Ward indicated a sideboard next to the door leading into his cabin. A stellar bottle of bourbon was sitting next to a bucket of ice. Rapp took advantage of both.

“You have problems and I’m trying to solve them,” he said, taking a position close enough to the fire to feel its heat. The sun was starting to sink in the west, throwing the landscape into shadow.

“How so?”

“Someone powerful wants you and Chism in Gideon Auma’s hands. It’s plausible that Auma orchestrated the attack at the research facility by himself, but he needed sophisticated intel to get to you at your compound.”

Ward nodded slowly, considering his situation. “It’s my understanding that you have him?”

“Correct.”

“May I speculate?”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s clear that you didn’t set all this up on the fly. You knew the attack was coming and you were ready for it. You had my pilot divert from the hangar he was supposed to take me to, suggesting the intelligence you’re referring to included its existence and my escape plan.”

“I’m impressed. Go on.”

“The fact that the world seems to think I’m either dead or in the hands of a terrorist suggests that you created a little theater at my compound. Maybe made it look like you lost the battle.”

“Yes.”

“It occurs to me that you could have just told me I was in danger and moved me to a location well out of Auma’s reach. But you didn’t. Why?”

“You tell me.”

“Because you’re not working to solve my problems. You’re working to solve your own. And putting me out as bait was convenient.”

Rapp took a sip of his drink. Ward continually proved he wasn’t a stupid man. In a way, it was like dealing with Irene Kennedy’s private-sector mirror image.

“What problem do you figure I’m trying to solve, Nick?”

“Clearly not the question of my safety or the economic ramifications of my American-based companies taking a hit.”

“Your point?”

“A minute ago, you mentioned sophisticated intelligence on me. If I had to bet, I’d say that’s the problem.”

“Why would I care who has what information on you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s a foreign enemy who’s playing out a strategy you don’t understand. Or maybe you think the information came from the US government. Maybe even the CIA itself. In that case…” He waved a hand around him. “All this could be nothing more than an attempt to find a spy in your organization. What do you people call it? A mole hunt?”

“There’s such a thing as being too smart for your own good, Nick.”