After Veil's only ally within The Organization is taken away from him, he suspects the information in the palmtop computer could have been deliberately compromised all along. He debates the options and weighs the fates before using one more tip from the compact computer - the name and address of Clare Hillard, a reporter who covered the same sector where he took the now sought after "Hidden Agenda" photo. Arriving in Hillard's small Ohio town, Veil's met with a cold reception from her and soon discovers that there's a nearly identical man living there who has adopted his name, his profession and his photographs, including "Hidden Agenda." When Claire Hillard disappears, Veil is suspected of foul play and arrested. As charges of murder loom, Veil's case is assigned to deputy public defender Jane Butler. When he relates his complex story to her, Butler is intrigued and offers to help him corroborate that there is indeed another man posing as him. Veil knows he's in the wrong place and the wrong time when she returns from encounter with the other Tom Veil and has the negatives to "Hidden Agenda."