Logan hated driving in the dark, but driving along the interstate wasn't so bad. He took another drink of coffee and glanced at Goren, who was sleeping in the passenger seat. Colorado...he hoped this was going to lead them someplace. He was more than ready to go home, see his partner and get back to life as usual. He didn't like all this espionage crap. Goren like figuring things out, solving impossible puzzles. He preferred good solid leads he could sink his teeth into, not ethereal hints that vaporized before his eyes. What really annoyed him was that he and Goren had found out more on their own after talking to Mason than the others had been able to figure out in weeks, and that made him wonder just how hard they were working to get this all taken care of.

Glancing at the gas tank, he got off at the next exit. It was 2 am, and he'd taken over for Goren just east of Dayton, Ohio. They were making really good time. On the road for sixteen hours, they were now in Missouri. Driving straight through, with breaks only for fuel, food and rest room stops, it would take about thirty hours for them to get to Denver. That would put them in the Mile High City at about dinnertime.

When the engine shifted as the car slowed down, Goren woke with a start. "Where are we?"

"Missouri. Maybe a hundred miles east of St. Louis. The car needs fuel and so do I."

"Want me to take over?"

"Nah. I've only been driving for four hours. I'm still good."

He pulled into a truck stop and stopped at an empty pump. "Look at this. You wouldn't think there'd be this many people here at 2 in the morning."

"The interstate never sleeps."

"Like the city, huh?"

He nodded and got out of the car to stretch. Logan nodded his head toward the building. "You hungry? Want coffee?"

Goren nodded. "Coffee, please."

"Sure you don't want a bite? You didn't eat much at dinner." Goren just shrugged. "A burger and fries, it is. I'll be right back."

Goren paced beside the car while he was gone. Logan returned quickly, tossing him a bag and handing him a styrofoam cup. He filled the gas tank and they got back in the car. "Think we'll make it to Denver before they figure out where we're going?"

Goren shrugged. "I guess it depends on who they bring in."

"You know Deakins will tag Barek for this. My big question is how long will he wait before he brings Eames in, too."

He pulled back onto the interstate. Goren shook his head. "I hope he won't. She doesn't need this kind of stress."

"Maybe we should have thought about that before we took off, brainiac. Barek doesn't know you as well as Eames does, and finding us is going to depend on knowing how that gray matter of yours operates. Nobody knows that as well as Eames does."

"I know."

"And you're not scared?"

"Of Eames? No. Of her getting involved in this? Yes."

"You think they'll change their minds and go after her?"

"I don't think so. But I don't want her involved regardless."

"Because if they are going to find us, she'll be the one to lead them to us?"

"That's only a small part of it, Mike."

Logan shrugged. "Well, it's out of our hands. You know that when Deakins goes to her she's going to be involved."

Goren sighed. "I know."

"And then it's just a matter of time before someone is hot on our asses."

He nodded. "I know. All the more reason to get this done and move on as fast as we can."

"Move on where?"

"Wherever the trail takes us."

Logan huffed impatiently. "Thanks for being so specific."

"Hey, if I knew where the trail was going we wouldn't be heading to Denver."

"Go back to sleep, Bobby. You're making my head hurt again."

------------------------------------

Deakins sat at his desk in the den after dinner, looking over the list Barek and Bishop had compiled. The DEA and FBI agents who had seen Mason were legit, however, he needed to talk to them to find out why they had never followed up on the leads they'd received. The NYPD detectives he'd seen were not NYPD. He had no idea who they were or why they had masqueraded as police officers to get in to see Mason. The CIA operatives who had been to see him he was having trouble locating. So far there was nothing to tell him if they were or were not CIA. He rubbed his forehead and shuffled the papers to find the list of people Mason said Waters had mentioned to him: Dennis Carlson, a DEA agent in Seattle; Carl Hammond, an FBI agent in Austin; Marcus Feldman, a DEA agent in Phoenix; Joseph Haughton, a CIA agent in Denver; Kevin Tammons, a CIA agent in LA; and Trevor McNally, an FBI agent in Miami. So far, all they had been able to find is that each man actually did exist and each had a clean record in his respective organization. What significance they had to Waters was unknown. He wondered if Barek had not asked the right questions. Mason had not volunteered any information to Barek, including what he had told Goren and Logan or what they had been looking for. Barek was under the impression he was enjoying the attention.

