“Donna Davis, the Dawsons’ surrogate is on the move. She sneaked out the basement door of the apartment. Right now she’s standing in the doorway. I think she’s waiting for someone to pick her up. I removed the distributor cap of her vehicle hours ago. She went back inside. The lights are on in her apartment. I assume the babies are still in her apartment, but in checking earlier, she leaves the babies with a woman on her floor from time to time. Do you want me to tail her or snatch her?”

Charles didn’t even hesitate. “Snatch her and take her to the Post apartment. The girls will be arriving later today. Find a female operative and take the babies someplace safe. Make sure the babysitter is fully aware of the repercussions should she…talk to anyone.”

“Understood. Do you want us to snatch the Olsen woman? As a reminder, the baby she sold is not with her, but we know where he is. She’s in for the night. Apartment is dark, so I assume she’s sleeping.”

“Yes, take her to the Post, too. Don’t do anything about her baby. We’re still working on that. Check in on the hour, Avery. Good luck.”

Charles sipped at his coffee as he scanned his e-mails and the incoming fax. Satisfied that things were moving at the speed of light, he sat down and proceeded to fire off e-mails.

Hundreds of miles away, in the nation’s capital, Maggie Spritzer jerked to wakefulness when Ted Robinson shook her shoulder. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We come bearing gifts. And food,” he added as an afterthought. He plopped down two steaming pizza boxes, along with a six-pack of Corona that he’d bought from an all-night pizzeria around the corner.

Jack and Harry were busy removing their winter gear and kicking off their boots. “Can you turn the heat up, Maggie? Espinosa’s heater conked out halfway here. We’re frozen,” Jack said.

Maggie eyed the foursome before she ran into her private bathroom for a bundle of wool socks. She tossed a pair to each of the four before turning the heat up all the way. “My mother always said if your feet are warm, you’ll be okay. They’re unisex socks, so don’t be shy about putting them on. What’d you get? Tell me you got everything that will give me a drop-dead headline.”

Ted turned defensive. “We got everything there was to get. We didn’t take the time to go through it. We were too busy trying to stay alive on the damn highway. We all deserve a monster bonus for putting our lives at risk. How much?”

Maggie bit into a slice of pepperoni-and-sausage pizza. She rolled her eyes in happiness. “Whatever you want,” she mumbled.

Ted and Espinosa lit up like Christmas trees. “Do you mean it?” Ted asked.

“No!”