Kinney didn’t say anything but his body went rigid. Bingo. Interrogation was just like riding a bike, Malone decided. The skills came back when you needed them. He took a seat, keeping his posture relaxed and his tone amicable. “Here’s what we think happened, and you can feel free to tell me I’m wrong. Something went down years ago between Jacoby and his boss, Troy Hamilton.” Malone was grasping at straws with this theory, but Kinney didn’t know that. His reaction to Jacoby’s name was all Malone needed to head in this direction.

“We think it involved Hamilton’s son Josh. Maybe Jacoby had something big on Hamilton, something he held over his head for years while they both rose in the ranks within the Bureau. But then the secret went public, and everyone’s in cover-their-ass mode, including Jacoby, who’s fallen off the radar. Now maybe, just maybe, Jacoby decides that his old buddy Troy has got to go before he can spill the beans on the whole scheme.

“So now we’ve got Troy out of the way, what do we do with the son who caused all this trouble in the first place? We can’t have him running around telling people his parents stole him from another family. If we take him out of the picture, then everything is so much cleaner than it would be otherwise. And that, my friend, is where you come in.” Malone paused for effect. “It was a good plan, except you got sloppy and forgot to take the plates off the van. Oh, and did I mention that Josh didn’t die? Yeah, that’s a bummer, because the doctors say he’s going to survive, and when he starts talking, whoa, I want to be there for that. You feeling me?”

Kinney squirmed ever so slightly, but Malone saw it and pounced, leaning in so he was halfway across the table—right in the other man’s face. “I’m giving you ten minutes to make your deal or I’m offering it to one of your pals.” He stood and turned to leave, making it to the door before Kinney stopped him.

“What’re you offering?”

“Depends on what you’re giving.”

Kinney sighed. “What if I could tell you where Jacoby is?”

“That’d be worth a conversation about lesser charges with the AUSA,” Malone said. “It’s the U.S. Attorney’s call at the end, but I’d recommend leniency for your cooperation.”

“I want to talk it over with my lawyer first.”

“I’ll get you a phone, but that’ll take a few minutes. You should know that your friends are being offered the same deal as we speak. First come, first served.” He made to leave the room again. “Let me see about that phone.”

“Wait.”