“Then why?”
I asked uneasily.
“Because we’re not just talking about serial murders. We’re not just talking about some fruitcake out there who’s got a thing about couples. This thing’s political. It’s got to be.”
Falling silent, she caught the waitress’s eye. Abby did not say another word until a second round of drinks was placed on our table and she had taken several sips.
“Kay,” she continued, and she was calmer, “does it surprise you that Pat Harvey talked to me when I was in Richmond?”
“Yes, frankly.”
“Have you given any thought as to why she agreed to it?”
“I suppose she would have done anything to bring her daughter back,” I said. “And sometimes publicity can help.”
Abby shook her head. “When I talked to Pat Harvey, she told me a lot of things that I would never have put in the paper. And it’s not the first encounter I’d had with her, not by a long shot.”
“I don’t understand.”
I was feeling shaky, and it was due to more than the espresso.
“You know about her crusade against illegal charities.”
“Vaguely,” I replied.
“The tip that alerted her about all that originally came from me.”
“From you?”
“Last year I began work on a big investigative piece about drug trafficking. As I was going along, I began to uncover a lot of things I couldn’t verify, and this is where the fraudulent charities come in. Pat Harvey has an apartment here, at the Watergate, and one evening I went there to interview her, to get a couple quotes for my story. We got to talking. I ended up telling her about the allegations I’d heard to see if she could corroborate any of them. That’s how it began.”
“What allegations, exactly?”
“About ACTMAD, for example,” Abby said. “Allegations that some of these antidrug charities are really fronts for drug cartels and other illegal activities in Central America. I told her I’d been informed by what I considered to be reliable sources that millions of dollars donated each year were ending up in the pockets of people like Manuel Noriega. Of course, this was before Noriega was arrested. But it’s believed that funds from ACTMAD and other so-called charities are being used to buy intelligence from U.S. agents and facilitate the heroin trade through Panamanian airports, customs offices, in the Far East and the America’s.
“And Pat Harvey, prior to your coming to her apartment, had heard nothing about this?”
“No, Kay. I don’t think she had a clue, but she was outraged. She started investigating, and then finally went before Congress with a report. A special subcommittee was formed to investigate, and she was invited to serve as a consultant, as you probably know. Apparently, she’s uncovered a great deal and a hearing has been set for this April. Some people aren’t happy about it, including the justice Department.”
I was beginning to see where this was going.
“There are informants involved,” Abby went on, “that the DEA, FBI, and CIA have been after for years. And you know how it works. When Congress gets involved, they have the power to offer special immunity in exchange for information. Once these informants testify in this congressional hearing, the game’s over. No way the Justice Department will be able to prosecute.”
“Meaning that Pat Harvey’s efforts are not exactly appreciated by the Justice Department.”
“Meaning that the Justice Department would be secretly thrilled if her entire investigation fell apart.”
“The National Drug Policy Director, or Drug Czar,” I said, “is subservient to the Attorney General, who commands the FBI and DEA. If Mrs. Harvey is having a conflict of interests with the Justice Department, why doesn’t the AG reign her in?”
“Because it’s not the AG she’s having a problem with, Kay. What she’s doing is going to make him look good, make the White House look good. Their Drug Czar is making a dent in drug crimes. What your average citizen won’t understand is that as far as the FBI and DEA are concerned, the consequences of this congressional hearing aren’t great enough. All that will occur is a full disclosure, the names of these charities and the truth about what they’ve been doing. The publicity will put groups like ACTMAD out of business, but the scumbags involved will suffer nothing more than a slap on the wrist. The agents working the cases end up with an empty bag because nobody gets put away. Bad people don’t stop doing bad things. It’s like closing down a nip joint. Two weeks later, it’s reopened on another corner.”