Free Born to Run by James Grippando Page A

to anyone, thanks to the strong arm of the FBI. He may be the only man alive who can identify the person who sent you that e-mail."
    "Are you talking about that homeless guy who hand-delivered the message to me yesterday?"
    "You got it."
    "The FBI wouldn't even tell me his name. How did you find him?"
    "Sources."
    "Must be nice to have them," said Jack.
    "Good boy," she said, smiling thinly. "You're learning."

    Chapter 14
    A scenic walk down Pennsylvania Avenue took Jack and Paulette to Lafayette Park, a seven-acre public green space directly north of the White House. At the southeast entrance they were greeted by a statue of Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette, a French hero of the American Revolutionary War and France's "pay-it-forward" answer to World War II and the liberation of Paris. A block north was St. John's Episcopal Church, the unofficial chapel to the White House since James Madison staked out pew 54 almost two centuries ago.
    "They call this the church of presidents," said Paulette, as they approached.
    Four homeless men were resting on the front steps, two of them either sleeping or passed out.
    "These must be the vice presidents," said Jack.
    She smiled and said, "Are you making fun of your father or my church?"
    "You go to church?"
    "Does that surprise you?"
    "Only because most of the Washington reporters I've met so far think they are God."
    "And I suppose monster egos would be something completely new to you, being a trial lawyer and all."
    "Touche," said Jack.
    As they climbed the granite stairs, the sun poked through the clouds and brought a springlike glow to the golden cupola and exterior walls of yellow stucco. The morning air was still quite cold, however, and Jack wondered how many nights these homeless men had spent shivering outside church doors just a block away from the White House.
    "I started coming here when I was assigned to White House coverage," said Paulette, "though, to be honest, on my first visit I was just curious to see who might be here. That's how I found Juan."
    "Juan?"
    "My source."
    "Vrincesa" the man said, rising from the top step. "Como estas?"
    "Muy bien, gracias."
    Jack shot Paulette another look of surprise. "You speak Spanish?"
    "Not really. But Juan doesn't seem to care."
    Jack was suddenly reminded of the embarrassment it caused his abuela to have lady friends compare her grandson's Spanish to Speedy Gonzalez's English.
    Paulette made the introductions, but instead of shaking Jack's hand, Juan hugged Paulette and said, "She's beautiful, no?"
    It was apparent to Jack that Juan wasn't just a source.
    "Sit," he said, inviting them to take a place on the church step. "Mi casa es su casa."
    Juan's smile was short on teeth but not on sincerity. He wore a Washington Redskins cap, black mittens, and Easter-egg-blue golf slacks that the embarrassed wife of a lawyer must have thrown into the Salvation Army box. Juan was a large man with a non - threatening manner, and the scar on his forehead made Jack guess that he was probably one of those gentle giants who got provoked into bar fights by short, drunk guys with Napoleon complexes.
    Paulette said, "Juan and I have been sitting next to each other every Sunday for about six months now."
    "We met at La Casa," said Juan.
    "La Casa is a homeless shelter," she said, "mostly Hispanic men. I volunteer down there."
    Jack tried not to look too surprised, but Paulette was turning out to be very unlike the person he had expected. And yet she hardly knew her sister.
    The world is a weird place.
    "Got good news for you," said Juan.
    "You found our man?" said Paulette. "SL"
    "Can you take us to him?" said Jack.
    "No."
    "Why not?" said Paulette.
    "He is hiding."
    "From who?" she said.
    "Todo el mundo." The whole world.
    Jack said, "My guess is that he knows the FBI is using him as bait. That's why the bureau released him--to see if the man who hired him as a decoy comes looking for him again."
    Paulette didn't disagree. "Did you talk to him,