Overview

Thanks to influential friends, Hugh Pritchard may escape a jail sentence for the part he played in Gust McKee's scheme to flood the country with counterfeit silver. Emlyn Strickland intends to keep an eye on both Pritchard and the jailed McKee, but it's no easy task when his attention is taken up by the new case Bishop assigns him—and the new partner, an overbearing senior agent by the name of Philip Mowbray. Darrow, enlisted as part-time informant by a pragmatic Bishop, loathes Mowbray at first sight, convinced the agent doesn't have the ability to keep Emlyn out of trouble… Not as well as he does, anyway. Mowbray's dislike of him, as swift and commensurate, is a sentiment echoed by other agents at the Treasury, where Darrow finds himself an unwelcome presence. Determined to salvage a new life out of the broken remains of his old one, Darrow sets up an easel in his Bowery attic to supplement his Service pay and tries to make the most of infrequent evenings with the busy Emlyn. But those stolen moments aren't enough and when Emlyn lands in the hospital after his assignment goes awry, Darrow tentatively offers to move in with him until he's recovered. The decision brings Darrow into Emlyn's investigation and soon they're working together to track down the man threatening senators who've vowed to repeal the Silver Act. When their assassin sets his sights on the Act's most vocal opponent, the hunt turns into a desperate race to Washington, where the saving of a president may come at a heartbreaking price.