”
“And did you know that DraymontandLancer had a blackmail business going, in addition to what they had on you? And you looked the other way because they had you nailed to the wall, too?”
Tears seeped out from under her closed eyelids.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Decker. “And that was the other form of payment? You not exposing them?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t really push all that hard when the necklace went missing, did you? You said you confronted Lancer but you really didn’t, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. But I was upset. It was my business. At least with the blackmail they could keep their identities secret from their victims.”
“But they didn’t keep it secret from you. Draymont wanted you in his bed and they needed you to cover for their blackmail scheme.”
“When you say it like that my culpability seems staggering.”