Balance of Power

    But beneath Reiner's pose of arrogance Sarah sensed a tension similar to her own. Her attempts to reach Norman Conn had not succeeded; she feared that Conn, like Martin Bresler, had been intimidated into silence. But what Conn knew could be devastating to Lexington and to Reiner, his superior. The choice for Reiner was clear: admit facts damaging to Lexington, or lie, hoping that Conn had not—and would not— betray him. As for Nolan, he must know at the least that he was defending a problem witness. But unless Lexington had broken Conn completely, only Lenihan and Sarah knew the depth of Reiner's problems.

    "For what reason," Lenihan asked the witness, "does Lexington include the P-2 in its product line?"

    Sitting beside Reiner, Nolan was impassive; only his gaze, moving between Lenihan and Reiner, betrayed the importance of this witness. But Reiner's exaggerated squint seemed meant to convey the rank stupidity of the question. Bluffly, he answered, "To expand our customer base."

    "By what means?"

    The squint gave way to a show of white, obviously capped, front teeth. "By making a semiautomatic handgun with features people want."

    "What features?"

    Reiner rested both arms on the table, expanding his personal territory. "Things like a barrel shroud. To enable you to touch the gun even when the barrel overheats."

    "Will ten shots cause the barrel to heat?"

    Nolan's glance darted to Reiner. "No," the witness answered. "It takes more than ten."

    Lenihan leaned toward Reiner. To Sarah, they seemed mirror images of self-assertion and self-regard, save that Lenihan—with his curly hair, soft chin, and more gradually sloping belly—looked far less tough than his antagonist. "Why is that a problem," Lenihan inquired, "when it's illegal to manufacture magazines which hold more than ten rounds?"

    "We can't make them," Reiner retorted, "but it's legal for anyone to buy them. Just as long as they were made before the ban."

    "Why would 'anyone' need more than ten bullets?"

    Reiner shrugged. "Why not?"

    The casual answer caused Lenihan to lower his voice. "Aren't you concerned someone might 'need' more than ten bullets to slaughter a lot of people quickly?"

    " 'A lot of people,' " Reiner rejoined, "are gun fanciers or collectors. I don't question their motives, any more than I ask why someone would want a vintage Ferrari capable of hitting a hundred eighty miles an hour."

    "Why not retrofit the gun to only accept ten-bullet magazines?"

    "Why take on the expense? We'd have to eat it."

    "How expensive would that be?"

    Another shrug. "Don't know. Not my department."

    To Sarah, the gleam in Lenihan's eye suggested a poker player sitting on an ace-high straight. "Then I'll try to stick with what you do know. Are you aware that automatic weapons are illegal?"

    Reiner's expression conveyed both amusement and contempt. "Yes."

    "Would you agree that automatic weapons can be used to kill 'a lot of people' even quicker than the Lexington P-2, because they can fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger?"

    "Sure."

    "Isn't the P-2 designed to be easily convertible to automatic fire?"

    Reiner covered one wrist with the meaty fingers of his other hand. "I know some people do it."

    Pulling out a videotape and crudely printed pamphlet, Lenihan asked the reporter to mark them as Reiner Exhibits One and Two. "In fact, aren't this manual and tape—showing how to convert the P-2 to automatic fire—commonly sold at gun shows?"

    The squint returned to Reiner's face, but without its former amusement. "I wouldn't know."

    "Have you seen this manual before, Mr. Reiner?"

    "I don't recall."

    "Did you," Lenihan snapped, "help the author write this manual?"

    Nolan turned to the witness. Trained on Lenihan, Reiner's bright blue eyes were chill. "I talk to hundreds of gun enthusiasts every year, in person or on the phone. I can't remember them all, or what I may have told them."

    It was the only answer he could give, Sarah knew—except the truth. "Let's take ten minutes," Nolan said abruptly.

    Lenihan shrugged. "Fine. But once a client starts to lie, it's awfully hard to stop him."

* * *

    Recommencing, Lenihan inquired without preface, "Did you help design the Eagle's Claw bullet?"

    As though to relieve an aching joint, the witness squeezed his wrist. "I only gave advice. From a marketing perspective."

    "From a marketing perspective, what's the purpose of the Eagle's Claw?"

    "To have more stopping power." Assertiveness returning, Reiner combined his squint with another show of teeth. "If you're faced with bad guys, you want to eliminate the threat."

    "By killing them?"

    "By stopping them." Reiner's rough eastern-accented voice thickened with disgust. "If you have to defend your family, you're not worried about making these fine distinctions."

    Nolan placed a pen to his lips. Pausing, Lenihan smiled with a pleasure which struck Sarah as close to sensual. "Are you aware, Mr. Reiner, of a single successful use of the P-2 against a rapist or an intruder?"

    Reiner frowned. "I don't collect that kind of information."