He was one for more direct action, anyway: crash through their defenses, cut them down. He didn’t care for this charade where Hunter was set up. He should have just shot the man when he had him in the sights of his rifle, not fooled around playing Hunter the way his employer asked. He could have put a 7.62 mm round through the base of Hunter’s spine. Made a paraplegic of him, consigned him to a wheelchair for the rest of his days: supreme torture to a man of constant action. His employer should know that—it had been quoted often enough when the plan was outlined: “Death is not the greatest of evils; it is worse to want to die, and not be able to.”

He pressed buttons on his phone and it was answered immediately.

“It’s Rickard.”

“What happened?”

“You’ve heard the news, then?”

“The wonders of modern technology . . .”

“A series of unforeseen circumstances,” Rickard said.

“I expect more from people working for me. You should have made contingencies.”

“I’m alive. Joe Hunter’s on the run. What’s the problem?”

“A trail that could lead back to me?”

“It won’t lead back to you.”

“The woman can identify you. So can the forensics.”

Rickard laughed. “All the forensics will do is lead them to a dead end. As for the woman, she can only tell them what I look like now. It’s a simple matter to change my appearance. It isn’t as if I haven’t done so before, is it?”

There was a pause on the line.

“Where are you, Rickard?”

“Back in Miami. We had a bumpy and roundabout route, but your pilot was good. I’m confident that we made it here undetected. It was a shame I had to silence him.”

“And Joe Hunter?”

“Don’t know.”

“Find out.”

Easier said than done: now Hunter was a fugitive and had gone underground. Rickard had always known that part of the plan would cause problems later. Still, he was confident he could draw him out into the open whenever he chose.

“Hunter will be looking for me,” he said. “All I need to do is wait for him to show up.”

“Kill him. I see now that I should’ve let you have your way from the outset. It seems like the woman was an inconsequential part of the plan. We made an error in including her; Hunter was involved with her sister, not Imogen as we first thought.”

“Knowing how Hunter thinks, it wouldn’t make any difference.”

“You’re right.”

Rickard was surprised by his employer’s candor: before, mistakes had always been laid at other people’s feet. Something about this turn of events was troubling.

“Why didn’t you simply kill her when you had the opportunity?”