isten to me. My partner’s missing. And I need to look at some files.”

Rhyme was speaking to Andrew Sterling via a high-definition video link.

The head of SSD was back in his austere office in the Gray Rock. He sat completely upright in what seemed to be a plain wooden chair, ironically mimicking Rhyme’s stiff posture in his TDX. Sterling said in a soft voice, “Sam Brockton talked to you. Inspector Glenn too.” Not a splinter of uneasiness in the voice. No emotion at all, in fact, though a pleasant smile rested on his face.

“I want to see my partner’s dossier. The officer you met, Amelia Sachs. Her whole dossier.”

“What do you mean, ‘whole,’ Captain Rhyme?”

The criminalist noted that Sterling had used his title, which wasn’t common knowledge. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“No, I don’t.”

“I want to see her 3E Compliance dossier.”

Another hesitation. “Why? It’s nothing. Some technical government filing information. Privacy Act disclosures.”

But the man was lying. CBI agent Kathryn Dance had given him some insights into kinesics—body language—and the analysis of how people communicate. A hesitation before answering is often a sign of coming deception, since the subject is trying to formulate a credible, but false, answer. One speaks quickly when telling the truth; there’s nothing to fabricate.

“Why don’t you want me to see it, then?”

“There’s just no reason to… It wouldn’t help you at all.”

Lie.

Sterling’s green eyes remained calm, though once they flicked sideways, and Rhyme realized he’d glanced at where Ron Pulaski would appear on his screen; the young officer was back in the lab, standing behind Rhyme.

“Then answer me a question.”

“Yes?”

“I was just talking to an NYPD computer man. I had him estimate how big my cousin’s SSD dossier was.”

“Yes?”

“He said a thirty-page dossier of text would be about twenty-five K in size.”

“I’m as concerned as you are about your partner’s well-being but—”

“I doubt that very much. Now listen to me.” A slightly raised eyebrow was Sterling’s only response. “A typical dossier is twenty-five kilobytes of data. But your brochure says you have over five hundredpetabytes of information. That’s so much data most people can’t even comprehend it.”

Sterling wasn’t responding.

“If a dossier averages twenty-five K, then the database for every human being on Earth would take up maybe a hundred and fifty billion K, to be generous. But innerCircle has more than five hundred trillionK. What’s in the rest of innerCircle’s hard drive space, Sterling?”

Another hesitation. “Well, lots of things… Graphics and photographs, they take up a huge amount of space. Administrative data, for instance.”

Lie.

“And tell me why would somebody have a Compliance file in the first place? Who has to comply with what?”

“We make sure that everyone’s file complies with the requirements of the law.”

“Sterling, if that file isn’t on its way to my computer in five minutes I’m going straight to the Times with the story that you aided and abetted a criminal who used your information to rape and murder. The Compliance Division folks in Washington aren’t going to save you from those headlines. And the story’ll run above the fold. I guarantee that.”

Now Sterling simply laughed, his face exuding confidence. “I don’t think that will happen. Now, Captain, I’m going to say good-bye.”

“Sterling—”

The screen went black.

Rhyme closed his eyes in frustration. The criminalist maneuvered his chair to the whiteboards containing the evidence charts and the list of suspects. He stared at Thom’s and Sachs’s lettering, some scrawled fast, some penned methodically.

But no answers presented themselves.

Where are you, Sachs?

He knew she lived on the edge, that he would never suggest she avoid the high-risk situations she seemed drawn to. But he was furious that she’d followed up on her damn lead without backup.

“Lincoln?” Ron Pulaski asked softly. Rhyme glanced up to see the young officer’s eyes unusually cold as he stared at the crime-scene pictures of Myra Weinburg’s body.

“What?”

He turned to the criminalist. “I have an idea.”

The face, with the bandaged nose, was now filling the high-def screen.

“You do have access to innerCircle, don’t you?” Ron Pulaski asked Mark Whitcomb in a cool voice. “You said you weren’t cleared but you are.”

The Compliance assistant sighed. But finally he said, “That’s right.” Holding eye contact with the webcam briefly, then looking away.

“Mark, we have a problem. We need you to help us.”

Pulaski explained about Sachs’s disappearance and Rhyme’s suspicion that the Compliance file might help them figure out where she’d gone. “What’s in the dossier?”

“A Compliance dossier?” Mark Whitcomb whispered. “It’s absolutely forbidden to access one. If they find out, I could go to jail. And what Sterling’s reaction will be… it’ll be worse than jail.”

