“All right,” Lance said, “but when this is over I am going to want to know how you did it. My people are driving me crazy.”

“We’ll see,” Stone said.

On the third day of Pablo’s testimony, the CIA team began asking a lot more questions, many of them very pointed, but Pablo always responded immediately and smoothly. At the end of the day Stone took Pablo into his library and employed Cantor’s device.

“Pablo,” Stone said, “are you beginning to withhold information in your answers to their questions?”

“I am not,” Pablo said.

“I’m beginning to get the feeling that the people listening to us back at Langley have information about your activities that disagrees with your account of events, and they are communicating their doubts to Lance and his team.”

Pablo shrugged. “Is it not common for those participating in events to have different versions of what happened?”

“Of course it is,” Stone said. “I just want to be sure that you are not coloring events or altering them in such a way that the Agency is having doubts about your truthfulness.”

“I can only tell them what I remember,” Pablo said, “not what other sources may have told them.”

“Quite right,” Stone said. “Tomorrow, remember to bring your maps.”

“There is only one map,” Pablo replied.

That night at Elaine’s, as Stone and Dino were having dinner, Bill Eggers of Woodman & Weld walked in and sat down.

“Good evening, Bill,” Stone said, and Dino nodded.

“I am getting reports,” Eggers said, “that doubt is being cast on your client’s veracity in the discussions you and he are having with Lance Cabot and his people.”

“My client and I have sensed that belief in Lance and his people,” Stone replied.

“Stone, it would not reflect well on Woodman & Weld if this project of yours turned out to be an embarrassment.”

“Bill, I don’t know how something you were never supposed to know about could possibly turn into an embarrassment, but let me tell you this: to the best of my knowledge, my client has answered truthfully every question put to him, and he intends to continue to do so.”

“I hope you’re right,” Eggers said.

“Would you kindly explain to me how you and the firm became involved in this event?” Stone asked.

“We did not ask to be involved,” Eggers replied. “Lance, for reasons of his own, decided to tell me certain things.”

“For reasons of his own, indeed,” Stone said. “What he is attempting to do is to put pressure on me, through you, to give him what he wants.”

“Well, why don’t you just give it to him?” Eggers asked.