“That is true.” “And she certainly would have gone in with a fake ID,” Maria went on. “Assassins don’t like to leave a paper trail.” “This assassin did not expect to be exposed,” Maria pointed out. “ Do you think she might have rented a car?” “I would be very surprised if she did,” he said. “ I’m sorry?” “The killer,” Maria repeated slowly. “ Do you think the killer might have rented a car?” Maria asked. People like himself, Maria, and Detective Howell could not do the job America was counting on them to do. Funds to fight these dangers were allocated by political need instead of by threat assessment. Not the way we do things now, he told himself. He wondered if there would ever be a time when people did not have to fear life as much as they feared death. Today, it was a new kind of fire that could destroy them. A century ago, the booksellers, diners, attorneys, government offices, and banks would have been especially vulnerable to fire.
As McCaskey watched familiar storefronts and offices slip by, he had a troubling thought. There was no sign of the cars they were looking for.
