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DIRECTOR HAMILTON TOLD REILLY to notify her immediately if anything on Katrina White came up in the CIA files, then asked Ned, Bree, and me to come to her office; Marshal Zhang would follow ten minutes later.

It was 4:55 a.m. when Hamilton closed the door behind her. Her assistant offered us more coffee, which we all accepted gratefully.

“I know I said some pretty nice things about you last night on the flight, but I wanted to commend you all in person again. I will be briefing the president-elect at five and I’ll be happy to tell her of the destruction of that fortress and your rescue.”

Mahoney said, “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?”

Hamilton sobered. “Because there is, Ned. Even with what you have done, I don’t know if it’s enough to make Winter change my status from acting director to director.”

Bree shook her head. “What would be enough?”

I said, “You want us to catch this Sparrow if she’s here. Make her the face of the end of Maestro’s reign of terror, then lean on her until she gives us Malcomb. Then arrest him too and bring M to justice at last.”

The acting director smiled. “Yes, Dr. Cross, I think that would do it nicely. And if you’re successful, I haven’t thought it all through yet, but I’m considering a special team that would work the Bureau’s most pressing and sensitive cases with you three and your Detective Sampson as the core group.”

Mahoney gave her an awkward smile. “A discussion for another time.”

Hamilton grew serious. “Of course. How can I be of help? What am I missing?”

Ned said, “There should be a team of Boston agents on standby near Paladin’s headquarters, ready to seize it immediately when the president signs the order.”

“Done.”

I said, “You should have Keith Karl Rawlins from cybercrimes at the Quantico lab up there with them. He’ll be your best bet at getting control of their supercomputers.”

“We’ll make it happen,” Hamilton said, and looked toward her assistant; he pulled out his cell phone.

There was a knock at the door and Diana Zhang entered, looking harried.

“I’ve had the security package delivered to each of you, including timetables and location changes for all nine justices during the course of the day,” the high court’s marshal began. “I’ve also noted the locations where the justices will transfer vehicles and travel in threes to the Capitol with their spouses following.”

That had all of our interest. “Why threes?” Mahoney asked.

“Capitol Hill police asked us to limit the number of vehicles because of the crush to get all dignitaries through the garages and up to the western front of the building. Only the president and the president-elect and their entourages will enter aboveground on the east side.”

Zhang called up a map and showed us where the Supreme Court justices lived and the routes they would take to the three rendezvous points outside DC, where they would transfer to armored limousines. She proposed a doubling of the detail assigned to each of the limos, and Director Hamilton readily agreed, giving her one of the Bureau’s top counterterrorism teams already on standby for the inauguration.

“Thank you,” Zhang said. “Anything more I can do?”

Mahoney said, “Patch us into your comms? We’ll be working different angles, but I think we all want to be in close touch.”

The marshal agreed, took down our cell phone numbers, and promised to get us the court police frequencies ASAP. Hamilton asked us for an update on the hour and then excused herself to prepare to brief the president-elect.

After she left, Bree said, “I know Zhang has to consider the safety of all nine justices, but we need to narrow our focus. That’s how Malcomb thinks. He’s a data sifter, a narrower.”

I nodded. “He’ll target for maximum impact.”