THE AMERICAN
ANDREW BRITTON
KENSINGTON BOOKS
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
For my mother, Anne
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to start by gratefully acknowledging Linda Cashdan of The Word Process. Linda proved almost prescient in her advice; even the suggestions I didn’t take were later recommended by my publisher and ultimately found their way into the book. I couldn’t have done it without her.
Special thanks go to Mark A. Jones of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, who was extremely generous with his time and knowledge; to Officer Rodney Parks of the D.C. Metro Police Department, for all of his insight; and to Erika Lease, M.D., for her wisdom and, more importantly, her friendship.
My heartfelt appreciation goes out to the talented team of professionals at Kensington: Steven Zacharius, the president and CEO, Laurie Parkin, Michaela Hamilton, and Wendy Bernhardt. I am also eternally grateful to my editor, Audrey LaFehr, for her boundless support and enthusiasm.
I owe a debt of gratitude to my literary agent, Nancy Coffey, who believed in this novel from the start.
And to Jeralyn Valdillez, for supporting me when the only thing I was writing was research papers.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 1
CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE
CHAPTER 2
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 3
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 4
LANGLEY, VIRGINIA
CHAPTER 5
IRAN
CHAPTER 6
WASHINGTON, D.C. • CAPE ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 7
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 8
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 9
IRAN
CHAPTER 10
BROOKS COUNTY, GEORGIA
CHAPTER 11
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 12
LANGLEY • NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
CHAPTER 13
NORFOLK
CHAPTER 14
IRAN • NORFOLK
CHAPTER 15
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
CHAPTER 16
IRAN
CHAPTER 17
CAPE TOWN
CHAPTER 18
IRAN • CAPE TOWN
CHAPTER 19
TAJIKISTAN • CAPE TOWN • PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
CHAPTER 20
TAJIKISTAN • PRETORIA
CHAPTER 21
PRETORIA • TAJIKISTAN • LANGLEY
CHAPTER 22
ASHLAND, VIRGINIA • WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 23
NORFOLK • WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 24
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
CHAPTER 25
WASHINGTON, D.C. • HANOVER COUNTY, VIRGINIA
CHAPTER 26
WASHINGTON, D.C. • LANGLEY
CHAPTER 27
WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 28
HANOVER COUNTY • LANGLEY • WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 29
TYSON’S CORNER, VIRGINIA• CAPE ELIZABETH • HANOVER COUNTY
CHAPTER 30
TYSON’S CORNER • HANOVER COUNTY
CHAPTER 31
TYSON’S CORNER, VIRGINIA
CHAPTER 32
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA • HANOVER COUNTY
CHAPTER 33
TYSON’S CORNER • HANOVER COUNTY • WASHINGTON, D.C.
CHAPTER 34
WASHINGTON, D.C. • ASHLAND
CHAPTER 35
LANGLEY • CAPE ELIZABETH
CHAPTER 36
CAPE ELIZABETH • WASHINGTON, D.C.
PROLOGUE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
They whispered amongst themselves. For an announcement of lesser magnitude, they said, it might have been a more suitable venue.
It was natural for them to complain. Nothing less was expected by those who had organized the event; indeed, the interns who had arranged for the seating and distributed the press passes would have been stunned by anything approaching a compliment. When the frequent interruptions led to a substantial delay in the proceedings, few were surprised. Nevertheless, every effort was
