He explained the situation quickly, his military training taking over his voice.

“He wants to meet at the Miller Creek site,” Jake said. “I played along. I told him I would sign the papers.”

I could hear Major Hayes’s voice, sharp and urgent, through the speaker.

“It is a trap, Jake,” she said. “You know that.”

“I know,” Jake said. “That’s why I need you and Reyes there. We need this on record.”

“We do not have a warrant for wiretapping on such short notice,” Hayes said.

“We do not need one if I consent to being recorded,” Jake countered. “I will wear a body wire. If they confess to the fraud to get me to sign, we have them.”

“Daniel Reyes is already in the area,” Hayes said after a brief pause. “He has the federal recording equipment in his vehicle. Meet us at the diner off Highway 6 in fifteen minutes.”

“We are on our way,” Jake said.

Jake helped me bundle Owen into his thick winter coat and a heavy fleece blanket.

We walked out the back door, staying low in the shadow of the garage to avoid the driveway.