“Good. Start tracking her immediately. And keep me informed.”

He turned back to the window and stared unseeing at the night. He asked Allah to forgive him for the instant of doubt when he thought his God had deserted him. Now he saw Allah’s plan. Alicia Clayton was His instrument, and would guide Kemel to her father’s secret. Praise Allah.

THURSDAY

THURSDAY

1.

1.

Yoshio shrank back and hurriedly swallowed the last of his sausage-and-egg Croissan’wich as he recognized Jack-san in the blue Taurus pulling into the curb across the street.

After following him and Alicia Clayton back to this elegant town house last night, Yoshio had assumed that this was where Jack-san lived. But then he had seen the ronin leave moments later. He had tried to follow but, hampered by the woman’s clothing, he had been unable to keep up with him. He had lost him in the confusion of Fourteenth Street.

So he had quickly returned to his own car near Thomas Clayton’s apartment building and moved it to a position across the street from the town house. He had changed back to his usual attire and had spent the night here.

And now Jack-san was quite obviously taking Alicia Clayton someplace. Yoshio was guessing that no romance existed between them, otherwise Jack-san would have stayed here last night. Therefore they were not meeting merely to share each other’s company. They must have a purpose in mind, and that purpose most surely involved the Clayton technology.

And just as surely, that purpose was taking them out of the city. Else, why the car?

How could Yoshio follow them into the suburbs or the countryside without being seen? Jack-san knew him and would be looking for him. And yet he had to risk it. He sensed that after months of waiting and watching, his mission here finally was coming to a head.

He wished he had thought to call and arrange for backup, but he dared not get more people involved at this juncture. The situation was too delicate.

He watched Jack enter the house. Yoshio was desperate. And desperate situations sometimes called for desperate measures…

2.

2.

“I figure we head up the West Side, catch the Saw Mill, cross the Tappan Zee, and continue up the thruway,” Jack said as he put the Taurus in gear. The dashboard clock read 10:33. The morning rush hour would be petering out about now. “Unless you know a better way.”

Alicia shrugged. “Whatever gets us there.”

Jack looked at her. He’d never figured her for a barrel of laughs, but this morning she seemed more down, more subdued than usual.

“You okay with this?” he said.

“Yeah,” she said with a too-vigorous nod. “I’m fine. I’m just…” She let the word hang.

“Just what?”

She sighed. “Just sorry you had to get stuck listening to me yesterday. That wasn’t in the job description.”