Mockett walked out of his office, down the hall, and past the reception booth in the lobby. The building’s long-forgotten architect had tried to combine crude modernism with Islamic motifs, and Mockett passed under an Ottoman-style arch, rendered in thick concrete, as he entered the bright light of the parking lot. He climbed behind the wheel of his Lexus and turned the key, easing the vehicle past a low metal fence and onto the street. He’d only been driving for a few moments when the bomb that had been carefully placed beneath his seat exploded.
