Susan said, 'Where's your warrant?'
'We don't have one.'
'Then you don't belong here. You're trespassing and I have every right to have you thrown out.'
Mylon Sears became the focus of her discontent. She turned to him and said, 'What are they doing up here? I'm surprised you let them get this far.'
Sears cleared his throat. 'This is an unusual situation, Susan. There are a lot of tricky angles here. This is one time when we're all working on the same side, and speed is of the essence.'
Jack said, 'We don't need a warrant when it comes to saving a man's life.'
Susan said, 'What man?'
'Your man,' Jack said. 'Raoul Garros.'
She looked at Jack with new interest, the kind demonstrated by a scientist when a lab specimen exhibits an unusual pattern of behavior. 'That's a new one.'
Pete said, 'You've got us all wrong, Ms. Keehan.'
'I doubt that's possible,' Susan said, in a tone meant to be withering. 'I've played this same scene too many times.'
'We're trying to protect Mr. Garros — no thanks to you.'
Susan shook her head, firm knots of muscle flexing at the hinges of her jaw. 'I know how the government protects people. Like the way you protect the people of Iraq.'
Mylon Sears winced. Jack, irked, said, 'We didn't come here to argue politics. Or play games. Garros is in danger, serious danger.'
Susan said, 'The only danger he's in is from you.'
Jack forged ahead. 'Earlier today, an attempt was made to assassinate Colonel Paz. Two of his men are dead and he's missing.'
Susan tossed her head. 'I don't believe you.'
Pete Malo chimed in, 'We wouldn't dream of asking you to take the word of a couple of Federal agents who're sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution. Try turning on a television set. The local news is full of the story. Seven people are dead.'
Jack gestured at Mylon Sears. 'Ask him.'
Susan said, 'I'm not minded to carry this farce any further.'
Mylon Sears harrumphed, loud enough so that everybody looked at him, Susan included. 'It's true,' he said.
Susan said, 'You know it for a fact? Or is it just something they said?' 'They' meaning Jack and Pete.
Sears said, 'It's a fact. We've confirmed it — independently.'
Susan paused, hesitant, her timing thrown off. There was still plenty of fight in her, though. Plenty of stubborn opposition. She said, 'What about the Colonel?'
Jack said, 'He escaped, when last heard from.'
Susan said, 'Thank God for that!' It sounded heartfelt. Then, accusingly, 'If anybody tried to assassinate him, it was probably our government.'
Jack said, 'It was our government that saved his life.' Why bother to mention that he and Pete had been the ones who rescued Paz? She probably wouldn't believe him, anyway. Besides, he wasn't so sure anymore that rescuing Paz had been such a hot idea — but there was no choice for it, not when Paz held the potential to point the way to the Holy Grail that was spymaster Beltran.
Jack went on, 'The attack on Paz may not be an isolated incident; it might be part of a series of attacks. The Venezuelan Consulate and LAGO Tower are on lockdown. Paz was the first target. Garros is a known associate of his. He may be marked for murder, too.'
Susan was starting to seem a bit unsteady on her feet. 'This is too utterly fantastic.'
Jack said, 'The sooner you trot Garros out and produce him, the safer he'll be.'
She fired back, 'What makes you think he's here?'
Jack pressed. 'Are you saying he's not?'
Susan said, 'Yes — that is, he's not here.'
Jack said, 'Are you sure you want to stick with that answer? Because it's a crime to lie to Federal agents in the course of an investigation.'
Mylon Sears stepped in. 'As far as Ms. Keehan knows, Mr. Garros is not on the premises.'
Susan said, 'Don't worry about protecting me. Raoul's not here.'
Jack said, 'Where is he? If you want to save his life, you'd better talk fast.'
Susan was definite now. 'He's not here. That's the truth.'
'Where is he?'
Sears cautioned, 'You don't have to answer that, Susan… '
'We'll sort out the legalities later,' Susan said. 'If Raoul really is in danger… '
'He is,' Jack said.
'…then we've got to do anything we can,' she said. 'But if you're lying… '
Jack said, 'Where is he?'
'He's gone,' Susan said. 'He was here earlier but he left.'
'Does he know he's in danger?'
Susan was abstracted, her gaze turned inward. 'No, he knows nothing about it… neither of us did.'
Jack was openly skeptical. 'The consulate didn't notify him?'
'No — I don't know. They might have. His cell was turned off… We were holding an important conference and he didn't want to be disturbed.'
Jack let that one pass. 'The consulate didn't phone, didn't try to reach him here?'
'No,' Susan said. 'I don't know.' She turned to Alma Butterworth. 'Did they?'
Alma Butterworth said, 'No, they didn't, Susan.'
Susan glanced at Mylon Sears, who shook his head no. Jack said, 'So Garros doesn't know the score. When did he leave?'
Susan said, 'Five minutes ago. Maybe more, ten.'
'Where did he go?'
'I don't know. He said he had business to attend to.'
Jack said, 'Did he have a car and driver?'
Susan shook her head. 'He doesn't have a driver. He likes to do the driving himself.'
'Where's his car? Downstairs in the parking garage?'
'Yes, I suppose; I don't know… '
Jack and Pete exchanged glances. They stepped aside from the others. Pete said, 'Good thing we've got Topham and Beauclerk covering the garage.'
Jack was worried. 'We should've heard from them by now if Garros is on the move.'
Pete took out his cell, pressed some buttons, inputting a number. He held the cell to his ear. Seconds passed, ticking away, the silence unbroken. His brows knit, his face darkening. 'No reply.'
Jack said to Susan, 'See if you can reach Garros.'
She took out her cell, hands trembling. Fear made her clumsy and she misdialed, said, 'Damn!' and tried again.
'No answer,' she said. 'His cell was off and he might have forgotten to turn it back on.'
Jack said, 'How'd he leave? Which way did he go?'
She indicated a passageway several doors down, to the left, away from the main banks. 'There's an elevator there.'
Mylon Sears said, 'I'll show you.' He was in motion, energetic, briskly striding forward, leaning into it. He walked flat-footed, the soles of his shoes slapping the floor tiles.
The others followed, all trooping down the main hall, turning left into the side corridor. They halted at the elevator. Jack pressed the button. The wait for the car seemed interminable, though it couldn't have been long.
A bell pinged; the doors slid open. Everybody got on, crowding the car. Jack bumped into Susan, jostling her. 'Sorry, excuse me.'
