Catherine just smiled. “Sorry, Director Carmichael, but that’s not really how it works, not even on background. I’m here to ask the questions.” There was no way in hell she was going to divulge just how in the dark she and Andy Shoal were as to what the hell was going on.

Carmichael nodded gravely. “Very well. I’ll tell you what we know. We received information recently. I can’t, of course, get into sources on this, but suffice it to say that a reputable ally provided us primary intelligence indicating a personality already known to us was in the local area. We had already deemed him as a threat to the Agency, so we did not hesitate to follow all leads.”

Catherine broke down Carmichael’s intel speak and put it into plain speak. “You are saying that an ally told you a man you already knew to be trouble was here in town and you thought he might be dangerous to CIA employees.”

“As I said.”

“What tipped you off to the fact he was involved in the Brandywine Street attack?”

“Nothing, initially, and that’s the truth.”

Catherine wondered if this meant everything else was a lie, but she didn’t ask.

Denny continued, “We were scrambling, looking for a lead. The shooting on Brandywine piqued our interest. We thought it possible this personality might be here without many resources, and we thought it likely a drug den like that would be a suitable place for him to find those resources.”

“Money and guns?”

“Correct.”

“The number six was left at the crime scene.” Catherine stated it, not giving Carmichael a chance to deny it.

He seemed surprised she knew this, but he hid it well. “It’s a symbol we’ve seen this man use in the past.”

“What does it mean?”

“Unknown.”

Catherine detected no deception, but she knew Carmichael would be good at hiding it. She said, “What is this suspect’s nationality?”

Carmichael replied flatly. “He is American.”

Catherine had not expected this at all. “This is some sort of homegrown terror scenario?”

“That, I’m afraid, is exactly what we are dealing with here.”

Catherine looked into the director’s eyes. “Is this someone who has, or someone who once had, a relationship with CIA?”

A shake of the head. “Only in his own mind. He’s mentally unsound. A paranoid psychotic is our best estimate.”

“Do you know why he is targeting the CIA specifically?”

“I can only guess. We are a symbol of American power. We make enemies, even at home.”

Catherine did detect a little deception now, but certainly nothing she could pin down. She asked, “Can you give me his name?”

“I’m afraid I can’t, only because we don’t know it. We do know a little about him. Again, sources must be protected, so I can’t tell you how we know what we know.”

“I understand.”