Professor and secret government analyst Ian Sanderson's bad day gets worse when he arrives home one miserable November evening to find an apparently incriminating photograph in a FedEx envelope in his doorway, followed by increasingly threatening photographs over the next two or three weeks. It isn't just Ian being set up: his partner, Randy, a lieutenant colonel working on a top-secret Pentagon project, is also at risk. Someone obviously wants something, but what? And from whom?<br><br> Soon, a mysterious caller demands that Randy disclose information about the project he's been working on. When he refuses, Ian's and Randy's sons, David and Paul, are kidnapped from an Amtrak passenger train. Resourceful and intelligent, the boys manage to escape-only to find themselves lost and alone in a remote wilderness. With time running out, can Ian and Randy track down their blackmailers? Or will the man known only as The Broker claim another set of victims?

The Burdens of Truth

“As a matter of fact, yes. We’ve definitely identified him, and we’re very close to apprehending him.”


“How are you and Col. Richardson holding up?”


“We both slept better last night than we have since Saturday, and we spent most of the morning splitting logs into firewood, which takes just enough concentration that you can take your mind off of other things for a while.”


“Good show,” Rupert said. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”


“Thanks,” I said, and I closed the phone.


“From our Rupert, it sounds normal.”


“Yeah, I think you may be right. Despite the lack of a British accent, he does look the part.”


THE INFORMATION BROKER sensed the frustration felt by his subordinate when the call ended, and said, “From your end of the conversation, I’m guessing they still won’t budge.”


“Yeah, boss. Our little friend says that they want proof of life, and they say a recording won’t do.”


Chapter 31