Pulaski snapped, “You weren’t honest with us and people died.” Then he added more softly, “We’re the good guys, Mark. Help us out. Don’t let anybody else get hurt. Please.”

He said nothing more, letting the silence roll up.

Good job, rookie, thought Rhyme, who was content to take the copilot’s seat on this one.

Whitcomb grimaced. He looked around and up at the ceiling. Was he afraid of listening devices or surveillance cameras? Rhyme wondered. It seemed so, because both resignation and urgency filled his voice as he said, “Write this down. We won’t have much time.”

“Mel! Get over here. We’re going into SSD’s system, innerCircle.”

“We are? Uh-oh, this doesn’t sound good. First, Lon hijacks my shield, now this.” The tech hurried to a station next to Rhyme. Whitcomb recited a Web site address, which Cooper typed in. On the screen appeared some messages indicating that they’d made contact with SSD’s secure server. Whitcomb gave Cooper a temporary user name and, after a moment of hesitation, three long random-character passcodes.

“Download the decryption file in the box in the center of the screen and hit EXECUTE.”

Cooper did and a moment later another screen appeared.!!!Welcome, NGHF235, please enter (1) the Subject’s 16-digit SSD code; or (2) country and number of Subject’s passport, or (3) Subject’s name, current residence, Social Security number and one telephone number.

“Type in the information for the person you’re interested in.”

Rhyme dictated the details about Sachs. On the screen appeared: Confirm access to 3E!!!Compliance Dossier? Yes No.

Cooper clicked on the former and a box appeared, asking for yet another passcode.

With another glance at the ceiling, Whitcomb asked, “You ready?”

As if something significant was about to happen. “Ready.”

Whitcomb gave them another sixteen-digit passcode, which Cooper typed in. He hit ENTER.

As the text began filling the computer screen, the criminalist whispered an astonished, “Oh, my God.”

And it took a lot to astonish Lincoln Rhyme.

RESTRICTED

POSSESSION OF THIS DOSSIER BY ANY PERSON NOT HOLDING AN A-18 CLEARANCE OR HIGHER IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW

Dossier 3E—Compliance

SSD Subject Number: 7303 — 4490 — 7831 — 3478

Name: Amelia H. Sachs

Pages: 478

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Click on topic to view

• Note: Archived material may take up to five minutes to access

PROFILE

• Name/Aliases/Nics/Nyms/A.K.A.s

• Social Security Number

• Present address

• Satellite view of present address

• Prior addresses

• Citizenship

• Race

• Ancestral history

• National origin

• Physical description/distinguishing characteristics

• Biometric details!!!• Photographs!!!• Video!!!• Fingerprints!!!• Footprints!!!• Retinal scan!!!• Iris scan!!!• Gait profile!!!• Facial scan!!!• Voice pattern

• Tissue samples

• Medical history

• Political party affiliations

• Professional organizations

• Fraternal organizations

• Religious affiliations

• Military!!!• Service/discharge!!!• DOD evaluation!!!• National Guard evaluation!!!• Weapons systems training

• Donations!!!• Political!!!• Religious!!!• Medical!!!• Philanthropic!!!• Public Broadcasting System/National Public Radio!!!• Other

• Psychological/psychiatric history

• Myers-Briggs personality profile

• Sexual preference profile

• Hobbies/interests

• Clubs/fraternal organizations

INDIVIDUALS TETHERED TO SUBJECT

• Spouses

• Intimate relationships

• Offspring

• Parents

• Siblings

• Grandparents (paternal)

• Grandparents (maternal)

• Other blood relatives, living

• Other blood relatives, deceased

• Relatives related by marriage or tethering

• Neighbors!!!• Present!!!• Past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Co-workers, clients, etc.!!!• Present!!!• Past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Acquaintances!!!• In person!!!• Online

• Persons of Interest (PEOI)

FINANCIAL

• Employment—present!!!• Category!!!• Salary history!!!• Days absent/reasons for absence!!!• Discharge/unemployment claims!!!• Citations/reprimands!!!• Title 7 discrimination incidents!!!• OSHA incidents!!!• Other actions

• Employment—past (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• Category!!!• Salary history!!!• Days absent/reasons for absence!!!• Discharge/unemployment claims!!!• Citations/reprimands!!!• Title 7 discrimination incidents!!!• OSHA incidents!!!• Other actions

• Income—present!!!• IRS reported!!!• Nonreported!!!• Foreign!!!• Income—past!!!• IRS reported!!!• Nonreported!!!• Foreign

