“Interesting. That classification bears a lot of weight,” said Walsh. “Normally we’d be sent to get rid of someone in that category.”

“Which must be why we’re having this meeting,” said Rudd. “The mission sounded straightforward enough until I received the update.”

“No doubt timed to arrive while we were on the way,” said Walsh. “What else did they send?”

“And why aren’t they using people closer to the area? Operatives that know the area like the back of their hand?” said Rick Gentry, a Kentucky-based operative whom Rudd had worked with a half dozen times before. “Or are they? I really hope this isn’t a double-up situation.”

A double-up or duplicate team operation involved two separate teams pursuing the same goal—most often unaware of each other. It was a recipe for disaster, particularly for a complex surveillance operation like they had been assigned. Double the chance of detection. The duplicate team worked best for assassinations or thefts. Single, compressed events requiring a fail-safe.

He doubted CONTROL had put two teams on this, for that very reason—and another that he couldn’t share. Jolene had surmised from her recent assignment that the pool of operatives working the Washington, DC, area had been decimated. She knew this because she had been woken by CONTROL about an hour and a half after Harvey had been dispatched to deal with Helen Gray, and sent to DC, where she had slipped onto one of the recovery floors at Howard University Hospital and injected two fiftysomething-year-old men with syringes that had been provided to her along with doctor’s scrubs, a stethoscope, and a hospital staff identification card.

Both men had sustained head injuries, which suggested she was involved in more of a cleanup job than some kind of strategic assassination. The information about her mission had not been included in the current operation file, and they had no intention of sharing their theory with the team—for obvious reasons. He fought the urge to look at Jolene.

“They wouldn’t double up a surveillance,” said Walsh. “And it doesn’t make a difference if they do. Orders are orders.”

“Yeah,” said Gentry. “Just thinking aloud.”

“Should we all log in to our computers and read the update before we start to analyze the plan?” asked Walsh.

“I don’t think it’s necessary. Outside of what I told you about Berg’s new status and the focus on finding a second location used by Helen Gray, the only other update relates to fixed surveillance locations. CONTROL has secured an apartment on the third floor of a complex across the street from Devin Gray’s building, with a view of his balcony and bedroom window. From that apartment, we’ll be able to give the trail cars enough notice to get into place and for the ground teams to move into position in case he opts for a walk or run.”