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fence and the grassland that lay beyond. Try as he might, Page couldn't figure out what it was for.
    Tori's blue Saturn was parked next to it.
    "Yeah, she got here early," Costigan said.
    They pulled off the road and stopped behind the Saturn. The wooden structure had a sidewall that prevented Page from seeing if Tori was inside. At the same time, it prevented Tori from seeing the police car.
    "I guess she figured waiting here was better than waiting in her motel room," Costigan said.
    "This is the observation platform you mentioned?"
    "Yeah, where my deputy found her."
    Page reached to open the cruiser's door.
    "Wait," Costigan said. "It won't be long now. The sun's almost down. As soon as it gets dark, you'll understand."
    Page stared at him. "Why should I . . ."
    "You've indulged me this far. Is ten minutes longer going to make a difference?"
    "What's so damned important about the sun going down?"
    "Eat your burger before it gets cold. I promise you, this'll be a long night."

    Chapter 14.
    Earl Halloway sat in the air-conditioned control room, scanning the numerous monitors that showed closed-circuit images of the area around the observatory. Taggard sat next to him, chewing on a candy bar. The setting sun cast an orange tint over the array of dishes that towered aboveground. In a while, as darkness settled, the images would become green, indicating that the heat-sensing capability of the cameras had become active. Animals or people would show clearly as a glow, although at the moment not a single cow or even a rabbit was visible out there.
    Halloway picked up the sports magazine that Taggard had been reading. Every minute or so, he glanced up at the monitors. Nothing was happening outside. Nothing ever happened outside, which of course was a good thing, especially compared to the ambushes and roadside bombs he'd dodged in Iraq. But God almighty, this assignment was boring.
    Down the hall, Halloway heard a door close.
    "I'll be right back," he told his partner.
    Taggard nodded, taking another bite.
    Halloway left the control room and walked along the hall to the door that he'd heard being closed. He knew which door it was because each night it was always the same door, the one marked DATA ANALYSIS.
    During the day, Gordon leaves the door open, but at night he always closes it, he thought. Why? What's he hiding?
    A renewed wave of boredom made Halloway reach for the handle, then open the door. The room was filled with the subtle hum of all the electronic devices that occupied the walls--and the even subtler vibration that he sensed everywhere in the facility and that interfered with his sleep enough to make him always feel on the verge of a headache.
    Gordon wore a headset over his hairless scalp. Sitting at a desk that was turned away from the door, he studied rows of numbers accumulating on a computer screen.
    When Halloway stepped closer, Gordon sensed the movement and looked in his direction. Surprised, he took off the earphones and pushed his glasses higher on his nose.
    "Didn't I lock the door? I meant to lock the door."
    "Just checking to see that everything's okay."
    "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" Gordon asked defensively.
    "That's what they pay me to find out."
    Halloway heard a noise coming from the headphones that Gordon had set on the table. It was faint compared to when it had come through the speakers during the afternoon. Even so, he could tell that it sounded quite different now, no longer a persistent crackle but a series of wavering tones pitched at various levels, some rising while others descended, many of them occurring in high and low unison.
    They had a subtle, sensual quiver. Their languid, arousing rhythm made him step forward.
    "Sounds like music," he said.
    "I don't mean to be rude, but you need to get out of here," Gordon responded. "I have work to do."
    Halloway held up his hands. "Sure. Sorry to disturb you, Gordon.
    Like I said, I was just checking."
    As he stepped back, the noises