• Assets currently held!!!• Real property!!!• Vehicles and boats!!!• Bank accounts/securities!!!• Insurance policies!!!• Other

• Assets, past twelve months, unusual disposition or acquisition of!!!• Real property!!!• Vehicles and boats!!!• Bank accounts/securities!!!• Insurance policies!!!• Other

• Assets, past five years, unusual disposition or acquisition of (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• Real property!!!• Vehicles and boats!!!• Bank accounts/securities!!!• Insurance policies!!!• Other

• Credit report/rating

• Financial transactions, U.S.-based institutions!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year!!!• Past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Financial transactions, foreign-based institutions!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year!!!• Past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Financial transactions, Hawala and other cash transactions, U.S. and foreign!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year!!!• Past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)

COMMUNICATIONS

• Present phone numbers!!!• Mobile!!!• Landline!!!• Satellite

• Prior phone numbers past twelve months!!!• Mobile!!!• Landline!!!• Satellite

• Prior phone numbers past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• Mobile!!!• Landline!!!• Satellite

• Fax numbers

• Pager numbers

• Incoming/outgoing phone/pager calls—mobile/PDA!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Incoming/outgoing phone/pager/fax calls—landline!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Incoming/outgoing phone/pager/fax calls—satellite!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Wiretaps/intercepts!!!• Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)!!!• Pen registers!!!• Title 3!!!• Other, warrants!!!• Other, collateral

• Web-based telephone activities

• Internet service providers, present

• Internet service providers, past 12 months

• Internet service providers, past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Favorite place/bookmarked Web sites

• E-mail addresses!!!• Present!!!• Past

• E-mail activity, past year!!!• TC/PIP history!!!• Outgoing addresses!!!• Incoming addresses!!!• Content (warrant may be required to view)

• E-mail activity, past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• TC/PIP history!!!• Outgoing addresses!!!• Incoming addresses!!!• Content (warrant may be required to view)

• Web sites, present!!!• Personal!!!• Professional

• Web sites, past five years (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• Personal!!!• Professional

• Blogs, lifelogs, Web sites (See appendices for text of Passages of Interest (POI))

• Social Web site memberships (mySpace, Facebook, OurWorld, others) (See appendices for text of Passages of Interest (POI))

• Avatars/other personas online

• Mailing lists

• “Buddies” on e-mail accounts

• Internet Relay Chat participation

• Web browsing and search engine requests/results

• Keyboarding technique profile

• Search engine grammar, syntax and punctuation profile

• Package delivery service history

• Postal boxes

• Express Mail/Registered/Certified USPS activity

LIFESTYLE ACTIVITIES

• Purchases today!!!• Threat-oriented items or commodities!!!• Clothing

•!!! Vehicles and vehicle related!!!• Food!!!• Liquor!!!• Household items!!!• Appliances!!!• Other

• Purchases in past 7 days!!!• Threat-oriented items or commodities!!!• Clothing!!!• Vehicles and vehicle related!!!• Food!!!• Liquor!!!• Household items!!!• Appliances!!!• Other!!!• Purchases in past thirty days!!!• Threat-oriented items or commodities!!!• Clothing!!!• Vehicles and vehicle related!!!• Food!!!• Liquor!!!• Household items!!!• Appliances!!!• Other

• Purchases in past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• Threat-oriented items or commodities!!!• Clothing!!!• Vehicles and vehicle related!!!• Food!!!• Liquor!!!• Household items!!!• Appliances!!!• Other

• Books/magazines purchased online!!!• Suspicious/subversive!!!• Others of interest

• Books/magazines purchased in retail stores!!!• Suspicious/subversive!!!• Others of interest

• Books/magazines checked out from libraries!!!• Suspicious/subversive!!!• Others of interest

• Books/magazines observed by airport/airline personnel!!!• Suspicious/subversive!!!• Others of interest

• Other library activities

• Bridal/shower/anniversary gift registries

• Theatrical films

• Cable television programs/pay-per-view watched past thirty days

• Cable television programs/pay-per-view watched, past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Subscription radio stations

• Travel!!!• Automotive!!!• Owned vehicles!!!• Rental!!!• Public transportation!!!• Taxis/limos!!!• Bus!!!• Trains!!!• Airplanes, commercial!!!• Domestic!!!• International!!!• Airplanes, private!!!• Domestic!!!• International!!!• TSA security screens!!!• Appearance on no-fly lists

• Presence in Locations of Interest (LOI)!!!• Local!!!• Mosques!!!• Other locations—U.S.!!!• Mosques!!!• Other locations—international

• Presence in or transit through Red Flag Locations (RFL): Cuba, Uganda, Libya, South Yemen, Liberia, Ghana, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria, Philippines, North Korea, Azerbaijan, Chile.

