“I’ve been asked to pass it along that you need to move your truck,” Marino says to me. “The K-nine and another unit tried to leave but you’ve got the driveway blocked. They’re waiting by the gate and I’m just warning you they’re pissed.”

“They were really mad!” Desi says excitedly. “And they had on guns too!”

“Ohhhhhh no. I’m so scared.” Lucy picks him up and swings him around as he laughs hilariously.

“I suspect I’ve added to the problem,” Donoghue says to Marino. “I had to leave my car down there for the same reason. I’m sure it must be blocking people.”

“Yep,” he says. “You’re blocking the truck and the truck’s blocking a couple of assholes.”

“If you give me your keys I’ll take care of it,” Lucy says to her.

Donoghue digs them out and hands them over. “Not one word to the FBI, the police, not to anyone. No joking. No deliberately aggravating them. No obscene gestures.” She’s firm with Lucy.

But it won’t do any good. I can already tell, and I know my niece. I know what enrages her. I know when there will be hell to pay.

“I’m going to insist that all further communications must go through me. Are you all right with that?” Donoghue asks.

“I don’t care,” Lucy says.

“I need you to care.”

“It’s better not to.”

“I don’t need you to be afraid but I do need you to care.”

“I’m not afraid and I don’t care. Not the way they want me to.”

“I need you to care the way I want you to,” Donoghue says, and she gives more instructions. “Don’t return to the main house until they’re gone. If they want to interview you, well I shouldn’t indicate that they might not …”

“Sure you should indicate it,” Lucy rudely cuts her off. “That’s exactly right because the bigger worry is they don’t want to question me, interview me, hear my side of anything, that it was never their intention. They don’t care what I have to say. All they care about is making some case that fits with their petty politics.”

“I’m assuming they want to ask you questions. I’ll insist that we set up a formal time and they can do it at my firm.” Donoghue’s not an alarmist and she doesn’t accept what Lucy just said.