“I don’t trust them is more like it.”
“Wise man. I don’t trust them either.” He gestured to the booth, and I slid in opposite him.
“Then why’d you become one?” I asked.
“Long story. The short version is I promised my father.”
I shook my head. The only thing I’d promised my father was that I’d never be like him. “And why should I trust you?”
“All I can tell you is I’m a good friend of the family, and I’m here to represent Deborah’s best interests.”
“What do we have to pay you?” I asked.
He stifled a chuckle. “Nothing. I help out family, and the Bensons and Covingtons are as close as two families can be.”
“So how does this work?” I wanted to have the lay of the land before the person with the real power, from the US Attorney’s office, arrived.
“I’ve written up a proffer, which basically lists the information and help Deborah is willing to provide in exchange for complete immunity.” He opened the folder on the table. “It would be best if I went over this with her before the other side arrived.”
I shook my head. “I’m not letting her walk into a trap. She can be here in five minutes, if I’m satisfied.”
He nodded slowly. “Cautious man.” He started reading from the paper. “Deborah is willing to identify the two bank robbers and where they can be located.”
I nodded.
“She will cooperate as a witness against them for the robbery and shooting she participated in and any knowledge she has regarding the other robberies and any other crimes she is aware of. She will identify all known hiding places of the stolen money. And, she will aid in identifying everybody involved in her kidnapping and provide testimony regarding all of the above.”
I nodded again. “That about sums it up. And for that she’ll get complete immunity and not face any time?”
Covington closed the folder. “That’s what I’m aiming for.”
I cocked my head. “What does that mean?”
“It means nothing is done until they sign on the dotted line. This is a negotiation. But trust me, I’ve got a backup plan if they don’t like this.”
I didn’t like the sound of negotiation, a backup plan, or contingencies. This was supposed to be settled. I waved Nell over, who I’d warned not to come by unless invited.
“What would you gentlemen like?” she asked.
“Coffee for me, special.” I looked to Covington.
“Coffee works for me too.”
“Coming right up,” Nell said cheerily before leaving.
I fixed him with a glare.
He didn’t flinch, a point for him.
I spoke first. “I thought this was all settled.”
“I went over our suggestions with the US attorney, but like you said, don’t trust anything the lawyer on the other side says unless it’s in writing,” he explained. “Their motivations are not the same as ours.”
That calmed my nerves. At least he and I were on the same wavelength regarding the trustworthiness of cops and prosecutors, which for me was pegged at dead zero.
We were quiet while Nell dropped off our mugs. After she left, I asked, “Who will be coming from their side?”
“My brother-in-law, Adam Cartwright, will represent the FBI, and Denise Turco, an assistant US attorney for the District of Maryland, is coming from their office. The AUSA is the decisionmaker in this. The FBI can make recommendations, but she’s the one with the power to grant immunity.”
While we waited, I learned that Covington wasn’t your usual scumbag lawyer. He ran a company in San Francisco that provided legal support to tenants with landlord and eviction problems. At least he was on the right side of that one.
The bell over the door jangled, and a man and a woman entered. Their attire gave them away at a hundred paces—the other side had arrived.
I stood.
Steven looked behind him and joined me standing. “I thought Adam was coming,” he said to the man as he offered his card.
“I’m Adam’s boss, Jarvis Dempsey. I thought I’d handle this one,” the man said gruffly.
“Steven Covington, representing Ms. Benson, and this is her friend Jay.”
We sat after finishing the introductions.
The US Attorney’s office had sent Denise Turco as expected, but Dempsey substituting for Adam was the first fly in the ointment.
“And where is Ms. Benson?” Turco asked.
“She’ll join us if we come to an appropriate resolution,” Covington told her.
“I want to talk to her and understand exactly what she has to offer,” Turco replied.
Steven slid two copies of the piece of paper he’d shown me earlier to Turco and Dempsey. “I’ve summarized the terms of the proffer for you.”
Turco’s nose scrunched up when she got to the bottom. “This isn’t going to work with my boss.”
The negotiation had begun. She needed approval from a higher up—it was straight out of used-car-selling 101.
“What part?” Covington asked, more politely than I would have.
“We can knock it down to aiding and abetting,” Turco said. “But full immunity won’t fly.”
“We’ve got her on the bank robbery, attempted murder—” Dempsey insisted.
“But her gun wasn’t even loaded,” I told him, though I had no way to prove that.
Dempsey grinned at me. “She was there. That makes her equally responsible. And we have fleeing across state lines to avoid prosecution.”
“Yesterday I thought the Bureau supported full immunity,” Covington said.
“Not on my watch. The precedent doesn’t work for me. She’s scum from the same pond as the other two.”
This wasn’t going as well as the attorney had led me to believe it would. I was ready to bust the smug Dempsey in the mouth. “She’s not at all—”
Covington placed a calming hand on my arm, stopping my mouth. “I’d think you’d want to prevent the next robbery or shooting,” he said coolly.
Dempsey sat back. “We’ll wrap them up in no time, and then the terms of any deal are off the table.”
Covington looked over at Turco. “Are you willing to risk another shooting?”
She sat back as well. “I’ve given you the best offer you’re going to get.”
I didn’t see a way to gain leverage here short of lying and saying we knew they had another robbery planned for tomorrow.
“I’ll just be a moment.” Covington took out his phone and dialed. “Uncle Garth, Steven here. I could use that phone call now.”
Turco pulled her papers together. “If we’re boring you, Mr. Covington, perhaps we should put this off until Agent Dempsey’s men have caught your client’s accomplices.”
Covington hung up the phone and put it down. “Not at all. I just think you’re ignoring the kidnapping aspect. Deborah is the victim here, not a perpetrator.”
Dempsey’s face grew red. “Bullshit. She walked into a bank on her own two feet, with a gun no less. If she was kidnapped, she could easily have escaped. She’s the criminal here, not the victim.”