The Frenzy War (28 page)

“They swear none of their people with access to the Lourdes' alarm code would violate company policy by sharing them.”

“Which means they're either lying or wrong,” Mace said. “Or their system was hacked.”

“They claim their security's airtight.”

“There's no such thing,” Shelly said. “A sophisticated cyber terrorist can break into any corporate system on earth. Even the bureau's mainframes have been hacked.”

“Keep at it, Candice,” Mace said. “It's too soon to let them off the hook.” He looked at the feds. “You two should go home or wherever it is government types go after work. I don't know yet what time Willy and Karol are knocking off, so I'd like to know the two of you will be on hand in the morning if Landry needs you.”

“We were just waiting for you to get back,” Norton said.

“I know it must be strange working with such a small unit.”

“Not for us. It's usually only the two of us, wherever the bureau sends us. It's sort of a luxury to be part of a team working out of the same space.” She stood. “Let's go, partner.”

Shelly rose as well.

“Good night,” Candice said in a sweet tone Mace knew to be insincere.

“Good night,” the special agents said, making their way out front.

Mace watched them leave. When he turned to Candice, she rolled her eyes without saying anything. He walked her back to her office. “Is Night Watch Command set on the protocol?”

“Yes: you, me, and Landry will take turns catching any
calls after 0100 hours. Whoever receives the call will tell them who else to call. You're up first.”

“My wife will appreciate that.”

“We received a memo about her interview tomorrow. You must be excited.”

She spoke in such a monotone that Mace wanted to laugh. “I plan to be there.”

“In that case, your wife must be excited.”

“We're equally excited.” Mace went into his office and unlocked his briefcase. The first item he took out was a framed photograph of himself with Cheryl and Patty, which he set on his desk. The second was a framed photo of Detective Patty Lane.

At 9:20
PM,
Willy's cell phone went off, and he checked the display. “Fearless leader,” he said to Karol, pressing the phone against his ear. “Go ahead, Captain.”

“Put me on speaker,” Mace said.

“Copy that.” Setting the phone on speakerphone, he set it in the hands-free cradle beneath the dashboard. “We're all ears.”

“I'm getting ready to leave, and I just wanted to check on your status.”

“Oh, we're good. No complaints. We've been burning a lot of gas staying warm, though. Raphael and his boys haven't shown their faces since they went back inside two hours ago.”

“Maybe they're spending the night.”

“Like they're hitting the mattresses, goombah style? That doesn't make sense. Why station lookouts outside during business hours unless you know you're a likely target, and if that's the case, why wait inside for a RPG to take your asses out? I gotta figure they think someone's out there watching them, and I don't mean us. That unlocked door is an open invitation to the unwelcome wagon.”

“Do you see anyone else out there?”

“Negative. But I also gotta figure that assassins who carry swords are closet ninjas.”

“Do you need relief? Me and Candice could take over.”

“Oh no you don't. We haven't had OT in months, and now that I'm a looey I need to upgrade my wardrobe. As long as we feel it's worthwhile, we'll hang tight. If our spi-dey sense tells us we're wasting our time, I'll have patrol increase their drive-bys just to be safe and we'll go home. We'll use Karol's vehicle tomorrow. If this is going to be an ongoing stakeout, maybe Landry can find us an interior site? It is December.”

“I'll mention it to him. You two have a safe night.”

“Thanks.”

“Good night, Captain,” Karol said.

“Good night,” Mace said.

Hearing Mace hang up, Willy blew air out of his cheeks. “Why don't you get some sleep? There's no point in us both staying awake.”

“You'll get no argument from me. Give me an hour and a half, then I'll spell you.”

“You got it.”

Karol reclined her seat, and Willy switched on the radio and located a slow jazz station.

Valeria awakened with a start, her alarm clock beeping nearby. Moonlight shone through the wide window in the room she occupied, and for a moment she felt disoriented, unsure of her location. Then she saw the empty cot beside her that Eun had slept in before suffering her injuries. Fumbling in the darkness, she switched off the alarm, her senses confused by the erratic sleeping schedule.

She got out of bed, flipped on the overhead light, which cast dingy light over her concrete and metal surroundings, and dressed in her loose-fitting combat outfit. Sitting on the edge of the cot, she pulled on her rubber-soled boots. When she stood, she secured her gun belt around her waist and strapped its holster around her leg. Realizing the importance of layered clothing in winter, she slipped on a down vest and snapped it up. She took her duster from its hook and then picked up her Blade of Salvation from where it leaned in the corner and slid it into the long pocket she had sewn inside the duster. Opening the door, she flipped off the light and stepped into the cold corridor, leaving the space heater running in her room.

