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

“Well, you never really need a gun until you really need one.”


“Yeah,” I said. “That’s food for thought.”


“Just a reminder, Jared is the only authorized driver, okay?” George said.


“That’s important, because if somebody else drives this car and has an accident, the rental car company’s insurance won’t cover it, and they’ll go after your parents’ insurance.”


We got in the Taurus, with Jared at the wheel, and followed our hosts back to their house.


WE SPENT THE rest of the afternoon either lounging around the house or in the backyard with Robbie, tossing a Frisbee for Thor to catch. Later, the three of us were sitting with Mike and Robbie on their enclosed front porch (George was in the kitchen presiding over the cooking).


“Mike, can I ask you a question?” I said.


“Are there any house rules concerning visitors succumbing to their natural urges?” I said.


Chapter 68