“Is that your comment?” I asked. We were speaking on different frequencies.

He laughed at what he regarded as my obfuscation. “Obviously you’re not going to tell me how you did it. But this is a mark of America’s power, that you can get this information and use it so ruthlessly. No other country can do that. And if you can find these accounts, you can find others. And if you can intercept encrypted communications, you can penetrate the banks and steal my money. That is the message you are sending me, and I understand it. Message received. So what is it that you want from me? What can I do that will convince you to stop this pursuit?”

“Nothing. We’re going to run the story unless you can show me that it’s false.”

“Enough about the story. The information is true, obviously! The story is my little problem; there are many ways to solve it. My big problem is the CIA. What can I do to solve my big problem?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to talk to the CIA.”

“This is tiresome. We have known for two years that you work for the agency. That’s the reason I wanted to talk with you. You told Alessi on the telephone that we would meet and talk, and then, perhaps, the Mirror would not run the story. That’s why I agreed to meet you. So I want to know: What is the price? How do we get the CIA to stop this campaign?”

“I keep trying to tell you, Mr. Bézy, I don’t work for the CIA. I am a reporter for The New York Mirror. I’m sorry if you’re confused about that, but it’s really not my fault.”

Bézy shook his head. He was trying to be reasonable, but I was frustrating him. He stood up, went into the bedroom of his suite and returned with a lit cigarette in his mouth. “Why are you so difficult with me, Mr. Truell. I have the greatest respect for you. The way you used Arthur Bowman was very clever. The way you arranged Roger Navarre’s escape was more than clever. It was brilliant. We know who you are. We know what you did to Maurice Costa. We know about the campaign you and Mr. Rubino have organized against us. We want to make peace. That is the question: How do we make peace? Please. You have come so far. It is time for us to be honest.”

“All right. Let’s be honest. Why did you kill Arthur Bowman?”