“Why else would he have plans for the building?”
At the Federal Reserve, Jack pulled the truck up over the curb onto the sidewalk and parked near the covered walkway leading up to the door. “Go,” was all he said to Ross.
“What do you mean?”
“Go talk to these guys and get them ready to save themselves from being robbed.”
“What about you?” Ross asked.
“I gotta’ go see a guy about a condo.”
Ross just looked at him with a question on his face.
Jack reached across Ross’ chest and opened the truck’s passenger door for him. “Go.”
The valet parking sign was on the sidewalk in front of the building between giant searchlights parked at the curb that swept the sky. Raindrops sparkled in the bright lights and sizzled when they hit the giant lenses pointed above the city. Jack pulled the rusted truck into position, got out, and handed the keys to a young man holding a large umbrella, wearing khaki shorts and a blue polo shirt with the development company’s logo over his heart. “I won’t be long. Be careful with her, she’s not mine.”
He walked past the elevator doors and the sign that announced the Independence Day party on the fourth floor and opened the door into the stairwell. It was empty. He went up taking two stairs at a time, leaving wet footprints on the stair treads.
The image of the Governor and his dog walking across the Stone Arch Bridge a few days ago as a dead man floated in the river played through his mind. Patty said he was a prick. More worried about the police and their tape around the crime scene than anything else. He had a party going on tonight. What was he worried about, the party being disrupted, or the police being so close to the Fed just up the river while he was making plans to rob it?
Jack reached the fourth floor and exited the stairwell. He stopped to catch his breath and get a look at what he’d be facing. He double-checked that his gun was still tucked in place against his lower back.
He was definitely underdressed. Couples strolled around the room. The men were in tuxes, the women in cocktail dresses. It was summer and everyone was showing off their tans. Waiters and waitresses in black outfits were working the room, handing out food and drinks. A hostess at the door spied him and watched him without trying to be obvious. She was twenty-something, beautiful, tan, and dressed in a low cut outfit that was slightly elegant without overshadowing the people attending the party. Jack smiled and approached her directly and spoke quickly.
“Hello, miss. I’m looking for Mr. Tyler. I hope I’m not too late. We really had our hearts set on one of the units here. My wife said, I don’t care what you look like. You get up there and get that unit for us.” Jack leaned forward on the podium the hostess was posted behind and looked into the room. “Is he here? If I don’t close the deal my wife will kill me.”
“I think he’s here. But, he might have run home. He said something about getting a call from his security company that his alarm was going off.”
Jack looked around the room some more. “The lightning probably set it off.”
“That’s what he said. I can call him for you. He’d be happy to talk to you about the units here. There are some great ones.”
Jack scooted around her. “Thanks. I’ll look around and track him down. If I can’t find him I’ll be back.”
After a quick walk through the suite to confirm that the Governor wasn’t there, Jack found a position where he could keep an eye on the door into the suite and most of the living room. He called the FBI dispatch on his mobile phone.
“Hi, Jack. Heard you guys are getting close to the Governor tonight.”
“We’re on his trail, but haven’t found him yet. Sorry you have to work the holiday.”
“Over forty, not married, nothing better to do tonight. All’s quiet, maybe I’ll do some knitting.”
“Put the knitting needles down. I’ve got some work for you to do.” Jack listed out the things he needed. First, she was to check with the security company and find out what number they had called. Then she would call the cell phone company and find out if the Governor was currently on the network. If he was, they had to pinpoint where he was. If not, they needed to monitor and let them know when he came on. She needed to get an agent to stake out the condos, and last, she needed to call Sure Thing and his crew in. They could help if the Governor was using his phone. “Give me a call when you hear back from the cell phone carrier.”
“Thanks, Jack. Just so you know, I might not get your sweater knitted by Christmas now.”
Jack laughed. “Talk to you soon.” He put the phone back in his pocket and looked around the room. The Governor wasn’t here and he probably wasn’t coming back after the warning he got from the security company. Jack left his phone number with the hostess and headed back to the Federal Reserve to join Ross.
Chapter 47
Jack closed his eyes and breathed through his nose as he walked through the revolving door into the Federal Reserve. Ross and two guards were waiting for him in the lobby when he exited the revolving closet. An older man with grey hair and a bit of a paunch stood to Ross’ left. His hands were on his hips. He had a hint of a smile on his lips. A younger man with a shaved head stood to Ross’ right. His feet were set slightly wider than his shoulders, hands clasped behind his back. His spine was straight and his chest thrust out. Ex-marine, Jack thought.
Ross looked over Jack’s shoulder, through the glass doors at his truck that Jack had parked on the sidewalk.
“Did you lock it?” Ross asked.
“I think so. Does it matter?”
“Did you at least take the keys?”
Jack held them up in the air to show him and then stuffed them in the pocket of his shorts.
“Don’t lose them.”
“Don’t worry, Junior.”
“Gentlemen, this is Special Agent Jack Miller. One of our best,” Ross said.
Jack smiled in surprise. The younger guard barely nodded. The older man stepped forward and shook Jack’s hand. He had a catcher’s mitt of a hand. Jack’s fingers barely wrapped around the palm.
“Welcome to the Federal Reserve. I’m Mark Granowski. My loud partner here is Jerome Stone.” Mark hung on to Jack’s hand and lowered his voice. “Don’t like our doors, huh?”
“Not a fan.”
“They don’t bother most people, but there are a few that would rather just skip ‘em if you let them.”
“Well, I’m in. Let’s get to it.”
Granowski set two cups of coffee on the table. “Black?”
Ross nodded. He and Jack sat on one side of the rectangular table.
“As long as it’s hot,” Jack said. “Catch me up?”
Mark slid a chair out across from Jack and lowered himself to a point and then let himself plop into it. He clasped his hands and rested them on his belly. “So, somebody wants to rob us.”
“You don’t seem too worried.”
“We’re the Fed. Any dreamer thinks about robbing us, but it’s not like we’re a bank. You can’t walk in, show a teller a note, and expect to get some money.” Mark pushed his chair back further and crossed his ankle over his knee. Most of our focus is inside the walls to make sure employees don’t take anything. I’d send you on your way, but you’re with the FBI so you must have something worth listening to or you wouldn’t be here.”
Jack blew on the coffee and took a sip. “Not bad.”
“The coffee’s OK, but the food sucks.”
“This is about the Governor. You’ve seen the news?”
“I thought he was robbing banks.”
Jack looked at Ross, raised his eyebrows, and nodded for him to answer.
“Go ahead, Jack. You’re on a roll.”
“All right,” Jack said. He looked at Granowski. “He was robbing banks, but we don’t think it was the money he
