Randall Feller maintained a low-key surveillance in case he was being observed, even as he took precautions to cover all the bases. With Heat engaged for at least half an hour of travel time from Midtown, the critical priority was to observe keenly in order to learn whatever he could about what was going on at Channel Maritime, while wrapping a net around the perimeter of the wharf that nobody could slip through. The hard part of that job was not being obvious about it. Do it wrong, and you could excel at keeping the bad guys in, but at the expense of driving away their accomplices if, for example, they had recently taken a ride to pick up a pizza and were coming back with it.
Feller’s first goal was to get himself on land. In short order, three vessels from the Harbor Unit responded to his radio call and formed a blockade, keeping out of the sight line of the dockyard. That freed him to reel in his lure and putt-putt across the basin to his car in the Ikea lot a quarter mile east.
He met Heat just as she arrived at the staging area Lieutenant Marr had already been set up around the corner and a block north on Van Dyke in the weed-overgrown parking lot of a deteriorating warehouse. Nikki’s first call after getting Feller’s confirmed skiff sighting was to Marr, asking the veteran Emergency Services officer to command the raid. Even though he worked out of the 108th Precinct up in Long Island City, she had prior experience with him and, with the possibility of Rook’s being held captive in there, she wanted the best: a cool-headed pro who left little to chance and got results. “Shouldn’t we get some observers out there while we do this?” asked Feller.
“Already done, Detective,” said Marr with a smile.
“I just went by, and I didn’t see any.”
The weathered corners of the lieutenant’s eyes were tugged into a genial squint. “That’s good news then. We can relax.” He must have noticed the tension in Nikki, and so went right to work spreading an enlargement of a municipal street map on the hood of his car. How the ESU had managed to pull together a strategy map complete with color-coded markings for containment, deployment, and contingencies in under thirty minutes—while in transit from Queens—mystified her. But all that, along with the calm Marr had already bestowed on her and Feller with his light military demeanor, told her she had made the right choice calling in this man.
“We’re setting up intercepts on land and water. Detective Feller, you’ve already taken care of the harbor; what I’ve done is placed units at these intersections.” He took out an old silver-plated Cross pen and used it as a pointer. “Our choke points are Beard and Dwight, Beard and Van Brunt, Richards and Van Dyke. Fall-back roamers will work Coffey Street between Otsego and Conover.” He triple-tapped the page. “Nobody’s busting out of here without a Double-Oh-Seven jetpack.” He gave Nikki a wink. “That’ll happen one of these days. Not today, I have a feeling.”
“What about air support?” she asked.
“Standby only. Chopper’s going to attract media. Don’t want that. There’s a Bell Four-twenty-nine on routine patrol less than two minutes away in Cobble Hill. If we need a copter, we’ll have a copter, and in a hurry.” He went back to his map.
“Here’s how it’s going to come down. On green, the BearCat parked behind us will enter through the front gate, which is padlocked. That is why God gave us BearCats. Simultaneously, our other assault vehicle will pull up to the east-side fence here, where teams will deploy from its roof over the concertina with mats and Telesteps. Harbor Unit will send two boats up the channel to deploy officers and to discourage a water exit. Each team coming in the gate, over the fence, and up the canal will have target assignments.” Nikki leaned in as he pointed to each spot, which he had color-coded. “The modular office trailer, the warehouse, barge one, barge two, even the minivan and the skiff—just in case Mr. Rook could be located in either one of those.” Reading Nikki’s breathing, he added with resolve, “Know what? If he’s here, we are getting him out, Captain.”