"Right."
Walsh reminded me, "Kate is under the same restrictions as you are."
"Okay. Are we done?"
"No." Walsh continued, "There is a news blackout on this case-authorized at a higher level-and it goes without saying that you will not be speaking to reporters."
He went on to the next subject. "I've asked Vince"-he nodded toward Captain Paresi in case I forgot who Vince was-"to arrange for protection for you and for Kate."
Paresi informed me, "There will be SOG personnel in your apartment lobby around the clock."
This is the Special Operations Group, the people I worked with last week on the Iranian dip surveillance. They're part of the Terrorist Task Force, mostly NYPD detectives, but also some FBI agents. Their specialty is not only surveillance, but also countersurveillance, and protective details. They're good at what they do, but I could give them the slip if I had to.
I suggested, "You should both take advantage of that protection."
Walsh replied, "Captain Paresi and I are taking necessary precautions."
"Good. One less thing for me to worry about."
We all thought that was funny and everyone smiled appropriately.
I then let them know, "I do not want surveillance people tailing me."
There was a silence, then Walsh said, "You will have a team assigned to you when you're mobile."
I reminded both of them, "I can take care of myself. In fact, I have a gun."
Paresi said, "Look, John, we don't want to lose another agent." He smiled. "Not even you." He let me know, "You, me, Tom, George, and maybe a few other people will have SOG personnel assigned to them-that's how we may catch this guy."
On that subject, I said to Walsh, "I'm still willing to act as bait."
Walsh replied, "I think we're all bait now."
"Good point." In fact, Walsh had finally come to the unhappy conclusion that he had no clue about how to find Asad Khalil-except for letting Khalil find us. Officially, we were all under police and FBI protection; unofficially, we were live bait. Thus I was authorized to leave my apartment to go on "necessary errands and such." In reality, and off the record, Walsh and Paresi didn't care where I went-if I agreed to not lose my protective detail.
Good plan, but it wasn't my plan. My plan didn't include being tailed by cops and FBI agents who could scare off Khalil, or arrest Khalil, or even kill Khalil; my plan included only two people: John Corey and Asad Khalil.
Paresi said to me, "John, there can be a role for you in this case, and maybe this is it."
I didn't reply.
Walsh informed me, "It's like the spy who came in from the cold. You're fired-officially off the case, but unofficially, you're bait."
"Got it."
"Good." He asked, "Agreed?"
Better half a loaf and all that. I said, "Agreed."
Paresi informed me, "You'll wear a vest when you go out, and we'll give you a GPS tracking device to wear, and a wire so you can speak to your surveillance team while you're mobile." He added, "You know the drill."
I nodded.
"You can pick those things up at tech before you leave."
"Will do."
That seemed to be the end of that subject, and Walsh said to me, "We have requested the NYPD ambulance helicopter to pick up Kate tomorrow A.M. and bring her here to Bellevue."
"Good. I'll be on the helicopter."
Walsh said, "All right. Someone will text or call you with the lift-off time from the Thirty-fourth Street Heliport."
"Good."
Walsh glanced at his watch, then asked me, "Any questions? Anything that needs clarification?"
"Yes." I said to him, "It seems to me that Asad Khalil needs to pay back the people who financed his trip here and who have provided him with information and logistical support." I asked, "Would you agree with that?"
He replied, "I agree that he has backers. I have no knowledge of how he needs to repay them." He added, "What Khalil is doing may be payment enough."
I replied, "I don't think so."
"Well, you can be sure you're not the first person to think of this, Detective." He let me know, "Washington is aware, and Counterintelligence is investigating."
"Good." I asked, "Is Homeland Security going to raise the alert level?"
He replied, "I have no idea." He advised me, "Check the news tonight."
Walsh was trying to put me in my place, of course. The Big Picture, if there was one, was none of my business, unless and until Tom Walsh or someone higher up made it my business. That was how 9/11 happened.
I looked out the window to where the Towers used to be and I said, "I felt I should mention this."
"Thank you." He assured me, "You're on the record."
I pointed out, "This meeting is off the record."
"This meeting is administrative." He asked me, "Anything further?"
Well, yes, Tom. I want to tell you about Boris, who could be an important resource for us in apprehending Asad Khalil. But you're such a shithead, Tom, that I'll keep that to myself. Or maybe you already know about Boris and you're keeping it to yourself. Either way, screw you.
"John?"
"Nothing further."
"Good." He stood, I stood, and Captain Paresi stood.
Walsh said, "Thank you, gentlemen, for your time and your thoughts." Then he gave a little speech. "This is not only a difficult case for us professionally, it is also difficult for us personally."
Right. Someone is trying to kill us.
He continued, "But the best way to resolve this case satisfactorily is to put our personal feelings aside and to follow procedures and directives."
Was he speaking to me?
He went into the pep talk phase. "This is not about us-it is about the security of our country. This is why we're here, and it is what we do." He concluded, "I have no doubt that we, working together with our colleagues in the war on terrorism, will bring this man to justice."
We all shook hands, and both men sent their regards to Kate, then I raced Paresi to the door. I got there first, but I heard Walsh say, "John, I just need a minute more of your time."
Paresi said to me, "See me before you leave."
I returned to Walsh's office, but did not sit.
He said to me, "I have an unofficial complaint forwarded to me through the State Department, regarding an incident that allegedly took place during your surveillance detail last week in the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City."
I replied, "I'm sorry I used my government credit card to buy gambling tokens."
"This actually has to do with someone assaulting an Iranian U.N. diplomat in the men's room."
"Let me check my notes and I'll get back to you."
He looked at me a moment, then said, "You have demonstrated in the past a tendency toward rough justice." He reminded me, "We don't work that way here."
"Right."
He added, "Payback is not what we do. Neither is personal revenge."
"Right."
He changed the subject. "Why do you think this will all be over in a week?"
I replied, "That's my gut feeling."
He considered that reply, then said, "I thought you had some logical reason for that statement."
"All right. It's like this-Khalil began by killing this guy Farid and hiding his body, then he went for Wiggins, Kate, the Haythams, the livery driver, and the taxi driver. This was done so quickly that we had no clue and no time to react. Now we're all awake and waiting for him to strike again. And keep in mind he didn't go for me when he had the chance. Not to overdo the lion metaphor, Tom, but he's playing cat and mouse with me and with us." I reminded him, "The killing is secondary to the game, and he definitely has a game plan, which includes me and maybe you, Vince and George, and others not yet known. But he knows he can't start knocking people off one at a time and expect that his next victim will be sitting around waiting to die. So what's going to happen is that Khalil will make a clean sweep, probably in the course of a single night, and by the time the first body is discovered, the last victim will already be dead." I concluded, "It's all planned and ready to go," then added, "Sorry I can't tell you the night-but I don't think he'll hang around here for more than a week."