“Eventually, the IRS came after him in a big way. He was arrested as his private jet landed in Key West on a flight from Cuba, and as soon as that became known, people began to come out of the woodwork with information about other crimes he had committed in the countries where he operated. A line formed for extradition to half a dozen countries.

“He was held without bail, but during a lunch break at his trial, he went to the men’s room and vanished. No one yet knows how he got out of the courthouse. He left the country on a cargo plane headed for Algeria, and, we think, on arrival there he had extensive cosmetic surgery to alter his appearance.

“After that he went into the arms business in a big way. He had money hidden in Swiss and other banks around the world to fund his enterprise, and, operating under various names, he supplied weapons, small and large, to third-world countries and insurgencies around the globe. In recent years he adopted the name Pablo Estancia and, using his language skills, affected a Spanish accent in whatever language he spoke, which by that time numbered ten or twelve, including Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, and various Middle Eastern tribal dialects. He moved across borders with impunity with multiple passports and IDs and made himself the indispensable man with Islamic insurgencies of all stripes, including Al Qaeda and the Taliban. You have a picture of him now?”

“Pretty much,” Mike said.

“Why are you holding a road map instead of an aeronautical chart?” Stone asked.

“Because we’re going to land tonight on a road.”

“A road?” Stone asked, horrified. “No ordinary road could ever support the weight of this airplane, loaded as it is.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Mike said. “The load will be spread over triple-tandem landing gears, and many tires.”

Stone didn’t know what triple-tandem meant, but he got the idea. “And will we be able to take off, too?” he asked.

“What we will have for a landing strip will be two and a half miles of straight, newly paved, four-lane superhighway,” Todd said.

“Full of construction equipment, no doubt,” Stone said.

“All the equipment is being moved to the other side of the highway as we speak,” Todd said, “and the beginning and end of the stretch we’re looking for will be marked by cars with strobe lights. The crew has the exact coordinates and elevation of the landing end of the roadway. It is located in a fairly narrow valley, with mountains on each side, but we will have room for a long approach.”

“Swell,” Stone said. “I’m trying to remember why I came on this trip.”

“For the fun,” Holly said. “Aren’t you having fun?”

“Not yet,” Stone replied.

“We’re refueling at an American air base in Cádiz, east of Gibraltar,” Todd said. “From there, we’ll head out over the Atlantic, then turn, descend into Spain. We will be on the ground for a matter of minutes, including further fueling from two trucks, then we’ll be heading, nonstop, back to Stewart International.”