The space was a step back to a previous time: walnut paneling, parquet floors, Persian floor rugs, wooden bookshelves, and a view of the plaza. It was warmed by an electric fireplace as well as modern heating. An enormous ebony L-shaped desk hosted the math professor who was sitting in a tufted leather chair. He stood up: a large man in height and girth, bald except for a ring of unruly gray curls around the base of his head. Bushy gray eyebrows arched over large brown eyes. He had a full face, a full nose, full lips, and a big chin. Decker could see that Gold in his younger years would have fit the mold physically for the spooks in Virginia.

Introductions were made and hands were shaken. Then everyone settled into cushy chairs. Gold smiled. “I know you gave me a brief recitation over the phone, Detective Decker, but I’d appreciate a recap of what happened now that we’re face-to-face with everyone here.”

“How long do you have?” Mulrooney said.

Gold checked an Oyster Rolex. “A little over an hour. Will it take longer? If so, I can make arrangements.”

“It’s complicated.”

“That’s grand,” Gold said. “The more complicated the better.”

Decker said, “I’ll start with my involvement and then Detective Mulrooney can tell you what he’s doing.”

“Splendid.” Gold paused. “How is Tyler McAdams doing? I was horrified when you told me about the shooting.”

“He’s fine and should make a total recovery,” Decker said. “Do you remember him?”

“Five ten, slender build but not wimpy, long face, brown hair, hazel eyes. He dressed in sweaters and jeans and was always prepared. Now, I would very much appreciate a full story.”

“Absolutely.” Decker pulled out his notebook and the two other detectives did the same.

“My handwriting is atrocious.” Gold pointed to his head. “I may ask you to repeat something just to encode it into long-term memory.”

“Not a problem,” Decker said.

The recitation took twenty minutes. Gold interrupted three times asking for clarification. After the recap was finished, Mulrooney took out his copy of the codebook and said, “Did you have a chance to look at the pages?”

“I always like to hear the complete picture before I embark on any new project.” Gold took out copy given to him by Mulrooney and put on his glasses. “So the answer is no.”

“Tyler cracked part of it,” Decker said. “The Cyrillic letters are actually Latin phrases. The Hebrew letters are Latin phrases as well.”

“Ah yes. Very good. Please tell him I’m impressed.” Gold’s eyes continued to study the pages. “That poor boy. He must have been ill-prepared for police work of this sort.”

“He didn’t expect to get shot but who does? As far as the work, he’s been a quick study.”

“Yes, I remember that for a nonmath major, he caught on quite well. Quiet boy, but he always knew the answers.”