Loaded? Then came muffled voices. Two pairs of footsteps scraping on the concrete steps. Did you like it? How do you know its an exact copy? Stone picked up the phone.Mr. Gunderson, what can I do for you? he asked quickly, as if he had been on another line. He opened the door then.Well, dear boy. I think I had in mind something both more productive and more specific, in terms of the shooter. Running. What? Used to be. Retired. Not too good at the time... real good later on. Howd you know? He doesnt believe in what he calls unnecessary social pleasantries, Quane said. He thinks theyre a waste of time. So hes eliminated hello, good-bye, please, thank you and a lot of other stuff like that from his vocabulary. It must save him a couple of minutes a year. Maybe even more. Dino heard it, too.He just shifted gears. We need a defensive position. J. Edgar Hoover. He was a long time ago. Mr. Longmire, Vullo said. We had an agreement that you would spend two weeks on the Mix thing and then give me your report. It would seem to me that the conclusion of your report now depends on whether Mr. Mix is released by his kidnapper. Youre not being asked to rescue Mr. Mix. Youre simply being asked to help deliver the ransom safely. In exchange for that service Im prepared to pay you the rest of your fee. He reached over and tapped the check with his pencil. Its Lance. I heard. Where are you? You didnt get the mans name? He said hed done something he shouldnt have. Something big. And then he said that hed made a recording on this little digital recorder he always carried. It fits right in his pocket.’ Stamos appraised him for a moment.So, you think youll make the cut?.