“What time is it?”

“Almost four thirty.”

“a.m., right?”

Vail smiled gently. “Made that jump right from ‘breakfast’ to it being morning. Evidently your mind is working.”

She gave a brief laugh, more courteous than amused. “I know you’re concerned, but after some food and sleep, I think you’ll be impressed how quickly I bounce back.”

“Actually I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

“That’s very kind of you.” She put her hand on his. “I haven’t really thanked you for what you did.”

“And now you have.”

Her eyes had started to well up, but Vail’s response made her smile. She sniffled away the tears and patted him on the hand. “Let’s go find a truck stop and order the biggest, greasiest thing on the menu. I’m buying.”

“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day. Especially from a woman.”

DURING BREAKFAST, Vail could see Tye’s spirits gradually repairing themselves. By the end of the meal she was laughing with a seemingly reengaged sense of humor, maybe the best indicator of all. At one point, after a period of awkward silence, she became more serious. “Steve, there’s only one thing I’m concerned about. Do you think Radek was the last of them?”

“I hope so. I’m out of ammunition.” She gave another short, polite laugh, making him realize it was the wrong tack. “Sorry. As far as I can see, that’s it.” Vail smiled at her reassuringly. “Absolutely, I think he was the last of the Pentad.”

This time it was Tye who read some doubt in his voice. “But you’d feel better if the three million had been sitting in his apartment.”

“Well, the money is a consideration. If you don’t know where it is, you don’t know if someone’s got it. But Radek had robbed eight armored cars; he knew how to hide bulk money. It could be off somewhere being laundered. The Bureau’s searching his hotel room right now. Maybe the answer will be there.”

Tye looked at him questioningly. “You said ‘the Bureau is searching’ instead of ‘we’re searching.’ What’s going on?”

“I’m no longer with the FBI. I was just more or less fired. Who could have seen that coming?” Vail said, his smile relaxed, disarming. “I know what you’re missing. Do you want me to get you some cigarettes?”

“No, no, that’s all right. I think I’m going to try to quit.” She patted him on the hand. “I’m okay. Really.”

Vail nodded at her plate. “I’d ask you if you want anything else, but I think you’ve already eaten everything on the menu.”

“While I’ll never be able to thank you for what you did last night, I think I’m just as impressed with how kind you’ve been since…since you came and got me.” She took a deep breath to demonstrate renewal and pushed her plate away. “Now, I’m ready to go home.” Her words were meant to be filled with resolve but sounded tenuous, as if she were about to bungee jump off a bridge and wondered if the tether was the proper length.

A little later when Vail pulled into her driveway, she looked at the house solemnly. “Do you want me to come in?” he offered. “I could stay while you get some sleep.”

“As tempting as that is, eventually it’ll make it that much harder. No, this is it for you, Steve Vail. You’re off duty. Go back to your life. It’s time for me to climb back on the horse.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, her eyes damp with emotion. “But I’ve got to warn you, the next time I get kidnapped, I’ve still got your number.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said, and got out.

AS SOON AS VAIL walked into the lobby of his hotel, two agents he recognized from the office came up and announced with forced authority, “The SAC wants to see you.”

Vail laughed. “You do know that I no longer work for the FBI?”

“He still wants to see you,” one of them said nervously.

“How long have you been waiting here?”

“A couple of hours.”

“Then the SAC can wait a little longer. I’m going up to shower and change clothes. You can come up and make sure I don’t escape, or you can wait in the bar.”

The two agents looked at each other, not sure what to do. Vail turned to go. “While you two figure it out, I’ll be in my room.”

They hurried after him.

When they got to the FBI office, the agents took him directly to the SAC’s office and waited inside the doorway like guards. Mark Hildebrand was sitting at a small conference table at one end of the room. Seated across from him were a couple of older agents who Vail assumed were supervisors. “Steve, have a seat,” Hildebrand offered. Vail sat down. “Coffee?”

“Half a cup. I’m not going to be here that long.”

One of the agents who had escorted him from the hotel filled a mug and brought it over. “We need to get a statement from you as to exactly what happened last night.”

He took a sip. “Why?”

“Because this is an FBI investigation, and we don’t know what happened.”

“Normally I wouldn’t interrupt a ruse as clever as this, but I’ve had very little sleep. So if I fast-forward this a bit you’ll have to excuse me. Kaulcrick isn’t here, so I’m supposed to assume that you no longer have any loyalty to him or interest in your own career? You’re asking for my statement about what happened last night. That isn’t what this is about. You don’t have a clue where the money is.” Vail searched the faces around the table. “No, there’s something else. You think I found something last night, and I’m keeping it from you. That’s it, isn’t it?” He looked around the table again. One of the supervisors diverted his eyes, confirming Vail’s suspicions.

“Steve, try to look at it from our side. We have to consider the possibility that you might have found something.”

“Where are Kaulcrick and Kate?”

“Kate’s in her office.”

Vail waited a few seconds. “Since you’re not saying where Kaulcrick is, I’ll have to assume…he’s searching my room, isn’t he?”

Hildebrand’s face reddened. “We have a warrant.”

Vail roared with laughter. “When I was first an agent, I used to wonder if there was someone in a secret room watching everyone in the office who would feed management the answers to make sure that they got everything completely wrong. There had to be because how else could you guys get everything perfectly backward?” He looked around at the walls. “Come on, you can tell me, where are the cameras?”

“Would you be willing to take a polygraph to clear yourself?”

He smiled. “I’ll be glad to take a polygraph. On one condition.”

“Which is?”

“You take one first.”

“Me? About what?”

“Kaulcrick wouldn’t have waited for a warrant to search my room, especially if he knew I wasn’t going to be there. You knew I was with Tye Delson at the hospital. Even though you did a quickie yesterday to lift my handgun, somebody had to go back to my room after the shooting for a little prewarrant reconnaissance. A little light lifting of the pillows to look for large chunks of money. Nothing that I’d notice. Just pass the box on that one question, Mark, and then you can hook me up.”

“So you’re saying no.”

“Sounds like you’re the one saying no.”

“Would you mind waiting out in my secretary’s office.”

“Listen, if you want me to help look for the money, just ask. If not, I need a ride back to my hotel. Please call and ask them to have the courtesy of being out of there by the time I get back.” Hildebrand hesitated for a few seconds, considering the advantage of joining forces with Vail, but knew that Kaulcrick was the surest route back to Washington. There was an old saying among managers: Contacts trump competence. The SAC nodded to the two agents at the door to take him back to the hotel. “Oh, two more things,” Vail said. “First, I assume you’d like to know the identity of the body in the elevator.”

“You know who that is?”

“A federal parolee named Benjamin Lavolet. He had an apartment on Sistine Lane.”