in Christian Pope of P. O. & G., one of the wealthiest men on the planet, that Christian Pope? The Christian Pope?”
“Yes, sir,” McRyan replied and then to Wire. “Dara, play the video.”
Wire started the video replay on the phone. The attorney general and director huddled around as the video started.
McRyan: “Who’s the Bishop! Tell me!”
Kristoff: “Pope.” He coughed and blood spewed from his mouth “Christian … Pope.”
McRyan: “Christian Pope? Christian Pope is the Bishop? Christian Pope of Pope Oil & Gas, P. O. & G. is the Bishop?”
Kristoff: “Yes.”
The attorney general whistled and Director Mitchell ran his right hand through his thick hair. They were as shocked as Mac when he first heard the name.
After a minute, the attorney general spoke. “That’s a name and it will help, but it would be really good to independently confirm that with someone.”
“With who?” Mitchell replied. “Connolly’s dead. Domitrovich and Khrutov are dead. Checketts is dead. Now this Kristoff is dead. Foche is dead. I mean, who is left?”
“Sir,” Mac started. “There is one thing Dara and I have kept from you and Attorney General Gates.”
“What’s that?” Mitchell asked warily.
“Ummm … About Foche.”
“What about him?” Mitchell asked.
“He’s not dead.”
Two minutes ago, the director and attorney general were shocked. Now they were blindsided. “Excuse me, Detective? I’m not sure I heard you correctly. Foche isn’t dead, he’s alive?” Mitchell asked dumbfounded.
“Yes, sir,” Mac replied. “Sorry, but we’ve been keeping that little nugget quiet.”
The anger was evident on both the director’s and attorney general’s faces.
“Let us explain,” Mac said, holding up his hands. McRyan and Wire tag teamed the explanation that when Checketts was murdered they made a quick determination that whoever was behind this would leave nobody behind. The two of them figured that if they reported Foche was dead, they might get something from the man. So far he had not been willing to talk. As with Connolly, getting him to talk would take leverage, something that until now, they’d not had. But now Mac had some ideas on how they could persuade Foche to open up.
The attorney general and FBI director were equal parts shocked, surprised, happy and bitterly angry. They started with bitterly angry.
“I don’t like being kept in the dark, Detective,” Director Mitchell barked, hands on hips. “You do not keep the director of the FBI in the dark.”
“Sorry, sir,” Mac answered, holding his ground. “But Dara and I thought the secret important enough to keep close to the vest. We didn’t want it leaking he was alive and no offense, but everything in this town leaks and to be completely honest, I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
“Trust us?” Gates growled. “Who are you to determine that, Detective?”
“I don’t work for you, sir,” Mac answered plainly. “I work for Charlie Flanagan in St. Paul. I don’t work for either of you nor do I know you. Until we felt confident we could trust you, we kept this quiet.”
“Trust, Dara? You’re really going with that?” Mitchell asked derisively, glaring at Wire.
“I’ve been out four years sir and I’m out because I trusted certain people, namely a former attorney general, with certain information.”
Gates and Mitchell looked ready to have them both arrested.
“You can be angry with us, or you can be happy we still have a witness left that Christian Pope doesn’t know about,” Wire stated.
Mitchell looked at Gates. They were both angry, but they shared a look and nodded.
Mitchell exhaled. “Where is he?”
“He’s safe for now at a half-full hospital out in a suburb northwest of Minneapolis. There is a team of St. Paul cops watching him around the clock,” Mac replied. “However, I think now might be a good time to discuss options for moving him to a safer location and bringing him under bureau protection.”
“He’s awake and alert?” Gates asked.
“He is,” Wire answered. “He should make a full recovery.”
“He’s talking?”
“Kinda sorta,” Mac answered. “He was a little disoriented when he first awoke and uttered something about ‘the Bishop,’ so that’s where I got the name to start with. Once he realized where he was, he shut down and has refused to talk. However, now I think I have a way to make him talk, if you’ll oblige.”
The two men shared a look. They wanted to be angry yet these two managed to pull the investigation off of life support, yet again.
“So what do you need, Mac?” Mitchell asked.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“Fifteen Years.”
Tuesday, November 5th, Election Day
Mac and Wire yawned as they deplaned at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport a