By Order of the President (Presidential Agent 1)

“My God, Charley! Fort Meade has photographs of the airplane at Zandery. The CIA guy in Suriname made a visual and you’re telling me they have the wrong airplane?”

“Yes, sir. They probably have a photograph of an Air Suriname 727 with the right numbers, because it’s an Air Suriname 727. The airplane the Holy Legion of Muhammad has is probably in Costa Rica.”

“Where in Costa Rica?”

“I don’t know that yet.”

“Have you told anybody else this?”

“No, sir. What I’ve done is send Miller out to the airport in Philadelphia to see what airplanes from Costa Rica routinely land there. What they’re obviously trying to do is get into the Philadelphia area without ringing alarm bells.”

“How are they going to do that?” McNab asked, dubiously.

He thinks I’ve lost my mind.

Have I?

“By immobilizing a bona fide Costa Rican 727 for twenty-four hours and sending the one they have in its place.”

“You’re going to have a tough time selling that to Naylor. He already thinks you’re drunk out of your mind with authority you don’t have.”

“What if I’m right, General?” Castillo said. “And I’m not going to try to sell General Naylor anything. I’m going to tell Secretary Hall. I work for him, not General Naylor.”

“Charley,” McNab said, softly, “you’re an Army officer assigned to CentCom J-5.”

Castillo didn’t reply for a moment, then he said, “General, until I’m told otherwise I will continue to obey the last orders I have—which are from the president—to coordinate with you the neutralizing of the 727. In that capacity, I am recommending to you that you prepare to neutralize the 727 in Costa Rica.”

It took McNab ten seconds to reply.

“What the hell, Mr. Castillo, in for a penny, in for a pound.”

“I’m now going to report to Secretary Hall what I’ve learned,” Castillo said. “I’ll let you know what he says.”

“Do that,” McNab said. “McNab out.”

Charley touched Sergeant Sherman’s shoulder.

“Get me Philadelphia again, please.”

“Coming up,” Sherman said, and, a moment later, “All green, encryption, green.”

“Miller?”

“Sergeant Schneider, Major.”

“Put Miller on, please.”

“I think you better hear this first,” Betty Schneider said. “Costa Rican Air Transport makes frequent flights into Philadelphia using its 727 aircraft at least once a week, sometimes two or three times.”

“Jesus, that was quick!” Castillo said. “Are you sure?”

“Halloran—Lease-Aire—sold them the airplane. He services it when it’s here. Flowers into Philadelphia and household goods into San José.”

“Flowers and household goods?”

“Fresh flowers. They grow them in Costa Rica and fly them here to sell in supermarkets. And the household goods are for Americans who retire down there. They can bring their household stuff into Costa Rica without paying any duty on it.”

“Jesus Christ, there’s the connection,” Castillo said.