“Neil, get on those cameras. I need a window of opportunity, either with the nanny taking the children out somewhere, or a definite time when she and the kids are there alone. Keep your eyes peeled and let me know the second you have something.”
“I'm all over it,” Neil said.
It was time to wait. Noah and Sarah sat together in the folding chairs beside Neil, watching the minutes pass by. It would take Moose about half an hour to get to the Gomez house, but nothing could happen until they saw the box taken inside.
Suddenly, Neil pointed at the monitor. “There's Moose,” he said. “The van just pulled up in the driveway. No sign that anyone in the house has noticed him, yet.” He paused for a couple of seconds, then said, “He just got out, he's walking around the van to get to the side door. Got it open, picked up the box—there he goes, up the driveway to the walk. Up the stairs, looks like he's ringing the doorbell. Okay, somebody just opened the door, looks like Mrs. Gomez herself. Moose is talking, she's smiling, and now she's looking into the box and smiling even bigger. Boss, I think we got a winner, here. Yep, she took the box inside, and there goes Moose. He's back in the van, backing out of the driveway and out of sight.”
Less than a minute later, Noah's cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Go,” he said as he answered. It was Moose calling, of course, letting them know that the first phase of the mission had gone off without a hitch. The high-explosive shrine was inside the house.
“Good job,” Noah said. “Now go get us some wheels, and Sarah said to tell you to make sure it can move and handle.”
“No problem, I got it all figured out. Meet me at the McDonald's by the mall in half an hour.”
Noah agreed and put the phone away, then motioned for Sarah to follow him. “Get me something, Neil,” Noah said. “We need to make this happen today.”
“Sure, no problem, I'll just snap my fingers and make the nanny take the kids to the park. All in a day's work for the magic man, no big deal.” He rolled his eyes as Noah and Sarah left the building. They pulled away in the Chrysler a moment later, and Neil began to concentrate on the monitor once again.
It took them almost the entire half hour to get to the rendezvous. Sarah parked the Chrysler at the back of the parking lot. They sat there for about five minutes before a new Ford Explorer pulled in beside them, with Moose at the wheel.
Noah and Sarah got out as Moose did, and met him in front of the blue car. “How long before anyone knows it's missing?” Noah asked.
“Several hours, at least. I didn't exactly steal it; my alter ego, Jimmy McCormick, is taking it for an extended test drive. I convinced the salesman I needed to take it down to Jefferson City to show my mother, told him I was thinking of buying it as a present for her. Had to leave a five-hundred-dollar deposit, but I didn't think you'd mind. The only thing I did was switch out the dealer plates for the ones off the van. The dealer tag is in the trunk.”
Noah nodded, his eyes wide. “Good thinking,” he said. “If everything goes well, we can switch back again later and you can turn it back in without a problem.”
Moose grinned and looked at Sarah. “It's not as fast as the Chrysler, but it did pretty good on the way here. I was kinda surprised, that thing really handles pretty well.”
They traded keys and Sarah slid behind the wheel of the newer car, while Noah got in on the passenger side. As they backed out, they noticed Moose walking into the McDonald's, and Sarah waved at him.
The Ford had a full tank of gas, so they began to just cruise around town. They drove through a couple of the local parks, cruised around the University and finally parked at a small shopping center not far from Alejandra Gomez’s home. Noah had called Neil a couple of times, but the boy said there had been no sign of the nanny or children.
At just past noon, however, the situation changed. Noah's phone rang and he snatched it up instantly. “Go!”
“Boss, I'm not a hundred percent sure if this is what you want, but it may be the best you're going to get. Mrs. Gomez and the nanny just loaded the kids into a car and they're pulling away from the house right now. I've hacked into the traffic cams all around the area, give me a couple of minutes and I'll tell you which direction they're going.”
“Good, let's go for it. If I have to, I'll take out Alejandra now. Between that and the kids disappearing, we'll probably still get the prayer meeting we want.” He motioned for Sarah to start the car and pointed in the general direction of the Gomez house. She pulled out of the parking lot onto the street, and began moving, keeping below the speed limit until she knew which direction to go.
“Okay, she just turned off of North Glenwood onto West Broadway, heading west. Where you at?”
“We're at West Boulevard and Broadway, so she's coming right at us. What's she driving?”
“An SUV, a Lexus. Looks like a new one, it's black.”