GEOGRAPHIC POSITIONING OF SUBJECT

• GPS devices (all positions today)!!!• Vehicular!!!• Handheld!!!• Mobile phones

• GPS devices (all positions past seven days)!!!• Vehicular!!!• Handheld!!!• Mobile phones

• GPS devices (all positions past thirty days)!!!• Vehicular!!!• Handheld!!!• Mobile phones

• GPS devices (all positions past year) (archived, may be delay in accessing)!!!• Vehicular!!!• Handheld!!!• Mobile phones

• Biometric observations!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• RFID reports, other than highway toll readers!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• RFID reports, highway toll readers!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Traffic violation photos/video

• CCTV photos/video

• Warranted surveillance photos/video

• Collateral surveillance photos/video

• In-person financial transaction hits!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Mobile phone/PDA/telecommunications hits!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

• Incidents of proximity to security targets!!!• Today!!!• Past seven days!!!• Past thirty days!!!• Past year (archived, may be delay in accessing)

LEGAL

• Criminal history—U.S.!!!• Detention/questioning!!!• Arrests!!!• Convictions

• Criminal history—foreign!!!• Detention/questioning!!!• Arrests!!!• Convictions

• Watch lists

• Surveillance

• Civil litigation

• Restraining orders

• Whistleblower history

ADDITIONAL DOSSIERS

• Federal Bureau of Investigation

• Central Intelligence Agency

• National Security Agency

• National Reconnaissance Organization

• NPIA

• U.S. Military Intelligence Agencies!!!• Army!!!• Navy!!!• Air Force!!!• Marines

• State and local police intelligence departments

THREAT ASSESSMENT

• Assessment as security risk!!!• Private sector!!!• Public sector

And this was just the table of contents. Amelia Sachs’s dossier itself was close to five hundred pages long.

Rhyme scrolled through the list and clicked on various topics. The entries were dense as wood. He whispered, “SSD has this information? On everyone in America?”

“No,” Whitcomb said. “For children under five there’s very little, obviously. And with many adults, there’re a lot of gaps. But SSD does the best they can. They’re improving it every day.”

Improving? Rhyme wondered.

Pulaski nodded at the sales brochure Mel Cooper had downloaded. “Four hundred million people?”

“That’s right. And growing.”

“And it’s updated hourly?” Rhyme asked.

“Often in real time.”

“So your government agency, Whitcomb, this Compliance Division… it isn’t about guarding the data; you’re using it, right? To find terrorists?”

Whitcomb paused. But since he’d already sent the dossier to somebody who didn’t have an A-18 clearance, whatever the hell that was, he must have figured that sharing a bit more wasn’t going to make the consequences any worse. “That’s right. And it’s not just terrorists. It’s other criminals too. SSD uses predictive software to figure out who’s going to commit crimes and when and how. A lot of the tips that go to police officials and intelligence departments come from what look like anonymous concerned citizens. They’re actually avatars. Fictions. Created by Watchtower and innerCircle. Sometimes they even collect the rewards, which are then sent back to the government to be used again.”

It was Mel Cooper who asked, “But if you’re a government agency, why are you giving the job to a private company? Why not do it yourself?”

“We have to use a private company. The Defense Department tried to do something like this themselves after nine-eleven: the Total Information Awareness program. It was run by former National Security Advisor John Poindexter and an executive from SAIC. But it got closed down—violations of the Privacy Act. And the public thought it was too Big Brother. But SSD isn’t subject to the same legal restrictions that the government is.”

Whitcomb gave a cynical laugh. “Also, with all respect to my employer, Washington wasn’t very talented. SSD is. The two main words in Andrew Sterling’s vocabulary are ‘knowledge’ and ‘efficiency.’ And nobody combines those better than him.”

“It’s not illegal?” Mel Cooper asked.

“We’re in some gray areas,” Whitcomb conceded.

“Well, can it help us? That’s all I want to know.”

“Maybe.”

“How?”

Whitcomb explained, “We’ll run Detective Sachs’s geographic-positioning profile for today. I’ll take over the keyboarding.” He began to type. “You’ll see what I do on your screen in the box at the bottom.”

“How long will that take?”

A laugh, muted thanks to the broken nose. “Not very long. It’s pretty speedy.”

