Meanwhile, one of the Foxtrot helicopters continued to hover close to the house. I turned to the commander again. I needed him on my side. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Have you been talking to him?" He pointed to a man crouched behind a cruiser. "Detective Fescoe has the honor. He's been on the horn with Coulter for about an hour." I made a point of walking over to Detective Fescoe and introducing myself. "Mick Fescoe," he said, but he didn't seem overjoyed to meet me. "Heard you were coming. We're fine here." "This intrusion isn't my idea," I told him. "I just left the force in D.C. I don't want to get in anybody's way." "So don't," Fescoe said. He was a slender, wiry man who looked as if he might have played some ball at one time. He moved like it. I rubbed my hand over my chin. "Any idea why he asked for me? I don't know him that well." Fescoe's eyes drifted toward the house. "Says he's being set up by Internal Affairs. Doesn't trust anybody connected to the Baltimore PD. He knew you'd gone over to the FBI recently." "Would you tell him I'm here? But also tell him I'm being briefed now. I want to hear how he sounds before I talk to him." Fescoe nodded, then he called the house. It rang several times before it was picked up. "Agent Cross has just arrived, Dennis. He's being briefed now," said Fescoe. "Like hell he is. Get him on the hook. Don't make me shoot in here. I'm getting close to creating a real problem. Get him now!" Fescoe handed me the phone and I spoke into it. "Dennis, this is Alex Cross. I'm here. I did want to be briefed first." "This really Alex Cross?" Coulter asked, sounding surprised. "Yeah, it's me. I don't know too many of the details. Except you say you're being set up by Internal Affairs." "I don't just say it, I am being set up. I can tell you why too. I'll brief you. That way you'll hear it straight." "All right," I told him.