thought that for a smart guy, at times Randall was staggeringly clueless. Maybe a bus driver could be nonchalant in the face of such threats, but it should’ve given a guy working at a top secret government lab pause. Still he nodded sympathetically. “Sure. What did he look like?”
“He was a big guy, white, bald. Wore a hat and sunglasses, so it’s kind of hard to say. Lots of tattoos.”
“Interesting.” Eastern European gangsters mapped their entire criminal life on their bodies with tattoos. “Any accent?”
“He wasn’t foreign, if that’s what you’re asking. Southern, I think, but I’m not sure which state.”
“Okay.” Jake paused to think. Maybe a foreign operative trained to mimic American accents. Or a mercenary who lived stateside. “You sent your ex and daughter off to stay with a relative, like we discussed?”
“Yes, they went yesterday.”
“And didn’t tell anyone where they were going, right?”
Randall nodded.
“So back to the million dollar question. Any idea who took Madison?”
“I told you—”
“Because now we think it might be someone from one of the former Soviet bloc countries.” Jake watched him closely, but nothing seemed to register. “Turkmenistan, maybe.”
“Turkmenistan? But that doesn’t make any sense.” Randall’s brows furrowed.
“Look, Randall. I don’t know much about your work, but I’m guessing it has something to do with nuclear materials.” When Randall didn’t respond, Jake had to fight the urge to throttle him. “Without getting too specific, you should at least be able to tell me that much. Otherwise how the hell am I supposed to figure out who took Madison?”
A shadow crossed Randall’s features. Reluctantly, he nodded.
“So maybe an extremist group in Turkmenistan is trying to get hold of some for an attack against the United States,” Jake concluded.
“I don’t know,” Randall said slowly. “There’s more loose material over there, and it’s less tightly monitored. Plus most of those groups want to target Russia proper.”
“So a Muslim sect in one of those countries. Maybe one with links to al Qaeda.”
“Possibly.” Randall turned the thought over in his mind. “The thing is, port control here is one of the things we’re doing right. Every single shipping container in and out of the U.S. undergoes a radiation scan. They’d need help from someone working Customs, not me.”
Jake shrugged. “Maybe they’ve got that, too. Sure you can’t tell me exactly what they’re after?”
Randall considered carefully before speaking. “I think you’re on the right track. Not necessarily with the Eastern European connection, but the other thing…yes.”
“All right then, we’re making progress.” Jake clapped him on the shoulder. Randall smiled weakly in response. Jake pressed a little harder with his fingers and locked eyes with him. “And you have no other theories?”
Randall shrugged off his hand. “Nothing. Like I said, it could be anyone. I think they contacted me because I have access to what they need.”
“How many others have the same access?” Randall’s eyes shifted away again. “C’mon, Randall, I spent some time working for the government, I know what is and isn’t a state secret. How many?”
“It’s just so hard to trust anyone anymore,” Randall mumbled. He examined his fingers. “Four people total. It’s a small project.”
“And what do you know about the other three?”
“Why?”
“Because whoever took Madison obviously knows about your access, and if you’re right, only a handful of people in the facility are privy to that information. Going on that assumption, they selected you as the most likely to cave—nothing personal,” he said, raising a hand to stifle Randall’s protest, “but it’s true. So we need to figure out why they targeted you in particular. Do the other guys not have families, or gambling debts, anything that could be used against them?”
Randall scratched at a spot on the couch. “I don’t know. It’s not a very social environment.”
“Well, consider that your assignment. I want everything you can find out about the other guys in your department. Also, get me a list of everyone who has any idea what your work entails. If you’re right, someone at the facility pointed them in your direction. We find that person, the trail could lead back to Madison.”
“All right.”
A hint of hope in his voice, for the first time in days. Jake hoped it wasn’t misplaced. “When will you have what they’re looking for?”
Randall shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Soon. I already have most of what they’ll need.”
“And what are you supposed to do next?”
“Text them this code and wait for a response. I was about to do it when Syd called and said you’d be stopping by.”
“What’s the code?”
“I’m supposed to say everything is great.” Randall’s jaw tightened as he said, “Using the number eight. I suppose that’s their little joke.”
“Joke in what way?”
“In making me send something a teenager might write.”
“It’s smart, actually.” Jake mulled it over, then said, “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Write, Everything is ok. They’ll be forced to respond, and you demand to talk to someone.”
“I’m not so sure—”
“You have to trust me, Randall. Remember, right now they need you. Unless they’re idiots, they’re not going to hurt your daughter until they get the information. And we’re going to use that to buy ourselves some time.”
“How?”
“There’s this ancient Malaysian board game, men versus tigers. The men win if they can surround the tigers and block their movements. Right now, that’s our game plan.”
“Yeah?” Randall eyed him skeptically. “How do the tigers win?”
Jake pulled off his jacket. “Too many questions, Doc. Just pay attention while I go over everything.”
Kelly winced as Emilio sustained another cuff to the head. He sullenly sank deeper into the chair as the middle-aged woman beside him let loose with another tirade. Kelly had no idea what was being said, but the tone was clear enough. Even Rodriguez looked mildly uncomfortable.
When they arrived at the door with Emilio in tow, still trying to jerk out
