'And?' Ingram asked.
'Straley had no information. He accepts what he's been told.'
'Who else besides Detective Sloan was helping you?'
Either Ingram didn't have a clue that he and Charlie Perry had also been under surveillance, or he was trying to give Kerney an out.
'Nobody,' Kerney said.
Ingram nodded as though Kerney had given the right answer.
'Are you willing to walk away from this and not look back?'
'What will it take for us to do that?' Sara asked.
'All that you know about SWAMI can never be revealed, discussed, or made public.
The same applies to your investigation into the Terrell-Mitchell homicides. You will state this in writing and sign a binding, confidential document. Should you choose to go public on either of these matters, you will both be arrested and charged with the illegal possession of government secrets and obstructing a federal investigation. At the very least it will end both of your careers.'
'What else?' Kerney asked.
'You must turn over all information gathered during your probe, and stop any further investigation into the death of Randall Stew art. You will acknowledge as accurate and conclusive the FBI findings of the Phyllis Terrell homicide investigation.'
Kerney eyed the Bronco.
'How do you propose to make Bobby Sloan's murder go away?'
'Let's say that you asked Detective Sloan to meet with you in Ramah to participate in the Proctor Straley interview. Bad weather delayed his travel and an accident occurred involving a military munitions vehicle.
Unfortunately, the detective was killed in the collision.'
'You can make that scenario happen?' Kerney asked.
'In a very short time it will happen.'
'What about Applewhite and Perry?' Kerney asked.
'They were never here,' Ingram replied.
'What if we don't agree to your terms?' Sara asked.
'The scenario regarding Detective Sloan's death is flexible, Colonel,'
Ingram said.
'Two more victims can easily be added, if necessary.'
'Even if we walk now,' Sara said, 'what assurance do we have that your decision won't be overturned by a higher command authority?'
Ingram smiled thinly.
'I believe you've been given some cause to trust me in this matter, Colonel.'
'I have,' Sara said, 'but it's not you I'm worried about.'
'Any further contemplated action will be based on my debriefing. I doubt you'll have any reason to worry.'
'That's good enough for me,' Sara said.
Ingram gave Sara a brief smile and turned to Kerney.
'Do we have an agreement?'
Kerney nodded stiffly.
'Very well.' Ingram switched his gaze back to Sara.
'A word of caution, Colonel.
When you return to Fort Leavenworth be very careful about what you do and say.'
He motioned to the guards, who came forward and escorted Kerney and Sara to his helicopter. He heard the distant sound of the convoy on the road and walked to meet the lead vehicle. The Hummer stopped. He gave the officer his instructions, climbed into the chopper, and told the pilot to head for Santa Fe.
Kerney and Sara read and signed the binding agreement while Ingram looked on. At his cottage Kerney helped Ingram carry case material and evidence to his car. He watched Ingram arrange boxes neatly inside the trunk, and wondered why the rear license-plate lights were broken. He handed Ingram the last box filled with Father Mitchell's videotapes.
Ingram stuck it in the trunk and closed the lid.
'Tell me one thing,' Kerney said.
'What started all the killing?'
Ingram hesitated and looked away.
'A floppy disk.'
'Stolen?'
'I didn't say that,' Ingram got behind the wheel.
'But think about your question, Kerney. Where did it all start?'
Kerney nodded.
'Who was the triggerman?'
Ingram gave Kerney a tight smile.
'Don't you mean trigger person?'
'I guess I do.' Kerney smiled back.
'No more questions,' Ingram said.
'When do I get my truck back?'
'Soon,' Ingram said, cranking the engine.
After Ingram drove away, Kerney carefully checked cottage and grounds for wiretaps, bugs, and cameras. Everything apparently had been removed.
Unwilling to risk the possibility he'd overlooked something, Kerney took Sara to the hotel in his police vehicle. At the reception desk he upgraded from the junior suite to an executive suite and tipped a porter to fetch Sara's luggage.
He told Sara what Ingram had said after the porter left the room.
'Are you surprised?'
'That Ingram answered my question, yes. That it all leads back to Hamilton Terrell, not at all.' Kerney checked his watch.
'I figure we've got an hour to talk freely before they catch on that we've changed rooms. Why do you think Ingram let us off the hook?'
Sara sank onto the couch in the large, elegant sitting room.
'He could have simply been following orders. It would've been stretching it to claim that a police chief, his wife, and a detective had all been killed in one traffic accident.'
Kerney eased into an overstuffed chair.
'Why did he warn you?'
'To ease his conscience. No, more than that, I think. He never asked for the message he sent me last night, and he didn't seem eager to kill us.'
'So, do we abide by the terms of the agreement?' Kerney asked.
'Is there a way not to?'
'Ingram didn't get everything. Andy Baca and Sal Molina have a lot of documentation, and they're not bound by any constraints.'
'To be sent to Straley?' Sara asked.
Kerney nodded.
'I say offer him something-not a lot-if he renews his promise to use it with discretion, and tell him he'll get more if he doesn't blow it.
Just make sure you're not the one who puts it in Straley's hands.'
'I think Andy would be willing to help out.'
'So what's next?' Sara asked.
'When big brother stops watching us, we're going to live happily ever,'
Kerney said.
