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limo?” He ventured closer, holdinghis robe together in a feminine way with both hands. His normally curly red hair was combed off to one side and mussed. His freckled face creased by a pillow.
    I said, “I need a favor.”
    He looked up and down the limo. “Sure, pal, anything you need.”
    â€œI…ah… got called back to the States on business and…”
    He leaned in closer, lowered his voice. “You can’t go back. You’re like the rest of us. They’ll nail your black ass to the wall for mortgage fraud.”
    I hadn’t told the guys about the children, the real reason I came to “The Rica.” Instead, I had told them that I had fled the US just ahead of a major indictment for identity theft. I told them that I had created a gallery of fake persons with their own histories, and refinanced lots of homes at the peak of the market. According to the cover story, I had fled with twenty million.
    â€œTrust me,” I said, “I know what I’m doing and I have no choice. I have to go.”
    â€œSure, sure pal, what do you need me to do?”
    â€œYou know that thing with Jake Donaldson?”
    Ansel slapped the sill of the door. “Sure, that was really something, wasn’t it? Who would have thought, huh?”
    â€œYou saw how he pointed his finger at me when he walked away?”
    â€œYou know, Jake, he was just mad. He’ll be back at the bar like nothing happened. Trust me on this, I know people.”
    â€œHe painted a threat on the sidewalk out in front of my house.”
    â€œYou’re kidding me, right? No shit?”
    â€œYeah, and I don’t think anything will happen, and I don’t expect to be gone that long, but, could you—”
    â€œYou got it, pal, anything you need.”
    â€œLet me finish. I want you to hire some local help. I want my place watched twenty-four seven.”
    â€œOooh, that’s going to be expensive.”
    â€œYou’re really going to strong arm me like this when my back’s to the wall?”
    He shrugged.
    I couldn’t expect him to foot the bill. “You cover it and I’ll catch you when I get back.”
    â€œAh, Bruno, not to be a wet blanket—but, what if you don’t come back?”
    He was right. I could get arrested and never see daylight ever again. I reached into the valise and peeled off one of the four bundles. “Here’s five grand.”
    He took it, thumbed the bills. “With the prices down here, this will probably last you three or four weeks. But what about my, ah, handling fee?”
    I glared at him for a long second hoping his conscience would kick in. He’d taken a movie star’s entire savings and fled the country without so much as a rotten night’s sleep.
    I took out another bundle and tossed it to him. “I hope I’ll be able to do you a favor someday.”
    His eyes turned greedy as he thumbed the cash. “I told you, I’m here to help.”
    I rolled up the window. The driver had heard the entire conversation, knew the meeting had ended, and drove off. I didn’t know why Ansel’s slimy behavior bothered me. You lie down with thieves, what do you expect? I guess I had just considered him a friend, and it hurt to find out otherwise.

    The sleek white jet set down at a seldom-used General Aviation Center in San Bernardino, Southern California. Every detail of the trip had been prearranged by Mr. Kim. Customs came on board through the front door as I went out the back with the catering elevator truck. Just that easy. Crossed my mind that if a South Korean diplomat could orchestrate a human smuggling operation in a few short hours and pull it off, why couldn’t North Korea smuggle in a tactical nuke and ruin everyone in the world’s life with one press of a button?
    At four o’clock in the morning, the catering truck let me offat the Quick Stop Market, an all-night convenience