"He knew what that range was?"

"Apparently, he did," the inspector admitted. "Unfortunately, it will take us a while to find out everyone who had access to that information-and to interrogate them all."

"I understand," Aideen said.

The inspector drew a small, yellow notebook from his coat pocket. The smile faded as he studied some notes and slipped a pen from the spiral binder. When he was finished reading he looked at Aideen.

"Did you and your companion come to Madrid for pleasure?" the inspector asked.

"Yes. Yes, we did."

"You informed the guard at the gate that you came to the Congreso de los Diputados for a personal tour."

"That's right."

"This tour was arranged by whom?"

"I don't know," said Aideen.

"Oh?"

"My companion set it up through a friend back in the States," Aideen informed him.

"Would you be able to provide me with the name of this friend?" the inspector asked.

"I'm afraid not," Aideen replied. "I don't know who it was. My coming on this trip was rather last-minute."

"Possibly it was a coworker who arranged it," he suggested. "Or else a neighbor? A local politician?"

"I don't know," Aideen insisted. "I'm sorry. Inspector, but it wasn't something I thought I'd need to know."

The inspector stared at her for a long moment. Then he lowered his eyes slowly and wrote her answers in his notebook.

Aideen didn't think that he believed her; that was what she got from the disapproving turn of his mouth and the stern knot of flesh between his eyebrows. And she hated stonewalling the investigation. But until she heard otherwise from Darrell McCaskey or Deputy Serrador, she had no choice but to continue to play this by the cover story.

Comisario Fernandez turned slowly and thoughtfully to a fresh page of the notebook. "Did you see the man who attacked you?"

"I didn't see his face," she said. "He fired a flash picture just before he reached for his weapon."

"Did you smell any cologne? Aftershave?"

"No."

"Did you notice the camera? The make?"

"No," she said. "I wasn't close enough-and then there was the flash. I only saw his clothes."

"Aha," he said. He stepped forward eagerly. "Can you tell me what they looked like?"

Aideen took a long breath. She shut her eyes. "He was wearing a tight denim jacket and a baseball cap. A dark blue or black cap, worn with the brim in front. He had on loose khaki trousers and black shoes. I want to say that he was a young man, though I can't be entirely certain."

"What gave you that impression?"

Aideen opened her eyes. "There was something about the way he stood," she replied. "His feet planted wide, his shoulders squared, his head held erect. Very strong, very poised."

"You've seen this look before?" the inspector asked.