Deakins got up and left the study. Eames was in the living room playing with Maggie. She looked up at him. "You look tired. Is everything ok at work?"

"Difficult case, that's all. After you put Maggie to bed, can you look at something for me?"

"Sure."

Maggie bounced over to him. "Is it time for my story?"

"If you're ready. Go get your book."

She trotted across the room and returned with the book. Climbing into his lap, she snuggled against him as he opened it. "I am Sam. Sam I am..."

------------------------------------------

Eames knocked on the den door. "C'mon in."

She smiled at Deakins as she came in the door. He smiled back, though his smile was tired. "Is Maggie sleeping?"

"Yes."

"Asking for her daddy again?"

A deep sadness touched her eyes. "Yes. It's as predictable as Green Eggs and Ham."

He smiled, feeling profoundly guilty about keeping things from her. He held out the list of names that Mason had given Barek and, he assumed, Goren and Logan. "Look at this list, Alex. Tell me if you know, or know of, any of these men."

She took the list from him and looked it over. "No. I can't say that I do. Why?"

He sighed heavily. "Sit down."

She did, a look of concern darkening her features. "Something's wrong," she said. "Is it Bobby and Mike?"

Deakins nodded. "Yes."

She swallowed her fear. "What happened?"

"They...took off sometime last night."

"Took off? Took off where?"

"That we haven't been able to find out. They took the FBI agents' car and dumped it at JFK, but there's no record of them flying out."

"Then they didn't fly."

"There were several cars stolen from the airport, but so far no indication they took one of them."

She shook her head. "They wouldn't have stolen a car."

"Well, I doubt they walked..."

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello?" came the voice on the other end.

"Hi, Lewis. This is Alex."

Lewis groaned. "Hi, Detective Alex."

She couldn't help but smile. He still insisted on calling her "Detective Alex," even though she was married to his best friend. It also didn't escape her that he had not greeted her with his usual bouyancy. "Lewis, have you seen Bobby?"

"Not lately," he answered, stretching the truth.

"This is important, Lewis. He and Mike are in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Big trouble. Trouble they might not be able to get themselves out of."

"Uh, where are they?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. They've disappeared."

Lewis sighed, battling with himself to decide what was best for his friend...keeping his word or telling his wife that he'd seen him. "You have seen him, haven't you, Lewis?" No answer. "Lewis?"

"Very early this morning. He borrowed a car."

"What kind of car?"

"An '02 Escape."

"What color?"

"Black."

"I need the plates."

"I'd have to look that up."

"Then do it."

"Detective Alex...I promised him..."

"I know. He'll understand."

"I told him I couldn't lie to you."

"Just get me those plates, Lewis." She wrote down the information he gave her. "Thanks. I owe you."

"Gee, I've heard that before today."

"It's ok, really. I'll talk to you soon."

"Um, let me know he's ok?"

"As soon as I know he is. Bye, Lewis."

She handed the plate number to Deakins. "A black '02 Escape."

Deakins smiled. "Thank you."

"What else do you know?"

There was a subtle fury underlying her calm, and he wasn't quite sure exactly who that anger was directed toward. He decided he was better off not knowing. "They went to Rikers first thing this morning and talked to the only inmate Waters seemed to be friendly with. That's where that list of names came from. That's the last place we know they were at."

"Who's looking?"

"Barek is working with the two agents they slipped away from."

"Don't be too hard on the agents, Captain."

"I know. I apologize for not saying something sooner. I...well, you are on leave, and I didn't want to worry you."

"I am too angry to be worried right now, and I need to be angry. I'll worry later."

"If there's anything you can think of that will help us find them, Alex..."

She nodded. "I'll let you know. The first thing you have to do is find out exactly what that inmate told them. Then figure out who the men on this list were to Ricky. We'll go from there." She took a deep breath. "If Angie can watch the kids, I'll go out to Rikers with Barek tomorrow."

Deakins nodded. "But I am going to limit your involvement in this investigation, Alex. Understand?"

"As long as I get a piece of them after you find them, I'm fine with that."

Deakins nodded, glad--and not for the first time--that he was not Goren or Logan.