The Green Ring Conspiracy

Jason assures Whit that Monty is safe. After learning where Tanner had hidden him, Jason reached the building first and had his men take the unconscious agent to the hospital under another name. Lily is caring for him. Jason then explains the dangerous operation behind his Stiletto identity in case the plan fails.

The real Stiletto was arrested ten years earlier and surrendered his secret identity to the FBI. Because no one knew what he looked like, the government turned the name into a continuing undercover role that Jason now fills. While in Hong Kong, Jason uncovered a financial-terrorist network led by a man named Mr. Grote. Its members plan to damage the United States through corporate attacks, technological sabotage, and a flood of counterfeit money. Posing as the Stiletto, Jason has assembled a network of American counterfeiters who believe they are joining an enormously profitable crime.

The carnival auction is intended to distribute the money. Criminal representatives will win selected pieces of equipment, and boxes of counterfeit cash will be hidden in the trucks that carry their purchases away. Jason does not yet know where the money itself is stored. Tanner is not part of his operation; she exposed Monty to Dirk and later kidnapped him in hopes of buying her way into the scheme. Jason will keep her in custody until the operation is over. He asks Whit to keep everything secret for one more day and to pray that the truth will ultimately overcome the deception.

Connie attends Trask's campus gathering with Penny. She becomes uneasy when Trask asks the group to seek God in paintings connected with tarot cards and leads a prayer that speaks vaguely of a creator within and beyond them. Connie believes beauty can point people toward God, but she sees that without a firm foundation in His Word, the group can easily mistake other ideas for Him. Afterward, she tells Penny that the meeting made her uncomfortable. They agree to discuss it during their hike the next day.

Polehaus arrives after Jason has slipped away. The DNA on the carnival toothpick proves that Buck was present when Monty was taken, and Buck's print matches the partial print left on the plastic surrounding the counterfeit money. Wally's information also leads Polehaus toward the old Ross compound near Trickle Lake, where he believes the remaining counterfeit cash may be hidden.

In Whit's workshop, Eugene's program discovers Dirk's password: Stiletto. Buck cannot supply it himself, but once Matthew enters it and unlocks the phone, Buck grabs for the device. During the struggle, he smashes it against the floor and runs. Whit catches him before he can escape Whit's End and keeps him in the office until Polehaus arrives.

At the Ross compound, one of Skint's men drugs the officer guarding the road with a cup of coffee. By the time Polehaus reaches him, the large truck has disappeared. The officer did manage to record its license number, which shows that it belongs to Uncle Archie's carnival. Polehaus enters the compound to see what has been moved.

Polehaus later tells Whit to hold Buck while he investigates. Left alone in the office, Buck telephones Skint and asks for help. Skint decides that Buck is being used as bait and refuses to risk rescuing him, leaving the frightened boy to face the police by himself.

Jason meets Archie as the Stiletto and learns that the original transport plan has changed. Archie reveals that Dirk had received information Jason never saw and that Mr. Grote himself is nearby. Once Jason leaves, Archie calls an associate and says that Grote is right not to trust the Stiletto. He orders Jason removed from the operation altogether.