As Valeria neared the dining room, she resisted the urge to rub her arms in response to the shivers rippling through her body. She opened the door and saw Michael and Henri packing gear into black bags on the table. Each man had suited up for combat.

“I made espresso,” Henri said.

“No, thanks.” She never drank anything before a mission. “It's easier for you guys to relieve yourselves on the fly than it is for me.”

Michael picked up one of the bags. “Are you ready?”

Nodding, Valeria put on her duster.

“Let's go.”

Henri picked up the other bag, and the three of them exited the dining room and rode the freight elevator down to the ground floor. In the loading bay, Henri pressed the garage door button and the door rattled open, providing them with a view of the parking lot.

“Let's take an SUV tonight,” Michael said.

Willy snapped awake. He had not intended to fall asleep. Karol slept with her head on his arm, one hand on his leg.

11:10 FM,
he thought.
Shit!

The funeral home remained dark, and no one moved on the sidewalk. He gave Karol a gentle shake.

She sat up, blinking.

“I dozed off.”

Karol gave him a disapproving look. “You should have woken me if you were too tired to stay awake.”

“I didn't mean for it to happen. You wore me down last night.”

“We have no way of knowing if Raphael's gang left or if anyone else went inside.”

“We could always knock on the front door and see if it's locked now.”

“That would be great for our cover.”

“I'm going to walk around the block and see if those lookouts are still out back. Sit tight.”

Switching off the overhead dome light, he opened the door and got out, breathing cold air. With his hands stuffed into his coat pockets, he walked to the corner and crossed against the light. Traffic was sparse, with few pedestrians in sight. He cursed himself again.

First night on the new job and I screwed up.

As soon as he could no longer see his SUV or the funeral home, he broke into a jog. He slowed to a walk before he reached the next corner and crossed the street. Turning right, he saw the bodega, closed now, and no sign of the lookouts.

They must have gone inside.

Approaching the dark bodega, he looked across Thirty-second Street. A black SUV occupied the alley, facing him, its headlights turned off. Willy's heartbeat quickened. Crossing the street, he took out his cell phone. The SUV was empty. When he reached the mouth of the alley, he looked from side to side. No civilians. Raising his cell phone before his face, he photographed the SUV's license plate. Then he called Karol.

“Talk to me,” she said.

“No lookouts and there's a black SUV parked in the alley.” He read the license plate number to her. “Call it into Candice, will you?”

“Copy that.”

Willy closed the cell phone and slid it into its holder. No sooner had he removed his hand from the device than
it vibrated. He pulled the phone free and saw Karol's name on the display.

What the hell?
She couldn't have run the license plate so fast. He answered the phone.

“We've got company,” Karol said. “A man wearing a long coat just crossed the street. He's going down the steps to that passageway.”

Damn it.
“Tell Candice we need backup. I'm going in.”

H
enri steered the stolen SUV across Thirty-second Street. Three people scanned the stoops of apartment buildings and closed shops for signs of life.

“No sentries,” Michael said beside him.

Valeria sat quiet in the back.

“Make the call,” Henri said.

“I want a better look first,” Michael said.

Henri slowed to a stop as the SUV passed the mouth to the alley. He looked over his shoulder at Valeria, who raised her night vision goggles to her eyes.

“The alley's clear,” she said. “Fire escapes … windows … rooftops. I don't see anyone.”

“Take no prisoners,” Michael said.

Casting a final glance around the area, Henri backed the SUV into the alley. He looked behind him, focusing on
the commercial Dumpster against the alley wall. Approximately fifty feet from the street, the SUV came to a stop just shy of the Dumpster, and Henri killed the engine.

They sat in darkness, waiting and watching.

After several minutes, Michael pressed a button on his headset. “Angelo?”

Henri heard a faint sound: Angelo's voice coming from the speaker in Michael's ear.

“We've arrived. Stand by.” Michael turned to Henri. “We'll signal you.”

Henri nodded, then watched Michael and Valeria get out of the SUV. In his rearview mirror, he saw them creep toward the Dumpster. Valeria hunched over and clasped her hands, giving a boost to Michael, who scrambled on top of the Dumpster without making any noise. Michael grabbed Valeria's hands and lifted her until they were face-to-face, then she set one foot on the Dumpster, followed by the other. They turned to the wall, setting their hands upon its concrete top.

A moment later, they disappeared.