“The bank manager?” said Reuben and Alex nodded. “Who was he?”
“Bashir Tufail. Pakistani. Came over here eight years ago. No criminal record. Honest, law-abiding citizen. At least as far as we can tell. I’ve heard some grumblings that our ‘friends’ at the CIA might know a lot more about him than we do, but they’re not sharing.”
“A cell? Planted here until he was activated?” said Harry. “To kill the VP?”
“We think so now. He’d been working at the bank for four years but at another location. He’s been volunteering to work Saturdays at that branch.”
“Because they knew the VP was going to that fund-raiser,” said Annabelle. “He was prepping for that.”
“That’s right.”
“And the CIA may know he was not so law-abiding,” mused Stone. “That’s interesting.”
Reuben eyed him keenly. “I recognize that look. What’s gotten in your bonnet?”
“Nothing,” said Stone. “I’m just relieved we all got out of there alive.”
“And a terrorist is no more,” said Caleb.
“No more,” repeated Stone.
After they all left, Stone was seated at his desk reading when he heard something at his door. He inserted his hand inside a secret crevice in his kneehole and pulled out his pistol. He crouched down, waiting.
And he could wait with the best of them. However, after thirty minutes passed and he heard nothing more he moved to the window and peered out. There was no one on his porch. But he did see a piece of paper tacked to the door.
He opened the door and ripped off the paper and unfolded it.
The message was terse and to the point. He would have expected nothing less.
You were not the target. Tufail was. Didn’t know what their plan was. Got lucky it happened while we were both there. You certainly lived up to your rep. And, by the way, I told Shane you said hello. He told me he’d like to see you and talk about old times. You up for it?
Stone looked up and gazed around the cemetery. Without seeing anything to tell him so, he instinctively knew he was being watched.
He slowly held up his thumb and mouthed the words, “I’m game.”
From a thousand yards away, Will Robie, himself a very patient man, lowered his long-range optics. He smiled and set off to deliver the message.
About the Author
David Baldacci is one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with over 110 million copies in print. Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at www.DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at www.WishYouWellFoundation.org, and to look into its program to spread books across America at www.FeedingBodyandMind.com.