Washington, D. C., Thursday & Friday, three weeks later…

Jay was still on leave and very frustrated when Asako dropped by her apartment. Jay was shabbily dressed in blue jeans and a checkered blouse. There were paint smudges on both, since that very day, while she thought about the case, she had decided to finish a painting she had started some months ago. Asako, in contrast, was dressed in a smart business suit.

"Amiga mia, how are you? Come on in."

"I'll just be a minute, Jay. I was downtown and I'm on my way back to Quantico, so I can't stay long. Still, I thought you might be interested in this." She handed a few papers to Jay. "Got a coke?" The DC summertime heat and humidity were turned on high.

"In the fridge. Help yourself." Jay sat down to read.

It was a report from the CIA about a terrorist interrogation gone bad in the Philippines. The Filipino army had captured a suspected terrorist in an apartment in Manila. The woman had allegedly been planning an assassination attempt on President Fulton on his visit to Manila next month for the Pacific Rim Economic Summit. Asako had underlined one portion which read: "The terrorist bears an uncanny resemblance to Stephanie Williams, Vice President of the United States, when the Vice President was a movie star twenty years ago."

"How does the CIA analyst know this suspected terrorist looks like a young Stephanie Williams?" asked Jay. "And where did you get this?"