I wipe away a tear that rolls halfway down her face and the gusting wind causes confetti to swirl wildly everywhere around us.
"How?" I'm asking.
"He offered... Palakon offered you to... Bobby. They made a... deal."
"What deal? Why?"
"Palakon"-she swallows thickly-"had promised Bobby... a new face. Bobby wanted a man... so Palakon sent you. It fit perfectly. Your father wanted you gone... and Bobby needed a new face. Palakon put the two together." She coughs, swallows again. "At first Bobby was mad... when he found out it was you... Bobby knew who you were... who your father was. He didn't like it."
"I thought Bobby liked using people who were famous," I say. "I thought celebrities had an instant cover."
"Your father..." Jamie's shaking her head slowly. "It was too much... it made Bobby suspicious. He didn't like it and that's when... Bobby was convinced Palakon was working for someone... else."
Silence.
"What happened, Jamie?" I ask slowly.
"Bobby realized he could... use you to his advantage."
"His advantage? How, Jamie?" Panic starts rising.
"Bobby contacted your-"
"No, no, no," I'm saying, grabbing her shoulders.
"Bobby and your father-"
"No, Jamie, no." I'm closing my eyes.
"Your father and Bobby talked, Victor."
"No... no..."
Everything's slipping behind me, floating away.
"The Japanese... were angry at Bobby when he... made a deal with... your dad." Jamie breathes in. "They just wanted you gone out of the country... but now they had to protect you."
"Why?"
"Because if Bobby... went to the press with... stuff about you and the things you did with us... it would destroy your father's chances." Jamie leans her head back and something passes through her, causing her forehead to crease. "The Japanese... want your father... to win."
Another gust drowns out a sentence. I lean in closer but she's turning away. I place my ear to her mouth.
"Palakon didn't know... what was in the hat, Victor," she says. "That was another lie."