“Did he believe it?” Helen Sykes was leaning back in the chair behind her desk, a manifestation of insouciance that went against every other visible aspect of her persona. On the wall behind her was a colorful print of red balloons floating over the Eiffel Tower. Rafe wondered if she had taken over someone else’s office in the embassy and hadn’t bothered to redecorate (which would, come to think of it, be in character after all).

“Believe what?” Rafe said. “That I did some crooked deals myself and avoided jail by agreeing to work for the government?”

“I’d believe it,” said Frank. He was sitting against a side wall beneath a photograph of German children folk dancing. “Nothing personal,” he added, nodding toward Rafe. “I mean, you were making what on Wall Street, five million a year? Ten million? You took a big pay cut going into government work. Maybe you had some extra motivation.”

“Actually,” Rafe said, “that is personal.”

Frank shrugged. “It’s not like I would hold it against you.”

“Good to know. What got you into government work?”

“The retirement plan. Have you checked it out?”

Sykes cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind my interrupting, I believe you’re both here for the same reason I am, and we can all celebrate over drinks some day when we’ve succeeded in removing evil from the world. Mister Sassaman, I believe you came in here to report, not thumb wrestle with your colleague.”

“Yes,” Rafe agreed. “I did. And my report is that Majid—”

“Majid,” said Frank, smiling.

“Mister Hassan,” Rafe said, “had a point. He is not stupid. If he had gone out of his way to cover his tracks in the first trade, if there was a reason to cover his tracks in the first trade, he would not have exposed them in the second.”

“Everybody makes mistakes,” Frank said.

“Big mistake,” Rafe said.

“Does Mister Hassan work alone?” Sykes asked.

“No,” said Rafe. “He has a partner. I haven’t met him.”

“Maybe his partner makes mistakes.”

“Or maybe,” Frank said, “his partner is more averse to dealing with terrorists than your college pal.”

“They’re in that company together,” Rafe said. “If the business goes down, they both go down.”

“Sometimes partners have different points of view,” Frank said.

Sykes considered. “It would be useful to see their books,” she said.

Frank nodded. So did Rafe. “Don’t you have ways to do that kind of thing?” he said.

“Yes,” Sykes said. “We do.”

Boulangerie

BOULANGERIE