“Hi, Kari. My suspension’s been canceled.”
“It has? Because of the terrorist threat?”
“Yes,” said Bob, who had no idea what she was talking about. “What I need right now is to get a trace on a phone call. A MikeLunde received a call about half an hour ago, I need to know where that call came from. Can you take down the number?”
Kari hesitated.
“This is urgent,” he said. “This terrorist threat…”
“Go ahead,” she said.
After hanging up Bob buttoned up his coat. Cashmere was waterproof, but if it got soaked through then the coat would stink like a wet dog for days afterward. He sprinted through the rain to the entrance and nodded to the security guard on the inside. Saw a waving Mike Lunde, who occupied one of the booths facing out onto the parking lot.
Bob bought two vanilla shakes to make it all look legit and then slid in opposite Mike, who had placed his cell phone on the table between them.
“Thanks for coming, Mike. Vanilla shake?”
Mike shook his head with a sad smile. “Lactose intolerant.”
“That sucks. Can we get right to it?”
Mike nodded. “So, when the recording starts, he’s said his name, I recognize the voice and I start recording.”
“Got it.”
Mike tapped the play button. Bob heard heavy breathing. It stopped. Then the sound of Mike’s voice:
“Yes, Tomás, what is it?”
More panting. Again it stopped.
“I know it’s taken time, Tomás, but I’ve finally finished the Labrador and now I can start on your cat. I’m delivering the dog at twelve o’clock tomorrow, so if you could come by at two?”
The panting resumed. And stopped. Like a malfunctioning respirator, thought Bob.
“Trust me, Tomás. Come in tomorrow and we’ll have a long chat. We’ll work this out.”
The panting came back. Gomez had clearly moved the receiveraway from his mouth with the intention of hanging up but then changed his mind. Then came a click, and a long dial tone.
“He hung up,” said Bob.
“I think he heard it,” said Mike.
“Heard what?”
“My betrayal. That I was lying. He won’t come.”
Bob put his lips around the red-striped straw. Sucked up the vanilla shake and looked into the other man’s worried face.
“You know what I think, Mike?”
“Yes, I believe I do.”
“So then what?”
“You think I acted worse than I had to. That Iwantedhim to realize it was a trap. That I found a way of warning him at the same time as I kept my word to you and fulfilled my responsibilities as a good citizen. On paper, at least.”
“Is that what you did, Mike? Are you so calculating?”
