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Bao leaned toward him. “Joe. See that?”
“What? Where?”
“That dark SUV parked across the street. The driver just flashed his lights. Joe. Flash ours.”
Joe turned on the lights and flashed them.
Bao said, “He’s waving. To us. I think he could be wearing a green windbreaker.”
“Great freaking catch, Bao. I recognize him.”
Bao had called CS Inc. and spoken to Pete Wooten, who’d pinged the laptop she’d put in the footwell. He’d confirmed that it was the one Apocalypto was seeking. Joe reached Craig Steinmetz and brought him up to date. “I’ll call you if we nab him.”
Bao held the laptop. She would coax, untangle, trick, and in every way deploy her technological chops on that box. CS Inc. could extract the key to the malware implanted in St. Vartan’s network. But they still needed the Apocalypto operator to give up what he knew.
“Joe. I think we should go talk to green windbreaker before he drives away. What about you?”
“Okay. Bao, you go around to the passenger side of his car. I’ll go to the driver’s side. Keep your gun down at your side.”
Joe got out of the car. Keeping his eyes on the SUV but totally aware of where Bao was coming up on the passenger side, he stepped up to the driver.
“I’m Joe Molinari, FBI. We need to talk. Raise your hands. I’m opening your door now. Don’t make any sudden moves.”
Joe opened the driver’s-side door with his left hand and showed the driver his Glock.
The driver asked, “You have my laptop?”
“Maybe,” said Joe. “What’s your name?”
“Robert. Nicholson. Bob.”
“Bob. My partner to your right is Director Wong of the FBI. I need you to keep your hands up and get out of the car.”
“Okay, I’d like to talk to you, too.”
Joe’s inner voice asked,Why?Was this the Apocalypto connection? Or had he just taken some kid’s homework?
Bob said, “I’m not armed. I’m going to roll my legs out and try to stand.”
Joe watched Bob awkwardly angle his way around the door frame. He tightened his core muscles and eased his legs out until he was standing.
Bao joined Joe as he threw Bob across the hood and frisked him. The guy had no weapons. His wallet held his driver’s license and another picture ID. Bao first pulled Bob’s right arm behind his back, then the left, and Joe cuffed him.
“Hey, take it easy,” Bob complained. “And by the way, where’s your warrant?”
“You had no expectancy of privacy, Bob. You left the laptop on a table in a public place. Look it up.”
Now Bob Nicholson was laughing.
“Wait until I tell my friends I got arrested by the FBI for leaving my laptop at Starbucks. Oh. Am I under arrest?”
Bao said, “We’re bringing you in as a person of interest in an ongoing case.”
Bob said, “Starbucks is open. Why don’t we—”
Bao said, “Let’s talk here, Bob. What are we going to find on your laptop?”
“That’s why I want to talk to you. Depending on what youcan do for me, you’re going to be able to liberate St. Vartan’s Hospital. And I can expose Apocalypto—all you want to know. Locations. Active operations. Weak links. Okay? But, right now, I’d say the deal is that I stay a free man, and the FBI makes sure that I don’t get murdered.”