And you keep your distance. No more Nancy Drew stuff. Leave the rest to me." He wanted Gin out of harm's way. No telling what Lathram would do if he felt cornered.

"Okay. But are you sure the senator's going to be all right? " "Gin, " he said, 'right now I'm not sure of anything. But I want to get moving on this and I don't make these decisions. I've got to build a case and bung it to the SSA, and he may have to take it higher. And the sooner I get moving on it, the better." She gave him the year and the months when the newspaper articles appeared, then said, "Keep me informed, okay? " "Don't worry. But one thing that can't be mentioned, now or ever, is how you got into Lathram's locked drawer.

Understand? " "I got it. And I'm sorry. Really."

"Accepted. Talk to you later." He sat for a long while after he hung up, making notes, organizing his facts, consulting his computer for the personal database he'd built on Dr. Lathram.

Gerry was wired. He knew this could mean big things for him. He wasn't going to let this one get away from him, either. This was his baby. It meant a lot of extra work in the short run, but in the long run . . .

breaking a case of this magnitude could make a career.

And it looked pretty solid. The good doctor had access and opportunity.

Gerry had to document his motive.

He put in a call to research for any information anywhere on Duncan Lathram, MD, with special attention to links between Lathram and any of the fallen legislators. Gerry wanted those clippings in hand when he brought the case to Ketter.

Gerry was surprised when an interoffice envelope from research appeared on his desk less than half an hour later. So soon?

Quickly he shuffled through the sheets, mostly photocopies of old newspaper articles with Lathram's name highlighted along with those of Lane, Allard, Vincent . . . and Schulz.

Here they were, villain and victims, all neatly crossreferenced in the pages of the Post. A long way from an open and-shut case, but these plus Gin's statement about the neurotoxin ought to be enough to get things rolling.

He headed for Marvin Ketter's office.

Ketter stood at his window, staring down at the rush hour traffic on EYE Street. His brow was furrowed in concentration, drawing his bushy eyebrows into a continuous line. Gerry knew he was trying to make up his mind.

A cautious man, Ketter. Too cautious. Afraid of making a mistake.

But no way was Gerry going to let him take a pass on this one.

"Look, " Gerry said, wandering the room, looking for a way to tilt the SSA his way. "Lathram has motive, means, and opportunity. What else do we need? " "It's all circumstantial. ' '"Four members of the old committee are down or out. Dr. Panzella all but saw Lathram stick one of these implants of his into Senator Marsden.

How long do we wait? ' ""All but saw' isn't quite the same as seeing.

You know that, Gerry.

And Marsden wasn't a member of the original committee. So there goes your motive."

"But he's chairing the new committee. Gin's right. I know she is."

Ketter's eyebrows reached for his hairline. "Gin? " "Dr. Panzella.

We went to high school together." He didn't want Ketter to know it was more than that. "That's why she came to me.

Look, don't tell me you don't know in your gut there's something wrong here." Ketter patted the sprawl of papers Gerry had put before him.

"Trust me, Gerry. There's nothing I'd like better than to uncover something like this. It would be good for both of us.

Gerry took his turn at the window, watching the cars.

Ketter wouldn't get off the damn fence, even though a coup like this would move him up and put Gerry in this very office. Gin would be proud of him, Senator Marsden would be grateful, and he'd have more time to devote to Martha. And to Gin.

Christ, he wanted this.

"So what do we do? Wait until Senator Marsden keels over? " "If he does, at least we'll know what to look for, and where to look for it.

" Gerry shot him a skeptical look.

"I know, I know, " Ketter said. "That won't do Marsden much good. But I won't go offhalf-cocked and embarrass the Bureau." All right, Gerry thought. If reason doesn't work, how about a threat?

"I know one thing, Marvin. Anything happens to Marsden, Dr. Panzella's going to be screaming bloody murder. She's on Marsden's staff. Don't think she won't tell the press and Congress and anyone else who'll listen that she warned the FBI but we ignored her. You're worried about embarrassment, think about that." Ketter's eyebrows met again in the middle as he rubbed his jaw.

He's almost there, Gerry thought. Just one more nudge . . .

"Look, " Ketter said. "If there was some way we could confirm the existence of this implant without letting either Marsden or Lathram know what we're doing, I'd go for it. But the damn thing's supposedly in his leg. What do we do? Knock him out and drag him into a hospital and x-ray him? " Gerry turned and stared at Ketter. Yes!

Ketter said, "What? " "I think I know how we can do it." TRICKS GERRY RAISED HIS FIELD GLASSES AS A SILVER-GRAY LINcoln Town Car pulled out of the driveway and turned right. Senator Marsden sat behind the wheel. He felt the butterflies begin to flutter against the walls of his stomach. They'd been fluttering all night. A lot hung on this little operation. By Bureau standards it was no big deal in resources, a couple of vehicles, a couple of field agents, a couple of civilians.

But it was a very big deal for him.

Butterflies? More like a couple of angry roosters going at each other.

Not many places to hide in this section of McLean. Mostly open horse country, zoned for high acreage, with big, sprawling homes set far back from the road. But Gerry had managed to find a stand of oaks that allowed him to pull off the road and keep an eye on Senator Marsden's driveway. Gin had called the senator's office and learned that he was expected in sometime between eight and nine.

Even if Gerry hadn't known his face, the white bandage on the left ear would have confirmed the ID. And he was wearing his seat belt.

Great.

A sensible man. He glanced at his watch, 8:05 Prompt too.

And as usual, he was driving himself. That had been a concern. As minor as the surgery was, there was always the possibility that the senator might order a limo to take him to his office. Fortunately he hadn't. An extra passenger or a different vehicle would complicate things.

Gerry punched two buttons on his cellular phone and it called a preprogrammed number.

"Okay. He's on his way. Using the Town Car. I'll keep you posted. " He eased his Bureau Ford into gear and followed Marsden as he wound past horse farms and meadows and turned north onto Dolley Madison Boulevard. They passed the CIA entrance and eventually fed into the traffic on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. He understood why Marsden took this route. It was beautiful. Wooded hills and vales undulated to the right, beginning their shift into fall colors, while the tranquil Potomac flowed far below on the left. Across the river the towers of Georgetown University pierced the morning sky. Gerry's tension mounted as they passed under Key Bridge. Marsden could choose from two bridges into the District from here, the Teddy Roosevelt or the Arlington Memorial. If he'd had more time, Gerry could have learned the senator's usual route, but it had been less than twenty-four hours since the surgery. Gerry had prepared for both routes, but he was hoping for the Memorial.

He had to hand it to Ketter. Once his SSA got moving, he moved.

They'd spent a lot of overtime last night getting approvals, securing personnel and equipment, but by seven this morning, everything was in place, waiting.

When he saw Marsden go past the off-ramp for the Teddy, Gerry relaxed a little. But only a little.