August stared at the number on the cell. Blocked. ‘Hello?’ he answered.
‘You screwed me,’ the informant yelled. ‘You screwed up!’
‘I’m sorry, Jack.’
A shocked pause. ‘And oh, great, screw-up, now you know my name.’
‘Yes. We do. All we want to do is help you.’
‘All you did was nearly get me killed. Do you know what I’ve been through?’ Jack’s voice quavered.
‘Come in to us. We can protect you. I’m sorry, I didn’t know the surrender had been compromised… ’
‘Well, clearly not. You’re an idiot. Do you know how he knew?’
‘No. But the man that is after you is ex-CIA.’
‘Yes, and you’re going to stop him from coming after me.’
‘What?’
‘He’s agreed to meet me tomorrow at three at the Statue of Liberty. Be there, grab him, arrest him and this woman who’s with him, who, incidentally, also tried to kill me, and then maybe we can talk.’
‘You talked to Sam?’
‘They took my computer and I erased it long-distance. But first I set up a meeting with him, you’re welcome, now take him out. I’ve done your hard work for you.’
‘He’s after you because Novem Soles has his infant child as a hostage.’
Silence. In the background August could hear a pulse of music, a hiss of traffic. ‘I’m sorry for that, I am, but it’s not my problem. Sam Capra is your problem now. You want Novem Soles, you take this guy down and then maybe I’ll think about coming out of hiding.’
‘Okay. Part of the info you can turn over to me: does any of it include anything on his kid?’
A long hesitation. ‘Why should I tell you anything?’ His voice went to a low whisper. ‘How do I know you’re not the one compromising me, selling me out?’
‘Well, you don’t. You called me.’
Silence again. ‘Sam Capra said my mom’s dead.’
August digested this. ‘Then it’s true. He wouldn’t lie about it. I’m sorry, Jack.’
‘He said her body could be found at the only house on River Run Road in Morris County. Will you go get my mom’s body, please?’ Jagged breathing now.
‘Yes, of course,’ August said. ‘You come in, now, though, let us protect you.’
‘If he’s telling me the truth about my mom, maybe I’ll tell him what this notebook says about his kid, once you have him in custody. I’ll call you back later.’
Jack Ming hung up.
August checked the address, in rural New Jersey, on a satellite map program. A large house, on acreage, with a good-sized pond. He scoured the database for an owner.
Associated Languages School.
He stood. He should tell Braun, pull Griffith down, get a team together.
You’ve been compromised.
But someone in this office was a leak. Maybe he wouldn’t tell anyone. He sat down, though, and entered in a report on what he had found so far. He passworded it and secured it on the private Special Projects network.
Then he looked up. Braun stood in his doorway. Not holding his collection of cell phones, not pleading Special Projects’ case.
‘We need to talk. My office. Now.’