The First Commandment

When it became known that Kevin McCauliff had used the NGA’s DOD computers on Harvath’s behalf, the young analyst was brought up on discipline charges. Harvath called in every favor ever owed him and pulled every string imaginable to have the charges dropped and for McCauliff to be honorably discharged from his position at the NGA. Tim Finney and Ron Parker offered McCauliff a job at Sargasso the very next day.

Lawlor knocked upon the heavy door once more, but no one answered. There wasn’t even the sound of Bullet’s barking which was a given lately.

Having been told where Harvath kept his spare key, Lawlor retrieved it and opened the front door.

“Hello?” he shouted as he poked his head inside. “Anybody home?”

Lawlor waited, but there was no response. Coming the rest of the way inside, he closed the door behind him.

He walked into the kitchen first and found that everything had been cleaned and put away. Normally, it was a chaotic jumble of pots, pans, dishes, and glasses as Scot and Tracy moved from one culinary undertaking to the next. Something definitely wasn’t right.

Opening the fridge to help himself to a beer, Lawlor found it completely empty. None of this was making any sense.

He strolled out of the kitchen and into the large area that functioned as Harvath’s living room. Everything here had been straightened and put in its place as well.

Suddenly, Lawlor noticed something on the stone mantelpiece above the fireplace. Walking over, he found Harvath’s BlackBerry and his DHS credentials. Next to them was a crisp piece of Tracy ’s stationery folded in half.

Opening it, he read a simple two-word message that had been written in Harvath’s hand.

Gone fishing.

Acknowledgments

My beautiful wife, Trish, made it clear that in this book I should thank my readers first. She’s right, of course (she’s always right, I’ve learned), but there’s part of me that wonders what kind of husband I would be if I didn’t thank her first. On more nights than I can count, Trish came home from her own demanding career only to gladly feed and bathe our little ones so I could keep on writing. Thank you, honey. I love you more than you will ever know.

Having snuck in that thank-you to my wife, I want to now thank you, the readers. It has been a pleasure meeting you on tour and at book festivals and writing conferences across the country. It is because you recommend me to your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers that my career is growing. I continue to be humbled and appreciative of your support.

Without the fabulous bookstores and the Atria/Pocket sales staff, you wouldn’t be holding this in your hands right now. I am extremely grateful to all the people who have worked so hard to build me as an author and who strive to make every book bigger than the last. It is a team effort, and along with the Pocket/Atria art andproduction departments, I couldn’t hope to be aligned with more creative, intelligent, or nicer people in the publishing business.

I dedicated this book to Scott F. Hill, PhD, for many reasons. His knowledge of the thriller genre is broader and deeper than that of any human being I have ever met. He continues to be an excellent sounding board and a great friend to brainstorm with. More than that, Scott is a model patriot who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of our veterans. People like him make me proud to call myself an American.

I have a pool of gentlemen and one lady who have definitely been there, done that, and have the T-shirt to prove it. I like to refer to them as my sharpshooters, and they work hard to make sure I get things right. When I don’t, it’s my fault, not theirs. In no particular order, these exceptional patriots are Rodney Cox, Chuck Fretwell, Steve Hoffa, Chad Norberg, and Steven C. Bronson. To this list I am honored to also welcome and thank Cynthia Longo and Ronald Moore.

My Sun Valley crew was right there with the latest in political and federal law enforcement issues. My sincere thanks, as always, go out to Gary Penrith, Frank Gallagher, Tom Baker, Daryl Mills, and Terry Mangan.

Anyone who has been to the annual gathering in Sun Valley knows how much we all appreciate the folks at Taser International. In particular, I want to thank my good pal Steve Tuttle for all of his help with this book. All of the good guys who deploy with Taser products know how exceptional they are and that they absolutely save lives. Thanks, Steve.