without magnification, it was impossible to be certain.
Nevertheless, seeing Harvath’s cell phone being chucked out the window of Harvath’s rental car by a driver wearing the same kind of watch shook him. He tried to keep the exclamation to himself, but the word still escaped his lips. “Fuck.”
Without needing to be asked, Tullis activated the DVR and scrolled back even further.
When a black Lincoln Town Car was seen exiting the driveway, he pushed Pause and examined the time code. The vehicle had left the property just before Harvath’s car. There was less than an hour between them.
“Any idea who that was?” Militante asked.
The Chief shook his head. They shuttled back and forth through the immediate footage without luck. The vehicle had tinted rear windows and its license plate was blurry. It appeared to be a livery of sorts.
McGee signaled to continue rewinding.
They scrolled back far enough to see the Town Car arrive. It appeared to have been at the cottage for a few hours. The only other activity was Harvath’s car arriving, preceded by the vehicle Lydia Ryan had rented and registered at the hotel. Other than those, no one else entered or left the driveway.
“What other footage do you have access to?” Militante asked. “What about red light cameras? Speed cameras? That sort of thing?”
“In New Hampshire,” Tullis responded, “the government isn’t allowed to spy on citizens.”
It was a good policy—the right policy in a free country. Nevertheless, in a world obsessed with surveillance, it seemed out of step.
“There is one exception,” he clarified.
“What’s that?”
“Our EZ Pass tolls.”
“Where, I’m assuming,” said McGee, “you capture a photo of the driver as well as the vehicle license plate as they pass through?”
The Chief nodded.
“Can you get us a copy of that footage?” asked Militante.
The lead detective, who was standing near the fireplace, shook his head. “We don’t have access to it.”
“Who does?”
“It all goes through the State Police.”
“Fine,” said the FBI Director. “Let’s put in a request. In the meantime,” he added, removing a thumb drive, “I want to download all of the footage of those vehicles coming and going from the property.”
The detective looked at his boss, who was reading a text that had just come in on his phone. Looking up, Tullis nodded his approval on the footage. Then, turning to McGee, he motioned for the CIA Director to follow him back to the kitchen.
Once there, he opened the sliding glass door and the two men stepped out onto the rear deck so that he could have a smoke.
Tullis pulled out a pack of Marlboros and searched for his lighter. As he did, he noticed McGee looking at the cigarettes. Shaking one out of the pack, he offered it to him, but the CIA Director waved it away.
“I don’t smoke,” he said.
“Suit yourself,” Tullis replied. Removing a cigarette, he placed it between his lips and lit it.
McGee watched as the Chief took a long drag and drew the smoke deep down into his lungs. He could almost see the stress leaving his body. He remembered the sensation.
Even though he had gone cold turkey years ago, the cravings had never completely gone away. That said, he hadn’t wanted a cigarette this badly in a long time.
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Tullis stated, “The Major Crime Unit team is going to be here in forty-five minutes. The AG and the Investigative Services Bureau back in Concord will want to review the evidence, but a decision has already been made regarding Harvath.”
“What kind of decision?”
“They think he snapped.”
“They what?”
The Chief held up his hand. “They’re naming him as their lead suspect. A BOLO is going to go to law enforcement. An APB has already gone out on the vehicle.”
“Damn it,” said McGee.
“It gets worse,” Tullis went on. “There’s talk about a press conference. They want to share some of the details with the public in the hope of apprehending him as quickly as possible.”
“I told you. He isn’t the guy. This is an unbelievable waste of resources. Not only that, but consider the damage you’ll be doing to this man’s good name. He has given everything to this country. And then some.”
“It’s out of my hands. This is the AG and the State Police we’re talking about. And besides, you need to see it from their side.”
“Actually,” the CIA Director countered, “I don’t. The only side that matters is the truth.”
“That’s what they’re trying to get to.”
“By outing this guy on TV? Claiming, without any proof, that he’s got some sort of