“Well, then,” Malone said, “that’s that.”
Burris shook his head. “It isn’t that simple,” he said. “You see, Malone, there’s some evidence that somebody is working against him.”
“The American public, with any luck at all,” Malone said.
“No,” Burris said. “An enemy. Somebody sabotaging his plans. Really.”
Malone shook his head. “You’re crazy,” he said.
Burris looked shocked. “Malone, I’m the Director of the FBI,” he said. “And if you insist on being disrespectful—”
“Sorry,” Malone murmured. “But—”
“I am perfectly sane,” Burris said slowly. “It’s Senator Lefferts who’s crazy. The only trouble is, he has evidence to show he’s not.”
Malone thought about odd cases, and suddenly wished he were somewhere else. Anywhere else. This one showed sudden signs of developing into something positively bizarre. “I see,” he said, wondering if he did.
“After all,” Burris said, in a voice that attempted to sound reasonable, “a paranoid has just as much right to be persecuted as anybody else, doesn’t he?”