In July of 1973, Nixon is hospitalized for a week with pneumonia. During his hospital stay, Alexander Butterfield, a White House aide, informs the Senate Watergate Committee about a secret White House recording system. Thousands of hours of Nixon’s potentially incriminating recorded conversations exist on tape, somewhere. If Nixon’s health is related to the stress of Watergate—and if, as some rumors claim, he is “drinking heavily”—Richardson is concerned about Agnew being next in line of succession. All the actors involved in Agnew’s investigation realize they have to move forward quickly.

Fortunately, Beall and his team recruit another important witness in Jerome Wolfe, an engineer who paid kickbacks to Agnew during his tenure as Baltimore County executive. Agnew taps Wolfe to head the State Roads Commission, the funnel through which all major road and bridge contracts must pass. Agnew advises Wolfe to “insulate” himself from suspicion by employing a bag man to deliver the kickback money. Wolfe’s bag man is “Bud” Hammerman, a prominent real estate developer. Their elaborate three-way deal includes secret safety deposit boxes and coded language to signal when cash is available and how much Agnew is requesting at any given time.