Page 117 of To Die For

“And I think Glass told someone he wanted to have custody of his niece. And maybe they decided to get him that, the hard way. Perhaps as a sweetener to whatever deal they wanted him to take.”

“Glass strikes me as a man who doesn’t depend on the largesse of others to get what he wants,” said Jackson.

“Iwouldthink that, except I saw the man’s reaction when I pretty much accused him of killing the Odoms. It was not what I was expecting.”

“He could have snookered you.”

Devine said, “But I doubt he can, or would, cry on demand.”

“So agents of the U.S. killed two American citizens? Even in my former world that is not… usual.”

“They apparently had no trouble throwingusto the wolves.”

“True,” conceded Jackson.

“You said it had to be worth platinum. Any thoughts on that?”

She drew closer. “Why would you think I would know anything?”

“Because you already know more than me,” Devine shot back,his hand slipping to his pocket. “And a smart person seeks out those smarter because they can make him look brilliant.”

She studied him for a moment. “I knew about Danny Glass before all this. Just idle curiosity. His name kept popping up in certain sectors I paid attention to. I did a deeper dive on him after I came here, looking in places that are not accessible to the public, or even some government agencies. Glass lives in another world, a dark one, where there are predators and there are victims and lives get snuffed every second of every day. And those still alive just keep on rolling like nothing important happened, because, for them, nothing important has. The murders of others is just another day at the office.”

“So what did you find out?” he said.

“Glass operates around the world, but he has a large footprint in the Middle East.”

“So we’re talking Middle Eastern terrorists?”

“No. I don’t think that’s it. The U.S. has intel sources all over that area. We know what shit will happen before the people doing the shit are even thinking about doing it.”

“Not on 9/11 we didn’t.”

“Which is why the U.S. upped its game and uses laser microscopes on that space now.”

“Where else, then?”

“The usual cartels are always a possibility. But why give one major drug operator a ‘get out of jail free’ card to catch another major drug operator? No, that doesn’t work. Organized crime isn’t nearly as organized as it used to be, so check that one off, too.”

She took a step closer and Devine’s hand closed around the grip of his Glock. He edged the muzzle forward, in her direction.

“Don’t accidentally shoot yourself, or me,” observed Jackson coolly.

“Just picking my way carefully through the minefield. I see you’re doing likewise.”

He pointed to the bulge in her wide coat sleeve that covered her hand. And something else.

“Great minds, Devine.”

“You were saying?”

“Other things being equal, I would look internally.”

“Meaning?” he said.

“To my mind, and in the minds of the people whose job it is to protect this country, the chief threats right now are home-grown groups that pledge allegiance like you and me. They just point that allegiance in a different direction.”

“Domestic terrorists, then?”

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