“And?”
“He went to Jet Aviation and through the fence saw a black SUV, such as the CIA uses, be allowed onto the ramp, which is unusual. Suspecting it was a government vehicle, he followed it into the city, where it made a stop in the East Forties, letting a man out, then continued. Unfortunately, our man lost contact with the car when it continued, but it was not so far from the CIA building.”
“This place in the East Forties—what was it?”
“A town house, in a neighborhood called Turtle Bay.”
“Who lives there?”
“We think the man who flew with Barker, but we’re not sure.”
“Have the house watched,” she said, “along with the CIA building.”
“It will be done.”
“I want to know what connection the woman from the CIA has with the man who lives there.”
Habib nodded.
“How many bombs do we have available?”
“One, assembled. We can obtain materials for as many as we need.”
“Assemble a second bomb,” Jasmine said.
—
Stone and Holly sat at a corner table at Patroon, Stone’s new favorite restaurant. He missed the clublike atmosphere and the regulars at Elaine’s, but the food was good here and the atmosphere warm and inviting.
“How bad was it?” Stone asked.
“Not nearly as bad as it might have been,” Holly said. “We built the building, and we built it to survive an explosion virtually intact.”
“Is it Jasmine?”
“Of course it is. I had a meeting with the police commissioner and the AIC from the FBI’s local office, and I explained about her, but I’m not sure they bought it. The FBI was slow to circulate her photo, and she made it into the country. That drives me crazy!”
“Does Jasmine know who you are?”
“I have no reason to think so,” Holly replied. “She knows who the director is, though, and I’ve warned her to stop driving to work and take the helicopter instead.”
“Sounds like good advice.”
“It’s all I can do. We’re no better equipped for a hunt in New York than we were in London, and we don’t have any more authority, either. Sometimes I think we need a change in our charter. I think we would have been a better place to spend the taxpayers’ money than creating this gargantuan Homeland Security apparatus.”
“Have you talked with them?”
“I’m relying on the FBI to do that,” she said. “I have to keep the peace.”
“I haven’t heard anything on the news about a search for Jasmine,” Stone said.
“I know, and it’s frustrating.”
“Do you think she’s still here?”
“I have no way of knowing. She could be anywhere in the country by now.”
“Maybe Kate Lee needs to go to the president about this.”