“Because these crates were packed in Iran, probably somewhere in the desert, where the humidity is next to zero. No one anticipated the condensation that would occur once the ship reached the open ocean.”

“But why just the one crate?” said Pickens. “They all came from Iran.”

“Because that one is being cooled from the inside.”

Clap looked up. “Do you know what’s in there?”

“I know what isn’t,” Jake said. “Chemical weapons don’t need to be refrigerated, high explosives won’t ignite until around four hundred degrees Fahrenheit, and nuclear weapons can survive the heat of re-entry through the atmosphere.”

The three CIA officers stood silently for a moment.

“The only thing that makes sense,” Jake said, “is a biological weapon.”

—

JAKE VIDEOCONFERENCED TED Graves. He was in his office, wearing a suit and tie. Though he’d been a member of the senior intelligence service for years, he still looked uncomfortable in the traditional uniform of an executive. His sleeves were rolled up and the top button of his shirt was open to accommodate the poorly knotted tie around his neck.

“This is your third call in as many days,” said Graves. “You’re supposed to be a fire-and-forget weapon.”

Jake explained his conclusion about the biological agent.

“So let me get this straight,” said Graves. “You think the Iranians were shipping a weapon of mass destruction to Sudan because you saw a photo of a wooden crate, with water on it, on a ship? There’s a lot of water on ships, Jake.”

“The water is on the outside, Ted. That’s how ships work. And this was condensation on a single crate, not a splash of seawater across the hold.”

“What do your teammates think?”

“My teammates don’t know what to look for.”

Graves was one of a handful of people at CIA who knew Jake from his prior life. He’d been a strategic weapons analyst before moving into the field and, while Graves was smart, he knew he didn’t have Jake’s technical skills.

“We were expecting small arms and rockets,” said Graves.

“And we found them, but we also have this. You mentioned paying our source a bonus, so I assume it was HUMINT?”

Human intelligence. A living person.

“It was,” said Graves.

“Did we get a manifest?”

Graves shook his head. “Just a heads-up about the transfer.”

“We’ve got a problem, Ted.”

“I think you need to take a deep breath, Jake. Even the IRGC wouldn’t give Sudan a biological weapon.”

“This isn’t about arming Sudan. Iran is hiding evidence. U.S. sanctions have bitten to the point that Iran has been forced to let UN weapons inspectors back into the country to keep their economy from imploding. The inspectors started making site visits a few months ago and snap inspections a few weeks ago. I’m guessing the Saviz shoved off from Bandar Abbas just as the inspectors arrived.”