Unmanned (9780385351263) by Dan Fesperman Page A

possibility occurred to Cole: Maybe this whole conversation was part of a setup, and the whole scene with the tape recorder had been for show. Bickell could be wired, transmitting the conversation to some guy in a van a few hundred yards away. Steve and he would then be intercepted before they could even make it to the end of the dirt road. But to what purpose? He couldn’t think of one, so he kept asking questions.
    “This guy Mansur—why Baltimore?”
    Bickell shrugged.
    “I wondered, too. It’s not like there’s any Little Kabul down there, someplace where he might blend in. Only a handful of Afghans in the city, although one of them
is
a brother of Hamid Karzai, president ofthe fucking country. Owns a bunch of restaurants there.” Cole raised an eyebrow, but Bickell waved him off. “It was checked. No connection. Besides, that’s not exactly the low profile they wanted for Mansur. All I can figure is that there must be a sponsor nearby, somebody who helps keep an eye on him.”
    “Like IntelPro?”
    Bickell narrowed his eyes.
    “What makes you keep mentioning them?”
    “They’re located down there, aren’t they?”
    “Maybe you’re more on the ball than I thought. But the only thing the Bureau dug up locally was the name of a Mexican takeout where Mansur was stuffing burritos for a while. Taco Rojo.”
    “The Red Taco?”
    “All I got. It’s all the Bureau had, too, if that’s any comfort, and he no longer works there.”
    “Why would they ever put him out in public like that?”
    “No idea. Unless he was being used as some kind of bait. Which could also explain why the Bureau would back off—to keep from fucking up somebody else’s mousetrap.”
    “Then who’s the mouse?”
    “Good question. But it tells me that Mansur is findable for anyone with the means, motive, and opportunity.”
    They continued walking in silence until they reached the edge of the property. Bickell stopped, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and looked straight at Cole.
    “If you do happen to find him, don’t waste your breath asking about Wade Castle. He was using a cryptonym over there. Hector. Like the Greek warrior.”
    “The
dead
Greek warrior. I saw the movie.”
    “And Castle read the book. But I guess he doesn’t believe in jinxes. Another word of advice. The moment you hit the trail I’m supposed to give the Agency a heads-up. They want a fix on your departure time, a starting point for further tracking. I can fudge it by maybe twenty minutes to give you a head start, but anything more and I’m playing with fire. So don’t stop for lunch, don’t stop for gas, and by all means avoid the toll roads. Too many cameras rolling at the collection booths.”
    More little Predators
, Cole thought,
parked and waiting.
    “Thanks.”
    “Obviously I won’t tell them I mentioned Mansur, much less Hector. But if you head down to Baltimore, watch yourself. Just because the Bureau says they never found him doesn’t mean they don’t know where he is. For all I know they’ve staked him out with another goddamn beacon in his pocket, trolling him in the water to see who comes sneaking up from behind. Turn up on their radar and you’ll be seen as a potential member of the competition, and you don’t want the Agency
or
the Bureau thinking of you that way.”
    “Now if I just knew one other thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Whether you’re really trying to help me, or baiting a trap.”
    Bickell smiled. “Welcome to my world, Captain Cole. The way things work in this business, I could sincerely be intending to do you a favor while really doing the opposite, and neither of us would be the wiser.”
    “Great.”
    “You get used to it, believe it or not. If you’re good at it.”
    “And how do you get good at it?”
    “By keeping your own counsel, trusting only yourself. A cliché, yes, but only because it’s good advice. The moment somebody tells you he’s on your side, you better start looking for reasons