“What kind of meeting?” Sanchez asked.

“Leo says they’re working on some deal with the Russians,” Archie said.

Sanchez’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. The expression of surprise seemed authentic. “Did you see any of them? Can you identify players?”

“It was a masquerade ball,” Susan said with an exasperated roll of her eyes. “As in, masks.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to look at pictures,” Archie said. He thought of the Russian outside Jack’s office. “Not everyone was wearing masks.”

Sanchez fixed his attention on Susan. “Are you sure you didn’t see any of these people?” he asked. “Maybe you heard someone speaking Russian?”

Susan nibbled on a cuticle.

“Answer him,” Archie told her.

“I didn’t see or hear any Russians,” Susan said. “Were they wearing fur hats?”

“Fur hats?” Sanchez said.

Susan sighed. “I’m kidding,” she said.

“Tell him how you came to be there,” Archie said, leading her.

Susan peeled something off her fingertip and chewed it. “Someone named Cooper came to my house,” she said. “He told me Leo wanted me to come to a party. He was insistent. He drove me out there. They got me all dressed up. But Leo didn’t know anything about it. Not until I saw him out there last night.”

“They used her as leverage,” Archie said.

“They wanted to ensure that Leo would do something for them,” Susan added.

“And they let you go this morning,” Sanchez said. Archie could see him thinking, his eyes roving. After a few moments, Sanchez came to the inevitable conclusion. “Leo must have done what they wanted,” Sanchez said. His eyebrows knitted. “Any idea what it was?” he asked them.

Actually, Archie had a pretty good idea. But he wasn’t going to tell Sanchez that. “No,” Archie said.

“No,” Susan said. She frowned. “But it might have had something to do with the letter.”

This got Sanchez’s attention. He fingered the flap of one of his safari jacket pockets. “The letter?” he said.

Susan shrugged. “Last week. Leo gave it to me to mail. He seemed really nervous about it.”

“Where is it?” Sanchez asked. “Do you have it?”

“Have what?” Susan asked.

Sanchez’s face was scarlet. “The letter,” he said.

Susan looked from Sanchez to Archie, a picture of innocence. “I mailed it,” she said.

Susan had delivered it perfectly, exactly as Archie had instructed her in the bathroom. If Sanchez was corrupt, he was bound to be paranoid. He would worry that Leo had learned Sanchez was dirty and that the letter incriminated him. At the very least it might buy Leo some time.

Sanchez swallowed a few times. His forehead glowed. He touched the tips of his fingers to his mouth. “Do you remember the address on the letter?” he asked Susan.