They arrived back at the house to find Harry and Eddie sitting beside the radio.

"NSA has just downloaded today's transmissions," Harry said.

"What are they saying?"

"Pretty dull stuff-a Bible class, kind of twisted, and a discussion group about race."

The men on the recording were making wrapping-up sounds, moving away from the bug. There was a moment's silence, then, suddenly, Ham's voice came through.

They sat, transfixed, listening to his short report.

"Holy shit," Harry said. "We could have missed it. I'm going to get word to NSA that we want everything in real time from now on."

"I'm going to take him the phone," Holly said.

"No, Doug will do it," Harry replied. "I don't want you at risk."

"Fuck the risk," Holly said. "Ham needs a way to communicate, and I'm taking him the phone. Now, do you have a large-scale map of the place?"

"Yes," Harry said, spreading it out on the table.

"What about aerial photographs."

"Eddie, get the sat shots."

Eddie came back with some surprisingly detailed photographs.

"Why haven't I seen these before?" Holly asked.

"They arrived today, with the phones."

"Oka

y, there's a dock on the lakeshore here, about what, two or three miles from the compound."

"Looks like that. Where are we going to get a boat this time of night?"

"Ham's got an aluminum dinghy," Holly said, "and one of those little trolling motors that runs on a car battery."

"Where is it?"

Doug spoke up. "It's lying next to Ham's house," he said. "I saw it when we were out there."

"You've got a pickup, Doug," Harry said. "Go get it and bring it back here, and don't forget the motor and some oars."

"Be back shortly," Doug said, then left.

"Ham's battery will be on a trickle charger, but I want a spare, just in case," Holly said. "We'll cannibalize one of your cars."

"Okay with me," Harry replied.

Holly looked at the sat shots again. "This must be the barracks," she said. "It's the only thing that fits the description. Eddie, show me the phone."

Eddie left and came back with half a dozen tiny phones in a cardboard box. "They're Motorola V-phones," he said, "that have been modified to scramble." He showed her how the phone worked, while Holly began composing a note to Ham.

"He's going to need some extra batteries," she said.

"I've got some in the charger. They're small, but they're good for eighty minutes of talk time each, and about twenty-four hours of standby."

Tags: Stuart Woods Holly Barker Mystery
Source: readsnovelonline.net