“The sound of a man dying in Algeria is not even a whisper in the world. Arab man dies in Palestine, it is five orchestras, every instrument playing. Palestine boy huddled under his father, killed by a Jew, everywhere his picture goes. But where are the pictures of Muslim boys killed by Muslims in Blida? Where are the photographs of the Muslim djeddat killed by Muslim men in Médéa? Who makes this? It is not the Jew. It is not the CIA. It is us. Us.”

“Don’t try to tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind,” Linda said to Heather. Her tone was accusatory.

April wondered if they could extract Linda. Tricky; that’s why they’d discouraged her from doing this. Once these things were launched, it was hard to put the bullet back in the gun.

“Linda, what’s with you?” Heather said, but gently, placating. “I mean, why this all of a sudden, this terrorism?”

“I have my reasons.” Argumentative.

Linda, you are jeopardizing this investigation, April said in Linda’s ear, as sternly as she could.

Melhaney shook his head. The technician was making notations on a clipboard.

“Are you okay?” Heather asked. She probably could see Linda’s face listening to April’s words. Jesus.

“Take me there,” Linda said, loud mouthed. “I’ll show you!”

“Take you where?”

“The storage unit!” Linda actually shrieked this.

“It’s in Everett!” Heather’s voice raised now.

“There are bombs there,” Linda said, a shrug in her voice. Take it or leave it was the tone.

“This is just . . . just crazy.” Heather, stupefied.

“Prove me wrong. Just prove me wrong!” Linda raised her voice again.

“I don’t have a key anymore, but I mean you can’t think—just because—I mean, we’re paying you back, and we’re sorry.”

“For four years, you make my life a misery.” Linda was gone. It was all about Linda now.

“It was wrong. Really, really wrong.”

“You think I was stupid. You think: Little Puerto Rican, she’ll never figure it out, oh, no, not her. You moved. You thought you are fooling me!”

Melhaney was pushing a note to April. It said, What should we do? April wrote back, I’m notifying the task force and headquarters. She hoped they had enough time. It was nine.

Chapter 33

33

The hostess was getting Heather’s coat. Linda was back at the table, paying for dinner. They hadn’t even finished. It was upsetting. The people at the table next to theirs had been staring at them; Linda was practically shouting. The manager had to come and ask Linda to leave.