“Yeah. I’m on the Mall. Plastered up against a family from Idaho and some truck driver who, if he doesn’t get his elbow out of my ribs pretty quick, is going to lose it.”
Diana sighed in relief. “I’m on the Mall, too. I need to talk to you. Now. It’s urgent. National security urgent. Is there somewhere we can meet?”
Kim sounded surprised but answered evenly, “I’m at the Capitol. How far down are you?”
“Across from the West Building of the National Art Gallery. On the Mall side of the parade route.”
“Got it. Stay put right there. I’ve got access to a guy in a golf cart and he can run me down there. I’ll shift a guy to cover my position and I’ll see you in five minutes.”
“Roger,” Diana answered, all business. “I’ll back away from the crowd and be on the grass behind the bystanders. I’m wearing a long, black leather coat and my hair’s dyed black. I’ll put on a bright blue head scarf.”
“You’re in disguise?” Kim asked, surprised.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be there in three minutes.”
The line went dead in Diana’s ear. Thank God. Now maybe Gabe stood a chance of walking away from this day alive.
True to Kim’s word, a golf cart came tooling down the Mall toward her in three minutes flat. Her old friend jumped out of the cart.
Diana rushed up to her. “Thanks for coming down here.”
“What’s up?” Kim asked. “And by the way, your hair looks like hell. Josie would knock you on your butt if she saw what you’ve done to it.”
Diana grinned. “It’ll wash out. Look. This is going to sound crazy, but I have reason to believe that somebody’s going to try to kill Gabe Monihan within the next few minutes.”
“Why?” Kim replied tersely.
Diana replied equally tersely, “No time to explain it all. It’s a long story, and I’ll be happy to tell you the whole thing later. Let’s just say I have access to-” How to describe Oracle and Delphi delicately? “-to unorthodox sources. But they’re impeccable. Please just trust me on this. The bottom line is that the Q-group has another cell here in Washington and is going to try to kill Gabe Monihan again. Today.”
“Again?” Kim asked sharply. “Monihan was not the target of the attack in Chicago. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I’ve approached Q-group from another angle since you tangled with them in Chicago and Baltimore. My source-”
“Ah.” Kim cut her off. “I have a feeling we may have a similar source.”
Diana stared at her. Did this mean Kim was part of Oracle, too? Kim cocked an eyebrow at her, and although they were sworn not to discuss it, Diana felt certain she knew the answer.
Diana continued hastily, “I’ve got pictures of the Q-group members who I believe will make the hit. They’re out here somewhere. I think they’re going to try to kill him in front of that gigantic flag banner over there.” She pulled the sheaf of pictures out of her purse and thrust them at her old friend.
But instead of reaching for the pictures, Kim reached for the walkie-talkie hanging off her belt. “I’ve got to divert the motorcade.”
Diana lurched. “No!”
Kim paused in the act of putting the radio to her mouth. “Excuse me?”
“The inauguration’s got to go ahead as planned.”
“Why?” Kim asked, frowning.
“Gabe was adamant about it. He’ll kill me if he isn’t sworn in on time.”
Kim retorted incredulously, “Gabe? As in Gabriel Monihan?”
Uh-oh. “Yeah,” Diana mumbled. “Like I said. Long story.”
Kim put the radio back in its clip slowly. “Okay, then. So what does he want you-us-to do?”
“Find these guys and stop them.”
Kim looked at her watch. “He’s due through here in about ten minutes. We don’t have time to distribute the pictures to the security team and fine-tooth comb our way through the crowd.”
“Take a look through those pictures and then let’s get moving. I figure they’ve got to be on this side of the street because the other side is too crowded to maneuver in.”
Kim looked to the north. “I think you’re right. Let’s space out about fifty feet and start walking the line.”
Diana nodded. “I’ll call you on my cell phone if I spot them and you can call me if you see them first.”
Kim nodded shortly and moved off. Diana did the same. There was something bracing about having somebody else out here helping who didn’t think she was completely nuts. But it didn’t put more time on the clock, and it didn’t mean that the two of them would find these turkeys in the next nine minutes and thirty seconds.
As she walked the line of people, Diana did a rare thing. She said a prayer and willed whatever greater beings might be listening to lead her to the terrorists.
Her phone rang, and she slammed it to her ear. “Hello?”
Kim spoke abruptly, “It’s me. We’re running out of time. I’m going to run ahead and work the crowd starting at 7th Street and heading toward the Washington Monument from there. You’re in charge of this area up to that point. We’ll cover more of the parade route that way. When you hit 7th Street sprint ahead to 13th Street and pick up the search a block or so ahead of me.”
“Got it.” Good idea. By leapfrogging past each other, they’d cover a lot more ground in the next few minutes. They wouldn’t hit the whole route by a long shot, but they’d look at a significant chunk of the crowd. It was better than nothing.
Yeah, but was it good enough?
The sounds around her blurred and dulled, fading into the background of her mind, so intense was her concentration on finding one of the faces burned into her mind. She had to succeed. She had to spot one of these guys. Five minutes to go. No sign of anyone from Q-group. She’d reached 7th Street. She spotted Kim in the crowd, about half a block ahead of her, walking quickly along the Mall, scanning faces with intense concentration of her own.
Diana took off running, moving ahead of Kim. She kept going until she was about a block ahead of her colleague. She slowed to a walk and took up the search again. She took a moment to pull out her phone and hit the auto dial, but resumed the search with the phone plastered to her ear.
“Go ahead,” Kim bit out over the phone.
“I’m working the crowd in front of the Natural History Museum. Search up to that spot and then leapfrog me.”
“Roger,” Kim replied.
Diana disconnected the line and stuffed the phone in her pocket. She spared seconds long enough to glance at her watch. Two minutes until Gabe’s motorcade was due to pass through here! Her urgency bubbled over into panic that she barely managed to hold in check. Every second counted now. She walked faster. Pushed herself to scan the sea of faces around her faster.
Faintly in the distance behind her, she heard cheering. Oh, God. Gabe was coming.
Her phone rang.
“Yes?” she panted, running now through the crowd.
“I’ve got you in sight. I’m going on ahead to the American History Museum. Turn around when you reach it and head back for that flag banner.”
“Okay,” Diana panted.
Strains of band music wafted to her. Definitely a military brass band. Probably the Marine Band. And it was drawing near. Her heart sank. It would be right in front of the Presidential motorcade. She was almost out of time.
Just a few more seconds. She raced forward now, trying frantically to stay ahead of that inexorable line of black limousines.
But it was useless. The first limousine pulled even with her. She spared a glance at it over her shoulder. She didn’t recognize any of the Secret Service agents jogging along beside it. Where was Owen Haas?
Then she glimpsed a long line of limousines behind the first one. Of course. Gabe wouldn’t be in the lead car. It
