Ben typed it in on his tablet. “It’s legit. Goes to Langley.”
Mike said, “Call it, Ben.”
Ben dialed the number from his own phone. It connected and he put it on speaker.
A male voice said, “Craig? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, there’s—”
Nicholas spoke over him. “This is Special Agent Nicholas Drummond, FBI. Please identify yourself.”
There was a brief pause. “Carlton Grace. CIA.”
Ben started tapping away, looking for the name. A few moments later, an eyebrow raised, he nodded.
“Agent Grace, we have your subordinate Craig Swanson in custody. He was—”
“Drummond?” They heard a whistle. “Well, how’s that for luck. I already spoke to your boss, Milo Zachery. You and Mike Caine need to come down to Langley to meet with me right away.”
“You never know, do you?” Craig Swanson said, grinning.
Nicholas managed to resist smacking him again. His spook boss had already cleared it with Zachery? What was going on?
Nicholas said, “We’re not going anywhere unl
ess you tell us right this minute what this is all about.”
• • •
Carlton Grace laughed low and quick. “What’s wrong with you? You know I can’t tell you a thing, not on this open line. Agents Savich and Sherlock will be here as well. It’s time. Oh, and Drummond? Bring Swanson with you. He needs a few lessons in subterfuge, apparently.”
The line went dead. Swanson was still grinning.
“Ain’t that a kick?” Ben said.
Nicholas looked at Mike. “What in the bloody hell is going on here?”
She was playing with her ponytail, staring off at nothing in particular.
“Mike?”
“Nicholas. Remember I told you the redhead was familiar to me? Well, I remember who she is.”
“How do you know? Facial recognition hasn’t come through; we don’t even have Mrs. Antonio’s sketch of her.”
“Everything clicked into place. Her name is Vanessa Grace, the same name as Craig’s boss. Is she related, Craig?”
“Yes, he’s her uncle.”
“I went to Yale with her. Nicholas, she’s got to be CIA, too.”
Nicholas’s eyebrows went up a good inch. “You’re telling me COE has a CIA agent inside?”
“Had,” Swanson called out. “Not any longer.”
Nicholas turned on him. “Bugger off, Swanson. You people, you’re as bad as the Foreign Office. You had someone inside and you didn’t bother to let us know? Particularly after Bayway—why weren’t we informed?”
“Hey, man, that decision is way above my pay grade.”