Ted cleared his throat before he spoke, but he never took his eyes off Maggie. "I wanted to give you a heads-up on something. I have a source at the FBI, and I met him for lunch. He's a good friend as well as a source. Don't worry, you don't know him. He's golden, never steered me wrong.

"As you know, the buzz in this town for the past month has been the president's appointment of Bert Navarro as director of the FBI. With the advice and consent of the Senate. I lost track of the number of articles we published on the topic during the past month. Navarro has been vetted up one side and down the other. The Judiciary Committee has been holding hearings, as we reported. Right now we're waiting for the committee to vote and pass it on to the Senate. We don't know which way they're going to vote, but either way, with or without a recommendation, once the nomination is out of committee it can come up for a vote in the Senate. If they approve, Navarro is in as director of the FBI.

"My source has a source who told him there's one hang-up for Navarro. It looks like it might be a go for him except for one thing."

Maggie felt a ripple of alarm at Ted's words. "What?" she asked. "Are you going to make me drag it out of you?"

"Maggie, I'm a damn good reporter. I dig and dig, and my instincts are every bit as good as yours are. We both know that. I know that Navarro and Jack Emery and that guy Wong have been helping the vigilantes. Nothing else makes sense. I'm not the only one who thinks like that, either. We both know that, too. Anyway, my source's source told him the hang-up on Navarro is his friendship with Jack Emery and Harry Wong. It seems when the FBI did the vetting background check, that all came out. Jack's previous engagement to Nikki Quinn and knowing Myra Rutledge. I guess all kinds of stuff came up, like Bert's being front and center when the vigilantes were running fast and loose, and those guys ran with it. My source told me there are those within the FBI who are jealous of Navarro and never liked his close relationship with Elias Cummings. Cummings is the one who had the president's ear, and he recommended Bert replace him. Elias's vote carried a lot of weight. It's politics like you've never seen.

"My source's source told him the Senate should be ready to take a vote on Friday. Friday of this week, Maggie. Today is Monday. My source told me if Navarro loses, he's going to resign from the FBI."