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"No."

"Everybody's getting into the business these days, too much of it borderline or worse. Legation supplies banked tissue and live organs, both ostensibly for altruistic reasons under tax-free status, for huge profits, but with little or no quality control. It's a big outfit, started locally by an unschooled evangelist named The Reverend Lotte, with phenomenal success from the beginning. The Legation operation has spread to other cities."

"Legation is a peculiar name for an organ outfit."

"Not when you understand the owner. The Reverend Lotte considers himself to be, or at least claims to be, a legate, a missionary on a mission from God to supply organs and tissue to those in need."

"How do you know?"

"He proclaims divine mission, with messianic fervor, to the members of a grieving family when he's trying to get permission to reap the live organs and tissues of a dying or brain-dead relative."

"So, what do you think of his claim?"

"He may have led himself to believe it. Anyway, it's an excuse for unbridled behavior."

"I had no idea. Why have we not heard of him?"

"Because Sentara General would never buy from him, nor would he sell most of his tainted implants to any qualified hospital. In live organs, he deals only with faraway third-rate hospitals, usually across a southern border, unless he has a legitimate local donor. Then he makes a great show of his benevolence."

"I see."

"The second outfit, Mercury, is owned and operated for profit by Ivan Prescott, a recognized biblical scholar, a Yale divinity school graduate, and a man with the highest scruples. But Mercury supplies only banked tissue ... no live organs. It was founded in New Haven, then established in New York, and it, too, has had great success. With an impeccable reputation, Mercury has spread to numerous cities in this country. Prescott recently moved his headquarters to Norfolk. He has been criticized because he sells for a profit."

"Then Mercury would have no interest in you?"

"I have guessed not ... but there is one more."

"Here?"

"Operational worldwide, under the name Paladin, headquartered somewhere in equatorial Africa, at a place called Xanadu. The hospital there has the same name and it takes donor material of all types, mostly for its own use."

"Its quality?"

"By reputation-above reproach."

"Then neither Mercury nor Paladin would supply material not up to standard."

"Emphatically, not."

"Who owns and runs Paladin?"

"It's run by a man named Kahan, and belongs to Paladin, an organization financed by the oil cartel of the Middle East, and by European money. After its successful startup, other big money appeared from countries and people around the world who want to be assured of transplants when needed."

"American money, too?"

"From the wealthy-for a place to turn when all else fails."

"Then Xanadu is the biggest outfit in the business."

"Far and away."

"Do you know its exact location?"

"Kahan built the hospital into the side of a mountain in equatorial Africa."

"Why?"

"Isolated, and protected, and apparently transplants can always be had there. It could never happen here because of federal regulations."

"Joan, how do you know about these organizations?"

"From my position on the board of LifeChain. There, these matters are discussed in meetings. I have one of the highest and one of the lowest positions in the organization-delivery boy and board member, both without pay. Ivan Prescott, though a competitor and the owner of Mercury, serves on the board too, believe it or not, because of his expertise and his altruism. He contributes his time to help LifeChain because it's nonprofit. He knows Kahan, and sells large quantities of banked tissue to Xanadu. He has visited the hospital and Kahan several times, and always brings back the news from Africa. Of course, locally, we know something about Legation, some of it hearsay, but all very troubling."

"Money."

"Yes, I'm afraid you're right. And I also think we are in danger of losing someone to this end in our own region very soon."

Eric thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Well, this is all very intriguing, but to more immediate concerns-why don't you bathe and change while I finish getting a meal together? It will be light and small."

"Great idea."

She went toward his bedroom, and in a moment the shower came on. In the distance, muted thunder rolled, and rain began to drum heavily on the roof.