"Good thinking." It seemed that this end of the problem was covered, but I thought that finding those four pilots would not be easy, especially if Madox had instructed them to lay low, not answer their cell phones, stay in their hotel rooms, and use false ID.

Kate said, "Unfortunately, the suitcase nukes-if that's what they were transporting-could very well be out of their hands by now."

"They are suitcase nukes. Just call them what they are."

"Okay, okay. Madox is going to ship them someplace out of the country. My guess is the Mideast, or another Islamic country." She went on, "I called Garrett Aviation Service back and got a guy on the phone who said that the Cessna Citation could not make a Pacific crossing unless it went up the West Coast to Alaska, then the Aleutian Islands, then Japan, and so forth." She pointed out, "This would involve many refueling stops, not to mention customs checks along the way. So, I think we can rule that out."

I nodded and processed all this. Madox's Cessna Citations had landed Sunday night in LA and San Francisco. The pilots and co-pilots had left no local address, but had indicated that they were flying out Wednesday-tomorrow-and heading back to New York. And I was sure that the pilots thought they were, and maybe they really were. Meanwhile, where was their cargo? Most probably it was not with them any longer.

I said to Kate, "I'm thinking that Madox is going to use-or has already used-one of his own oil tankers to transport these nukes someplace. That is why his aircraft landed in seaport cities."

Kate nodded. "I came to the same conclusion, and I asked Doug to begin a search of ships and containers at both ports, beginning with GOCO-owned ships." She said unnecessarily, "This is a big job. But if they get the NEST teams activated soon, and the port security people, who also have gamma-ray and neutron detectors, we might get lucky."

"Right ... but they need to sweep not only ships and containers but also warehouses and trucks ... and for all we know, those nukes are going to be shipped by commercial air carriers."

"They're also checking all area airports."

"Okay. But this really is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"These needles are radioactive, and we have a good chance of finding them."

"Maybe, if they're still in LA and San Francisco. But here's a more likely scenario-those nukes are already on their way by sea or air to their final destinations. I mean, it's been almost two days since they arrived on the West Coast."

"You may be right, but we need to search for them in these cities in case they're still there." She added, "It will be easier to find the pilots, especially if they turn up at LAX and SFO tomorrow."

"Right. Okay, here's the bottom line on those pilots. It would be nice to find them, but I don't think the FBI will find them with their suitcases. The pilots will, however, know where they delivered the suitcases, or maybe who picked them up. But the trail will probably end there." I pointed out, "Unfortunately, we're about forty-eight hours late on this, and the next time those suitcase nukes are seen, it will be in the form of four mushroom clouds over Sandland."

Kate stood silent and motionless for a while. "God, I hope not."

"Yeah." Well, it seemed that Kate and what's his name in LA had done all they could on short notice, and they'd done a good job-though this was not rocket science, or nuclear physics for that matter. It was standard police and FBI work, and it would yield the four pilots, and maybe even some information about the suitcase nukes. The problem, however, was-as it had always been with this case-time. Madox had started the game before the visiting team had even shown up, and he had points on the board before his opponents took the field.

But there was, possibly, good news. A weak link in this nuclear chain. I said to Kate, "The ELF transmitter. That is how he is going to detonate those bombs."

She nodded. "That's what ELF was about. Each bomb must have an extremely low frequency receiver connected to the detonating device. The ELF waves, as we discovered, can travel around the world and penetrate anything. So, when the bombs are where Madox wants them to be, he sends a code from here, and within an hour, the signal reaches the receivers in the suitcases, wherever in the world they are."

"Right. So it seems as though this asshole built this elaborate ELF station almost twenty years ago to send bogus messages to the U.S. nuclear submarine fleet in order to start World War III. But that didn't work out, so now he's figured out another way to make his investment pay off."

Kate nodded and said, "It all makes sense now."

"Right ... and Putyov was the guy who did whatever he had to do with those suitcase nukes to make them detonate by way of an ELF wave."

