The Fugitive by John Grisham Page A

couple of guys listening to music while you send e-mails or play games.” He moved it a little closer to his face. “And if you need to speak, just get it to within eighteen inches of your mouth, press the green button, and speak softly. It will pick up almost anything. We’ll all be on the same frequency and listening in. Any one of us can talk to the others at any time.”
    He looked at Slade and Ackerman and said, “I assume you guys want to join the fun.”
    Both nodded yes.
    â€œOkay, we’ll give you a couple of briefcases and you’ll pretend to be lawyers. There are only about half a million in this city, so you should blend in okay. I’ll be at the Metro Center Station. Salter here will be at Woodley Park and Keenum will be at Tenleytown. Questions?”
    Theo asked, “And what if we spot Packer?”
    â€œI was getting to that. First, don’t stare. Is there any chance he might recognize you?”
    Theo looked at Ike and shrugged. “I really doubt it. We’ve never met, never been too close to each other. I saw him when he was sitting in court, but I’m sure he didn’t see me. The courtroom was crowded. And I saw him a couple of times out of the courthouse during the trial, but he would not remember me. I mean, I’m just a kid. What do you think, Ike?”
    â€œI doubt it, too, but let’s not take any chances.”
    Frye asked, “Did he look at you last week when you saw him on the train?”
    â€œI don’t think so. We didn’t make eye contact.”
    â€œOkay, if you spot him, don’t stare, and as soon as you can without being noticed, press the green button and tell us. Depending on how close he is to you, we’ll ask the questions. When it looks like he’s about to get off the train, let us know. When he does, follow him but don’t get close. By then we’ll have people ready to stop him.”
    The thought of being close by when the FBI nabbed Pete Duffy made Theo’s stomach turn a flip. It would be terribly exciting, and he would be considered a hero, but he really didn’t want the attention.
    Frye convinced Theo to wear a pair of black-frame glasses as part of his disguise. They spent another ten minutes haggling over the right cap. No one seemed to like the one he brought—a faded, green John Deere number with an adjustable strap. City kids probably wouldn’t wear a cap advertising farm machinery, and Theo finally gave in. He agreed on a gray one with a Georgetown Hoyas logo. They decided not to use his backpack, but instead gave him one that was much lighter, just in case he had to move fast once on the streets. He and Ike ran through the workings of their new radios and earphones, and when everything seemed ready, they left and headed for the Metro Center Station.
    They boarded and Theo found a seat in the center of the fourth car. Ike, wearing a sports coat, different glasses, khakis and loafers, sat across from him. The guy with the maroon jogging suit was a few feet away, standing. When the train began to move, Theo plugged in his earphones and scanned the crowd. He pretended to be texting when he heard Frye’s voice. “How you doing, Theo?”
    Theo raised the phone a few inches, pressed the green button, and softly said, “Everything’s cool. No sign of Packer.”
    â€œWe hear you loud and clear.”
    Theo, Ike, and the jogger got off at the Tenleytown Station, waited a few minutes, then caught an inbound train. Minutes later, it stopped at the Judiciary Square Station and they got off. That was where the FBI assumed Pete Duffy boarded the train. Theo walked around, lost in his music and texts, the same as the other kids waiting for the train. No sign of Duffy. At the end of the platform, he saw the sailor. At the other end, he saw the skinny student. More commuters arrived and the platform got crowded. In the throng, he saw Slade, looking very much like a