"Mr. Alamain, what happened?" Maurice Marchand's eyes widened in shock as Lawrence took his seat on the opposite side of the plexiglass.

Lawrence grimaced as he started to speak. The bruise along his jaw made it hard to open his mouth, but he told himself that he would not show any pain. He eyed his attorney and calmly, said, "Shane Donovan happened. He paid me a visit yesterday."

"How did he get-"

"Evidently, Donovan's quite friendly with the warden," Lawrence said.

Marchand leaned forward and began talking in a heated manner. "We'll make a complaint. That'll keep Donovan away from you, and-"

"Forget that," Lawrence said, shutting the lawyer up. "We have more important matters to discuss." He glanced around to make sure none of the guards were within hearing distance. "You did not ask why Donovan paid me his visit. It appears our strategy has produced some results."

"Yeah?" Marchand's nose was nearly pressed against the partition.

Lawrence decided to lean closer. Just in case. "Donovan is not a man who shows his anger easily. You see . . . he believes his son's life is in danger." Lawrence's expression did not change. "It was the quite a shock to the good captain to realize that those attacks were not directed at Kimberly Brady, but at her son."

"That can't be," Marchand said. "You can't really believe that, can you?"

Lawrence scoffed. "Why not? Our goal was to keep Donovan off-balance. What could be more unsettling to a man than losing his child?"

Marchand's eyes widened. "You're serious?"

"Of course. I'm always serious." Lawrence failed to understand the lawyer's confusion.

"No," Marchand said, shaking his head. "I made those calls you wanted, but I'm not going to be party to shooting up schools and killing kids . . . . No way. That's just going to far."

Lawrence chuckled. "And what do you think you can possibly do about it, Maurice? You made all the arrangements. You even arranged the money. As they would say in the movies, 'you're in this up to your eyeballs.'"

"You never said anything about killing kids," Marchand said.

"Oh well, I guess I failed to mention the possibility." Lawrence remained impassive. "In any event, your concern is probably unnecessary. From the news reports, no children were harmed in the shooting. And if I read Donovan correctly, he will keep that little brat of his on such a tight leash that our man won't be able to do much to the kid." Lawrence paused. "Have you heard from him?"

"Not since before the car accident."

"That's good." Lawrence thought for a few minutes. "You should have no further contact."

"So just let him loose? Are you serious?" Marchand's breath fogged up the plexiglass. "What if he tries to blow up a church or something?"

"It would serve the good citizens of Salem right," Lawrence said casually. They rejected me. They deserve what they get. "But I think we can rest assured that the only targets are Donovan and his family. So your worries are unnecessary. Besides, this is for your protection. If Donovan is convinced that I'm pulling the strings on these attacks, he will start to suspect my conduit is the only visitor whose conversations are not recorded."

"So you're saying I'm under surveillance?" Marchand asked.

"It is quite likely." Lawrence sighed. "I think, for now, we just let things run their course."

Marchand shook his head. "I don't like this, Mr. Alamain. We're talking about kids."

"Maurice, I'm very surprised at you," Lawrence said. "You are an intelligent man. Did you really believe that we could set this plan in motion without some collateral damage?"

Marchand stewed a little. "I understand that, Mr. Alamain, but, like I said, there have to be some lines."

Lawrence laughed. "Lines? There are no lines, except those between us and them.If anyone crossed a line, it was Donovan. He had no business striking me."

"And what? That justifies killing his son?" Marchand appeared truly shocked. He plainly did not understand the magnitude of Donovan's transgression.

"Very well," Lawrence said. "Your objection is noted. You will have nothing further to do with that aspect of the operation."

Or any other part of the operation, Lawrence added, silently. It was a shame to lose someone as valuable as Maurice Marchand. However, for Lawrence's plans to succeed, he needed men who would carry out his orders without hesitating. This silly bout of morality that Marchand was having showed weakness - and Lawrence could not accept weakness.

C'est la vie, Lawrence thought as he listened to Marchand's final report on the rest of the Alamain holdings. It really is too bad, but it's not like the world will mourn one less lawyer.