Not much different from what you two did, is it?

It is different, Stone said. We broke a mans fingers to get a computer password, which was instantly verifiable information.

There are three possible targets, Begley said. The chosen target is up to the discretion of the attackers, and depends on conditions at the site of attack. The first target is the below-ground restaurant level of Grand Central Terminal at lunch time. Its always wall-to-wall people. Were treating this as the most likely scenario. Weve got men with Geiger counters at every entrance to the terminal.

Luke shook his head. You cant trust it. They waterboard people in Egypt. You know that. They electrocute them. They hang them from the wrists. They impale them on iron rods. The subjects will say anything to make it stop.

Begley went on, ignoring him. Second most likely is the PATH train from Hoboken to Manhattan. Those trains are crowded, and theyre under the Hudson River for a long time. Same deal. We have Geiger counters in place at all entrances on both sides of the river. The third target involves causing a car accident in the Midtown Tunnel, then setting off the bomb after the traffic backs up. Were checking all cars on both sides of the tunnel, but this is the least likely target. There are really too many variables at play to make an attack feasible. See what I mean, Stone? Weve got the whole thing under control.

Youre wrong, Begley. You cant trust intel you get from torture.

No. Youre wrong. You know why I told you the targets? Just so you would see exactly how wrong you are. Youve been chasing phantoms. Youre out of the loop, and youre under suspension. So go home and let the grown-ups handle this, okay?

Begley turned to the two men flanking him. I want this man, and the man over by the window, escorted from the building. Give them three minutes to gather up whatever belongings they have, and then get them out of here.

Begley left, leaving silence in his wake.

Luke stood in the middle of the room, staring at the two men who would escort him out. The men watched him, their faces impassive. Luke glanced around the room. Everyone was looking at him.

Chapter 19

8:19 a.m.

East Side of Manhattan

I guess were not high priority anymore, Ed Newsam said.

The black SUV sat parked just outside the concrete barriers of the 34th Street heliport, where they had come in nearly five hours before. Morning traffic buzzed past them on FDR Drive. The chopper wasnt on the pad, so they sat in the back seat of the SUV and waited. As they watched, a big white Sikorsky came in over the river, an executive helicopter.