“ If the plan had worked. But Herod showed how clever he was and why he’d been able to stay in power for so many years. His instincts warned him about the potential for a trap. Not that he suspected the Magi. Even his own priests admitted that the newcomers had the authority of the prophets.
“ No, it was Bethlehem that bothered him. Only eight miles south of Jerusalem, the town lay in a rich agricultural area, where the inhabitants had ample money to organize a revolution. It was nestled among hills that would be easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its proximity to Jerusalem made it all the more suspect, since raids on the capital would be easy to stage from there.
“ In his rage, Herod almost ordered his army to ransack Bethlehem until they found the child and killed him. But he feared he might cause the rebellion he wanted to suppress. So he decided to try a different approach, and the idea he came up with was so unexpected that even the Magi were caught unprepared.
“ He tried to recruit them as his own unwitting spies. ‘The child you came looking for has a magnificent destiny,’ he told them. ‘Continue your journey. Go to Bethlehem. Find the savior that the star predicted. Worship him. Then come back here and tell me where the child is so that I, too, might go and worship him.’
“ How classic. The Magi were so convincing that Herod didn’t realize who his true enemies were. They became what intelligence experts call double agents: spies pretending to work for one side when they’re actually working for the other.
“ They must have been terribly pleased as they traveled south to Bethlehem. Now that they had Herod’s trust, they could tell him anything they wanted to, and he’d believe them. More than they’d originally hoped, their made-up reports would cause Herod to order his soldiers back and forth across the kingdom, fatally weakening his defenses as he chased a phantom. But something remarkable happened in Bethlehem, something that changed everything.”
“ What was that?” Cole asked.
“ They began to believe that the disinformation they’d given Herod was in fact the truth.”
“ You understand what you’re supposed to do?” Andrei asked Brody. “Learn as much as you can. Talk about it as naturally as possible so the suspect doesn’t realize we’re listening. We’re particularly interested in any defenses he set up.”
“ Yes,” Brody said, “but…”
“ Are you having second thoughts? You don’t want to help your wife and son? You don’t want to make up for beating her?”
“ Honest to God, I’ve never regretted anything more in my life.”
“ Then prove it to them. Maybe you can convince the suspect that we’re not out here, that he’s safe and he can let your family go.”
“ But…”
Andrei cut him off. “Okay, if you don’t want to help your wife and son, fine. I can understand why you don’t want to risk your own neck. It’s human nature to look out for number one. When the SWAT team gets their snipers set up, I’ll figure another way to handle this.”
“ Snipers? For heaven’s sake, no.”
“ Mr. Brody, I don’t have a lot of alternatives.”
“ All right, all right. I’ll go in there.”
“ You’re sure? No second thoughts?”
“ I said I’ll do it!”
“ Keep your voice down. The suspect might hear you.”
“ Sorry. This is all too-”
Andrei put a steadying hand on Brody’s shoulder. “Your family’ll be proud of you. That’s what matters. Now there are just a couple of other details. Give me your keys.”
“ My keys? Why?”
“ Is there a vehicle in your garage?”
“ A Range Rover.”
“ The suspect might try to escape in it. Canyon Road should be open to traffic by now. He might be tempted to take the chance.”
Brody gave Andrei the keys. “But if Canyon Road’s open to traffic now, why hasn’t the SWAT team gotten here? It’s been a long time.”
“ Good question. I’ll call headquarters and find out.” Andrei pulled out Brody’s cell phone, opened it, started to press numbers, and again deliberately lost his grip. As he intended, it fell in the snow.
“ Damn,” Andrei said. “I wish I’d worn thick gloves. My hands are so cold I can barely hold anything.”
He reached into the snow, groped, and pulled out the phone. He brushed snow from it and pretended to try to use it.
“ Shit. Now this phone’s not working, either.” He didn’t want Brody going into the house with a phone. Pyotyr would no doubt find it and use it to get help. “I’m awfully sorry about this. You’d better lend me your wife’s phone.”
“ Lend you…?” Brody tensed. “What’s going on here?”
“ Don’t worry. The police department will get you a new one,” Andrei promised.
“ What did you say your name was?”
“ I didn’t. It’s Detective Parker.”
“ You told me your microphones and earbuds allow you to communicate with headquarters, so why do you need my wife’s phone? This is… Something’s wrong. Let me see your badge.”
“ Badge?”
“ All of you. Let me see your ID.”
“ I told you to keep your voice down,” Andrei warned. “My identification’s under my coat.” He brushed snow from the front. “Do you really want me to freeze, just so you can-”
Brody backed away.
“ What are you doing, Mr. Brody?”
As Brody turned to run down the shadowy lane, Andrei shoved him hard, knocking him into the snow. He bent down, braced a heavy knee on Brody’s back, and rammed his face down into a drift. Andrei’s powerful hand kept Brody’s features submerged in the snow.
Brody struggled, gagging, but Andrei ignored his efforts and pressed his face down harder into the drift.
“ Listen to me,” Andrei whispered close to Brody’s left ear. “You’re going to do what I want, or I’ll smother you. Do you feel the snow clogging your nostrils? Some of it’s melting. You’re inhaling the water. Soon you’ll be choking.”
Pinned in the drift, Brody started coughing. The sound was muffled by the snow. His back arched-or tried to. His chest heaved.
“ Are you listening?” Andrei asked quietly, applying more weight to his back. “Do you want to die in a snowbank on Christmas Eve, or would you like to spend the holiday with your wife and son?”
Brody choked as he tried to speak under the snow.
At once, Andrei reached under Brody’s hat, grabbed his hair, and jerked his head up. Brody’s cheeks were covered with snow. He strained to clear his nose and mouth, but Andrei pressed a glove over his face to diminish the sound.
“ What are the names of your wife and son?” Andrei murmured. He took his hand from Brody’s mouth while he pressed his Glock to Brody’s right temple.
Snot clung to Brody’s mustache.
“ Meredith. My wife’s name is Meredith. My son… my son is Cole.”
“ Nice names. I bet they’re wonderful people. Are they?”
“ Yes.”
“ Do you love them, Ted?” The tip of the sound suppressor on Andrei’s Glock made an indentation in Brody’s skin. Andrei imagined how hard and cold the metal felt.
“ Love them?” Brody managed to answer. “Of course.”
“ Prove it, Ted. Prove that you love Meredith and Cole. Prove how much you wish you hadn’t punched your wife. This is your chance to be a hero. Save them. Save your family, Ted.”
“ Yes.” Brody trembled. “I’ll do anything for them.”
“ Then nothing’s different. You’ll go in that house. You’ll notice whatever defenses have been set up. You’ll ask about them. We’ll hear you talking. We’ll know what to expect.”
“ Meredith and Cole…”
“ We take care of people who cooperate, Ted. I just thought of something.” Andrei felt a sudden terrible doubt. “Is there a computer in your house? Could the man in there have e-mailed for help?”
“ I use a password lock.”
Andrei breathed out, releasing some of his tension.
“ Good,” he said. “Before we go into the house, I’ll tell you we’re coming. You’ll have plenty of warning. All you need to do is get your family down to the floor. As soon as we teach a lesson to our friend in there, and retrieve something he stole from us, we’ll leave. You and your wife and son can have a nice life.”