Chapter 41

About the time Jamie's flight to Kansas City International, KCI, pushed back from the gate at National, the phone on Director Wilson's desk rang. Since he'd given orders that only priority calls were to be put through, he answered.

"Wilson."

"Director, this is Jameson in airport surveillance. I have a priority call for Lee."

"Very well." Wilson, who had retired from the Navy as a one-star admiral thirty-two years after he'd graduated from Annapolis in 1964, handed Lee the phone. "Jameson," he said.

"Jameson, what do you have?" Lee asked.

"Lee, that anonymous tip we got last night was right on the money. We just got the surveillance footage from National about ten minutes ago. We have clear pictures of Rudolph Leitner passing through security with a female companion, and we've picked him up entering the boarding gate for United Airlines flight 6891 to Kansas City."

"That's Jamie's flight," Lee said. "Leitner picked the wrong flight to target. Thanks, Jameson. We'll take it from here."

He cut the connection and briefed Wilson, who immediately picked up the phone and started making calls.

The flight was somewhere over the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia when the purser, the senior flight attendant, stopped by Jamie's seat, and in a low voice, said, "Would you come with me, please, Mr. King?"

Jamie sent Karen a reassuring smile and followed the purser, Kathy Rhodes, onto the flight deck, where the captain said, "We have confirmation that there's a known terrorist, Rudolph Leitner, aboard, Agent King. The word just came through from Director Wilson at FCA."

"Yes. He's traveling as Roger Layman. His unwilling female accomplice is in the seat next to mine, but she's cooperating fully."

"Good. We're going to get him up into first class so you can restrain him, and we have instructions to turn back to DCA so he can be taken off the aircraft and into custody."

"Miss Leggett says he told her that he has volatile liquids that can be combined to make a bomb. I don't know if that's correct or not, but we can't take any chances," Jamie said.

"Agreed, but we also don't want to alarm the other passengers."

"No. I suggest that Ms. Rhodes go back to coach and tell Leitner that Ms. Leggett is unwell and is asking for him, and that you've agreed to move him to first class so he can be with her. I doubt that he'll refuse to move; to do so would look very odd. I'll go first, as if I were heading back to the lavatory, and I'll volunteer to carry his bag on the way back to first class. Ready, Ms. Rhodes?"

"Kathy, and yes."

"I'm Jim. Make the announcement that we're turning around because we have an ill passenger aboard, Captain Wyman."

The announcement went out over the intercom as Jamie and Kathy made their way down the aisle to Leitner's row. Jamie went past the Leitner's row, reached the back of the aircraft, noted that both lavatories were occupied, and turned around again. As he had hoped, the chance to move into first class and a desire not to seem callous to his friend's plight motivated Leitner to agree to the move. "Of course I'll go," he said. "I just need to get my carryon down from the overhead compartment."

"Oh, I can do that for you, sir," Jamie said. "I'll bring it up for you right away."

"You don't have to do that, young man."

"I really don't mind, sir. Please, let me help."

Leitner agreed. He followed Kathy Rhodes up the aisle and through the curtains that separated first class from coach, with Jamie right behind him. Up on the first row, another flight attendant was hovering solicitously over Karen Leggett, carrying out the charade that Karen had been taken ill.

"Karen, darling," Leitner said, as he started forward. "What's wrong? Is it your heart?"

He got all the way to the front row before Jamie said, "That's far enough, Leitner," and unholstered the weapon he carried at his belt. "James King, Federal Counterintelligence Agency. We've been looking all over for you; how very thoughtful of you to choose the same flight I just happened to be on. I might even call it a stroke of luck, if I didn't know better."

"You've made a mistake. My name is Roger Layman. I don't know what you're talking about," Leitner protested. "Karen, tell them who I am."

"No. You've used me enough," she said. "I was naïve and stupid, but no more. Mr. King has the wire and the bottles, and when the time comes, I'm going to testify against you and help them put you away."

"Sit down and fasten your seat belt, Leitner. We'll be landing in a few minutes."

Once Leitner was seated, Jamie snapped handcuffs on him.

"Now, let's sit back and enjoy your last ride in first class, shall we?"

Lee was at the airport when Jamie escorted Leitner off the plane and handed him over to the U.S. Marshals that were waiting to take him into custody. Karen Leggett was right behind them.

"Come over and meet my stepdad, Lee Stetson, Karen," Jamie said. "He's director of field operations for our Agency. Lee, this is Karen Leggett, of Bennington, Vermont, who called in the anonymous tip and then helped me apprehend Leitner."

"Ms. Leggett, thank you for your help," Lee said.

"Will I have to face charges, Mr. Stetson?"

"No, Ms. Leggett. You did nothing wrong; in fact, you helped us apprehend someone who's been on our wanted list for nearly five years, but who has always slipped through our fingers. He was born in East Germany, but his family escaped to West Berlin and later came to the U.S. when he was only ten years old, which is why he has no German accent. He grew up here, was educated here, had all the advantages of living here, but he rejected all of that to become a radical."

"I understand. I'm going home to Vermont, Jim. If you're ever up that way, look me up at the town library."

"I will."

She kissed his cheek and said, "Give that to your girl for me. Thank you again, Mr. Stetson."

She shook Lee's hand and walked away; as she disappeared into the crowd, Lee said, "Agnes Snow."

"Who?"

"Another lonely librarian targeted by an unscrupulous man, Nicky Cross, who used J. Edgar Hoover's secret files to try to pressure a very senior navy captain into giving away government secrets."

"Nicky Cross …. Wait a minute – nude midshipmen sailing up the Potomac?"

"That's right."

"I was ten years old when that hit the Washington papers. Grandma wouldn't let us see the paper that day."

"So naturally, Phillip got someone else's paper so he could study it in detail."

"Of course, but we never told Mom."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what your mother knew about in those days, Jamie. Time to get back on board; you shouldn't have to arrest a terrorist this time. "

Jamie laughed, they shook hands, and Jamie disappeared down the jetway. Lee watched him go and then left the boarding gate. "Another day, another dollar," he thought. 'We'll have quite a tale to tell Abby when she gets home from work tonight."