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“Limited,” said Kate, repeating the word, not so subtly demonstrating her newly acquired “active listening” skills. “Like limited visibility. Limited bandwidth. Limited warranties. Never a good thing.”

“There’s no need for you to have full clearance to the most sensitive program in the history of Buck Technologies,” said Noah.

“I can’t negotiate with the kidnapper if I have no idea what code he’s talking about.”

“Actually, you can,” said Noah.

“How?”

Noah pitched it back to the special agent.

“You won’t ever be on the phone with the kidnapper without me also on the line,” said Lang.

“That will get Patrick killed. The kidnapper said no law enforcement.”

“He won’t know there’s an FBI agent on the line. You’ll do the talking. But when we get into the nitty-gritty of the code, I’ll feed you the lines in real time.”

“So you want me to pretend like I know what I’m talking about. Is that it?”

“When it comes to Buck’s code, you say exactly what I tell you to say. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“What if you’re not on the call?”

“I’ll be on the call. If not me, my stand-in will. Your phone will be monitored twenty-four/seven. Answer on the fourth ring. That’s all the time we need.”

“How will you feed me the lines?”

Lang opened her laptop. “If we’re in the same room, like we are now, I’ll type them for you in real time.”

“What if there’s no set time for the kidnapper’s call? My phone might ring at three o’clock in the morning.”

“Good question. Typing won’t work if we’re not in the same place at the same time. You’ll have a new set of earbuds. In the right ear you’ll hear the kidnapper. In the left, you’ll hear me. I’ll be like the producer talking into the earpiece of the morning show host. We’ll need to practice, but you’ll get it.”

“What if I don’t hear you? Or if you and the kidnapper are talking at the same time? Or if I just don’t understand what you’re saying?”

“I’m going to give you three or four stall lines you can say to thekidnapper. When I hear one of those lines, that will be my clue that you need me to repeat.”

“This seems cumbersome,” said Kate. “Wouldn’t it just be easier to give me full clearance?”

The agent looked at Noah, then back. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Kate. But I’m starting to wonder what’s more important to you: getting the hostage released, or getting clearance to Buck’s technology?”

“Is there arightway for me to take that?” asked Kate.

Kate’s cellphone vibrated on the dining room table. “It’s him,” she said.

The tech crew had already linked Kate’s phone to the FBI. Lang positioned the laptop so that Kate could read her screen.

On the fourth ring, she typed. She could have said it aloud, but she was conditioning Kate to watch the screen. Kate took a breath, let it out, and then answered.

“This is Kate.”

“Who’s with you?” the caller asked. It was the same voice.

“No one,” said Kate, before the real negotiator needed to type it.

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because I’m a truthful person,” she said, a bit too quickly to suit the FBI. Agent Lang signaled her to slow down the pace.

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