Still, Marino was silent.
“I suspect the only motivation was to prevent any inconveniences for either of you,” Talley added, tapping an ash.
“All right, all right,” Marino grumbled.
“Dr. Scarpetta,” Talley then said, “are you familiar with our magistrate system over here?”
“Enough to know that I’m glad we don’t have one in Virginia.”
“The magistrate’s appointed. for life. The forensic pathologist is appointed by the magistrate, and it’s the magistrate who decides what evidence is submitted to the labs and even what the manner of death is;” Talley explained.
“Like our coroner system at its worst,” I said. “Whenever politics and votes are involved-”
“Power,” Talley cut in. “Corruption. Politics and criminal investigation should never be in the same room.”
“But they are. All the time, Agent Talley. Maybe even here, in your organization,” I said.
“Interpol?” He seemed to find this very amusing. “There’s really no motivation for Interpol to do the wrong thing, as sanctimonious as that might sound. We don’t take credit. We don’t want publicity, cars, guns or uniforms; we don’t fight over jurisdictions. We have a surprisingly small budget for what we do. To most people we don’t even exist.”
“You say this we shit like you’re one of them,” Marino commented. “I’m confused. One minute you’re ATF, the next minute you’re a secret squirrel.”
Talley raised an eyebrow and blew out smoke. “Secret squirrel?” he asked.
“How’d you end up over here anyway?” Marino wouldn’t relent.
“My father’s French, my mother American. I spent most of my childhood in Paris, then my family moved to Los Angeles.”
“Then what?”
“Law school, didn’t like it, ended up with ATE”
“For how long?” Marino continued his’interrogation.
“I’ve been an agent about five years.”
“Yeah? And how much of that’s been over here?” Marino was getting more belligerent with each question.
“Two years.”
“That’s kinda cushy. Three years on the street, then you end up over here drinking wine and hanging out in this big glass castle with all these hot-shit people.”
“I’ve been extremely fortunate.” Talley’s graciousness carried a sting. “You’re absolutely right. I suppose it helps somewhat that I speak four languages and have traveled extensively. I also got into computers and international studies at Harvard.”
“I’m hitting the john.” Marino abruptly got up.
“It’s the Harvard part that really got him;” I said to Talley as Marino stalked off.
“I didn’t mean to piss him off,” he said.
“Of course you did.”
“Oh. Such a bad impression you have of me so quickly.”
“He’s usually not quite this bad;” I went on. “There’s a new deputy chief who’s thrown him back in uniform, suspended him and tried everything short of a bullet to destroy him..,
“What’s his name?” Talley asked.
“It’s a her,” I answered. “Sometimes the hers are worse than hims, it’s been my experience. More threatened, more insecure. Women tend to do each other in when we should be helping each other along.”
“You don’t seem to be like that.” He studied me.
“Sabotage takes too much time.”
He wasn’t sure how to take that.
“You’ll find I’m very direct, Agent Talley, because I have nothing to hide. I’m focused and I mean business. I’ll fight you or I won’t. I’ll confront you or I won’t, and I’ll do it strategically but mercifully because I have no interest in watching anybody suffer. Unlike Diane Bray. She poisons people and sits back and watches, enjoying the show as the person slowly and in agony wastes away.”
“Diane Bray. Well, well,” Talley said, “toxic waste in tight clothes.”
“You know her?” I asked, surprised.
“She finally left D.C. so she could ruin some other police department. I was at headquarters briefly before getting assigned here. She was always trying to coordinate what her cops were doing with what the rest of us were doing. You know, FBI, Secret Service, us. Not that there’s anything wrong with people working together, but that wasn’t her agenda. She just wanted to get in thick with the power brokers, and damn if she didn’t.”
“I don’t want to waste energy talking about her;” I said. “She’s taken far too much of my energy already.”
“Would you like dessert?”