“Am I not the Chen? Eleven distinct samples, and I’m pretty sure some belong to a female. That’s based on size, so I’m only guessing, but whoever it is isn’t in the system. You don’t have to worry about her. The other guy is a different story.”

“You got a hit on the man?”

“Kinda.”

“What’s kinda, John? C’mon. What’s his name?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I said kinda. I got a sealed file. All you get is a file number and a directive telling you who to contact.”

“What does that mean?”

“Could mean anything. The guy could be a cop, a federal agent, maybe in witness protection, something like that. We see these with military personnel, too, like when it’s a Delta guy or a SEAL or one of those top-secret things.”

“Are you telling me this guy is a spook?”

“I was just giving examples. I’m guessing the guy is a criminal or a cop.”

“Why?”

“The directive. It says to contact the FBI or the Louisiana Department of Justice for information. That kinda rules out him being a spook.”

“Did you?”

“Hell, no! They’d know I’m involved. It’s bad enough they’re gonna ping our computer for submitting the print. They might come snooping around to see why we had his prints.”

Cole felt a stab of concern.

“Are you going to get jammed up because of this?”

“Nah. I used Harriet’s password when I logged on. It can’t get back to me.”

Harriet was John’s boss.

Chen said, “Sorry I couldn’t get the information, bro, but this is as far as I can take it. I really wanted to help. Tell Joe, okay?”

“You helped, John. You really did. What’s that file number?”

Cole copied the file number, then immediately phoned Lucy Chenier. She was in a meeting, but had left instructions to be interrupted. When she came on the line, Cole explained what he needed.

“Does Terry have a contact in the Louisiana Department of Justice?”

“Probably more than one. Why?”

Cole told her about the sealed file with its directive to contact the Louisiana DOJ.

“The DOJ and the FBI. I don’t like these things we’re learning.”

“Me, neither. Can I give you the file number?”

Cole read it off, waited as she copied, then listened as she read it back to make sure she had the correct number.

“Okay. I’ll see how Terry wants to handle it.”

“Thanks, Luce.”

“One thing—”

He waited.

“These sealed files can mean anything, but one thing they always mean is that it’s important to someone that this individual’s identity is protected. Once Terry makes the inquiry—even through one of his sources—we can’t put the genie back in the bottle. The people who are hiding this man might turn out to be a very pissed-off genie.”

“I understand.”