“Well he’s not locked in the toolshed,” said Karl, “so for the time being I think we have to assume so.”

When they had crossed back into North Carolina, Erich insisted on pulling into a rest area. Karl decided he could delay no longer and took out the burner phone to make an uncomfortable call. Even though they had broken protocol already that morning, not least by killing a member of law enforcement, this was one protocol Karl was not willing to suspend. In the event of failure, ring the home office.

Once Karl explained the situation, the voice on the other end of the line did not shout, but it nonetheless made Karl’s blood run cold. He, of all people, knew just how ruthless his boss could be and he wanted nothing more than to make this right before he got called in from the field.

“They can’t use computers or cell phones,” said the voice. “He’s smart enough to know we would track them. There’s only one place in the world to do what they need to do without going online. If I can think of anyone else to send I will but you and your idiot companion represent the whole of our field operatives at the moment, which is exactly why this operation needs to succeed. I’ll let you know the details as soon as we make a decision here.”

The voice explained where Karl and Erich needed to go next. They would need to dump their weapons, of course, and the voice told Karl that, if things played out as it suspected they would, he might need to improvise. The voice signed off in the usual manner and Karl dropped the phone into a cupholder.

“Where do we go?” said Erich.

“Closest international airport,” said Karl.

“Are they calling us home?”

“Sounds like we might be going to London,” said Karl.

“Looks like from here the closest major airport is Atlanta,” said Erich, looking at the map on his phone. “Plenty of flights from there.”

Jean Simpson had just turned off the lights in her office when the phone rang. She considered ignoring it—anyone important would call on her cell phone. But Jean had been raised with manners, and that meant answering a ringing phone no matter how likely it was a student complaining about a grade or wanting to have a conference outside office hours.

“Jean, it’s Peter Byerly. I’ve been looking a little closer at that book you left with me and I’ve found something . . . well, something a little disturbing to be honest.”

“Funny you should say that,” said Jean. “I’ve been digging into Ingrid Weiss and Columbia House and I’ve found several disturbing things. Would you like to meet for coffee at the Rathskeller?”

“I don’t drink coffee,” said Peter. “But I’ll be there in ten minutes.”