45

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13
2:14 P.M.
U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, FEDERAL COURTHOUSE
DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS

Harry Christensen was in top Talk Show form, seated across from Eldon Carroll and two other prosecutors—including the smallish woman at the end of the table they’d introduced as Chloe. Despite being outnumbered, Harry was nudging the bobber of their negotiations as if he were sensing a fat walleye.

Ian sat silent, something he was unaccustomed to in conferences like this. Being a client was a first for him, and he didn’t like it. He’d quickly come to realize that trying to keep a calm demeanor was a lot harder when all the talk was about him.

“So, do we have a deal?” Harry repeated.

Eldon Carroll wanted this deal. He wanted it with every fiber of his ambitious being. The chance to crack the biggest art theft in Minnesota history? After decades as a cold case? The burning desire was apparent in the U.S. Attorney’s straight-backed posture as he sat there gripping his pen too tightly in one hand, his eyes wide and brimming with energy.

“No,” Eldon said. “We’ll accept the rest of it. But your client has to lose his bar license at least.”

“For being a good Samaritan?” Harry laughed. “I don’t think so.”

“For handling nine million dollars in stolen funds and not coming to us or the FBI. He’s a lawyer. He has a higher standard to live up to.”

“He held the cash for one week while he figured out where it came from and how to protect his family.”

“Then we get his mother. You can’t have both.”

Harry smiled. “We can’t, huh? That comes as a disappointment since I was counting on that. Oh well. So sorry we couldn’t do business today.” He began stacking and putting his papers away.

“Hold on,” Eldon said. “Just hold on.” He thought it over for a moment—as though any hesitation could hide his hunger for the deal. “Okay,” the U.S. Attorney finally said, relenting. “We’ll arrange for an exam. If the mother really does have Alzheimer’s, we won’t prosecute her either.”

A smile wreathed Harry’s face. “That’s wonderful. So glad we could make this happen. Write it up.”

“So when do we move?” Eldon demanded, all restraint gone.

Harry looked at Ian. “Your show.”

“Tonight,” Ian replied. “Have the FBI ready to move from here no later than nine. I’ll send a text saying when it’s time, and telling them where to go.”

“Wait a second,” Eldon sputtered. “You’re not going to tell us which building you’ll be in? That’s too vague. We need to be at the site and set up ahead of time.”

Ian shook his head. “I’ll have them all there, but the people with control over the cash spent years planning how to get the money. They are meticulous. They’ll have eyes on the site all day. You make a single move in that direction and they’ll be gone, and the rest with them. And once they’re all gone, that money and any possibility of prosecution are gone forever. This is the only way it could work.”

“Without setup, it’s impossible,” Eldon pleaded. “We’ve got to have some kind of eyes and ears on this thing.”

“Alright,” Ian said, “but I won’t wear a wire. It’s too likely they’ll check me. Set up your people on the Stone Arch Bridge, near the middle. Erect a utility tent or something to hide yourselves. The team will be within scope and binoculars sight of the meeting. As soon as I text you and they know where to look, they’ll be able to see what’s going on.”

Eldon looked shaken with frustration at the meager information he was getting. “What if it all goes south? How will we know if people are in danger?”

Ian thought for a moment. “Have somebody from your office with the team on the bridge, somebody who can call it if they see my signal. I’ll wipe my forehead with my hand if I need you to step in early. Have your person ready to confirm the signal and give the word to send in the FBI.”

Brook, he thought—an instant before he said aloud, “I want the prosecutor who interviewed me. Brook something. I want her to be your person on the bridge.”

Eldon cocked his head in a way that reminded him of the prosecutor’s disbelief at Ian’s flat-tire story the past week. “She’s on mandatory leave,” he said cautiously. “She missed a critical deadline in a big case.”

That was news Brook hadn’t shared. “Take her off leave,” Ian said firmly. “She’s who I want.”

Eldon’s grip on his pen tightened again. “You’re setting us up for failure. The only thing worse than a failed investigation is a failed operation.”

“It’s all I’ll agree to,” Ian said.

Eldon turned to Harry, then back to Ian. “Alright. You’re calling the shots. But listen—and hear me clearly. If we aren’t successful tonight, the deal’s off. At that point, all I’ll have is you and your mother, and believe me when I say I’ll prosecute the both of you.”