know,” Vail said, “this would be a lot easier if we didn’t have to read between each other’s lines.”
“So you want to know if I’m a stand-up gal.”
“I guess that’s what I’m asking.”
“Do you know why lawyers follow the rules, Steve? It’s not that they believe in them—in fact their biggest weaknessis probably that they feel rules don’t exactly apply to them. No, they follow the rules simply because they’ve seen too many people get caught who didn’t. I have this fairly well-researched idea that at some point in their life, every sociopath dreams of going to law school. Unfortunately, too many of them get through.”
“Are you calling yourself a sociopath?”
“We’re all sociopaths. The only variable is whether we control it or it controls us. What I’m saying is that I don’t need to follow all the rules all the time. And I can keep a secret if it’s for the greater good, but at the same time I don’t want to be given up by someone who pledged allegiance and then got faint at the sight of his own blood.”
“Just because I’m hanging around with a deputy assistant director doesn’t mean I want to be one.”
“The little bit I’ve been around you, you’re not like any of the other agents I’ve worked with. You have an obvious disregard for protocol, almost like you don’t work for the government. How long have you been on the job?”
Vail looked at his watch. “Almost two days.”
“Meaning this isn’t your first time around.”
“I used to be an agent. Years ago.”
“And now they’ve rehired you?”
“More or less. Just for this case.”
“You must be quite a guy. What is it that makes you so valuable?”
“I don’t get faint at the sight of my own blood.”
She laughed. “Then it appears we have the makings of a grand conspiracy. What did you find at Bertok’s apartment?”
Vail told her about the hidden folder containing the identification documents in the name Ruben Aznar.
“That alias is a good choice for the Miami area. It’s vague enough where it could be either Hispanic or some other unidentifiable origin because Bertok does not look Latin.”
“We found another potential lead. On his phone’s incoming calls. Just before they lost contact with him during the drop, he called his apartment from a cell phone. It looks like he was checking his messages.”
“Any idea for what?”
“Coupled with those Miami documents, we’re hoping travel arrangements or some contact to launder the money. But those aren’t necessarily high-percentage guesses.”
“Does that mean you think this entire thing is his doing?”
“No stone unturned, counselor.”
“It’s hard to believe that an agent could be behind all this.”
“We’re open to alternate theories,” Vail said.
“I know the evidence is piling up, but still.”
“Either way, we’ve got to find him. I was thinking about a pen register on his apartment phone. If he was checking for some critical message, maybe he’ll call again and we can track him that way. A long shot, but at this point everything is.”
“I understand that you’ve been out of the Bureau for a while, but pen registers take a mountain of paperwork, and probable cause. And it’s getting worse every time I turn around. I have a feeling that you’re a person who could find alternative means.”
“All right, we never talked about this.”
“Did you forget, Steve? I can keep my mouth shut.”
“Just trying to keep the list to a minimum.”
“What list?”
“The one entitled ‘Also Named in the Indictment.’”
WHEN VAIL GOT back to the FBI office, he was directed to a room that had been set up for Kate while she was in Los Angeles. The door was closed and he could hear her on the phone. He knocked twice and walked in. “Yes, sir, he just came in. I’ll call you back.” She hung up. “That was the director. They’ve just received another demand letter….”
Vail could see the concern in her
“So you want to know if I’m a stand-up gal.”
“I guess that’s what I’m asking.”
“Do you know why lawyers follow the rules, Steve? It’s not that they believe in them—in fact their biggest weaknessis probably that they feel rules don’t exactly apply to them. No, they follow the rules simply because they’ve seen too many people get caught who didn’t. I have this fairly well-researched idea that at some point in their life, every sociopath dreams of going to law school. Unfortunately, too many of them get through.”
“Are you calling yourself a sociopath?”
“We’re all sociopaths. The only variable is whether we control it or it controls us. What I’m saying is that I don’t need to follow all the rules all the time. And I can keep a secret if it’s for the greater good, but at the same time I don’t want to be given up by someone who pledged allegiance and then got faint at the sight of his own blood.”
“Just because I’m hanging around with a deputy assistant director doesn’t mean I want to be one.”
“The little bit I’ve been around you, you’re not like any of the other agents I’ve worked with. You have an obvious disregard for protocol, almost like you don’t work for the government. How long have you been on the job?”
Vail looked at his watch. “Almost two days.”
“Meaning this isn’t your first time around.”
“I used to be an agent. Years ago.”
“And now they’ve rehired you?”
“More or less. Just for this case.”
“You must be quite a guy. What is it that makes you so valuable?”
“I don’t get faint at the sight of my own blood.”
She laughed. “Then it appears we have the makings of a grand conspiracy. What did you find at Bertok’s apartment?”
Vail told her about the hidden folder containing the identification documents in the name Ruben Aznar.
“That alias is a good choice for the Miami area. It’s vague enough where it could be either Hispanic or some other unidentifiable origin because Bertok does not look Latin.”
“We found another potential lead. On his phone’s incoming calls. Just before they lost contact with him during the drop, he called his apartment from a cell phone. It looks like he was checking his messages.”
“Any idea for what?”
“Coupled with those Miami documents, we’re hoping travel arrangements or some contact to launder the money. But those aren’t necessarily high-percentage guesses.”
“Does that mean you think this entire thing is his doing?”
“No stone unturned, counselor.”
“It’s hard to believe that an agent could be behind all this.”
“We’re open to alternate theories,” Vail said.
“I know the evidence is piling up, but still.”
“Either way, we’ve got to find him. I was thinking about a pen register on his apartment phone. If he was checking for some critical message, maybe he’ll call again and we can track him that way. A long shot, but at this point everything is.”
“I understand that you’ve been out of the Bureau for a while, but pen registers take a mountain of paperwork, and probable cause. And it’s getting worse every time I turn around. I have a feeling that you’re a person who could find alternative means.”
“All right, we never talked about this.”
“Did you forget, Steve? I can keep my mouth shut.”
“Just trying to keep the list to a minimum.”
“What list?”
“The one entitled ‘Also Named in the Indictment.’”
WHEN VAIL GOT back to the FBI office, he was directed to a room that had been set up for Kate while she was in Los Angeles. The door was closed and he could hear her on the phone. He knocked twice and walked in. “Yes, sir, he just came in. I’ll call you back.” She hung up. “That was the director. They’ve just received another demand letter….”
Vail could see the concern in her
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