“Just because I’m hanging around with a deputy assistant director doesn’t mean I want to be one.”

“The little bit I’ve been around you, you’re not like any of the other agents I’ve worked with. You have an obvious disregard for protocol, almost like you don’t work for the government. How long have you been on the job?”

Vail looked at his watch. “Almost two days.”

“Meaning this isn’t your first time around.”

“I used to be an agent. Years ago.”

“And now they’ve rehired you?”

“More or less. Just for this case.”

“You must be quite a guy. What is it that makes you so valuable?”

“I don’t get faint at the sight of my own blood.”

She laughed. “Then it appears we have the makings of a grand conspiracy. What did you find at Bertok’s apartment?”

Vail told her about the hidden folder containing the identification documents in the name Ruben Aznar.

“That alias is a good choice for the Miami area. It’s vague enough where it could be either Hispanic or some other unidentifiable origin because Bertok does not look Latin.”

“We found another potential lead. On his phone’s incoming calls. Just before they lost contact with him during the drop, he called his apartment from a cell phone. It looks like he was checking his messages.”

“Any idea for what?”

“Coupled with those Miami documents, we’re hoping travel arrangements or some contact to launder the money. But those aren’t necessarily high-percentage guesses.”

“Does that mean you think this entire thing is his doing?”

“No stone unturned, counselor.”

“It’s hard to believe that an agent could be behind all this.”

“We’re open to alternate theories,” Vail said.

“I know the evidence is piling up, but still.”

“Either way, we’ve got to find him. I was thinking about a pen register on his apartment phone. If he was checking for some critical message, maybe he’ll call again and we can track him that way. A long shot, but at this point everything is.”

“I understand that you’ve been out of the Bureau for a while, but pen registers take a mountain of paperwork, and probable cause. And it’s getting worse every time I turn around. I have a feeling that you’re a person who could find alternative means.”

“All right, we never talked about this.”

“Did you forget, Steve? I can keep my mouth shut.”

“Just trying to keep the list to a minimum.”

“What list?”

“The one entitled ‘Also Named in the Indictment.’”

WHEN VAIL GOT back to the FBI office, he was directed to a room that had been set up for Kate while she was in Los Angeles. The door was closed and he could hear her on the phone. He knocked twice and walked in. “Yes, sir, he just came in. I’ll call you back.” She hung up. “That was the director. They’ve just received another demand letter….”

Vail could see the concern in her eyes. “And?”

“Three million dollars. He wants you to make the drop.”

NINE

KATE STOOD OFF TO THE SIDE, NOT WANTING TO BE NOTICED AS SHE watched Vail. They were in the L.A. FBI’s major-case room. Tom Demick, the tech agent who had so deftly opened Bertok’s apartment door, was taping a microphone wire to Vail’s bare chest. He looked over at her briefly and rolled his eyes in silent prediction that the Pentad’s ingenuity during the first two drops had already rendered the predictable device a waste of time. She smiled back obligingly and continued to search his face and body language for any sign of fear. His hands hung loosely at his side as Demick clipped the radio’s body into the back of his waistband. Vail turned back toward her, and she could see his heart beating against the lean muscle of his chest. She timed it—about forty beats a minute. She thought about the moment he had been asked to make the drop, even though West had died and Bertok had disappeared; he had shown no surprise or apprehension, almost as if he had expected it.

Vail leaned closer to the tech agent. “Did you get the pen register on Bertok’s phone?” he asked quietly.

“It’s up and running. I’m checking it as often as I can. Other than the ex-wife and brother, you want to be notified of any calls, right?”

Abruptly the door opened. The SAC, Mark Hildebrand, walked in and stepped to the side to allow Assistant Director Don Kaulcrick to pass. Kate and Vail looked at each other. Neither of them had any idea he was coming.

The two men were followed by three other people, one a female agent. She had in her hand one of two straps that were connected to a large canvas bag. A male agent, who stood well over six feet tall and was powerfully built, held the other. They both had on suit coats which rode up over holstered handguns and spare magazine pouches. Evidently the three million dollars had arrived.

The other man was older, almost completely bald, and dressed in a pair of slacks and a golf shirt. There was an air of confidence about him. He was carrying a large brown leather carryall the size of a small suitcase. Demick introduced everyone as Vail pulled on his shirt and buttoned it. The older man in casual clothing was a technical agent from headquarters and was introduced only as “Bob.” He asked Vail, “You’re making the drop?”

Vail looked at the athletic-looking agent holding the bag and then at Kaulcrick. “Unless the assistant director knows something I don’t.”

“You’re making the drop, Steve. But as a matter of fact I do know a little something that might change the way we’re going to do this.” Kaulcrick pulled a folded document from his coat pocket. “The lab has matched not only the paper from the pad you and Kate found hidden in Bertok’s bathroom to the last Pentad note, but its torn edge as well.”

“Then this is all Bertok,” Kate said.

“That seems like a fairly safe bet.”

Vail said, “So the money is just a way to catch him.”

“Can you think of a better way for us to get our hands on him?” Kaulcrick said.

“Does this mean we can go public if we catch Bertok?” Kate asked.

“The director, being a former federal judge, doesn’t want to take anything for granted. If we gave a big, splashy news release, the Pentad might kill someone else just to remain in character. If there is a Pentad beyond Bertok. Plus the demand note is very specific should anything go wrong. But let’s not worry about that until we get him into custody.” Kaulcrick handed Vail a sheet of paper. “This is a copy to keep with you.”

FBI, Your agent’s greed has complicated everything, so contingencies have become necessary. If you fail to deliver $3M, the sum will be increased to $5M, and that would mean we owe you two more bodies. Two prominent D.C. area newspeople have been selected. As before, should any of this find its way to the media, there will be two less of them to write about it. 34.344 N 118.511W at 7:17 P.M . on September 2. Look in the sub. No guns. No cell phones. The Rubaco Pentad

“So I am going to drop the full three million?” Vail asked.

“Again, the director doesn’t want to take any chances, so yes. Make the drop, and the agents covering you will take care of grabbing Bertok.”

Vail looked at the headquarters tech agent and pointed to his bag. “Is there something in there for me?”

“Because of what happened in the past, we want to be overly cautious. That transmitter you’ve got on has a GPS capability, but I’ve brought two other items for you to carry in case they try to render the primary transmitter inoperable. The first time a river was used to neutralize it. Who knows what it’ll be this time.” From his case, he took out what looked like a wallet. “This is also a GPS transmitter, very new, very micro. If you’re patted down, it looks and feels just like a wallet. It’ll tell us exactly where you are at all times. And it’s waterproof.” Vail took out his own wallet and handed it to Kate, and then put the transmitter in the same back pocket. “Also, we used canvas to fabricate the moneybag because of its thickness. There’s an overlapping seam at the bottom that’s hiding another GPS, which has the same microtechnology as the wallet. It’s even thinner because it doesn’t need the leather to disguise it. The hope is that because this bag weighs almost seventy pounds, the bad guys won’t be picking it up over their heads to check the bottom. Even if they do, it’s extremely difficult to detect.” He reached into the side pockets of the bag and took out three items: an underwater flashlight, a knife with a regular blade and an equally long saw blade, and a low-light monocular.