"We'll give him every chance to explain."

"Oh, shit on both of you. You've convicted him already. You're supposed to be his friends."

Seliah stood abruptly and her plastic chair tipped. Hood caught it with a finger and set it back upright. He had come to know Seliah as a calm and gentle person, even with a husband working under deep cover, and her anger now surprised him. She had always behaved as if her husband needed protection from his employers, an understandable stance among the spouses of people with dangerous jobs. But Hood had never seen her angry at ATF like she was now.

"We are your friends," said Bly. "And friends don't let friends commit triple murders."

Seliah sat down again, then pulled off the hat. Her shiny white, straight hair fell to her shoulders, cut on a glamorous diagonal. She took off her sunglasses and hung her head, and Hood watched the tears run off her nose. Hood set a hand on her shoulder and she shrugged it off.

"When did you see him last?" asked Hood.

"It's been two weeks," she said, holding Hood's gaze.

"You guys had no hall pass for that one."

"None whatsoever. It wasn't the first time. Those precious days kept us sane. Kept him alive."

Hood wasn't surprised. The UC agents were known for sneaking away sometimes-even from their handlers. "Where?"

"San Francisco."

"When did you talk to him last?" Bly asked.

Seliah didn't look up. "This morning."

"Did he say where he was?"

"He didn't say anything. He cancelled his cell service six days ago. Threw it away for all I know. It's all e-mail now. He sounded tired but okay."

Six days, thought Hood. She should have told them about the cell phone.

"Do you know where he is?" asked Bly.

"He can't tell me where he is because I can't know. He can hint when he'll be home. He can tell me he loves me but he can't call me by name because I might become a target. You office jockeys have no idea how awful undercover work is for a married man. There's a reason you prefer them single. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I just said. It's… This is hard. So damned hard."