south on the esplanade toward them.
âWeâre talking about Leo,â Archie said. âI brought him to you guys,â he added. âIâm the one who convinced him that he could do more good by staying in his goddamn family than by leaving. He came to me because he wanted my help getting away from his father. He trusted me. And I wrapped him up in a bow and delivered him to Carl.â
Sanchez nodded and looked out, stone-faced, at the Willamette. Up river, the center of the Steel Bridge had started to raise, lifting the old wooden machinery shack affixed to the upper deck along with it. âI need to determine his status,â Sanchez said.
âSo do it,â Archie said.
Ginger barked excitedly. The jogger was almost upon them.
âThereâs no way in,â Sanchez said. âOur resources are limited here by necessity. If we ask the wrong people to help, it could get him killed.â
Archie lifted his finger and they waited as the jogger passed, although he couldnât have overheard anything with the ruckus Ginger was making. He was wearing lightweight shorts and a âLife is Goodâ T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. Every inch of his bare flesh glowed bright pink from exertion. His face looked pained. He didnât give them a second look as he went past. Ginger, disappointed, quieted and began snuffling in the grass.
When the jogger was thirty feet south of them, Archie asked, âHow many people know Leo is the source?â
Sanchez scratched the back of his neck. âBesides me and you andââhe looked at Archie questioninglyââIâm guessing Henry? Thatâs it.â
âHenryâs my partner,â Archie said. âI donât keep him in the dark.â That hadnât always been true, but Archie didnât mention that.
âAnyone else come to mind?â Sanchez asked.
In fact there was another person who knew Leo was DEA, a person Sanchez had not mentioned. Archie knew that Leo had told Susan his secret a few months ago. Protocol required Leo to report that to his superiors. Clearly, he hadnât.
âI wouldnât know,â Archie said.
A barge loaded with construction equipment cleared the Steel Bridge, nudged along by an old tugboat. Men with construction hats stood on board, gazing at the shore.
âThis operation is new to me,â Sanchez said. âI was the safeguard. Carl briefed me years ago, so that if anything happened to him, I could step in and Leo wouldnât get left in the wind.â
âYou mean like if Carl got his head blown off in the john, for instance?â Archie said.
âThat would fit the criteria,â Sanchez said. âIn the meantime, Iâm trying to coordinate the search for a dangerous escaped serial killer.â
âI think I read something about that,â Archie said.
Sanchez caught himself. âSorry,â he said with a grimace. âIâve just got a lot on my plate. I canât get Leo out without revealing his identity. But if I reveal his identity it could get him killed before I can get him out.â
Archie wasnât buying it. This had been an important operation for the feds. A lot was riding on it. It was a career-maker. âYou donât want him out until he has the names,â Archie said.
Sanchez rubbed the side of his nose. âOkay, no bullshit,â he said. âThis operation has taken ten years. If Leo can get us the names of Jack Reynoldsâs partners, then yeah, I think thatâs worth not rushing into anything. I have bosses whose names are on that list. So do you. Thatâs why we have to keep this close.â
The Burnside Bridge yawned open to let the barge through.
âSomeone else knows,â Archie said.
âThe girlfriend,â Sanchez said with a heavy sigh.
âHe shot someone in front of her,â Archie said. âHe kind of had to explain. She doesnât know anything. Just