Free (1976) The R Document by Irving Wallace

more and more I feel its provisions could be abused or misused. Frankly, the only thing that makes me feel safe about its passage is that John Maynard is on the high bench as Chief Justice. He’d
    keep it honest. Still, the possibility of its passage is really beginning to bother me.’
    ‘There’s a positive side, Paul. It’ll keep crime from overwhelming us. Crime in California alone is just becoming too much -‘
    ‘Is it?‘said Hilliard.
    ‘What do you mean, is it? You read the FBI statistics as well as I do.’
    ‘Statistics, figures. Who was it said that figures don’t lie, but liars figure?’ Hilliard squirmed uneasily in his chair. He put down his pipe and then looked directly at Collins. ‘Actually, that is something I’ve been wanting to discuss with you. Statistics, I mean. I’ve been a little hesitant about bringing it up, because it’s your Department and I was afraid you might be touchy.’
    ‘What do I have to be touchy about? Hell, we’re friends, Paul. Speak your mind.’
    ‘All right.’ Still, he hesitated, then decided to go ahead. ‘I had a disturbing call yesterday. From Olin Keefe.’
    The name did not register with Collins.
    ‘He’s a newly elected state legislator from San Francisco,’ Hilliard explained. ‘He’s a good guy. You’d like him. Anyway, he’s on some committee that required him to talk to a number of police chiefs in the Bay area. Two of them -the police chiefs - wondered aloud why the FBI was trying to make them look bad. The police chiefs claimed the figures on crime that they submitted to Director Tynan -and which they said were accurate - were nowhere near as high as the figures you put out.’
    ‘I don’t put out any figures, except technically,’ said Collins, mildly irritated. ‘Tynan gathers them from local communities and computes them. Formally, my office releases them, makes them public for him. Anyway, that’s not important. What are you telling me, Paul?’
    ‘I’m trying to tell you that young Keefe - State Assemblyman Keefe - suspects Director Tynan is doctoring those national crime statistics, tampering with them, especially the figures delivered to him from California. He’s giving us a bigger crime wave than we actually have.’
    ‘Why should he do that? It makes no sense.’
    ‘It makes plenty of sense. Tynan is doing that - if he is doing it - to scare our legislators into passing the 35th Amendment.’
    ‘Look, I know Tynan is gung-ho on getting the Amendment passed. I know the Bureau has always been statistics-happy. But why trouble to do a risky thing like falsifying figures? What does he have to gain?’
    ‘Power.*
    ‘He already has power,’ said Collins flatly.
    ‘Not the kind of power he would have as head of the Committee on National Safety, if the emergency provision of the 35th were ever invoked. Then it would be Vernon T. Tynan uber Alles.’
    Collins shook his head. I don’t believe that. Not one bit. Paul, I live in Justice. I’ve been part of it for eighteen months, in one capacity or another. I know what goes on in the Department. You’re removed from it. And that young Assemblyman of yours, Keefe, he’s also on the outside. He doesn’t know a damn thing.’
    Hilliard would not be stopped. He pushed his rimless spectacles high on the bridge of his nose and said earnestly, ‘He seems to know plenty, from our phone conversation. There are some other things he knows, too, and they’re not pretty. You don’t have to take it from me, Chris. Find out for yourself firsthand. Earlier, you said you might be going to California soon. Fine. Why don’t you let me have Olin Keefe look you up? Then, just hear him out.’ He paused. ‘Unless for some reason you don’t want to.’
    ‘Cut it out, Paul. You know me better than that. There’d be no reason I wouldn’t want to hear facts - if they are facts. I’m not a company man. I’m as interested in the truth as you are.’
    ‘Then you’re willing to see