*** I don't know which of us was more scared. But I got the door closed, both of us in the bathroom. Then I blurted out, "I won't tell on you." After a long silence, he said, "How much did you hear?" "Not much," I admitted. I kept my voice no louder than a whisper. "But I got a little last night too. I know you're working with someone against Jacob. I can't fight him myself, and I don't dare walk out on him. But I'm sure as hell not happy with what he did in the Sanctuary. Especially his risking all our lives. "I won't say anything, but I have to know. Who are you working for? Have you been a mole all along?" "From the start? Hell, no." He was shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "An' later, all I was thinkin' of was pickin' up a little extra money. The dude just wanted information. It wasn't like he was after my teacher's head." *"Who?"* He sighed. "Another Immortal. Name of Adam Pierson." Once that much was out, Carlos seemed to relax. I think he was glad, finally, to have someone to confide in. "I've only met this Pierson guy once. British--leastways he's got a British accent. I get the impression he's pretty old, so maybe he didn't always talk like he does now. "His interest in this is that he's a friend o' Duncan MacLeod. He's been payin' me for a couple years, since he got wind o' Jacob's searchin' for Connor. I was just keepin' him informed. He wanted to be sure Jacob didn't get so antsy that he'd go after his pal Duncan." I felt a chill. "Does Pierson seem willing to fight Jacob? As a last resort?" "Maybe. But he's never wanted to. He said he'd quit takin' heads for a few centuries, mostly to shake the Watchers. He has fought an' killed some recently. But he's not as solid with his sword skills as he woulda been five hundred years ago." "So you told him about the Sanctuary," I prodded. "Yeah. He knew it existed. He'd never mentioned it before, but when I called last night, he said he'd guessed Connor was there. "He was as freaked out as us to learn that nothin' much happens when you kill on holy ground. But then he thought about somethin' we hadnšt. He said he knows the Watchers well, an' they'll do *anything* to keep this under wraps. To protect the idea of holy ground as a safe refuge. They'll kill anyone who's learned the truth, even their old friend Connor MacLeod." I sat down hard. On the toilet. "Jesus." "Plus," Carlos continued, "he's checked with a few contacts since yesterday. He's sure they've figured out which Immortal wasn't beheaded, an' who was behind the raid. The top Watcher brass had known all along that Jacob has it in for MacLeod, wants to hurt an' not kill him. An' none o' the other Immortals had enemies still alive." I needed a minute to absorb that. "You're saying...the Watchers knew about Jacob? They could have told MacLeod who his enemy was, so he could fight him! But they kept him in the dark and let him throw his life away. *Urged* him into their damn Sanctuary--that was just as much 'interfering' as telling him about Jacob would have been." "Shit," Carlos muttered. "I hadn't thought it through, but you're right. The sick bastards!" Neither of us was a fan of Connor MacLeod. We believed he'd brought his woes on himself by his long-ago murder of a priest. But we were revolted by the Sanctuary. We could appreciate the sacrifice MacLeod had made in consigning himself to that eternal limbo--as he thought, to protect the innocent. And we were appalled at the Watchers' having encouraged him to do it when they knew--and he did not--that it wasn't the only solution to his problem. As events had shown, it wasn't even the best solution. I made myself focus on the crisis at hand. "You've told Pierson Jacob finally is planning to kill Duncan?" Carlos scowled. "Yep. Pierson's in London--it was him Duncan stopped off to see. An' would you believe, Jacob was wrong! Duncan hadn't heard from Connor. It was like Dawson said--he was headed to New York to poke around the loft an' look for clues he mighta missed before. "He'd already left Pierson's place by the time I called. Pierson tried to stop him from comin' over here. Didn't want him gettin' whacked by a dirty fighter, or Watchers protectin' their new secret. So he told him what went down at the Sanctuary, without namin' Jacob. Said he thought Connor had been there, an' if so, there was no chance he could be alive." He gave a bemused shake of his head. "Duncan seems to take for granted that Pierson knows all kinds o' stuff, just 'cause he's old. But he wouldn't change his plans." I shuddered. "So now what? Jacob will murder him even if Connor doesn't show up at the loft. Connor will be sure to hear about it." "So now," Carlos said quietly, "it's up to me. "I've gotta keep Jacob from killin' Duncan MacLeod."