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Stone didn’t answer He just left the rooht air was crisp, the sky cloudless There was snarled traffic and honking over near the Verizon Center because so on there

As he walked along, Stone thought of the last few moments he’d been with Tom Gross He hadn’t really focused on the o after John Kravitz In truth, he’d believed that he was keeping Gross safer by going after the alleged bo Gross behind It had never occurred to him that they would attack at the tree farence and nerve A formidable combination

A sudden thought struck him and he called the number Riley Weaver had left for him He wanted to know if Weaver had a list of the events that had been scheduled at Lafayette Park If there was a lead in that list, Stone wanted to run it down Someone answered the phone Stone identified himself and asked for Weaver The man put him on hold but was back within ten seconds

“Please don’t call this nuain”

The line went dead and Stone slowly put his phone back in his pocket The explanation for that brusque putdoas easy Weaver knew that Stone had screwed up and cost an FBI agent his life Because of that, Stone was off the cooperation list with NIC now And forever

As he passed block after block, his focus continued to deepen, even as the DC nightlife went on all around hi the Mall, tourists withto the next entertain thick briefcases and burdened eary countenances as they trudged ho

Taking out KravitzOne less mouth to betray the people behind it They must have staked out the trailer park and were there ready to kill the man when Stone had shown up But there was an alternative theory that if true was far

They kneere co

In order to do that, they either would have needed to follow them or been ahead of them Both scenarios carried serious implications and also the possibility of a mole in their ranks But why the tree farm? Had Lloyd Wilder been involved as well? If so, theshot

Toator, but he would sient would only result in the forhtened effort to find those behind the Lafayette Park incident It made no sense at all None

He arrived at his destination, flashed his badge to gain admittance and entered Lafayette Park At least his credentials hadn’t been pulled Yet He sat on a bench, surveyed the surroundings where the investigative as still going on Hisinto so useful It was just , it vanished

His gaze shifted to the White House across the street The bo had no doubt popped the president’s bubble of safety that he believed he had here Every security force involved in defending this bit of earth had suffered a hard blow to their professional egos

Hell’s Corner, Stone thought, was indeed living up to its name

When he looked up he saw theA part of hi breath and waited

CHAPTER 37

THE CAMEL CLUB MINUS ITS LEADER sat around Caleb Shaw’s condo in Alexandria, Virginia, overlooking the Poto tea and coffee to everyone except Reuben The bigpresuer in it than Earl Grey or Maxwell House

Annabelle was dressed in a black skirt, loafers and a jean jacket She spoke first and her tone was blunt “How bad is it, Alex?”

Alex Ford, still wearing a suit and tie from his workday, leaned forward on the hassock, took a sip of coffee and said, “Pretty bad An FBI agent is dead along with three other people, including at least one bo suspect”

“And they’re blanation

“Yes,” Alex said “Whether rightly or wrongly I told Oliver that there wereinvolved in this case, and now it’s come home to roost”

Harry Finn was leaning against the wall He’d finished his coffee and put his cup down “Meaning reat way to kick him off the case?”

“Right Although knowing Oliver, he probably does blame himself for what happened”

Reuben growled, “You go after terrorists, people can get hurt And they damn well asked him back into the fold, not the other way around”

“That’s what’s so infuriating, Alex,” said Annabelle “He didn’t have to do this at all Now he’s in there risking his life and they bla killed”

Alex spread his hands “Annabelle, don’t be naïve This is Washington There’s nothing fair about any of it”

She flung her long hair out of her face “That makes me feel so much better”

Caleb spoke up “But ill happen now?”