Back still turned, Soriana rang off and punched in a number from his contacts. "Chief Reyes? Frank Soriana, ATF. Hey, look, we've got a situation here with your men making noises about ATF and the shoot-out in Buenavista. Can you tell your guys to leave ATF out of it? We don't need this, Gabe, not after last year. You hear me, don't you?" There was a long silence; then Soriana said, "Thank you, Chief. We appreciate that a lot. Call me when you know what the heck happened out there, okay?"

He snapped his cell phone closed and turned back to them.

"Silence to the world, people. If this gets out, Sean's a dead man and Blowdown is finished. But if we can keep a lid on it for a few days, Ozburn still has cover and we're still in business. It's our only chance."

"Chance to what, sir?" asked Hood.

"To find his ass and arrest him. You with us or not on this one, Charlie?"

"I am us."

"We don't have all the information," said Mars. "There's more here than we're seeing."

"I've already seen enough," said Soriana. "Find him. Tell me what you need to do the job. Do nothing else in this life until you find Sean. Dyman, Robert, get over to Ozburn's cover house ASAP. Maybe you'll find some clue as to what the hell got into him. Hood, Janet-talk to his wife. She'll know more than she thinks she does."

4

Seliah Ozburn climbed down from the lifeguard stand at the Orange County Aquatics Center in Irvine and walked toward Hood and Bly. The open swim had just ended and the kids were splashing and laughing and climbing out.

She wore a big straw hat and sunglasses and a long-sleeved T-shirt against the sun. Over the last year and a half she and Hood had become friends and she was an affectionate woman, but today she offered no hug in greeting, and no handshake or smile.