“Maybe,” Nathan said.

“Anyway, why would you suspect Lisa?” Ober asked.

“Because, besides Ben, only the three of us knew the plan. So if someone’s leaking, it’s either you, me, or Lisa.”

“Well, it’s not me,” Ober said defensively.

“I didn’t say it was you. I said it was Lisa.”

“Do you think she’d really do that?”

“How should I know?” Nathan asked. “But don’t you think it was weird that she wanted to go home rather than come here and wait with us?”

“She wanted to take a shower. She smelled.”

“She could’ve showered here. Besides, what do we really know about her?”

“We know Ben’s been working with her for the past four months, and he doesn’t have a bad word to say about her.”

“That’s just because he’s hot for her. Sex will always obscure good judgment. Always.”

“I don’t know about that,” Ober said, shaking his head. “I don’t really think Lisa could be involved.”

Suddenly, the front door opened and Ben walked in.

The questions started flying: “What happened?” “Where’d he take you?” “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Ben said, his hands cupped together. “I just need some contact solution.” Turning toward the bathroom, he explained, “Mastermind made me take out my contacts so I couldn’t make out his license plates.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter what you saw, because we got everything,” Nathan said as Ben reinserted his lenses. “We got some shots of the limo, and Lisa got everything else.”

“Where is she?” Ben asked. As he blinked his contacts into place, saline-solution tears ran down his face.

“She went home to shower,” Ober explained.

“Did she see Rick when he opened the window?” Ben asked.

“She said she did. She took a whole roll of film.”

“Did you bring it in yet? Are they clear shots? We can probably enlarge them.”

“Already taken care of,” Nathan said. “We took them to the place around the corner. They were closing, so the pictures won’t be ready until tomorrow. As soon as we pick them up, I’ll bring them into work. We’ll have an I.D. in no time.”

“So what’d he say?” Ober asked. “What happened?”

“You saw the whole story,” Ben said, still struggling with his contacts. “Just like we thought, he fucking knew everything. When I was sitting at the table, he slipped me a note saying that I should meet him outside since he didn’t want to be photographed by the two of you. I almost shit my pants.”

“So he did know we were there,” Nathan said. “Did you save the note? Maybe we can analyze it for fingerprints or do a handwriting analysis.”

“Forget about it,” Ben said. “The limo driver took it away from me right before he patted me down for the microphone.”

“I told you-” Ober began.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Ben said angrily.

“Take a seat,” Nathan said.

“I can’t,” Ben said, leaning on the kitchen table. “I’m too wound up.” Running his hands through his hair, he added, “I can’t believe this. Now we have no audio. If we’d given him a power drill, I don’t think he could’ve screwed us harder.”

“What else did he say?”

“He wants the Grinnell decision, and he said he’d pay me three million dollars if I gave it to him.”

“Three million?” Ober asked.

“Did you tell him no?” Nathan asked.

“Of course not,” Ben said. “I did exactly what we talked about. I told him I’d think about it.”

“When did you talk about that?” Ober asked. “I don’t remember that.”

“Last night,” Ben said. “You were down here talking to Eric.”

“How come you didn’t invite me?”

“I just said-you were with Eric,” Ben explained. “Sorry.”

“About Eric-” Ober began.

“Ober, I know it upsets you, but I really don’t want to talk about it,” Ben said. “It’s a dead issue, so drop it already.”

“Do you think Rick believed that you were interested?” Nathan asked.

“Absolutely. He said if I’m linked to Eric, I’m screwed. So if I don’t take the money, I’d be a fool.”

Nathan paused for a moment. “You would be.”

“I know,” Ben said. Pushing himself away from the table, Ben walked toward the kitchen. “The only other thing that freaked me out was how much information he had on me. He knew everything. He knew about Eric and the Marshals Office. He even mentioned something about my meeting with my firm,” Ben said as he picked up the phone.

“Who’re you calling?” Nathan asked suspiciously.

“Lisa,” Ben said. “I want to tell her what happened.” Noticing the odd look on both Nathan’s and Ober’s faces, Ben asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

Nathan was silent.

“He thinks Lisa might be leaking information to Rick,” Ober explained.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ben said, hanging up the phone. Coming back into the dining room, he asked, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“It’s definitely possible,” Nathan said. “How else do you explain how Rick knew about everything?”

“It’s not that hard to figure out,” Ben reasoned. “He knows Eric’s name, so he probably saw his story in the paper.”

“And how did he know about our entire plan?”

“He might’ve seen you guys across the street.”

“That’s what I said,” Ober said.

“But what about the rest? What about the marshals? And your firm? And the mikes?” Nathan asked. “C’mon, Ben, don’t be blind to this.”

“I’m not being blind,” Ben insisted. “Trust me, I’ve been thinking about this since the beginning. I just don’t think it’s Lisa, though. She’d never do that to me.”

“You barely know her,” Nathan said. “You have no idea what she would and wouldn’t do.”

“She’s a good friend,” Ben said. “I guarantee she wouldn’t do that. Besides, just because Rick is unbelievably resourceful doesn’t mean that one of my close friends is responsible.”

“Eric’s been your close friend for two decades and he had no problem selling you out. How can you say Lisa wouldn’t do the same?”

“Because Lisa’s a better person than Eric is. I know she seems like a loudmouth to you guys, but she has integrity. Trust me, she’d never do it.”

“Ben, now you’re being stupid,” Nathan said, rising from his seat. “If you think she wouldn’t sell you out, you’re wrong. Everyone has their price, and she’s no exception. If you started thinking with your real head, you’d see how right I am.”

“No. No way,” Ben insisted, shaking his head. “If Lisa was leaking information, Rick would be better informed than he was. He knew about things that have gone on, but he only knew about them in a general sense. He really didn’t have any details.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Yes, I do,” Ben said. “I dangled our red herring and he snapped it up.”

“He fell for the security clearance?” Nathan asked.

“Hook, line, and sinker.”

“That’s interesting,” Nathan said.

“What security clearance?” Ober asked, confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Last night, we were talking strategy,” Ben explained, “so Nathan and I said that I should say something happened when it really didn’t. If Rick said he knew about it, we’d know to what extent he was bluffing his way through some of this crap. So I told him that the Marshals Office knocked down my security clearance, which they didn’t. And Rick said he knew about it.”

“Great move,” Ober said, impressed.

“It definitely was,” Ben said. “But I still want to know how Rick had even the little information he had.”

“I think he has us bugged,” Ober said.

“I still think it could be Lisa,” Nathan said.

“I don’t want to hear about it,” Ben said, walking up to his room. “I have way too much to worry about, and I don’t want to have to start suspecting my closest friends.” When he got into his bedroom, Ben closed the door behind him, picked up the phone, and dialed Lisa’s home number.

“Ben?” she answered anxiously.

“Relax, I’m fine,” he said, looking under his desk for anything that resembled a microphone.