Nathan had told her about Amber’s first call. He credited her memory lapse to the heavy drugs in her system. Surgical anesthetics had a certain amount of amnesia associated with their use. “Ernie called and told her not to talk to the authorities or he’d kill her. I’m going to tap into that.”

Holly listened while Nathan laid it out. It took several minutes.

“It’s a good plan,” Holly said, “but you’re making a huge assumption about Ernie’s character.”

“It’s all I’ve got. And aside from Leonard, Janey’s all Ernie’s got, in terms of family. If we set this up right, I think there’s a good chance Ernie will feel compelled to call. I told Amber not to talk with him on her home or work number. I told her to have Ernie call back on a pay phone. She’s also being shadowed. Let’s hope Lansing’s people aren’t using rifle mikes on her every move.”

“It’s a little cruel, what you’re planning.”

“To pull this off, it has to be spontaneous. She can’t know it’s coming. I can’t worry about hurting her feelings. In fact, I’m counting on it. I’m hoping she will be angry about it.”

“Why?”

“Because I broke my promise.”

“What promise, what are you talking about?”

“Remember our conversation in the piano bar? The part about me not making myself a target?”

“Nathan, what did you do?”

“I added an insurance policy. During my interview with Dr. Fitzgerald at the Castle, he said Ernie was obsessed with revenge for being railroaded. I’m hoping to tap into his tendency toward revenge, this time for his little brother, Sammy. If Ernie calls Amber, I told her to specifically mention my name, that a guy named Nathan McBride came around looking for him.”

“I really wish you hadn’t done that.”

“I’m sorry, Holly, but I made that promise before they bombed your field office. This isn’t a simple manhunt anymore. It’s a fight to the death. The FBI is now the hunted, not the hunter. If the family-loyalty angle doesn’t work, I’m hoping Ernie’s desire for revenge will. Think about it, they could’ve taken their cash and bugged out, but they chose to stay and avenge their kid brother. Although they don’t know it yet, they didn’t kill the person directly responsible. After Ernie finds out I’m still alive, it probably won’t sit well with him. If I can just get Ernie to call Amber again, things will fall into place.”

“In any case, we need to protect you. You know what they’re capable of.”

“I can take care of myself. Hey, I’ve got to run.”

“Nathan?”

He waited.

She smiled and waved at the decor. “Thank Harvey for me.”

Nathan smiled. “You don’t miss much.”

Chapter 18

Chapter  18