“I disagree. I don’t think this chocolate is an export product. At least not for the States. It had German writing on it.”

“So? Maybe someone brought it back from a trip to Germany as a gift for the old couple.”

“But, the couple was Mormon and caffeine is another thing that is forbidden by their religion.”

“Listen, you’re in enough trouble as it is. Tell me you didn’t take anything from the crime scene. You left that chocolate right where you found it, right?”

Harvath couldn’t tell if Shaw was trying to lead him toward the answer he wanted to hear or if he really wanted the truth. Either way, something told Scot that he should not admit to having removed the chocolate from the crime scene. “No. I left it there.”

“Good. Then it’s the FBI’s problem and they can decide whether it’s relevant or not when they find it. I think, though, that you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. You’re very stressed out. I haven’t had a chance to read your fitness report. Did you see Dr. Helsabeck?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And, nothing. She says I’m fine. Says my head may feel scrambled for a few more days, but that’s pretty much it.”

“Are you taking any medications?”

“Only Tylenol. I haven’t been able to shake this headache.”

Shaw was quiet for a few moments while he thought. His fingertips were pressed together in an arch in front of his nose, with his thumbs supporting his chin. Scot could hear the ticking of a grandfather clock in the hall. Finally, Shaw broke the silence. “All right, I think there’s enough here to bring André Martin into protective custody while we look into this. Where is he?”

“He’s with Natalie Sperando at the Radisson Old Town in Alexandria.”

“Sperando?”

“She’s the one who introduced Martin to me. He was a very close friend of her brother’s.”

“How much does she know?”

“Pretty much everything Martin does.”

“Okay, so they’re both at the Radisson. Is that the one on Fairfax at Montgomery?”

“Yes, about fifteen minutes down from the Metro.”

“I know it. Okay, we’ll send a car to pick them up and bring them in. We have a safe house not too far from there that we can use. Were you able to ascertain whether they had talked to anyone else about this?”

“No, they assured me that they hadn’t. I stressed to them that anyone that they might have even hinted about this to could be in danger, and they said they were the only ones.”

“Good. That makes our job a lot easier. Now, I can’t promise you that this is going to help your case. At best, it’s all circumstantial and it’s André Martin’s word against Senator Snyder’s. I think he was smart to kick that piece of rope under the dryer. Forensics can place him in Snyder’s house and in the basement. That kid was thinking.

“As far as you’re concerned, I am going to do this quietly. You are in enough trouble as it is, and if this turns out to be a load of BS, you don’t need any more problems. I am going to ask you this once, and I want you to answer me honestly. Have you spoken with anyone other than Martin and Sperando about this?”

“No.”

“Are you sure that no one overheard you talking at the bar?”

“As sure as I can be.”

“Okay, good. Now, is there anything else you want to tell me about what happened in Park City? If you’ve got anything, now is the time to get it out.”

Harvath thought for a moment. “No. You know the full story.”

“Do you have any idea who or what this Star Gazer might be?”

“None at all.”

“For all we know,” said Shaw, “with all your astronomy gear, it could be you.”

“Me? What the hell do you-”

“God, calm down Harvath. I was just pulling your chain. Cripes, you’re irritable.”

“I’m sorry, Bill. I’m just a little on edge.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“So, what’s our next move?”

“Okay, I’ll get my laptop from the den for you and put a pot of coffee on. I want a full report, including any of the details you might have accidentally forgotten concerning Park City. If I am going to go to bat for you, I can’t have any surprises. I want all of it while it’s fresh in your mind. While you are working on that, I’ll get started on bringing Martin and Sperando in. Was there an established code for calling so they would know it was you?”

“I had her register under the name Cashman.”

“Fine. I’ll whip up some coffee and get the laptop. In the meantime, you can use the phone on the end table there to call them.”

Harvath did as he was told. He explained to Natalie that either he or Shaw would be calling back shortly with details on the pickup. He told her that they would be taken to a nearby safe house and André placed in protective custody, pending a preliminary investigation. She had done the right thing calling him, and she should be proud. They were going to be all right.

Ten minutes later, Shaw appeared with a mug of coffee and his laptop. As Scot began typing his report, Shaw headed for his den. Closing the doors behind him, he crossed the distance to the phone in three fast strides. He picked it up and dialed the number in McLean from memory.

38

“Marsha?” asked Shaw, after a sleepy voice answered the number he had dialed.

“You’ve got the wrong number,” said the voice, and the call was disconnected.

Shaw sat patiently and waited behind the thick, locked doors of his study. On a bank of monitors next to his desk, he watched an image of Agent Harvath diligently typing his report. The small hidden camera had him perfectly in frame. Three minutes later, Shaw’s private line rang and he depressed the button to activate the scrambler hidden within the desk.

“It’s an odd time for a phone call,” said Shaw.

“This is when the rates are the lowest though,” answered the voice.

Each of the parties’ authentication codes completed, the conversation could now begin. They spoke freely, knowing that the lines were secure and the scramblers would prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

“You’d better have something good, Shaw, to call me this late at night. My wife and I were sound asleep.”

“I do, Senator.”

“Well, get on with it.”

“Senator Rolander, it seems that your colleague, Senator Snyder, has been less than discreet.”

“Less than discreet? Speak English, man. What do you mean?”

“I mean, Snyder allowed someone to overhear some of his more sensitive conversations.”

This admission made Rolander very nervous. He gripped the handset of the telephone tighter. “What kind of conversations?”

“The worst kind. The kind that could send us all away for a very long time, if not get us executed for treason.”

“First of all, I don’t care how secure these lines are; I want you to watch your language, and choose your words very carefully. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, now run down what it is you’re talking about and give me all the details.”

Five minutes later, Shaw’s story was complete. He had left out some of the details, but none of the important ones. Senator Rolander had the picture.

“That hedonistic son of a bitch,” swore Rolander.

“To tell you the truth, it doesn’t matter who he was sleeping with, this still could have happened.”

“I agree, but what does matter is that Snyder got sloppy and now we’ll have to clean up his mess. Where is Agent Harvath right now?”

“In my TV room.”

“He’s in your house, and you’re on the phone with me? What kind of idiot are you?!”

“Relax, Senator, he’s on ‘candid camera.’ I’m watching him on a closed-circuit monitor right now. He hasn’t budged in the last ten minutes, and he can’t hear us.”

“What’s he doing?”

“I have him writing up a full report.”

“That report can never see daylight. You understand?”

“Of course. There’s nothing to worry about,” said Shaw as he eyeballed a set of books across the room that hid his wall safe. The report would never get out, unless he needed it to. For now, it would stay in his safe and be a nice insurance policy. Once Harvath finished it and they printed it out, Shaw would read it over, have Harvath sign it, and it would go right into the safe. “As soon as he’s done, I’ll destroy it. We don’t need any loose ends that could cause us trouble, do we, Senator?”