director looked down at the body. “At least he did the right thing.”
“Maybe.” Vail’s voice was a little more displaced than usual, encrypted.
“I would have thought that you of all people would be happy. Your assignment was to find him. You did it and did it well. I would have preferred you cut us in on it before the fact, but…”
“When we got the call about the Laundromat, it sounded like a dead end, so we thought we would waste only two agents’ time.”
Kaulcrick nodded in agreement but his look seemed questioning. “That’s fine, Steve. The important thing is we got Bertok. Any sign of the money?”
Kate, listening from the kitchen area, walked in. “We didn’t want to contaminate the crime scene, so we’ve just given the house a cursory search. So far, nothing.”
Kaulcrick walked over to the evidence agent. “How much longer are you going to be?”
The agent pulled out the section of the wall he had been working on and placed it in a cardboard box. “We’re pretty much done. The only thing left is the car.”
Kaulcrick went over to the SAC and put his hand on his shoulder. “Mark, I want someone reliable to immediately carry all this ballistics material back to the lab. Take your Bureau plane. I want it in the examiner’s hands before sundown, eastern time. I’ll call ahead and have someone waiting to go to work on it.”
“What about the slug from the body?”
“There’s no hurry on that. As soon as the M.E. can get it out, we’ll send it back. The thing we need to know right now is whether Bertok’s gun is the one used in the murders. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, he’s left little doubt.”
Kate held up a clear plastic envelope sealed with red evidence tape. Inside was a sheaf of hundred-dollar bills. “These were in Bertok’s wallet.”
Kaulcrick took the envelope from her and examined the bills. “What are these holes?”
Vail said, “From the punji boards when I dropped the bag in the tunnel.”
“So these bills are part of the three million.”
“We haven’t checked the serial numbers yet, but they should match,” Kate said.
Kaulcrick took out a three-by-five card and made a note. “So it was all Bertok. Let’s tear this place apart.”
“There’s really not much to search,” Kate said. “The house is small, no attic, basement, or crawl space. No furniture. I’ve been through the rooms a half-dozen times looking for hidden boards and compartments—nothing.”
“When ERT finishes, let’s get some fresh eyes in here, Mark,” Kaulcrick said to the SAC. “Have them check the walls, floors, and ceiling. Let’s go take a look at the car. If the money isn’t in here, it’s the next best bet.”
Outside, Kate took out another evidence envelope and shook out a set of keys with the rental tag attached. She slid one of them into the trunk lock and opened it. There was a collective “Yeah!” as everyone recognized the large canvas bag that, when last seen, had contained three million dollars. The head evidence agent stepped forward and, pulling on a fresh pair of plastic gloves, unzipped it. Inside were a few banded stacks of hundred-dollar bills, pierced with nail holes.
“Where’s the rest of it?” Kaulcrick asked. “How much is in there?”
The agent counted the stacks. “If there’s a hundred bills in each stack, we’ve got only fifty thousand dollars here.” Sticking out from under one of the bundles, he saw something shiny—a key. He pulled it out. The number 14 was stamped into it.
“What’s that for?” Kaulcrick asked.
“I don’t know,” the agent said.
Someone said, “Could be for some kind of storage facility.”
Kate looked over at Vail. His attention had once again drifted elsewhere.
Kaulcrick turned to the SAC. “Obviously, the money is wherever this key fits. How many men can you put on it?”
“I can deploy the entire office if you want.”
“We need two things. First, a couple dozen copies of the key. And then a list of storage facilities in the city. Have someone list them by proximity to this location. The closer, the higher the priority. What was the alias he was using for the car registration?”
“Alan Nefton,” Kate said.
“They can also check that name and the name from the Florida driver’s license….”
“Ruben Aznar,” Kate said.
Kaulcrick made another note on his three-by-five card. “Also, Mark, I want you to handle the media. Have a news conference and tell them only that, tragically, an agent has committed suicide. Nothing about the Pentad, nothing about any money, terrorism, or extortion. Don’t give