He pulled out the photos of Carr and mentally absorbed them one more time. He put the truck in gear and slowly pulled off. He would grid the downtown area street by street. From the look of the place that would take all of five minutes. Then he would get something to eat at the local place. He wouldn’t pull his badge or show his photos. He would just watch. He had one big advantage. He knew relatively well what Carr looked like, while Carr had no idea who he was. He would press that to his full advantage. If that didn’t pay off, he would eventually go to the police and work through them. It was a plan at least.

Three hours later and after having sat his butt down in four hole-in-the-walls and downed more cups of coffee than his stomach or bladder cared for, he concluded that he had struck out.

He parked in front of the police station, went in, flashed his creds, explained his mission to the extent he could, meaning it was mostly refined by-the-spook-book gobbledygook, and got zip for his troubles from the lawmen who were understandably excited that a dangerous desperado might be in their midst, but not very helpful. No one had seen anyone remotely resembling the man in the photo. Although one young deputy did mention that a fellow that looked just like that had lived in Tazburg for sixty-three years and happened to be his daddy. Knox thanked them politely and nearly sprinted back to his truck.

Before he’d gotten the door of his truck closed, his cell phone rang.

It was Hayes. The spy chief was not happy. But then again, Knox had never known the man to be really happy about anything. Knox had been with him when the Berlin Wall had come down. While everyone else had been raising their champagne flutes and making victory toasts, Hayes had only sipped on club soda and grumbled, “About damn time.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Have you ever known me to give an idle command?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

Hayes bellowed, “When I ordered you to give me regular updates, I didn’t mean at such wide intervals that obviously seem to appeal to you.”

Knox punched the gas and rapidly left the good hamlet of Tazburg behind. He didn’t want the megaton blast that he sensed was coming from Hayes to flatten the place.

“Well, General, you’re a busy man and if I’d had something of substance to report you’d be the first to know.” Before Hayes could send off another broadside he added, “But in fact I was just going to call you. I’ve narrowed the search area to four places. I just cleared one and I’m heading on to the second one now.”

“Give me the locations.”

Knox knew that one was coming. “With all due respect, sir, can I ask why?”