that their little drama would go unconnected for a day or two
until you read about it in the newspapers?’
‘So what are you saying? Who are they?’
‘What weapons did they use?’
‘An H&K MPSSD6 and a Vaime Mk2,’ Reacher said.
‘Fairly esoteric weapons,’ Bannon said. ‘And not legally
available for sale to the public, because they’re silenced. Only
government agencies can buy them. And only one government
agency buys both of them.’
‘Us,’ Stuyvesant said, quietly.
‘Yes, you,’ Bannon said. ‘And finally, I looked for Ms
Froelich’s name in the phone book. And you know what? She’s
not there. She’s unlisted. Certainly there was no boxed ad
saying, “I’m a Secret Service crew chief and this is where I
live.” So how did these guys know where to deliver the last
message?’
There was a long silence.
¢I’hey know me,’ Froelich said, quietly.
Bannon nodded. ‘I’m sorry, folks, but as of now the FBI
is looking for Secret Service people. Not current employees,
because current employees would have been aware of the early
arrival of the demonstration threat and would have acted a
day sooner. So we’re focusing on recent ex-employees who still
know the ropes. People who knew you wouldn’t tell Armstrong
himself. People who knew Ms Froelich. People who knew
Nendick, too, and where to find him. Maybe people who left
under a cloud and are carrying some kind of grudge. Against
the Secret Service, not against Brook Armstrong. Because our
theory is that Armstrong is a means,- not an end. They’ll waste a
vice president-elect just to get at you, exactly like they wasted
the other two Armstrongs.’
The room was silent.
‘What would be the motive?’ Froelich asked.
Bannon made a face. ‘Embittered ex-employees are walking,
talking, living, breathing motives. We all know that. We’ve all
suffered from it.’
‘What about the thumbprint?’ Stuyvesant said. ‘All our people
are printed. Always have been.’
251
‘Our assumption is that we’re talking about two guys. Our
assessment is that the thumbprint guy is an unknown associate
of somebody who used to work here, who is the latex gloves
guy. So we’re saying they and them purely as a convenience.
We’re not saying they both worked here. We’re not suggesting
you’ve got two renegades.’
‘Just one renegade.’
hat’s our theory,’ Bannon said. ‘But saying they and them is
useful and instructive, too, because they’re a team. We need to
look at them as a single unit. Because they share information.
Therefore what I’m saying is, only one of them worked here,
but they both know your secrets.’
Fhis is a very big department,’ Stuyvesant said. ‘Big turnover
of people. Some quit. Some are fired. Some retire. Some get
asked to.’
‘We’re checking now,’ Bannon said. ‘We’re getting personnel
lists direct from Treasury. We’re going back five years.’
‘You’ll get a long list.’
‘We’ve got the manpower.’
Nobody spoke.
‘I’m real sorry, people,’ Bannon said. ‘Nobody likes to hear
their problem is close to home. But it’s the only conclusion
there is. And it’s not good news for days like today. These
people are here in town right now and they know exactly what
you’re thinking and exactly what you’re doing. So my advice is
to cancel. And if you’re not going to cancel, then my advice is to
take a great deal of care.’
Stuyvesant nodded in the silence. ‘We will,’ he said. ‘You can
count on that.’
‘My people will be in place two hours in advance,’ Bannon
said.
‘Ours will be in place an hour before that,’ Froelich replied.
Bannon smiled a tight little smile and pushed back his chair
and stood up. ‘See yot. there,’ he said. He left the room and
closed the door behind him, firmly, but quietly.
Stuyvesant checked his watch. ‘Well?’
They had sat quiet for a moment, and then strolled out to
the reception area and got coffee. Then they had regrouped in
252
the conference room, in the same seats, each of them looking at
the place Bannon had vacated like he was still there.
‘Well?’ Stuyvesant said again.
Nobody spoke.
‘Inevitable, I guess,’ Stuyvesant said. qhey can’t pin the
thumbprint guy on us, but the other one is definitely one of