Hell's Corner (Camel Club 5)

care who ended up getting the credit.”

Stone had been concerned that Alice Gross had been briefed by the FBI on the exact circumstances of her husband’s death. And the role Stone had played in it. But apparently they hadn’t done that.

“We’re doing all we can to catch the people responsible,” added Chapman.

“I appreciate that,” sniffled Gross. “He really did care about his job. He worked such long hours.”

Stone said, “He told me that he’d had some concerns, about people watching him.”

Gross nodded. “His own people. They asked me about that, the Bureau I mean.”

“And what did you tell them?” asked Stone.

Gross looked confused. “Aren’t you with the Bureau?”

Stone hesitated. “We’re working with them.”

Chapman said quickly, “I’m actually with MI6. Your husband might’ve mentioned that.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. You’re the Englishwoman. Tom talked about you. He thought you were very good.”

“I appreciate that.”

Gross drew a short breath. “Well, the Bureau was very upset about that. I mean about Tom believing his own people were spying on him. I don’t think they believed it.”

“Did you believe it?” asked Stone.

“Tom believed it and that was good enough for me,” she said staunchly.

“Brilliant,” said Chapman. “I think you’re spot-on with that.”

Stone leaned forward. “Tom told us something. Something about you.”

“About me?” she said in surprise.

“Yes. He said the only person he trusted was you.”

Tears crept into Alice Gross’s eyes. She lifted the tissue up and wiped them away. “We were always so close. He loved being an FBI agent but he loved me more. I know he wasn’t supposed to really talk to me about his cases, but he did, and I would give him my opinion. And sometimes I’d turn out to be right.”

“I’m sure you were a great asset to him,” said Chapman.

Stone said, “Since we know he trusted you, did he happen to mention anything to you about this case? Something he was concerned about? Anything you can remember?”

Gross put her hands in her lap and furrowed her brow. “I can’t recall anything specific other than thinking someone was watching him.”

“Nothing?” prompted Chapman. “It might have seemed insignificant at the time, but anything you can remember? No matter how seemingly trivial?”

Gross shook her head but then stopped. She looked up. “He did say something one night.”

Stone and Chapman leaned forward.

“Yes?” said Stone.

“That ATF agent that was working with him?”

“Stephen Garchik?” replied Stone.

“Right.”

“What did he say about him?” asked Chapman.

“Well, it was late and we were getting ready to go to bed. He was brushing his teeth and he came out of the bathroom and said that he needed to check on something that Garchik had told him.”

“Did he say what it was?”

Gross half closed her eyes, obviously struggling to remember. “Just something he had said about the bomb, what it was made of.”

Chapman and Stone looked at each other.

Gross continued, “And he also wanted to check out something to do with that nano business.”

Stone looked surprised. “He told you about the nanobots?”

“Well, he tried to, but I didn’t really understand any of it.”

“Did he think there was a connection between what he wanted to talk to Garchik about and the nanobots?” asked Chapman.

“He didn’t say. Just that he needed to check those two things out. That it might be important. Because of something he remembered. Only he didn’t tell me what.”

“Something he remembered?” mused Stone. “Do you know if he followed up on it?”

“I doubt it.”

“Why?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Because he was killed the next day.”

CHAPTER 81

“SO HOW DO WE GET TO GARCHIK?” asked Chapman as they drove away from Gross’s house. “We’re not official anymore. I’m supposed to be on my way to London and you…”

“Right,” said Stone. “Me.” He pulled out his phone. “Well, I can always try calling him.” He hit the numbers.

Chapman said, “If they have him stashed somewhere he might not answer. Especially if they’ve told him what happened. We could be off-limits.”

A voice came on Stone’s phone.

“Hello, Steve, Agent Stone here. Right. I know you disappeared right off the case. We were worried about you until we got the heads-up.” Stone paused as Garchik said something.

“Well, we’d like to meet with you, if that’s okay.”

Garchik said something else.

“I understand, but if I could just ask you about something Agent Gross was—”

Chapman cut the car to the right and nearly slammed into the curb. Stone was jerked sideways in his seat and his head would have hit the window glass if it hadn’t already been down.

Stone looked in front and behind at the vehicles that had boxed them in. The men were already out of their SUVs and striding toward them.

Not again.

One of the men passed a paper through the window and into Stone’s hands.

“What’s this?” Stone asked in surprise.

“Congressional subpoena. Courtesy of Director Weaver. And if you’re really smart, you’ll never go near Tom Gross’s family again.”

A few seconds later the men were gone.

Stone looked down at the subpoena. He heard chatter. He realized he’d dropped his phone on the car’s floor and snatched it up.

“Steve? Right, sorry about that. Little problem on our end. Look, can you—Hello? Hello?”

Stone clicked off. “Line went dead.”

Chapman put the car in gear again. “Weaver’s people must’ve gotten to him too.”

“Must’ve.”

“Now we can’t find out what Garchik told Gross.”

“What if what he told Gross is something he told us too? As far as I know we were with him pretty much every time he spoke to Garchik.”

“I can’t remember anything critical off the top of my head.” She glanced at the paper. “When do you have to appear?”

Stone read through the document. “Tomorrow. Before the House subcommittee on intelligence.”

“Not a lot of notice. Can they do that?”

Stone read over the document some more. “National security apparently trumps even due process.”

“Lucky you.”

“Yeah,” Stone said dryly. “Lucky me.”