White Jade

Chapter Forty-One

Elizabeth waved Zeke Jordan to a chair.

"We've got Cathy Chen," he said. "She was booked out of LAX to Hong Kong."

"Excellent. Where is she now?"

"In Los Angeles. She doesn't deny she was at Nick's place. She says she came over to visit an old friend and that Nick and Doctor Connor were drunk and high on something. She claims Connor passed out on the couch and Nick made a grab at her, tripped over the coffee table and landed on the floor. She says she doesn't know anything about a computer and that she got out of there after Nick made the pass. She was going to Hong Kong on business. If she'd known we were looking for her she would have come in voluntarily."

"Sure she would. What a story. Maybe a few days in isolation will help her memory."

"That's the plan."

"Are you any closer to identifying a possible informer?"

Jordan looked unhappy. "We do have someone. We're watching him to see if he makes any contacts. He's put aside a lot of money in an offshore account. I hate to admit it, but you were right."

"When are you going to drop the hammer?"

"As soon as we can tie him to the Chinese. Until then we're monitoring everything he does." Jordan tugged at his collar. "Is there anything new on the book or why the Chinese want it so badly?"

"You're sure this person is the one who tipped off Wu?"

"Why do I get the feeling you haven't told me everything, Director? Yes, I'm sure. This is our guy."

"I didn't want to brief you until you found the mole. We think we know why Yang wants the book. It might have the location of a new source of raw materials for China's nukes program. We're working to stop him."

Elizabeth didn't think Jordan needed to know they were working on stopping him in Tibet. She twirled her pen.

"We're certain Yang is planning a coup and that he's going to use the Triads to initiate attacks here when he makes his move. We think it's set for the Fourth."

Jordan was shocked. "That's only two days away."

"I convinced Homeland Security something was up. I'm not getting any cooperation from State, so that part is going to have to take care of itself."

"Two days isn't much time."

"Our indicators point to something in the Bay Area. That's the best place to focus resources."

Jordan rubbed his nose. "I'm going to have a hard time getting the Bureau to believe the Triads are moving into terrorist activity instead of another criminal enterprise. It's not part of their pattern."

Harker tapped her pen on her desk, thinking. Jordan watched her.

"Maybe we should let Yang know we're on to him. What do you think? He might reconsider his options, give us more time to expose him. We could use your informer. He could learn we're on to the threat. Then he'd try to contact Wu or Yang. It would kill two birds with the same stone. Yang would know we're prepared and maybe call it off. You'd catch your mole in the act and take him down."

Jordan smiled. "I like it. Even if Yang goes ahead, it should rattle his cage. People make mistakes when they get rattled."

"Then we're agreed. You let your mole in on our suspicion of a domestic attack tied to a plot to take over China. He doesn't need to know where the information comes from. Let him pass it along and then bust him. That ought to give more weight to your argument with the Bureau for an all out focus on July Fourth."

"Three birds with one stone."

"We don't have a lot of time."

Jordan stood up. "Then I'd better get on it."

After Jordan left, she brought up the satellite over Tibet. Nick hadn't checked in. If they were underground there was no way to send a signal. She was more concerned about the Chinese.

When the image came up she knew her concerns were real. It was nighttime again on the Tibetan Plateau. Heading toward Moincer was a convoy of four vehicles. They were some distance away, but that many vehicles all at once meant Chinese military. She tried the comm link with no response from the team. She had no choice but to wait for things to play out.