The Burning Wire (Lincoln Rhyme 9)

But how does this help? Rhyme wondered angrily to himself. How does any of this help us find the site of the attack, which's going to happen in just a few minutes?

And what the hell kind of weapon has he devised this time? Another arc flash? Another deadly circuit in a public place?

Rhyme's eyes were riveted on the evidence whiteboards.

McDaniel said to the Kid, "Get me Dellray."

A moment later the agent's voice came through the speaker. "Yes, who's this? Who's there?"

"Fred. It's Tucker. I'm here with Lincoln Rhyme and some other people from the NYPD."

"At Rhyme's?"

"Yes."

"How you doing, Lincoln?"

"Been better."

"Yeah. True about all of us."

McDaniel said, "Fred, you heard about the new demand and deadline."

"Your assistant called me. She told me about the motive too. Galt's cancer."

"We've got a confirmation that it's probably a terror group. Ecoterror."

"How does that play with Galt?"

"Symbiosis."

"What?"

"A symbiotic construct. It was in my memo. . . . They're working together. The group's called Justice For the Earth. And Rahman's second in command is named Johnston."

Dellray asked, "Sounds like they have different agendas. How'd they hook up? Galt and Rahman?"

"I don't know, Fred. That's not the point. Maybe they contacted him, read his postings about the cancer. It was all over the Internet."

"Oh."

"Now, the deadline's coming up at any minute. Has your CI found anything?"

A pause. "No, Tucker. Nothing."

"The debriefing. You said it was at three."

Another hesitation. "That's right. But he doesn't have anything concrete yet. He's going a little farther underground."

"The whole fucking world's underground," the FBI agent snapped, surprising Rhyme; he couldn't imagine an expletive issuing from the man's smooth lips. "So, call your guy up and get him the information about Justice For the Earth. And the new player, Johnston."

"I'll do it."

"Fred?"

"Yes?"

"He's the only one has any leads, this CI of yours?"