She pulled a small amount into her mouth and tried to smile. “Thanks.”
“More?”
She nodded.
Nathan let her have as much as she wanted. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Just after fourteen-thirty.”
“Can you elevate my bed a little?”
“Sure.” Nathan reached for the controller and hit the button. The electric motor whined softly. She did her best to conceal it, but her face tensed with pain.
“That’s good, thanks. There’s no TV in here, I haven’t seen any coverage. How many?”
“Twenty-one. Seven more may not make it.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “I should’ve taken better security measures, had more guards at the gate.”
“Holly, don’t do this. They would’ve been killed where they stood. Don’t second-guess yourself.”
“Director Lansing called me.”
Nathan waited.
“He asked me lots of questions, all of them about you, mostly about what kind of person you are.”
“I’m in trouble.”
She managed a smile. “He told me about your call, what you want to do. We both agreed we want you aboard.”
“I didn’t want to betray his trust, but now that you know, he called a little while ago and gave me a green light.”
“Director Lansing told me Larry Gifford was killed in the blast.”
He shook his head and forced himself to relax his hands. Damn those Bridgestones. “I liked him a lot.”
“Me too. Is Bruce here?”
He nodded.
“Can you bring him in, please?”
Nathan walked over to the door and opened it. Henning was standing a respectable distance away. Nathan knew he didn’t want to appear as though he’d been eavesdropping. “She wants you to come in.”
With both men at her bedside, Holly continued. “Last night I promised to help Nathan. That’s on you now. Are you two okay?”
Henning said, “We’re on the same page now.”
“That’s good.” Her face tensed with pain. “I want you to give him NCIC database information when he asks for it. Okay?”
“No problem. I’m glad to do it.”
“I’ve cleared it with Director Lansing. He’s having a Lear flown out from DC. It’s at Nathan’s disposal, okay? Anywhere he wants to go. You go with him, but I don’t want you directly involved. Support only.”
“Understood,” Henning said.
“The Bridgestones left a note in the guard shack. It only had five words. Expect more ofthe same.”
Nathan shook his head.
“Our document people are checking it out, trying to determine what kind of paper and printer was used. We might catch a break. Director Lansing’s beefed up security at every field office and resident agency.” Holly closed her eyes. “Find them, Nathan. We can’t let this happen again.”
“You can count on it.”
During the elevator ride down to the lobby, Henning did his best to hide the fury he was feeling, but Nathan felt it, like heat from an oven.
Outside, Henning asked, “What kind of animals would do this? Those sick fucks.”
“There’s no easy answer to that except that the safety mechanisms that keep most of us in check are absent in those two. They’ve justified the bombing as revenge for their kid brother’s death.”
“You think they’ll try to hit another field office?”
“I don’t know, maybe. The note’s likely just a diversion to draw attention away from their true target.”
Henning waited.
“Me.”
At the Hyatt, Henning pulled his sedan up to the curb and killed the engine. Rather than simply drop Nathan off, he stepped out and shook hands. “I’ll call you as soon as the Lear arrives,” Henning said. “Is there anywhere you want to go right away?”
“The USDB at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.”
“USDB?”
“United States Disciplinary Barracks. I hadn’t planned on going out there because of the time it would take flying commercial airlines. With the Lear, we can land right at the fort. I want to speak to the psychiatrist who counseled Ernie Bridgestone. Ernie was nearly beaten to death in there, I read it in his file. To get over something like that, he probably needed support from the prison shrink, who might have a useful insight into Ernie’s psyche, as well as his personal life. I’m looking for any lead I can get. I just hope the psychiatrist is willing to talk and doesn’t pull some doctor-patient BS on me.”
“Given the circumstances, I hope he shares whatever he has.” The fed grinned. “You could always visit him after hours if he doesn’t cooperate.”
“You know, I’m beginning to think you really are with the program.”
“Listen, I want to thank you for helping out in the ICU with our wounded. I didn’t mean what I said. This isn’t your fault.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“I’ll call if there’s any change in Holly’s condition.”
“Get some sleep, Special Agent Henning. There’s a basic rule in the Marine Corps. Sleep when you can.”
Henning sighed. “I’ve got a long report to write, but it can wait. Now that you mention it, I’m pretty damned tired. I hope you’re right about this ringing in my ears, it’s driving me crazy.” Henning got into the sedan and rolled his window down.
“I mean it, Henning, get some shut-eye. I’d like to be in Fort Leavenworth before sunrise.”
* * *
Inside his room, Nathan plopped down on the bed.
“That you?” Harv called from the connecting room.
He stared at the ceiling. “Yeah.” He sensed Harv’s presence at the adjoining door and answered his unspoken question. “She’s gonna pull through. They’ve got her doped up on morphine for eight broken bones, a fractured skull, and second-degree burns, but she should be okay in the long run. No spinal or nerve damage.”
“I guess that’s good news, considering the alternative.”
“Amen to that. The Bridgestones left a note in the guard shack telling the FBI to expect more of the same.”
“Think they’re serious?”
“Hard to say. I told Henning it was probably a diversion to tie up resources.”
“Makes sense. A lot’s happened while you were gone. I’ve got our two techs checked into a room down the hall. They’ve got our secure fax line up and running. I took the liberty of contacting General Hawthorne when you were gone. He promised to fax us the visitation logs for Ernie Bridgestone by twenty-hundred tonight.”
“Good work. How’s old Thorny doing?”
“Busy. He asked about you, though.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“I told him I still needed to wake your ass up with a ten-foot pole.”
“That’s nice, Harv.”
“He’s also gonna get us that list of Leonard’s military contacts from the Gulf.”
Nathan sat up. “Director Lansing called. Gave us the go-ahead. I guess the bombing changed things. We even get an FBI Lear at our disposal. It’s being flown out from DC as we speak.”
“No kidding?”
“Everyone from the top down is strongly motivated to find the Bridgestones. Even Henning’s in our court.”
“Talk about a change from a few nights ago. This is a pretty strong statement of trust.”
“It’s not absolute. I fully expect Henning to be Lansing’s eyes and ears.”
“Lansing’s just covering his ass by having Henning tag along. I wouldn’t read too much into it. What’s your first stop, then?” Harv asked.
“The Castle.”
“We should have the visitation logs tonight. Why go there in person?”
“A hunch. I want an insight into Ernie Bridgestone’s head.”
“The prison shrink?”
“Yep.”
“You could do it by phone.”
“I’d rather have a face-to-face.”
“Understood. I’ll coordinate things from here. I need to follow up on Ernie’s contacts too. Like you said, maybe we get lucky and one of them will be working for a bank or financial institution.”
Nathan lay back on the bed. “Wake me up in three hours.”
“Will do. I’m going down the hall and check on our boys.”
Nathan’s eyes snapped open and for the second time that day he felt disoriented, unsure where he was. As the room came into focus, Harv stood a comfortable distance away, next to the small coffeemaker on the table near the window.