She interjected, “So you want to know why he is involved with me, correct? Because, despite my wall of legitimate businesses, I am, at bottom, simply a criminal?”
“Frankly, yes.”
Nash also knew that she was part of a conspiracy, presumably with this man, to flood the U.S. market with opioids and thereby weaken its democratic foundations.
So how did that jibe with this man workingwithAmerican interests?he thought.
“Legitimate businessmen sometimes need what I can provide.”
“And what is that?”
“When one is negotiating with another, what do you think is the most important thing to consider?”
“You need to frame things so that you can negotiate from a position of strength.”
“And what are the ways one can do that?”
“You can make sure you have all your ducks in a row, have taken all steps to ensure you are operating at optimal capacity, have thought through every scenario, and allow yourself wiggle room as necessary. In sum, you tell the story you want to tell and back it up with facts.”
“That is onyourside. What of the other side? What can be done to them?”
Nash took a few moments as she watched him closely.
“You take steps toweakenthe other side as much as you can. Which, I imagine, is where you come in.”
“Yes, that is where I came in. The renting of the social fabric in your country was my mission. And I performed that mission to the best of my ability, which provided him and his partners enormous leverage in world affairs.”
Nash thought,So that’s how his actions make sense. Work with America but also simultaneously weaken us.
He decided to take a chance and just say it. “And yet I read an article where the deaths from opioid addiction are falling quickly here. It’s said to be due to many factors.”
“And one such factor is the drop in the use of fentanyl in the pill-making process,” she said.
“And that was you?”
She looked past him, at the wall of books on the shelf. “One can play both sides, but only for a limited time. The truth will come out, of course.”
“You’replaying both sides, aren’t you? The others from before and the man today?”
“The man today is a grand master in many games. I would wager that he will arrive at my duplicity long before the likes of Señor Ramirez or even the more cunning Señor Tecú do.”
“And then what will happen?”
“He will kill me.”
“That’s your plan?”
“Are you so certain that I have a plan?”
“What about your mother?”
“What about her? Do you think she would care what happens to me?”
“It sounds like you’re giving up, which is not like you. You are a fighter, a survivor.”
“One cannot survive forever, Dillon-san. And unlike our visitor today, I do not wish to live forever.”
“But making it to your eighties is a worthy goal.”