He hadn’t finished speaking before text filled the screen.

GEOGRAPHIC POSITIONING PROFILE SUBJECT 7303 — 4490 — 7831 — 3478

Time parameters: Past four hours.

• 1632 hours. Phone call. From subject’s mobile phone to landline of Subject 5732-4887-3360-4759 (Lincoln Henry Rhyme) (tethered individual). 52 seconds. Subject was in her Brooklyn, NY, residence.

• 1723 hours. Biometric hit. CCTV, NYPD 84th Precinct, Brooklyn, NY. 95% probability match.

• 1723 hours. Biometric hit. Subject 3865-6453-9902-7221 (Pamela D. Willoughby) (tethered individual). CCTV, NYPD 84th Precinct, Brooklyn, NY. 92.4% probability match.

• 1740 hours. Phone call. From subject’s mobile phone to landline of Subject 5732-4887-3360-4759 (Lincoln Henry Rhyme) (tethered Individual). 12 seconds.

• 1827 hours. RFID scan. Manhattan Style Boutique credit card, 9 West Eighth Street. No purchases.

• 1841 hours. Biometric hit. CCTV, Presco Discount Gas and Oil, 546 W. 14th Street, Pump 7, 2001 Honda Civic, NY License Number MDH459, registered to 3865-6453-9902-7221 (Pamela D. Willoughby) (tethered individual).

• 1846 hours. Credit card purchase. Presco Discount Gas and Oil, 546 W. 14th Street. Pump 7. Purchase of 14.6 gallons, regular grade. $43.86 US.

• 1901 hours. License plate scan. CCTV, Avenue of the Americas and 23rd Street, Honda Civic MDH459 northbound.

• 1903 hours. Phone call. From subject’s mobile phone to landline of Subject 5732-4887-3360-4759 (Lincoln Henry Rhyme) (tethered individual). Subject was at Avenue of the Americas and 28thStreet. 14 seconds.

• 1907 hours. RFID scan, Associated Credit Union credit card, Avenue of the Americas and 34th Street. 4 seconds. No purchase.

“Okay, she’s in Pam’s car. Why’s that? Where’s hers?”

“What’s the license?” Whitcomb asked. “Never mind, it’s faster just to use her code. Let’s see…”

A window popped up and they could see a report that her Camaro had been impounded and towed from in front of her house. Nobody had any information on the pound it was destined for.

“Five Twenty-Two did that,” Rhyme whispered. “He must have. Like your wife, Pulaski. And the electricity here. He’s going after all of us, however he can.”

Whitcomb typed and the automobile information was replaced with a map, showing the hits on the geographic-positioning profile. It revealed Sachs’s movement from Brooklyn to Midtown. But then the trail stopped.

“The last one?” Rhyme asked. “The RFID scan. What was that?”

Whitcomb said, “A store read the chip in one of her credit cards. But it was brief. Probably she was in the car. She’d have to be walking pretty fast for that short a reading.”

“Did she keep going north?” Rhyme mused.

“That’s all the information we have. It’ll update soon.”

Mel Cooper said, “She might’ve taken Thirty-fourth Street to the West Side Highway. And gone north, out of the city.”

“There’s a toll bridge,” Whitcomb said. “If she crosses it we’ll get a hit on the license plate number. The girl whose car it is—Pam Willoughby—doesn’t have an E-ZPass. innerCircle would tell us if she did.”

At Rhyme’s instruction, Mel Cooper—the senior police officer among them—had an emergency vehicle locator sent out on Pam’s license number and car make.

Rhyme called the precinct house in Brooklyn, where he learned only that Sachs’s Camaro had indeed been towed. Sachs and Pam had been there briefly but had left quickly and hadn’t said where they were going. Rhyme called the girl on her mobile. She was in the city with a girlfriend. Pam confirmed that Sachs had discovered a lead after the break-in at her town house in Brooklyn but hadn’t mentioned what it was or where she was going.

Rhyme disconnected.

Whitcomb said, “We’ll feed the geopositioning hits and everything we’ve got about her and the case through FORT, the obscure relationship program, then Xpectation. That’s the predictive software. If there’s any way to find out where she’s gone, this’ll do it.”

Whitcomb looked up at the ceiling again. Grimaced. He rose and walked to the door. Rhyme could see him lock it, then wedge a wooden chair under the knob. He gave a faint smile as he sat down at the computer. He began to type.

“Mark?” Pulaski asked.

“Yes?”

“Thanks. And this time, I mean it.”