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“Yes. She inspected it before I brought out the painting.”
“How long did she have it?”
“Just a minute, while she examined it.”
“And the other woman? Did she touch it?”
“No. When I lost them after the gunfight, I went back to the club, put the finial inside the case, and got out of there with my surviving men.”
Locsin knew the metal case was lined with a thin layer of lead, which meant it had to be opened at customs. But it would also shield any electronics inside as well.
“Did you open the case when you stopped at the chemical lab on the way back?”
Tagaan thought for a moment, then said, “Yes, I did. I gave the two pills to Ocampo as you instructed.” Those had been the last pills Ocampo had received for his research, and he got them only because the two men who’d died in Bangkok wouldn’t need them anymore.
It also meant that the finial was exposed for a short time while the case was open. It had remained closed ever since it arrived back at their headquarters.
A look of recognition dawned on Tagaan’s face. “That redhead placed a tracking device on the finial?”
“A very small one.”
As the enormity of his mistake became apparent, Tagaan reared back and kicked an empty crate so hard that it shattered.
Locsin called one of his men at the headquarters and told him to retrieve the case from his room. He told the man to go to the most remote part of the cavern and open the case far from the opening in the roof so it wouldn’t be in the direct line of sight to any satellites overhead. He
was to inspect the finial and replace it in the case before reporting back.
Ten minutes later, as the last packets were being loaded into the fire truck’s tank, Locsin’s phone rang.
“Yes,” Locsin said as Tagaan listened intently to the speakerphone.
“There was a small electronic chip inside the finial’s base,” the man replied breathlessly.
“You didn’t remove it, did you?”
“No, comrade leader.”
“Good. Have the finial brought to me in Manila at once. Do not open the case again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, comrade leader. It will be there by this afternoon.”
“Good. And send another ten men with it.” He hung up.
Tagaan fumed as Locsin put the phone away. “I’m a disgrace.”
“Spycraft isn’t your strength,” Locsin said, surprising himself about how calm he was about the setback. “Your other abilities are more valuable.”
“You’re not going to destroy the tracking device?”
Locsin shook his head. “It’s much more useful intact.”
Tagaan looked at him, puzzled, until he realized what Locsin meant.
“Do you still want me to supervise the unloading of the Magellan Sun?”
“Yes, I can handle things here.” Locsin understood why he was so serene. It was because he was back to being on the offensive. When he was in control of the situation, it kept the anger at bay. “I want to find out who was helping Beth Anders. And now that we know there is a tracker on the finial, we have the perfect lure.”
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