Jensen’s face is a mask. Chisholm had asked me over to the table to show the local field director that we weren’t as clueless as we seemed.

I raise up my hand and show it’s empty. I snap my fingers and a silver pen appears. “Opportunity.”

Jensen is dismissive. “Neat trick. But I don’t see your point.”

I toss the pen onto his notepad. “Look familiar?”

His nostrils flare as he realizes that I took his pen. He picks it up and tucks it into his jacket pocket. “Okay. So you’re a kleptomaniac.” He gives Chisholm another eye roll. “My grandson could pull that off.”

Chisholm holds up a finger. “Would your grandson see a hard-ass skeptic a mile away and find an opportunity beforehand to make a point? I think Agent Blackwood is telling us that the Warlock has been waiting for something like this.”

I continue my demonstration, even though I can see it’s not getting through to Jensen. “The Warlock probably cast a pretty wide net searching for something to exploit. Who knows what else he was looking for or hoping to find. Amelia Earhart? Who knows. My point is Flight 19 has been a pervasive mystery, partly because nobody has ever spent the resources using modern technology to find the planes. The Navy stopped looking half a century ago. What would it cost? Time more than anything else. Maybe a little luck, but not as much as it seems. This tells us a lot about him. It also suggests he has other things planned.” I reach into my purse and toss Jensen’s watch on the table in front of him.

His jaw hangs open. I keep talking without missing a beat. “Planning and opportunity.” I look over at Chisholm. “For what it’s worth, the Warlock might have a background in drug running. Maybe he’s not a smuggler himself. Possibly a chemist. But someone who could have had the opportunity to find the plane and a reason not to tell anyone. He could be one of those treasure hunters too. This state is filled with people searching the ocean for lost Spanish galleons and gold. Boats and planes are the connection I’d make.”

Jensen snatches the watch from the table and shakes his head.

Chisholm gives me a smile. “That’s what we think. Anything else?”

“Well, he could also be a guy that really wanted to find Flight 19 and spent a lot to do that. I wouldn’t rule that out. Either way, if this is like the last stunt, he’s left us a clue in there somewhere. The website told us where to look for Chloe. The sand in Chloe’s coffin came from here. If it hasn’t already been matched to this beach yet, I’m sure it will be. There’s got to be another clue to direct us to his next performance.”

I leave out telling him what he already knows; that the next victim could still be alive.

19

JENSEN GRUMBLES SOMETHING that sounds like a compliment and walks over to a table of his agents who are going through a database of images of the crowd on the beach. They’re looking for anyone who stands out in the files of the Miami field office.