anymore. I got in my truck and drove away. I figured, no way was I interested in working for a crazy woman like that.”
Ty smiled and shook his head. “Let me guess, she called you back, apologized, maybe even cried a little, and swore it would never happen again. Then claimed that she needed you to do her security because you're the best in the state, possibly the country. And you rushed right back up there and finished the system,” Ty goaded.
“Fuck you, Fuller.”
Ty let out a bark of laughter—he couldn't help it.
“What the hell brings you down here at this time of day?” Jay demanded. The same thing that took Jay back out to the movie star's house, Ty thought. His friend had more integrity than any man he knew. Jay never, not once, backed down from doing the right thing—even when he hated doing it. Which is why Ty had thought long and hard about coming to Jay. He didn't want to back his friend into a corner, but he knew Jay would have the information he needed.
“You ever design or install a little system for a certain kind of house that sits out on its own little peninsula?” Ty asked. A direct question might have been best, but he wanted to keep it vague and give Jay some breathing room to answer how he thought best.
“Maybe,” Jay drained his glass and signaled the bartender.
“It's an interesting piece of land. Surrounded by water on three sides. I was wondering how a person might secure that kind of frontage.”
Jay thought about it for a minute before answering. “There's a special, very expensive, acoustic monitoring system called the Hunley. It would do the job. But if I used the Hunley, I would use a secondary system for visual surveillance as well.”
“What would you suggest?” Ty asked.
“Hard to say, I'd have to look into it,” Jay answered.
“Let me know.” Ty said as the bartender set another beer in front of Jay. “And where can I find some information on the Hunley?”
“I'll let you know,” Jay nodded. “I'll send it to you, along with some ideas as to where, if it were me, I'd install the monitors.”
“Thanks, I'd appreciate that,” Ty nodded back, and then slid from his seat.
“Hey Ty,” Jay called as Ty made his way toward the door.
“Yeah,” he responded, turning back.
“I knew a nasty son of a bitch who had a set up like that. Dealing with him made me watch my back for a long while.”
Ty studied his friend. Jay was about the last person on this planet Ty could envision worried about his own safety. Well warned, he nodded in acknowledgment.
* * *
Back at the house, Dani stared at yet another photo. Only this one wasn't one of her special pictures. It was a legitimate part of the investigation.
“No one is this dumb,” she said.
“You ever meet Jonathan Smythe?” Drew countered.
“At a reception at the Tate Gallery in London a few years ago. Before his political appointment as the British Ambassador to the US.” She paused and scanned the other faces in the picture. “He isn't the brightest bulb, but still, you would think his handlers would try to keep him from meeting with Michael Keogh, arms dealer extraordinaire. At least in public.” But they hadn't, and the CIA had a picture to prove it.
“Here's Michael Keogh's movements for the past few weeks,” Marmie said, handing her a set of papers.
Dani gave them a cursory perusal. “Well, he hasn't been anywhere unexpected, at least that we know of. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, various former Soviet republics.” She placed the papers on her desk and sat back. She'd analyze them more later.
“Okay, so what do we know, Adam?” Dani asked.
Adam looked up from his computer at the sound of his name, then rose from his seat. Adam always paced when he talked. “Michael Keogh, international arms dealer, met last night with the British Ambassador to the US.” He nodded to the picture.
“How did they first meet?” she asked, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the desk.
“We still don't know. It's possible they met while both were in Jordan a few months ago. We don't have any intel placing them in close proximity, but it's still possible since we do have some unaccounted for time for both men. It's also possible their meeting last night was their first meeting.”
“Closing a deal?” Marmie offered.
“What do you think, Adam? You worked in Europe before joining this team. What's your take on