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"A waste of time. Min Koryo and Lee Tong would be back on the streets in an hour."
"Surely there must be enough evidence."
"Nothing the Attorney General can sink his teeth into. Most of their illegal operations are managed outside our borders in Third World nations that aren't overly friendly toward the United States-"
The phone buzzed.
"Emmett."
"Agent Goodman in communications, sir."
"What is it, Goodman?"
"I have contact with agent Griffin in Louisiana."
"About time," Emmett snapped impatiently. "Put me through."
"Hold on." There was a pause broken by an audible click, and then Emmett heard the sound of labored breathing. He switched on the speaker amplifier so the others could hear.
"Griffin, this is Sam Emmett, can you hear me?"
"Yes, sir, very clearly." The words seemed uttered in pain. "We ran . . . ran into trouble."
"What happened?"
"We spotted a Bougainville cargo ship tied to a pier beside a barge and towboat about seventy miles below New Orleans.
Before my team and I could gain entry for a search, we were fired upon by heavy weapons mounted on the ship. Everyone was hit. . . . I have two killed and seven wounded, including myself.
It was a massacre." The voice choked and went quiet for a few moments. When it came back on the line the tone was noticeably weaker.
"Sorry for not making contact sooner, but our communications gear was shot out and I had to walk two miles before I could find a telephone."
Emmett's face took on a compassionate look. The thought of a badly wounded man trailing blood for two miles in the scorching heat of summer stirred his normally rock-hard emotions.
Sandecker moved closer to the speaker. "What of Pitt and Giordino?"
"The NUMA people and one of my agents were flying surveillance in our helicopter," Griffin answered. "They got the hell shot out of them and crashed somewhere upriver. I doubt there were any survivors."
Sandecker stepped back, his expression gone lifeless.
Emmett leaned over the speaker. "Griffin?"
His only reply was a vague muttering.
"Griffin, listen to me. Can you go on?"
"Yes, sir. . . . I'll try."
"The barge, what is the situation with the barge?"
"Tug . . . tug pushed it away."
"Pushed it where?"
"Downriver . . . last seen going toward Head of Passes."
"Head of Passes?"
