He poured himself the last of the wine and informed me, "CAU got a hit on Kate's cell phone just a few hours ago." He flipped his ash and continued, "A seven- or eight-second signal lock. Then it was gone, like someone was accessing the phone's directory, then shut it off."
"Where did the signal come from?"
"Well, the cell tower that logged in her phone has coverage between Forty-fourth and Forty-third streets."
"Okay… did you send cars there?"
"We did, but I'm guessing the signal came from a moving vehicle."
"Right. Sandland Taxi Service." I said, "Well, at least we know that Kate's cell phone is in Manhattan."
"Right. And I hope that means Khalil is in Manhattan." He nodded toward the city below and said, "He's out there."
"Maybe you'll get a call."
"More probably you." He reminded me, "Let us know within five seconds if you get a call from him."
"You and Tom do the same."
He nodded.
I looked again at the towering apartments and office buildings up and down my street. Some windows were lighted, some were dark, and I suspected one of those windows was looking back at us.
I asked Paresi, "How's it going on Seventy-second Street?"
He glanced out at the buildings and replied, "Lots and lots of doors to knock on." He informed me, "Some buildings don't even have a doorman or security guard that we can speak to-"
"Check the lobby directories for Terrorist Safe House."
He ignored that and said, "Half the doors we bang on don't even answer." He added, "Even some of the offices didn't answer during normal business hours."
"Kick the doors in."
He ignored that, too, and said, "I think we've cleared about half the apartments and maybe eighty percent of the offices." He then asked me, "Do you actually think they have a safe house-an observation post on this street?"
"Makes sense to me. That's what we'd do so that's what they'd do."
He nodded, but said nothing. Then he said, "It would have been good if that cell signal came from across the street."
I informed him, "They're not that stupid."
He disagreed. "They are."
"They were, Vince. But they're getting smarter." I advised him, "They might not have our technology, but they know what we have, and they know how to get around it."
He shrugged.
I further advised him, "Don't underestimate them. And do not underestimate Asad Khalil."
"Right. How's the cigar?"
"Better than the wine, but not as good as the pizza."
"How's your Scotch?"
"Older than the kids you've got watching my lobby."
He smiled and reminded me, "We're understaffed. Especially on weekends."
Right. And we might be more understaffed before this weekend was over.
Kate called and was very happy to find me home with my date. She inquired, "Have you been drinking?"
"No. We're still drinking."
"Good night, John. I love you."
"Love you, too."
Vince and I finished a half bottle of Scotch, and he left before midnight.
I wasn't sure if he had a protective detail with him, and I didn't want to ask. Macho guys don't ask or answer that kind of question.
Anyway, having tempted fate and finding out that fate wasn't interested in me tonight, I left the balcony and went to bed.
A quiet night. But I had that feeling I sometimes get when nothing happens that something is going to happen.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Saturday. Light rain today and showers forecast for Sunday. Good weather to kill a Libyan terrorist.
I called for my government vehicle at 10 A.M., and visited Kate at Bellevue.
She seemed in a good mood, knowing she'd be out soon.
I asked her, "Is Tom okay with you leaving?"
"He is," she informed me, "as long as I go to my parents' place."
"Okay. Does he know that you want me to go with you?"
"Yes. He's fine with that."
That was a surprise, and I asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I convinced him that you shouldn't be doing what you're doing."
"I like doing what I'm doing."
"Well, I don't." She informed me, "I had a very frank talk with Tom-a tough talk. And I told him that, one, he couldn't keep me here against my will, and two, Washington might not approve of him using you-a contract agent-as live bait to trap a terrorist. If something happened to you-"
"Hold on. I volunteered for this."
"I didn't. And you never consulted me."
I seem to remember my life and job being simpler before I got married-both times.
She also informed me, "Tom doesn't believe this is working anyway, and it's taking a lot of manpower and resources that could be better used elsewhere to find Khalil." And then the clincher. "In fact, if something happened someplace in the city, and it came out that half the surveillance teams were watching our apartment and following you around, Tom would have a lot of explaining to do in Washington." She also informed me, "Tom would like us-including you-out of here and on a plane to Minneapolis on Monday."
Kate is a smart lady, and she knew how to play Tom Walsh better than I did. In fact, I was sure that Walsh would rather have his FBI agents kill or capture Asad Khalil so he didn't have to pose for photos with me.
Kate said, "Don't sulk." She assured me, "I'm doing this for us."
"Well… I'm touched… but this is not the old gung-ho Special Agent Mayfield I used to know."
She replied, "John… I just had a near-death experience. That changes a person."
"Yeah… I nearly bled to death myself once. But I got over it."
She took my hand and said, "If you love me, you won't want to put yourself in danger-"
"Of course I love you. But I don't want us looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives."
"John, there are hundreds of people, here and around the world, who are now looking for Asad Khalil. They will find him without your help."
Kate was apparently having a weak moment; it happens. But knowing Kate, it wouldn't last long. After two days with her mother, she'd be back in New York kicking down doors in Bay Ridge.
She informed me, "We are booked on a Monday night flight to Minneapolis." And more bad news. "I also called your parents and told them we'd be visiting them in Florida, right after our visit to my parents." She instructed me, "Plan to be gone for two months. We're on administrative leave."
"Two… months. With your parents and mine?"
"Isn't that wonderful?"
"Can I borrow your gun?"
She took my hand again, looked at me, and said, "You've become obsessed with this, and that's not healthy. You need to get away from here."
I didn't reply.
She said, "I'd like to leave tomorrow, but the doctors won't let me travel until Monday, so Tom wants me to stay in the hospital until then. He feels I'm safer here, and he doesn't want me back in the apartment. The staff and the neighbors could see me, and that could leak out to the wrong people, who think I'm dead."
"Right." Plus, Tom didn't want me deprogramming her. I think it's called divide and conquer. Tom is an asshole.
Kate made sure I understood all this and said, "It's a done deal. In fact, it's an order, Detective." She switched to the honey trap. "John, I love you. You saved my life, and this is how I'm repaying you."
I must have missed a link in that chain of logic. I needed to speak to Walsh, and also Paresi, but in the meantime, I said, "Okay. Monday to Indianapolis."
"Minneapolis."