"Also, I discovered online that miniature nuclear weapons need periodic maintenance, so that was also Putyov's job."

"The late Dr. Putyov."

Kate nodded.

I asked, rhetorically, "Where the hell did Madox get these nukes?" Then I answered my own question. "I guess they're for sale from our new friends in Russia-which is why Madox hired a Russian. Shit, I couldn't even find a good Swedish mechanic to fix my old Volvo, and fucking Madox has a Russian nuclear physicist to tune up his atomic bombs." I added, "It's all about money."

"Money and madness are not a good combination."

"Good point. Okay ... so, I guess four cities someplace are in trouble in a few days ... or a few hours-Islamic cities. Right?"

"Right. What else makes sense?"

I thought about who might be in Madox's crosshairs. But the potential targets were too numerous to count. And it depended to some extent on if those nukes were being transported by air or sea or some combination of air, sea, and land. I wouldn't put it past this guy to nuke Mecca or Medina, but maybe this was purely a business deal, and he'd picked oil-shipment points in countries that had pissed him off. Bottom line-what difference did it make?

Kate said, "Well, I think I did everything I could, and Doug is going to do everything he can."

"Yeah ..." I glanced at my watch. "This will give the LA field office something to do before their evening aerobics classes."

"John-"

"But on the subject of who knows what, and when-Washington does know something about this. It's just that they forgot to tell us about it."

No comment from FBI Special Agent Mayfield.

"That's the only way Harry's assignment makes any sense." I continued, "The Justice Department and therefore the FBI in Washington know what Madox is up to. Right?"

"I don't know. But, as I told you, this was something a lot bigger than you realized when you started sticking your nose into a Justice Department investigation."

"I think we both understand that." I said to Kate, "Here are two conspiracy theories for you: one, the government knows what's going on at Custer Hill, and Harry was the sacrificial lamb sent to give the FBI an excuse to bust down Madox's doors and arrest him. But here's a better one-the government knows what's going on at Custer Hill, and Harry was the sacrificial lamb sent to get Madox and his friends off their asses so that they'd pull the trigger on those nukes."

Kate shook her head. "That is insane."

"Yeah? Do you see FBI SWAT teams descending on the Custer Hill Club?"

"No ... but ... they may be waiting for the right time-"

"If that's true, they may have waited a little too long." I reminded her, "Harry was at Custer Hill Saturday morning. Madox's meeting with his friends was Saturday and Sunday. Putyov showed up on Sunday morning to tune up the nukes. Madox's aircraft landed on the West Coast Sunday night. Monday was probably the day the nukes were making their way to Sandland. Today is Tuesday, and Potsdam Diesel is finished tuning up the generators." I concluded, "Sometime tonight or tomorrow is detonation day."

Kate didn't reply.

"And Madox is not acting alone. It was not a coincidence that his weekend guests included two, possibly three, and maybe more high-ranking men in the government. Hell, for all we know, the directors of the FBI and the CIA are in on this." I added, "Maybe it goes higher than that."

She thought for a few seconds, then said, "Okay ... but does it matter at this point who else may be involved with Madox, or who knows about this? The point is, if this is what it seems to be, then I've done the right thing by calling the FBI field office in LA-"

"I assume you didn't tell your friend about Madox, ELF, or where you were calling from, or-"

"No ... because ... I wanted to speak to you first. What if I'm wrong about all of this? I mean, if you think about it, there could be another explanation for everything-"

"Kate, you're not wrong. We are not wrong. Harry was not wrong. It's all very clear. Madox, nuke, ELF. Plus, Putyov."

"I know. I know. Okay, so now we have to contact Tom Walsh and have him officially notify FBI Headquarters as to the source of this information, meaning me ... and you, and what we're basing this-"

"Right." I looked at my watch again and saw it was 6:10 P.M. "You do that. Meanwhile, I have a dinner date."

She stood and said, "No. There's no reason to go there."