“Several. I also thought I’d show her the tape from Philadelphia. That should give us a witness I.D. Would you have time for a conversation, Ms. Mylos?”

“I teach an evening class at seven thirty, so I can’t give you too long, but I’ll answer what I can.”

“Um, Teren, I don’t —” Graves voice was pitched even higher than normal. Teren interrupted him.

“I know the rules, Ron. Anything that goes into security, or previous operations, or could possibly endanger another agent, is off limits. I believe that Agent Reis knows the rules, don’t you?” She gave a hint of a smile for the first time, and suddenly Alex knew where they’d met before.

Alex nodded. “Yes, Ms. Mylos, I know the rules. Would you follow me to my office, please?”

“Lead the way.”

Cliff was left to politely bid Mr. Graves a goodnight.

*******************************************************

Alex wound her way through the maze of cubicles to the one that served as her office, with the taller woman behind her. She motioned for Teren to sit in the extra chair, while she slid behind her desk.

“So, Agent Reis, have you figured it out yet?”

Alex opened her notebook, and looked up. “Figured what out?”

“Where you know me from.”

Sitting back, Alex nodded. “You were one of the agents that agreed to speak with me when I was doing my CIA paper in grad school. I suppose I should thank you for your help then. It was that paper, along with my thesis, that got me noticed by the FBI.”

“Glad to help. I am surprised you decided to work for the government, though, after everything you learned from us.”

“Well, I will say you definitely discouraged any desire to work for the Agency. But the Bureau seemed a challenge, and I’ve done well here, I think.”

Teren gave her an amused smile. “Yes, you have. I must say, when Graves called me in and told me what you found, he was very upset. He’s not used to having mistakes come back to haunt him.”

“Mistakes?”

“Yes. It was Ron’s decision to send Mather with Perry and I to eastern Europe. Both of us told him we didn’t trust the guy. It’s taken me the last few months to be able to sit in the same room and not want to rip out Ron’s throat.”

The blatant admission surprised Alex, but she didn’t show it. “I imagine losing your partner was hard. It must have been worse to realize you’d also been betrayed.”

“It wasn’t pleasant. So, what questions do you have, Agent Reis?”

“Please, call me Alex. You indicated you might have an idea who the driver of the car was. Unfortunately, he doesn’t show on the video tape, but we do have a few sketches.”

“I know, I’ve seen them. Like I said, I’m not sure. But it might be Darryl Wilford. He was George’s brother-in-law. He was blond, medium build. Wanted to get into the Agency, but he flunked out. He idolized George.”

“If he wasn’t Agency, then I could probably get records without a problem, right?”

“Maybe. I don’t see why not.”

Teren watched Alex as she jotted down Darryl Wilford’s name. She wondered if the FBI agent would ask her the right questions.

“Did Mather or Wilford have any tattoos?”

An eyebrow rose on the face of the darker woman. That was one Reis got right. “I know that George had two tattoos. I’m not sure about Wilford.”

“Could you tell me the location, and what the tattoos were?”

“One was a spiderweb, on his leg.”

“His leg? Normally, when someone gets a spiderweb tattoo it means they’ve killed someone, normally a black person or a Jew. The web goes on an arm, as a badge, so others can see it.”

“Right, but George knew the agency wouldn’t like it, so he had his put on his right thigh.”

“Unfortunately, not much flesh was left on the legs of our shooter. Do you know if he — how shall I say this — ‘earned’ the spiderweb?”

“Yes, he did. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to say more.”

“I see. What about the other tattoo?”

“It was on the underside of the upper arm. Double lightning bolts. And I don’t suppose I need to tell you what they mean.”

“No.”

“Did you find them?”

“Yes.”

Teren waited.

“So, may I presume, from the tattoos, and your statements, that George Mather was involved in the Nazi movement?”

“You may. But you’d be wrong.”

“Excuse me?”

“Mather wasn’t involved in any cause. He wasn’t a Nazi, he wasn’t a white supremacist, and the only cause he believed in was his own. I’m not saying he wasn’t prejudiced; he was. Like I said earlier, he hated gays, and I know he wasn’t fond of blacks or Jews. But he killed for money. He joined groups because they paid him. He got cash for doing something he liked doing.”

“So, why the tattoos, then?”

“Why not? If they wanted to think he was a part of them, he would have let them think that. No reason not to. But if someone outside had offered him money to kill someone in the group, he’d have taken it.”

“Do you know how much he would have been paid for a hit?”

“Depending on the target, and the location, anywhere between forty and a hundred thousand dollars.”

“Cash?”

“Yes. Or an electronic transfer. They would have had to deposit it directly into his account.”

“And the hit would be made after payment was accepted?”

“Correct.”

Alex made a note to herself to call Research about financial records, then leaned back in her chair.

“What can tell me about Mather’s family, or his friends? Where did he hang out, who —”

“I’m sorry, Agent Reis. George’s wife died two years ago. They never had kids. George’s parents have been dead for years, and he didn’t have any brothers or sisters. He was close to his wife’s family, but they haven’t seen him, or Darryl, since the incident in Eastern Europe. I don’t know anything about his social life; it’s not like we were close.”

“I take it you’ve been reseaching this.”

“I’ve been looking for the son of a bitch for six months. I gotta tell you, finding out he’d been killed didn’t make me happy. I’d been looking forward to making him bleed.”

Both of them were quiet. Alex tapped her pen against her notebook. Teren dropped her eyes to the floor, a little embarrassed at what for her was an emotional outburst.

When Alex finally spoke, it was in a subdued voice. “Is there anything else you can tell me, Ms. Mylos?”

“Only this. I might have a line on where Mather was staying. I have a hunch it’ll tell you a little more about who he was working for. When I find it, I’ll call you.”

“I’m not sure I understand. The man who betrayed you is dead. Why would you have any further interest in this matter?”

“Cause if anyone was going to take out George Mather it should have been me. Now I guess I’ll have to settle for finding the guys who paid him to do what he did.”

“You mean the people who paid him to kill Reginald Dabir?”

“No. I mean the people who paid him to rat on his fellow agents. Like I said, George liked money. He wouldn’t have given us up if there wasn’t something in it for him. I want to know where the money came from. But if I find something that will be helpful to you I’ll let you know.”

“Is there any possibility the same group paid him for both jobs?”

The question silenced Teren, and she took a full minute to think about it. Again the agent had asked the right question.

“I think that’s a strong possibility. However, I can’t discuss anything to do with the operation, and therefore I can’t tell you why I believe it might be true.”

“I understand. But remember this. If they are the same people, then we’re on the same side. And I want to get these fuckers as much as you do.”

Teren could tell that Alex absolutely believed in her statement. But she knew better.

She gave the smaller woman an ironic smile. “I doubt it.”

They stared silently at each other for a moment more, then Alex cleared her throat.