Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

When they had finished their steaks and were having coffee, she asked. "Harry, you haven't told us why you wanted to come all the way up here."

"We've come up with something," Harry said, "and it isn't good."

"What?"

"I mean, it's good for the investigation, but it's not good for Ham."

"Tell us," she said.

"Ham, you remember you said that when you were out at Rawlings's house, they drank a toast?"

"Yep.'On the day.'"

"That's right. We ran it through one of our databases in Washington, and we came up with something."

"You came up with something from three words?" Holly asked, surprised.

"Yes, the Bureau has come across it before."

"Where and when?"

"Several years ago, in an investigation in Atlanta. There was a right-wing militia group called The Elect, based in Atlanta, but with, apparently, other outposts. Ham, did anybody ever mention The Elect?"

"Nope. I think I'd remember that."

"Well, don't ever mention it to Rawlings and his people, but if they mention it to you, I want to hear about it."

"Okay."

"Anyway, 'On the day' was a kind of motto with these people. They killed a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, and they made an attempt on Will Lee's life, when he was running for Senate the first time."

"Did they have anything to do with the attempt on his life when he was running for president?"

"It's possible, but we're not sure. There was a little nest of these people in Idaho, and they may have had a connection to the Atlanta outfit. We never had any firm evidence to that effect, because when we went after this guy, the others bolted, and we've never found them. They had been robbing armored cars and, generally, getting up to mischief. One of them actually made two attempts on Lee's life."

"How many of them?"

"Three families."

"And you've never found a trace of them?"

"They were apparently well prepared, had escape routes and identities all worked out ahead of time. It was all very slick."

"But you got the man who tried to kill President Lee?"

"The man's son shot him. We questioned the boy and his family, but we never got anything out of them connecting him with The Elect."

"Spooky," Ham said.

"Yes, it is, and Ham, if you get any indication of these people at Lake Winachobee being part of The Elect, I want to know about it instantly."

"Okay," Ham said.

"Ham, I'd love it if we could take down the group, but if these people are part of it, then they're very, very dangerous. You keep that in mind."

"Okay," Ham said.

"God, I'd love to bust them," Harry said.