Gone Tomorrow

‘He said his name was Browning. Our counterterrorism people went in two hours ago. The Hoths aren’t there.’

‘I know.’

‘They were, but they aren’t any more.’

‘I know.’

‘How do you know?’

‘They turned in Leonid and his buddy. Therefore they’ve moved somewhere Leonid and his buddy don’t know. Layers upon layers.’

‘Why did they turn in Leonid and his buddy?’

‘To encourage the other thirteen. And to feed the machine. We’ll rough them up a little, the Arab media will call it torture, they’ll get ten new recruits. Net gain of eight. And Leonid and his pal are no big loss, anyway. They were hopeless.’

‘Will the other thirteen be better?’

‘Law of averages says yes.’

‘Thirteen is an insane number.’

‘Fifteen, including the Hoths themselves.’

‘You shouldn’t do it.’

‘Especially unarmed.’

She glanced at the bag. Then she looked back at me. ‘Can you find them?’

‘What are they doing for money?

‘We can’t trace them that way. They stopped using credit cards and ATMs six days ago.’

‘Which makes sense.’

‘Which makes them hard to find.’

I asked, ‘Is Jacob Mark safely back in Jersey?’

‘You think he shouldn’t be involved?’

‘But I should?’

‘You are,’ I said. ‘You brought me the bag.’

‘I’m guarding ii.’

‘What else are your counterterrorism people doing?’

‘Searching,’ she said. ‘With the FBI and the Department of Defense. There are six hundred people on the street right now.’

‘Where are they looking?’

‘Anywhere bought or rented inside the last three months. The city is cooperating. Plus they’re inspecting hotel registers and business apartment leases and warehouse operations, across all five boroughs.’

‘OK.’

‘Word on the street is it’s all about a Pentagon file on a USB memory stick.’

‘Close enough.’

‘Do you know where it is?’

‘Close enough.’

‘Where is it?’

‘Nowhere between Ninth Avenue and Park and 30th Street and 45th.’

‘I suppose I deserve that.’

‘You’ll figure it out.’

‘Do you really know? Docherty figures you don’t. He figures you’re trying to bluff your way out of trouble.’

‘Docherty is clearly a very cynical man.’

‘Cynical or right?’

‘I know where it is.’

‘So go get it. Leave the Hoths for someone else.’

I didn’t answer that. Instead I said, ‘Do you spend time in the gym?’

‘Not much,’ she said. ‘Why?’

‘I’m wondering how hard it would be to overpower you.’

‘Not very,’ she said. I didn’t answer.

She asked, ‘When are you planning on setting out?’

‘Two hours,’ I said. ‘Then another two hours to find them, and attack at four in the morning. My favourite time. Something we learned from the Soviets. They had doctors working on it. People hit a low at four in the morning. It’s a universal truth.’

‘You’re making that up.’

‘I’m not.’

‘You won’t find them in two hours.’

‘I think I will.’

‘The missing file is about Sansom, right?’

‘Partially.’

‘Does he know you’ve got it?’

‘I haven’t got it. But I know where it is.’

‘Does he know that?’

I nodded.

Lee said, ‘So you made a bargain with him. Get me and Docherty and Jacob Mark out of trouble, and you’ll lead him to it.’

‘The bargain was designed to get myself out of trouble, first and foremost.’

‘Didn’t work for you. You’re still on the hook with the feds.’

‘It worked for me as far as the NYPD is concerned.’

‘And it worked for the rest of us all around. For which I thank you.’

‘You’re welcome.’

She asked, ‘How are the Hoths planning to get out of the country?’

‘I don’t think they are. I think that option disappeared a few days ago. I think they expected things to go more smoothly than they have. Now it’s about finishing the job, do or die.’

‘Like a suicide mission?’

‘That’s what they’re good at.’

‘Which makes it worse for you.’

‘If they like suicide, I’m happy to help.’

Lee moved on the bed and the tail of her shirt got trapped underneath her and the silk pulled tight over the shape of the gun on her hip. A Glock 17, I figured, in a pancake holster.

I asked her, ‘Who knows you’re here?’

‘Docherty,’ she said.

‘When is he expecting you back?’

‘Tomorrow,’ she said.

I said nothing.

She said, ‘What do you want to do right now?

‘Honest answer?

‘Please.’

‘I want to unbutton your shirt.’

‘You say that to a lot of police officers?’

‘I used to. Police officers were all the people I knew.’

‘Danger makes you horny?’

‘Women make me horny.’

‘All women?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘Not all women.’

She was quiet for a long moment and then she said, ‘Not a good idea.’

I said, ‘OK.’

‘You’re taking no for an answer?’

‘Aren’t I supposed to?’

She was quiet for another long moment and then she said, ‘I’ve changed my mind.’

‘About what?’

‘About it not being a good idea.’

‘Excellent.’

‘But I worked Vice for a year. Entrapment stings. We needed proof that the guy had a reasonable expectation of what he thought he was going to get. So we made him take his shirt off first. As proof of intent.’

‘I could do that,’ I said.

‘I think you should.’

‘You going to arrest me?’

‘No.’