“I didn’t. Like the rest of the world, I was focused on Masenak and all the blood he was spilling. I was in Silicon Valley when I heard about the attacks, and I boarded my jet and headed for Noura when I couldn’t get in touch with Karim. Masenak had chosen to invade Zarrit first so that it wouldn’t appear Noura was specially targeted. It was a country even smaller than Noura, but it was just eighty-seven miles south of Noura’s border. They tore through Zarrit and then crossed the border within less than twenty-four hours.” He said hoarsely, “Masenak was very fast, very efficient. By the time I cut through the U.N. and military red tape and reached Noura with a special forces team, it was all over. Noura was a wasteland and Masenak had moved on to the next country on Reardon’s list.”

“You didn’t go after him?”

He shook his head. “I sent the special forces team to see what they could do about locating him. I had other things to do in Noura. I wanted Karim and his family to have burials in accordance with their traditions before the media started pouring into the country.” He paused. “And I wanted to say goodbye myself.”

“I think I would have gone after Masenak first.”

“Perhaps. You’re very fierce.” He smiled crookedly. “Or maybe not. Think if it had been Margaret or Sasha. I have a problem with not honoring the people I love who have fallen by the wayside.” He paused. “Before I cut the heart out of the person who has struck them down.” Then he added, “But the delay only adds to the pleasure because I can savor it as it does happen. So maybe we aren’t all that different. If I’d gone after Masenak that day, I’d probably never have stopped until I found and butchered him. Which would have meant I might never have known about the Reardon connection. I would have been cheated. As it was, I had time to sit back and think about what had happened at Noura and notice a few discrepancies in logic and continuity. Masenak had displayed savagery in the past, but he was smart and picked ripe, prosperous areas to raid. This had been an all-out attack that yielded very little commercial advantage to him and seemed to aim principally at shock and awe. Then there was the fact that weaponry and funding seemed more than ample. Was it possible Masenak had been paid to make the attacks? I decided to take another look and see who might have benefited from bringing Noura down.”

“And you found this Reardon.”