It was the next morning, and Alex was sitting in Jerry Sykes’ office listening to the official version of last night’s event.
Sykes stopped pacing and looked at him. “The people who tried to help you after your ‘accident’ reported you were acting in a bizarre manner and then you took off running. Alex, all this crap just isn’t like you. Is there something going on in your life you want to talk about?”
“Absolutely nothing other than someone wanting me dead,” Alex said stonily.
Sykes dropped into his chair and picked up a mug of coffee. “Why in the hell would anyone want you dead?”
“Some guy put a freaking gun to my head, Jerry. I didn’t take the time to ask him why.”
“And nobody saw this guy except you. So again, I’m asking you what happened between yesterday and today to make somebody want you dead?”
Alex hesitated. He wanted to tell Sykes about the discovery of the boat but figured that admitting he’d disobeyed another order from the director would be the end of his career.
“I’ve got a lot of years of damn good service behind me. Why all of a sudden would I start making this sort of crap up?”
“You put your finger on it. You’ve put in a lot of years. The director cut you a break yesterday. He could’ve canned your ass on the spot. Hell, I probably would’ve if I’d been in his shoes. Don’t blow a gift from the top, Alex. You’re not getting another one.”
“Fine, but can you at least put someone on Kate Adams’ house? I didn’t imagine that optics reflection.”
Sykes sat back. “I’ll call the D.C. police and ask them to have a car make some extra rounds. But that’s all. And consider that a gift.” Sykes looked at his watch. “I’ve got a meeting, and I think you have a post to stand.”
“Right. In the White House,” Alex said wearily.
“No, actually outside. You’ll have to work your way back inside the place.”
The Camel Club held a hasty meeting at Caleb’s condo early that morning. The first order of business was to congratulate the esteemed librarian and gutsy wheelman on his bravery. They had to wait a bit for that, however, as Caleb was in the bathroom still throwing up after realizing just how close he’d come to dying.
When Caleb finally emerged from the toilet Stone said, “I would like the official record to reflect that Caleb Shaw has earned the deepest thanks of the entire Camel Club membership for his extraordinary bravery and ingenuity.”
A pale but smiling Caleb shook each of their hands. “I’m not sure what came over me. I just knew that I had to do something. I’ve never been that scared since I was given the honor of handling Tocqueville’s De la Démocratie en Amérique in its original paper wrappers.”
Reuben gave a fake tremble. “Handling a Tocqueville! Gives me the piss shivers just thinking about it.”
“However, we have to assume that Reinke and his partner have now ‘made’ us, so to speak,” Stone warned.
“I’m not so sure. I took my license plates off while we were watching the road,” Caleb said as they all stared at him in surprise. “After Milton got their license plate and ran it so easily, I was terrified they’d do the same if they saw mine,” he explained.
Just then Milton’s cell phone buzzed.
“Yes?” he said. He listened for a bit and then clicked off and looked at the others. “Someone broke into my house and knocked out the security guard who responded to the silent alarm.”
“Was anything taken?” Stone asked.
“Doesn’t appear to be. However, I have surveillance devices disguised as track lighting throughout the place. The security company doesn’t know about that.”
“It would be very interesting to see who broke in,” Stone remarked.
“I have to go there to check it. The DVD recorder’s hidden behind my refrigerator.”
“We’ll have to chance it,” Stone said. “If it was Reinke and his colleague, it might give us the leverage we need.”
Reuben put a big arm around Caleb. “Well, if those two show up again, they’re going down for the count. Right, Killer?”
His first day back on presidential protection detail was a little awkward for Alex Ford. Everyone seemed to know that this reassignment was a demotion for the veteran agent. Still, they were cordial and professional with him. There was one good thing about being assigned to exterior White House duty: Alex could patrol Lafayette Park.
However, Stone wasn’t there, but Adelphia was. She was hovering in the middle of the park, shooting glances in the direction of Stone’s tent.
“Hello, Adelphia,” Alex said politely. “I was just looking for Oliver.”
To his surprise, Adelphia’s response was to burst into tears. That was something Alex had never seen the woman do before.
“Adelphia, what’s the matter?”
She just covered her face with her hands.
Alex moved over to her. “Adelphia, what is it? Are you hurt? Or sick?”
She shook her head, then took a deep breath and uncovered her face. “It is all right,” she said. “It is fine.”
Alex led her over to a bench. “You’re obviously not fine. Now, tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help.”
Adelphia took a series of replenishing breaths and then looked over at Stone’s tent again. “I no lie to you. I am fine, Agent Fort.”
“It’s Ford, but if you’re all right—” Then he followed her gaze to Stone’s tent. “Has something happened to Oliver?” he asked quickly.
“I not know that.”
“I don’t understand. Then why are you crying?”
She stared at him in a way she never had before. It wasn’t her usual distrustful and surly expression. It was one of hopelessness. “He trusts you. Oliver has said this to me, he say Agent Fort is good man.”
“I like and respect Oliver too.” He paused and then added, “His face was bruised the last time I saw him. Does it have something to do with that?”
Adelphia nodded and told him of the encounter in the park. “He took this finger,” she said, holding up her middle finger, “and he poke it in the man’s side. And this giant of a man, he fall like baby.” She drew a deep, troubled breath. “And then Oliver, he pick up the knife and he hold it in a way” — she shuddered — “he hold it like he know well the knife. And I think he will cut the man’s neck open, like this.” She made a slashing motion with her hand and then stopped. She stared at Alex with an expression of both sadness and relief. “But he did not. He no cut the man. He leave when police come. Oliver no like police.”
“And you haven’t seen him since?”
She shook her head, and Alex sat back against the bench letting this all sink in.
“Hey, Ford,” a voice called out. Alex looked over at his supervisor.
“You wanna come back and join the party, if it’s not too much trouble?” the man said curtly.
Alex jumped up. Before leaving he turned to Adelphia. “If you see Oliver, tell him I want to talk to him.”
Adelphia didn’t look very enthused about that.
“I won’t tell him you told me anything. I promise. I just need to see him.”
She finally nodded and he raced off.
Work in Brennan for the president’s visit had accelerated, and Captain Jack was kept very busy. The vehicle being constructed in the garage was right on schedule, and the various wheelmen were ready. He hadn’t visited the snipers’ nest again. He didn’t want to risk being seen going to the apartment too often. Captain Jack had spent time with al-Rimi and his colleague at the hospital while the two were off duty. There were no problems there.
He had met once more with Djamila late last night after she had made her nightly rounds of Brennan. He was still a bit concerned about her emotional makeup, but there was no time to substitute now. He reinforced the notion of how important her work was to the whole project. About how many men would be sacrificing their lives and how that sacrifice would be for naught if she failed.