“We wouldn’t have gotten this far without your computer skills. Let’s hope you’re back in class tomorrow.” She took her phone and texted—

Gum Spring.

The immediate response—

Last leg. Look for single lane. Wait outside structure. 37.9498446, -77.9084076

“They’ve given us coordinates rather than a town or road names,” Ethel said. She entered them into the GPS. “Well, well, according to this we’re another twenty minutes away from a location just outside of a town named Cuckoo.”

“Cuckoo?”

“Yes, but rest assured they’re not crazy. Give me a moment and then we’ll go.” She scrolled back to the other thread and texted—

Final destination. Pass along as planned. Wish us luck. 37.9498446, -77.9084076

She pressed Send.

Chapter 34

On QT, check out Gray and Draper relationships to Ed O’Hara. Interested in Philadelphia. Text info. Will explain later.

The text message arrived on the private cell phones of Rudy Hauser and Cory Bradshaw simultaneously. Each man was on a conference call in his office, but when each saw Ethel Crestwater’s number, they quickly wrapped up. Neither man knew the other received the identical request. Both men had the same first reaction—WHAT NOW? The second reaction—WHAT DOES ETHEL KNOW THAT I DON’T?

FBI Director Hauser assumed Ethel knew he had Lisa Draper monitoring the situation. Had Draper’s efforts created friction between her and Agent Gray? What was the point of Philadelphia?

Secret Service Director Bradshaw saw nothing new about Ethel’s request to investigate Gray and O’Hara. They were his men, and both were tainted by the counterfeit scam. Now O’Hara had gone off the grid with Finch’s family. Bradshaw asked himself if Gray had been misdirecting him in his reports. Both Gray and O’Hara had been in the Philadelphia office. And Lisa Draper? Had she started up a relationship with either or both in order to get information? She wouldn’t be the first agent to use sex as a means to an end.

Both directors took similar actions. Bradshaw wanted a complete review of Gray’s and O’Hara’s interactions. Was there more than just the one investigation and an occasional pint at the Dubliner? Getting info on Draper would be trickier since she was FBI. But Bradshaw had his sources among the gossipers in both his agency and the Bureau. First, he’d put a tracker on Gray’s phone, and if he could finagle Draper’s number, then hers as well.

Rudy Hauser undertook the same steps. But he learned before Bradshaw did that Lisa Draper was off the grid.

Then both men discovered Ethel Crestwater’s phone had gone dead.

***

The rain eased to a light drizzle. Ethel drove slowly along a deserted blacktop a few miles south of Cuckoo, looking for the lane that could take them to the designated coordinates.

“There’s a break in the foliage ahead,” Jesse said. “That has to be it.”