CHAPTER 8
Harry and Reuben passed the bank, each giving it just a brief glance, and continued, turning down the corridor to the restrooms and service area adjacent to the bank.
They found an orange pylon with a CLOSED sign attached to it in a janitorial closet in the restroom and set it out by the door to the men’s room.
Harry knelt down next to the wall on the bank side of the restroom. He opened his duffel and took out a listening device. He attached it to the wall, inserting the other end in his right ear.
He listened for a few seconds and then glanced up at Reuben. “Sawing. And hammers. Hand tools it sounds like.”
“Don’t use those sorts of tools on a bank vault,” said Reuben.
“No, you don’t. I think Oliver’s theory is right. They’re using the bank to get to somewhere else in the building. Maybe the residences. You saw who’s there. The VP has to be the target.”
“I think so too. But we don’t know which residence it is. And until Annabelle checks back in we’re running blind. We need more information if we’re going to have a real shot at stopping this.”
“Maybe we should call in the FBI, Reuben. I mean, it is the VP after all. If this gets beyond us and we haven’t told anyone? They might throw us all in prison and forget we’re there.”
“They might. But though we’re few in number I’ll take the Camel Club over all the suits at Hoover. What about you?”
Harry slowly nodded. “Agreed.”
“Good. Now let’s beef up our intel so we can kick these suckers’ asses.”
Reuben called Caleb and told him where to meet. He clicked off. “Let’s go, Harry,” he said.
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
They met Caleb in front of the mall’s administrative office, which was now closed. It was also located down a service corridor. Admin offices generated no revenue and were thus relegated to the cheap, retail-unusable space in the mall.
Reuben eyed the door and the lock. “Looks to be alarmed,” he said.
Harry nodded and started searching in his bag while Caleb said, “Annabelle hasn’t called yet from the event.”
“She will, once she gets the lay of the land,” replied Reuben. “She’s the real deal. We all know that. Con the pope, that girl could.”
“Actually, she probably has,” added Caleb drily. “I’ve yet to meet the man who is impervious to her charms.”
Reuben eyed him critically. “Really? Would that include you, Caleb? If memory serves correctly, you spent quite a bit of time in a large van with our gal in a very isolated area where innumerable opportunities might exist to test your theory.”
Caleb sputtered, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not that sort.”
“What sort?”
“I’m a gentleman. I would never take advantage of a female professional colleague like that.”
Reuben chuckled. “As if you could. She’d kick your butt all the way to Jefferson’s library at Monticello.”
Caleb’s features swelled with indignation. “What do you need me up here for?” he asked. “I presume you have some plan that requires my participation.”
Reuben said, “You presume right. You have to cover our six. I need you to go to the end of the corridor. Anybody starts to come down this way you have to distract them and give us a heads-up. And then keep that up until we can make a clean getaway. Improvise when you have to.”
Caleb looked incredulous. “Really? Is that all? Do you want me to kung fu them too?”
“Do you know kung fu?” asked Reuben pointedly.
“Right now I wish I did!” Caleb spun on his heel and marched back down the hall.
Reuben’s amused gaze followed Caleb down the hall. But when he looked at Harry his features turned serious. “We don’t have much time.”
“I know,” said Harry.
“You can break in there, right?”
“If I can break into the Pentagon, Reuben, I think I can manage an office in the mall.”
*
Annabelle sipped a glass of wine and surveyed the room. There were about fifty people that she could see in the luxurious penthouse apartment. They were clearly all well-to-do and connected and many seemed to know one another. She followed Bob around a bit and listened in on some conversations, but then used a potty break excuse to go off on her own.
She was looking everywhere for Alex Ford but didn’t see him. The vice president must be in another room of the apartment. Maybe one had to pay for the privilege of being in such august company in addition to what they’d ponied up already. Plus, a photo op would probably set one back another five grand. Politics for the people, she thought.
She grabbed another glass of wine and continued her stroll. She nodded and smiled at people as she went, but her gaze kept roaming. The views out the windows were spectacular, but that was not the way they would be coming. The bank was down below. How they would get from there to here she didn’t know. But she assumed they had found a way. Otherwise why would they have invaded the bank at all?
She took out her cell phone and tried calling Alex, but he didn’t pick up. He wouldn’t, she assumed, while he was on duty. But if she could just find him and tell him what was going on…
“Hey, Annabelle!”
She turned to see Bob standing there with some people for her to meet. She smiled politely and turned to the group. But even her rock-hard nerves were starting to crumble a bit. She had to find Alex and warn him. And she could sense time was running out.