“I know that too. Any idea who might’ve killed him?”

“If I did, the police would know, I can assure you.”

“He dies and your buddy Oliver disappears?”

“If you’re thinking that Oliver had anything to do with it, you’re sadly mistaken. He loved Milton like a brother.”

“Right. Anything else you can tell me?”

“Not unless it has to do with rare books.”

He handed Caleb a card. “Call me if you don’t think of anything else.”

He left the room.

At another time in his life Caleb probably would’ve have fainted dead away after such an encounter. However, he was a different person now, especially after Milton’s death.

He simply rose and went back to work, tucking the card into his pocket.

Knox drove to the warehouse where Reuben Rhodes worked, but the big man was not there, nor had anyone seen him for some days. They also did not have an address for him.

“How do you pay the man without a home address?” he asked the foreman.

“He picks up his check in person. I never mail it. That’s the way he likes it.”

“How about his year-end tax documents?”

“I give him that too. In person.”

“I take it the man doesn’t want people to know where he lives?”

“I’m not putting words in Reuben’s mouth but I’d say that was a fair assessment.”

“What can you tell me about him?”

“Good worker, nice sense of humor. Doesn’t like rules too much. Likes the government even less.”

“Did you know he worked in military intelligence for years?”

“He never mentioned that. I knew he was in the army. Helluva soldier, I bet. Man’s strong enough to strangle a bear. Wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of him.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

“Mister, if I were you, I sure would. Four fellows jumped him leaving work one night. Three of them ended up in the hospital and the fourth fellow would’ve too, but he ran too fast for Reuben to catch him.”

Knox climbed back in his truck and headed off. A moment later he received a text message from Macklin Hayes. They had just tracked down the woman who’d been staying at Stone’s cottage. She was at a hotel in downtown D.C.

Knox floored it. Right now he had one lying Secret Service agent and one federal librarian who acted clueless but wasn’t and an AWOL loading dock worker with a grudge against the U.S. government who could probably break Knox’s neck with ease.

Knox could only hope the lady would tell him what he needed to know. Yet he doubted it would be that easy. If he’d learned nothing else about this Oliver Stone character it was that he commanded a great deal of loyalty from his friends.