I asked him, Luke said, who he was working for.

A long sigh came from the old man. It sounded like the air going slowly out of a tire, all the way, until there was nothing left. Abruptly, the man stood up. He moved quickly, and without the apparent frailty of a few moments before.

Its been interesting talking with you, the man said. Perhaps well meet again.

The gun appeared in Lukes hand as if by magic, a better trick than the dog biscuit. It was a different gun from the one he had held earlier that day. This one had an eight-inch silencer attached to the end of the barrel. It was longer than the gun itself. Luke casually pointed the gun at the mans belly.

You know this silencer? he said. Its called the Illusion. Its new, and youve been out of the game for a while, so maybe you dont. Suffice to say that it works really, really well. A night like this one, with all this fog? The gun will go off, and itll sound like somebody sneezed. Not a loud sneeze. A quiet sneeze, like someone might do at the ballet. He smiled. We get all the best toys at SRT.

A ghost of a smile passed over the mans lips. I always enjoy our meetings.

Tell me, Luke said again.

The man shrugged. You should go home to your lovely wife and handsome young son. This is a situation that doesnt concern you. Even if it did, there wouldnt be a thing you could do about it.

What is Operation Red Box?

The old man seemed to wince at the name.

Luke waited a few seconds, but the man didnt seem ready to speak. Give me one reason not to pull this trigger.

The man blinked. Kill me, he said slowly, and you wont have me as the source you need on future cases.

Luke shook his head. There are no future cases, he said. If this one isnt solved, there is no future for any of us.

Luke scowled. What is Operation Red Box?

The man shook his head. Youre in way too deep. Youve become a danger to yourself and others, and the worst part is you dont even know it. I wont say the words. But the operation you mention is one designed for expedited Presidential succession. Its for when a President has to be removed from office, but theres no time to wait for the next election cycle.

They were threatening to impeach the President this morning, Luke said. It was on the radio. The statement felt odd as soon as he said it. Impeaching the President and terrorists blowing up the White House… the two items didnt fit together. Luke was beyond tired. It was hard to make sense of things.