Excerpt from Ch 9:
It was 8:00
P.M. and dark on the streets of our nation’s capital. The temp had dipped to the high forties as
winter seemed to be getting firmly ensconced in the District. A figure in a
dark down parka, and navy blue watch cap stood under the awning of a darkened
shop across the street from Jake’s hotel. He intently watched Jake as he sat at
a lobby bar table writing in a notebook. It was at this time that he took his
evening stroll before turning in for the night.
Jake
motioned for the waiter; signed his bill; stood and put on his coat and baseball
cap. He pushed open the glass lobby door; shoved his hands into his jacket
pockets, and emerged on the sidewalk.
Jake’s
tracker took careful notice to check once more to verify the route this Mr.
Vincent took on his nightly walk. It was almost exactly one mile. He would walk
west on Pennsylvania Av; south on 14th street; across the National
Mall; turn east on Independence Av.; north across the Mall to Pennsylvania Av.,
then west back to the Lex Hotel. The watcher grabbed a quick cup of coffee;
moved a few store fronts east on PA Av., and waited. Vincent emerged on his way
back to the Lex, in exactly the same time he did every night. It was time to
plan an encounter with the subject and pose the question to him. The watcher
moved in behind his target. Just as he was a few steps from the hotel, the
watcher turned up his collar; picked up his pace and brushed past Jake. “Excuse
me, I apologize.”
