Keeping his voice low, Nathan continued. “I’m going to find people connected with the Bridgestones. With your help, it should be easier.”

“Where will you start?”

“Ernie Bridgestone. I’m going to look at the visitation logs from his prison term in Fort Leavenworth. There might be a contact there. An old girlfriend or drinking buddy. I’m also going to look into Leonard Bridgestone’s military contacts when he was stationed on the Iraq-Syrian border. I think that’s where this Semtex business started. Also, the Bridgestones probably have someone on the inside of a financial institution laundering the cash. I’m betting it was a fellow officer or a grunt from his unit, but it could be anyone associated with either of them. That’s where you come in. I give you names, you give me everything the FBI has on them.”

“You got it.” Henning opened the door and stepped aside. In a whisper, he said, “Keep it brief, under five minutes, okay?”

What Nathan saw next nearly brought him to tears.

Holly Simpson lay on her back. The top left side of her head was shaved and wrapped with gauze. Both shoulders were secured by harnesses designed to keep the dislocated joints from moving. Her legs, from the hips down, were braced with some sort of external steel supports designed to minimize contact with her skin, which was also wrapped in gauze. Burns, Nathan knew. Seeping through in areas, reddish-yellow stains contrasted the white gauze. Two IV’s were dripping fluids into veins on both her wrists. The soft beeping of her heart monitor was the only sound present.

Her eyes opened at hearing a visitor and she turned her head. “I guess they found us.”

“Hey, kiddo.”

“I must look like a real mess.”

“Holly, I’m so sorry.”

“Can you get me a drink of water, please?”

Nathan approached the bed and guided the cup’s straw to her lips.

She pulled a small amount into her mouth and tried to smile. “Thanks.”

“More?”

She nodded.

Nathan let her have as much as she wanted. “What time is it?” she asked.

“Just after fourteen-thirty.”

“Can you elevate my bed a little?”

“Sure.” Nathan reached for the controller and hit the button. The electric motor whined softly. She did her best to conceal it, but her face tensed with pain.

“That’s good, thanks. There’s no TV in here, I haven’t seen any coverage. How many?”

“Twenty-one. Seven more may not make it.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “I should’ve taken better security measures, had more guards at the gate.”

“Holly, don’t do this. They would’ve been killed where they stood. Don’t second-guess yourself.”

“Director Lansing called me.”

Nathan waited.

“He asked me lots of questions, all of them about you, mostly about what kind of person you are.”

“I’m in trouble.”