As soon as Tony was done patting them down, Gallagher started signing to the boy.
“Stop that,” Rispel said.
Gallagher looked at her, and Rispel had to give her credit, for a moment the woman looked more dangerous than any of them. “He’s deaf,” Gallagher said. “And he’s scared. I’m just explaining what’s happening.”
Rispel glanced at the boy. He glared back, looking as formidable as his mother.
“He doesn’t seem scared,” Rispel said.
“I’m not scared of you,” the boy said, his voice slightly off and a bit too loud.
Rispel had to laugh at his pluck. “You should be.”
“You make me sick,” Gallagher said.
“How I make you feel is irrelevant to me,” Rispel said. “Manus is watching you. I don’t want any of you communicating in a way I can’t follow. Don’t make me tell you again.”
Next out was Maya. And then a chubby man in a ponytail, wearing some sort of red, pleated robe and an enormous pair of eyeglasses. He was petting or stroking the side of his face as though smoothing out an invisible beard. He was obviously no operator, but regardless, Rispel recognized him from the file photos. Grimble.
Kanezaki was next, looking at Rispel with surprising dispassion as he came through the door. Rispel had been expecting something more seething or self-righteous.
“Hello, Tom,” she said.
“Hello, Lisa.”
She gave him a patronizing smile. “You can’t say I didn’t tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“That sometimes it’s safer to have nothing even to recall.”
“I guess I should have listened.”
“It’s all right. I don’t mind a certain degree of insubordination. It shows spirit. It’ll be a little awkward when we’re back in the office, but ultimately we’ll be fine.”
Another thing she had learned at the black sites: you had to give the subject something to hope for. People who had nothing to hope for could be difficult to manage. Say what you will about the Nazis, but Arbeit Macht Frei demonstrated a sound grasp of human psychology.
“Am I right in thinking you’re the last one?” she said.
“Yes.”
“Where’s Dox?”
“I don’t know. I told you, he isn’t always reliable about accepting jobs.”
“Who helped you take down the team at the house on Lake Tapps?”
“You’re looking at them.”
“And at Schrader’s house?”
“The same. How did you get him out of prison?”
Rispel considered. The Lake Tapps team was solid. Ditto the shooters at Schrader’s house. But with Manus, Rain, and the dangerous-looking character, they could have pulled it off.
“I have resources you don’t, Tom. I wish you’d understood that sooner. But better late than never.”
She looked at Rain, then back to Kanezaki. “I’m going to have Tony check that structure. If there’s someone inside, I’m going to shoot one of you. One or more. Are you certain you didn’t accidentally leave anyone behind?”
Kanezaki nodded. “I’m certain.”
Tony went in. He was back in half a minute. “No one in there.”
Rispel hadn’t expected Tony to find anyone, but it paid to be careful. And it would be careful to test Rain’s assertion that the laptop log-in credentials were in another location.