The Heist

pass it along.”
    “Shouldn’t you be calling this in? Getting us some backup?”
    Kate set her iPhone on the table and punched in her audio recorder app. “We have protocol. I need to file a report before I call anybody.”
    “I can’t tell you much. They were on us as soon as we came in the door. Willie was shot, and I was zapped, and there was the shootout in the driveway.”
    “What do you know about Willie?”
    “She had big tits,” Burnside said. “That’s about it. I picked her up on Facebook. This was our first date.”
    “Did the men say anything?”
    “Not a word. They were cold and efficient. The whole thing was over in a few seconds.”
    “Can you describe them? Did you see anything that could help identify them?”
    Burnside shook his head. “They were wearing ski masks and gloves. I can’t tell you anything about them.”
    That was good news, Kate thought. She stopped the recording and called Carl Jessup, filling him in.
    “I want to talk with him,” Burnside said.
    She handed the phone to him, knowing this was a key moment in the con, the one that would sell it. Burnside knew Carl Jessup, and hearing the man’s voice on the other end of the line would reinforce her authority and the “reality” of the situation he was in. Talking Jessup into doing it hadn’t been easy.
    “I’m not going into hiding, Carl,” Burnside said. “I’ve got professional obligations, cases on the docket, and bills to pay.”
    Kate couldn’t hear Jessup’s side of the conversation, but she knew he was reiterating what she’d already told Burnside, addingthat they’d soon be turning him over to the U.S. Marshals Service, the pros at witness protection. The FBI’s expertise wasn’t in babysitting.
    “I expect you to be proactive,” Burnside said. “Round up these Vibora guys, get them off the playing field so I don’t need protection.”
    It was an absurd demand. There were thousands of Viboras, and countless gang members under their thumbs. If this was a real situation instead of an elaborate deception, the Viboras would keep sending waves of shooters after Burnside unless Griffin showed up, and then they’d shift their efforts to getting the man who actually had their money.
    Jessup was undoubtedly telling Burnside all of that. She could see the frustration building on Burnside’s face as he listened.
    “Going into witness protection until such time as Derek Griffin returns and makes himself a target is not an option for him or for me,” Burnside said. “There has to be some back-channel way to get word to the Viboras that I don’t know where he is and that my client is innocent.”
    Jessup’s laughter was so loud that Kate could hear it. She didn’t hear what Jessup said next, but she could feel the anger rolling off Burnside.
    “We’ll talk tomorrow,” Burnside said. “I expect to hear some other options.”
    He was in no position to make demands, and on some level he had to know that, but Burnside didn’t want to appear as powerless as he felt, Kate thought.
    Burnside handed the phone to her. “He wants to talk to you.”
    “I know you don’t have TV reception out there, but the news media have already picked up that gunshots were reported atBurnside’s house and that he’s missing,” Jessup said to Kate. “The LAPD is on it, not that they have anything to go on, but stay on your toes anyway.”
    “Will do, sir.” She disconnected the call and turned to Burnside. “Another agent will take over for me in the morning.”
    “Just one?”
    “I’ll still be here, but he’ll be taking the day watch while I get some sleep. We’re only babysitting you until the U.S. Marshals can take over, which hopefully will be tomorrow night.”
    He gestured for the phone. “I need to make some calls.”
    “Sorry, that’s not allowed.”
    “I have pending cases. I need to talk with my team, let them know I’m okay and how they can reach me.”
    She stared at him. “Were you really a federal prosecutor?”
    “For five years,” he said. “One of the best.”
    “Then what happened? Did you sustain a serious head injury?”
    His eyes narrowed. “Because I left the Justice Department to become a defense attorney?”
    “Because you should know better than anyone that you can’t contact anybody.”
    “It’s my life, my decision.”
    “No, now it’s also
my
life. I will not let you put me, or my loved ones, in danger because of your arrogance and stupidity. If you use my