It was Avery. The young man had finally gotten his hair cut, but he had never learned how to dress properly. He looked like he had just woken up at his frat house after a keg party. But he was smart. Not an E-class mind but certainly useful.
“I see you’re back from Maine.”
“Just this morning. I wanted to tell you that I followed Carla Dukes home two nights ago. I wanted to speak with her about some issues.”
“Okay. Did you?”
“No, because I noticed someone following me.”
Bunting sat up straighter. “What? Who?”
“I didn’t get a good look at him because it was dark. I nearly ran over him while I was trying to get away.” He paused. “But I think it was that investigator, Sean King.”
“Sean King? What was he doing there?”
“Apparently following Dukes and/or me.”
“Did he see you?”
“Not clearly, I’m sure of that.”
“Did he get your license plate number?”
“Probably, but I switched the plates out with a pair of fake ones. They’ll lead nowhere.”
“I’m impressed, Avery.”
“Thank you, sir. I just thought you should know.”
“Is that all?”
Avery looked nervous. “Actually, no. The Wall backup is bordering on cataclysmic.”
“That I already know. I’m recalling a pair of E-Fives to duty. And after I got blindsided by Foster I arranged a phone call with the president to reassure him. I just finished it. That will give us some time. If Foster tries to go over me now she’ll look pretty stupid.”
“But that won’t last.”
“Of course it won’t last.”
“But if Edgar Roy is proven innocent and we get him back on the job, all of our problems go away.”
Bunting rose, went over to the window, and looked out, his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets. “That’s not necessarily true.”
“Why?”
He whirled around. “Do you really think the US government will let Edgar actually go to trial?”
Avery said slowly, “But what’s the alternative?”
Bunting turned back around and watched a flock of birds heading south for the winter.
I wish I could fly, he thought. I wish I could get the hell out of here.
“What do you think, Avery?” he said over his shoulder.
“They’ll kill him?”
Bunting sat back down and switched topics. “So King was in Maine two nights ago following you. What about Maxwell?”