Agent Santos consented to meet them in a coffee shop in Federal Plaza downtown, the type of impersonal chain store that seemed perfectly impartial for a discussion that may lead to charges of federal wrongdoing.
Grace needed time to calm down and gather her thoughts, so she arrived fifteen minutes early. Still wearing his chef's coat and bearing the weight of a hectic lunch service, Max arrived home from work right away.
As he moved into the booth across from her, he asked, "You sure about this?"
"No, but I'm sure I need to know the truth."
Santos showed up at just the right moment, looking older than Grace had recalled but maintaining the assured demeanor of someone used to being the most intelligent person in the room. He started right away after ordering a black coffee.
He said, "I
