"You in some kinda trouble, Burke?" Hargis asked, obviously worried.
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"Some fancy-dressed dudes was here yesterday afternoon. Said they was FBI men. Wanted to know if we'd seen or heard of you lately."
So the Black Cloud had already preceded him to the Smokies. Those "FBI men" were no doubt CIA. "What did you tell them?"
"That you left last week and we ain't heard nothing since. You don't suppose they was really ATF agents?"
Burke laughed. "You know I don't do moonshine."
"I ain't talking about you. There's folks around here that does, you know."
Burke well knew because they had warned him what areas to avoid in his treks through the woods. A guy carrying a camera around there could get his head blown off.
"Did they go over to my place?" Burke asked.
"Yep. Me and Ben slipped through the woods and watched 'em. They walked right up and opened your door. How the hell did they get a key?"
"They picked the lock. It's pretty easy. So they went inside, huh?" That meant they had probably bugged his telephone, maybe placed a few other tiny transmitters around the house. Most importantly, it meant they were pulling all the stops to find him. He couldn't go home.
"What was they after, Burke?"
He thought a moment. He had to say something to keep them from worrying themselves to death, but nothing it would hurt to reveal if the "FBI" men came back. These unpolished mountain men were hardly sophisticated enough to fool a good interrogator. "They probably just wanted to ask me about a friend who's had some problems. Next time I’m home I'll look them up." Maybe that would give his Agency trackers a little false hope. "I've got to run, Hargis. Keep an eye out on the place, and I'll see you soon."
It was shortly after noon when the plane landed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Burke rented a car and drove to the outskirts of Baltimore, where he stopped at a motel connected to a Chinese restaurant. He hoped that would be a good omen. Recalling Lori's suggestion, he decided to register as Herbert Kennedy from Boston. Since he was paying cash in advance, he would need no identification. But as he started to write the name on the card, he hesitated, recalling the indignation he had expressed when confronting Cam that day in the Smokies. Now he was about to sign off on another lie. He had already traveled halfway around the world as Douglas Bell. Wasn't that the height of hypocrisy? No, he decided. Cam had been right. The world wasn't black and white, everything either right or wrong. It was filled with shades of gray. There were too many people like those Bulgarians running around loose, and if the system couldn't deal with them, someone who could had to step forward. What they had done to Cam Quinn was not going to be swept under the table if he could help it. Burke knew he alone held the key to something sinister that was about to take place. He had no idea what it was, but he was convinced by Cam's certainty that Jabberwock was filled with dire consequences.
"Is something wrong?"
Burke glanced up at the clerk and gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I was just thinking about something that's been concerning me." He signed "Herbert Kennedy" and pushed the card across the counter, accompanied by a hundred-dollar bill. "I'll just be here one night."
Once in his room, he placed a call to the Acapulco Princess Hotel. It was obvious from the intercepted telephone conversation that Jeffries was involved in the Jabberwock training. The vacation in Acapulco could be a ruse. His family might be in Acapulco, but Burke did not expect to find Jeffries there. When the Princess operator answered, he asked for Jeffries' room. He wasn't sure what he would say if he got Jeffries on the line, but a boy answered.
"Could I speak with Robert Jeffries?" Burke asked.
"He isn't here," the boy said.
"Is he somewhere I could reach him now?"
"No, sir. He won't be here until late this afternoon."
That didn't really tell him anything. Jeffries could be out fishing, playing golf, seeing the sights, and not get in until late afternoon. If he was not in Acapulco, the boy had probably been told not to reveal the fact. What would he do if he got a question he didn't expect? Burke decided to give it a try.
"Is he flying in from New Orleans?"
"Uh… uh… no!" the boy said a little too vehemently. "You'd better talk to my mother."
"That's okay, son," Burke said. "I'll catch him later."
It was enough to justify a trip to New Orleans in search of a blue Piper Cherokee Lance from Kansas City.
He pulled the bulky yellow pages book out of the bedside table and looked up security consultants and equipment. Finding an advertisement for one that appeared to have what he wanted, he drove into Baltimore, searching out a business called Hi-Tek Security. He bought two devices, one to ferret out hidden transmitters or "bugs," the other to flood any microphones present with distorted sound, without affecting normal conversation nearby. Now he was ready to call on Lori Quinn. But the gadgets, though small, were costly, using up the rest of his cash.
Locating a bank nearby, he presented one of his cashier's checks to a teller. "Can you cash this for me, please? It's on a Hong Kong bank."
The lady scrutinized the check, then looked back at Burke. "Do you have some identification?"
He wished he had thought to have the checks made out to Douglas Bell. He realized he’d been out of the business too long. He had to start thinking like an agent again if he was going to survive. He fished out his regular driver's license, which showed him with a full beard, and handed it to the teller, along with a letter Mr. Luk had provided on East Asia Bank stationery. The letter invited any banker to telephone him regarding the check, either at the bank or at home after banking hours.
"I'll have to check this out with a bank officer," she said. "I'll be right back." She took the check and documents and walked over to a cubbyhole at one side of the lobby.
A few moments later, an attractive woman in a stylish beige suit, looking every inch the consummate lady banker, came out and approached Burke.
"I see you're from Tennessee, Mr. Hill," she said, smiling. "What are you doing in Baltimore?"
"I'm a photographer. I'm on an assignment up here. I did a job for the bank in Hong Kong but haven't been back long enough to cash the check."
She glanced down at the driver's license and then back at Burke.
"I guess you noticed I've shaved off the beard," he said with a smile. "I have an artist friend who says every artist and photographer has to try a beard sometime. I think I had mine long enough."
She smiled back. "I believe I prefer you without the beard, Mr. Hill. Where are you staying in Baltimore?"
Now he wished he had registered in his correct name. If she were to call the motel, she would find no Burke Hill among the guests. "I just got here," he said. "I could use a recommendation."
She nodded and gave him the name of a nearby motel.
"Thanks. Incidentally, if you have any problem about the check, Mr. Luk said please call him. I'll be happy to pay the phone charges."
The bank officer glanced at her watch. "Do you know what time it would be over there?"
"I believe there's a twelve-hour time difference." His smile suddenly faded. "Oh, oh. That would make it a little after three in the morning. But I'll swear he said call him any time, day or night."
She shook her head. "I wouldn't do that to him. Let me check my directory and see which bank would have a relationship with them. I'm sure it's all right, but with the Fed looking over our shoulder these days, we can't be too careful." She started toward her desk. "Come on over and have a seat. It won't take long."
Fifteen minutes later, he walked out with the five thousand in cash. He wasn't too happy with all the attention he had attracted. Not that there was much likelihood of anyone coming to look for him at a bank in Baltimore. But this woman would undoubtedly tell her friends about the unusual request she had taken care of today. The more people talked, the more chance of someone with the right knowledge picking up a few details that fit in with something else. That was the classic way cases wound up getting solved.