Lost at Sea

Chapter 3: Exposed

"Three days aren't enough time," Diana argued. "Boss, are you sure Hobhouse won't agree to an extension?"

"We're lucky to have this much," Peter replied. "It was only with the greatest reluctance that John agreed to not immediately process Mozzie." That Sunday morning conversation still rang uncomfortably in Peter's ears. Having to defend someone who lived off forged identities and performed illegal jobs for Gordon Taylor and no telling how many other criminals brought Peter smack up to the blurred lines his team had been straddling for the past two-and-a-half years. In their eyes, Mozzie's assistance was worth it, but John could easily disagree.

Peter had spoken with Tricia after the phone call from London and asked her to attend the morning briefing along with Jones, Travis, and Diana. Hughes had sanctioned their devoting resources on the case up to a certain point. That three-day deadline wasn't only hanging over Mozzie's head.

"Doesn't he realize what an asset Mozzie has been to the Mansfeld cases?" Diana persisted.

"You're used to thinking in the point of view of different characters," Tricia reminded her. "Consider how John could regard Mozzie's actions over the past few years. That's what I did yesterday, and my conclusion was that John could make a compelling case for Mozzie being Azathoth's secret partner."

Diana's mouth dropped, stunned into silence, and she wasn't alone. Tricia's words shocked everyone.

"When Tricia called me to explain her hypothesis, my reaction was the same," Peter said. "But upon reviewing the timeline, I realized how credible it appeared."

"Let me be clear," Tricia added. "This is not what I believe, but there's an excellent chance this is what Rolf wants us to think. Remember, he's continuing to play the innocent victim. With Mozzie, he may believe he's found the perfect scapegoat."

"Neal first met Mozzie in 2003," Peter said. He'd already outlined Rolf's defense strategy in his mind, and the team needed to understand what they were up against. "That was in New York, shortly after Neal quit Klaus's crew. A coincidence that their paths crossed? What if Klaus had hired Mozzie to be a silent partner and ordered him to seek Neal out?"

"And Rolf wasn't even involved?" Travis asked incredulously.

"In his desire to be released from prison, Rolf wouldn't hesitate to cast doubts on his brother," Tricia said. "Building up a case against Mozzie may be enough to secure a new trial. Whether or not there's enough evidence to convict is irrelevant at this point."

"So what you're saying is that Mozzie has been a mole all this time?" Jones said, appearing to give the nightmare scenario careful consideration. His objectivity was welcome.

Peter nodded. "Mozzie was the one who solved the Galileo puzzle that provided the first clues about our adversary. It was so abstruse I didn't think anyone could unravel it. Mozzie could because he had insider knowledge. He could have crafted the puzzle himself."

"But there's a flaw in the argument," Travis objected. "Klaus doesn't have computer expertise, and Mozzie's programming skills aren't up to the level of sophistication that was used in the malware."

"True," Peter said, "but Jacek Kolar has the ability. When Neal met him and his wife Marta, they worked for Klaus. We assumed later they also worked for Rolf, but there's only circumstantial evidence to link them."

Jones nodded slowly. "Mozzie could have hired them instead, letting Klaus be his frontman."

"Mozzie could have devised the connection to Lovecraft," Diana mused, a frown on her face. "He was the one who identified the symbol hidden in the security system malware as Lovecraft's glowing branch. Mozzie named the mastermind Azathoth, but that could have been a reference to himself. He was also the one who first suggested Azathoth had a secret partner."