"Neither have I," Kennedy said. "But to demonstrate my faith in your veracity-taking a hell of a big chance, in other words, which I really hate to do-I'm on Mexicana 455, Newark to Mexico City. If you hear anything, give it a try, Charley. This is the age of miraculous communication. If that doesn't work-and I'm not met in Mexico City by representatives of my former employer-I'll call you from the airport."

"If anybody meets you, I didn't send them."

"Boy Scouts' honor?"

"Were you a Boy Scout?"

"Certainly. Weren't you?"

"I am now holding my pinky with my thumb, the other fingers extended vertically, my arm raised to shoulder level," Castillo said as he did so.

Captain Brewster, who could not hear the conversation but, as an Eagle Scout himself, knew the gesture, looked curiously at him.

"As one Boy Scout to another, I accept your word of honor," Kennedy said.

"Does that mean you're also going to tell me why you're going to Cancun?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Kennedy said. "Do you know where Khartoum is, Charley?"

"There's a K-town in Sudan."

"You're halfway to your World Geography merit badge. How about Murtala Muhammad International Airport?"

"You've got me there," Charley confessed after a moment.

"Lagos, Nigeria. Write that down."

"Is there a point to this quiz?"

"A 727 bearing the paint scheme of Air Suriname-you don't happen to know where Suriname is, do you, Charley?"

"Upper right corner of South America?"

"Not quite the upper-right corner; a little down the coast from the upper-right corner. But you got the continent right."

"You were saying?"

"An Air Suriname 727 landed at N'Djamena, Chad, after a flight from Khartoum, took on fuel-lots of fuel-filed a flight plan to Murtala Muhammad International Airport, which you now know is the airport serving Lagos, Nigeria, and took off." He paused to let that register, then added, "It never got to Murtala Muhammad International-"

"Okay. I follow. But-"

Kennedy ignored the interruption and continued: "Even more fascinating than that is the friendly folks in Khartoum tell us they have no record of Air Suriname 1101 having visited their airfield in the last six months."

Charley gestured almost frantically to Captain Brewster, miming writing. Brewster quickly took a small notebook and a ballpoint pen from a shoulder pocket of his BDU and handed it to him.

"So you think it's the one we're looking for?" Charley said as he hurriedly scribbled "Air Suriname" and the flight number in the notebook.

"I think it probably merits further investigation," Kennedy said, sarcastically. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely. You don't happen to have the registration number?"

"P-Papa, Z-Zero, 5059. Fiver-Zero-Fiver-Niner."

Castillo scribbled PZ5059 in the notebook.

"I'll pass this right on," he said. "Thanks."

"You will tell them where it came from, won't you?"

"What if you're wrong?"

"I'll take that chance, Charley."

He's serious about that. He must believe what he's telling me. Or wants me to believe he's serious.

"Any idea where it really went?"

"There's any number of airfields on the west coast or Africa, some of them even sophisticated enough to have paved runways and navigation aids. If I had to guess, I'd say Yundum International."

"Yumdum?" Castillo blurted.

"Yundum, Why You En Dum. No Bee After Dum."

"Where the hell is that?"

"Outside Banjul. You know that charming metropolis, I'm sure."

"Come on, Howard!"

"How about Gambia? You do know where Gambia is, don't you?"

"West coast of Africa?"

"Next to Senegal," Kennedy said. "Banjul is maybe a hundred miles down the coast from Dakar."

"Why there?"

"It's a pretty good jumping-off place if you want to fly across the ocean."

"Cross it to where?" Castillo asked.

There was no response. Castillo thought he detected a change in the background hiss.

"Cross it to where?" he asked again, then added, "You still there, Howard?"

There was nothing but the hiss.

"Damn!" Charley said and pushed the hang-up key.

He sensed Captain Brewster's eyes on him.

"Cut off," Castillo explained and then pushed the autodial key for Betty Schneider again.

"Yeah?" Her voice came matter-of-factly over the cellular.

"Is everything all right?" Charley asked.

There was no reply for a moment and then Dick Miller came on the line.

"There's a connection," Miller said.

"You all right?"

"I've decided I don't want to be an undercover cop, but otherwise I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

"I'm fine, Charley."

"What kind of a connection?"

"Right now, I just know that. They're going to bring the undercover cop in. I don't really know what that means, but it's apparently damned hard to do. But if I get something concrete, I don't want to tell you over a cellular. I think you better get up here, Charley."

"Betty tell you where I am?"

"Yeah."

"I was ordered here, Dick," Castillo said. "I'm not sure I can come back up there. Not tonight, anyway. Jesus, I don't know how I'd get there. I'll get back to you. If it's really important, call Secretary Hall."

"It'll wait until you know for sure you can't get up here," Miller said.

"I'll get back to you, Dick," Castillo said and ended the call.

He pushed the autodial key for Secretary Hall, then changed his mind, broke off the call, and turned to Captain Brewster.

"What's General McNab's ETA here?"

Brewster obviously didn't want to answer the question and when he said, "I really don't know, sir," it was equally obvious that he was lying. "In the van on the way over here," Charley snapped, "General Whatsisname said something about everybody in the van being in on the Abeche Gray Fox operation, meaning you are. I really don't have the time to fuck with you, Brewster. Now, give me McNab's ETA or get General Whatsisname on the horn for me."

Brewster met his eyes for a moment, then shrugged. "It's General Gonzalez, Major. General McNab-and the backup force-will be airborne over Morocco in the Globemaster at midnight Bragg time. That's 0600 Abeche time. The extraction from Abeche is scheduled for daybreak-0612 Abeche time; twelve after midnight here. If the general gets a successful wheels-up report, he plans to head directly back here. If something goes wrong in Abeche:"

"If nothing goes wrong?"

"Then he should be on the ground here at about 0615."

"Thank you," Charley said and pressed the autodial key for Secretary Hall again.

"Charley, sir. I'm sorry I'm calling so late."

"I heard you were at Bragg. Any word about General McNab?"

"He'll probably be back here about six in the morning, sir."

"See what he has to say and call me as soon as you can."

"Yes, sir. There have been two developments, sir."

"Let's have them."

"I heard from my friend Kennedy. He believes the 727 is headed for someplace in South America, if it's not already there. It was in N'Djamena, Chad, took on a load of fuel, and filed a flight plan to Murtala Muhammad International Airport-Lagos, Nigeria-and took off. It never landed there:"

"Does it have the range to make it across the Atlantic from N'Djamena?" Secretary Hall interrupted.

"It might if those fuel bladders were installed," Charley said. "I just don't know. Kennedy thinks it probably went to Yundum International, in Gambia."

"Where?"

"On the west coast of Africa, about a hundred miles south of Dakar, Senegal."

"He say why there?"

"Kennedy said it's a convenient jumping-off place to cross the Atlantic to South America, which I suspect means he knows-probably from experience-that they don't ask too many questions of transient aircraft."

"He doesn't know or wouldn't tell you where the airplane is headed?"