“Sure, but to be safe we’ll leave the lid of the trunk open till we have to close it,” I said, as we turned and walked toward the others.
“Good news.” Zachary said. “Leecy is in the old jail beneath the City Hall, exactly where you thought she might be. She…”
“How do you know?” I asked, cutting him off.
“The camera filming the image of the door is sending what appears to be video through the WIFI signal from City Hall.”
“Why do you say appears to be video? Again, how do you know?” Valerie asked.
“Long story short, I hacked the phone company and determined City Hall uses the phone line for Internet access, but spreads the signal throughout the building via a WIFI router the phone company installed. That WIFI signal is being hacked by a computer using the PCPD Internet cable. I’ve identified the computer at PCPD by the IP address we’ve been searching for. So, I’ve found the computer, and I’ve found Moore,” Zach said, almost admiringly.
“And the video?” Wakefield ordered.
“Oh, sorry,” Zach said. “The bandwidth usage at the PCPD is off the charts. That’s not surprising, given the images coming from the old jail. And Moore is also routing the transmissions from the pendant to his computer. I assume he’s doing this to prevent his phone from being tracked in case we got on to Julia.”
“What about the video? The video!” Valerie demanded.
“Just a second; let me verify one thing,” Zachary said, before pointing at his screen. “If you look closely at the image of the door, you will see that it’s not a streaming video at all. I found a code embedded in each image. That code is unique to the image it appears with. It’s actually very ingenious, because the images cannot be looped to fool the person watching the camera view of the door.”
Wakefield asked, “Can we get eyes on Moore and verify he is actually in the police station? I don’t want to fall for some elaborate hoax.”
“The schematics we found for the police station don’t indicate security cameras being installed,” Zachary replied. “So I can’t hack what isn’t there, but because the computer viewing the camera images from the old jail is plugged directly into the phone line, I might be able to activate the computer’s camera. I would need to trick the person watching the screen into opening a virus to do it, though.”
“How?” Wakefield asked.
“I could load the virus on the pendant as part of an audio file transmission. We click the pendant; it sends the file. The file arrives on Moore’s computer in the form of an email. As long as someone opens the file, the virus will be uploaded.”
“Do it,” Wakefield said, “and while you’re at it, we need to lay out the plan.”
“Valerie?” I said.
Valerie pointed to the map.
“One thing first. Zach, can you kill the feed to Moore’s computer?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Great, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Val said. “Ryan and Hodges will take up positions here and here. I want you both on the roof of Howells’ restaurant. The left side of the building is directly across the street from the front door of the Police Station. The front right corner of the roof has a direct line of sight to the entrance of the old jail. You guys can park here.
“All of the buildings on that side of town are vacant except for the pharmacy, Howells’ and the hardware store. All the storefronts in the town square face City Hall. The alleyways run behind the buildings. The alleys will allow you to move around unseen. Once you’ve parked, walk one block south along the alley; you can access the roof of the restaurant from the adjoining hardware store roof. There’s an old fire escape on the alley side of the hardware store. Once in position, signal Ron and me with the word ‘ready.’”
“And where will you and Ron be?” Ryan asked.
“Here,” Valerie said, and pointed to the opposite side of the town square, “on the East side of City Hall, directly across from your position on the roof of Howells’, at the old movie house. We’ll park in the alley behind the vacant theatre. This position gives us a clear field of vision of the back of City Hall and the old jail access point. We’ll be able to see anyone approaching the entrance to the old jail, and the City Hall building itself will act as a shield blocking our movements from anyone watching from the PCPD.”
“Sounds like we have a plan,” Wakefield said. “I’ll remain here with Franks and Zach and advise everyone of any changes. We’ll roll to your location once contacts with Moore and company have been made.”
I looked up to see Zach jogging in our direction from INESCO.
“I’ve sent the transmission.” He retook his position at the computer. “Now we just wait and see if someone takes the bait.”
“What did you send them to listen to?” Ryan asked.
“Oh, I sent them the sweet sound of the Simons arguing again. It really doesn’t take much to get them started, does it?”
“It’s just how they talk to one another,” said Valerie, smiling. “If they didn’t argue I’d think something was wrong.”
“We’re in; the file has been opened. Give me a few seconds,” Zach said. “Here! Look at this.”
The image of Agent Thomas Moore filled Zach’s computer screen. We watched in silence as Moore stood. We could now see the image of the man calling himself Porter seated behind him, and heard them talking.
Moore was saying, “Damn, those two old birds argue enough.”
“Old Jewish people love to argue,” Porter said. “Christ, this is painful to listen to. Turn it off.”
“It’s a thirty-second burst,” Moore said. “See, it’s over. At least we know what’s going on with Wakefield.”
“Yeah, absolutely nothing.”
“Speaking of what’s going on, when is the Captain – what’s his name? Lester? – due back?”
“I don’t know. He went to check on his pregnant wife. Don’t worry about him or his officers. They’re staying out of our way.”
“Travis!” We heard Moore call. “You and Briggs go check on the girl. I don’t trust the WIFI connection. The Internet is crap in this town, and we’ve only got an hour till I call for the meet.”
We all stared at the screen. We watched as Porter stood and walked out of the view of the camera, and Moore retook his seat.
At that moment, Zach killed the feed.
“Why did you do that?” Ryan asked.
“We couldn’t risk staying on the camera any longer. The red light that illuminates when the camera is in use might have been spotted. Better we play it safe. We got what we needed, right?”
“Yes, we got what we needed,” I said. “Switch over to the feed from the old jail door, will you?”
We all looked from Zach’s computer to the one Julia had been using in time to see the Smith boys enter the camera view. Their movements weren’t fluid, but more like stop action animation. I watched as the two men stood in front of the metal door. Briggs started to speak, and I heard his voice in my earpiece.
“Not much longer now,” he said. “Your parents will bring us what we want, and it’ll be over.”
Leecy didn’t respond. We watched as the two men then grabbed their crotches and thrust their pelvises at the door. The one named Travis couldn’t contain himself. He threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, and then we’re going to have a party with you.”
I closed my eyes. I could hear my daughter crying quietly in my ear.
Valerie had all the information she needed. She handed her cellphone to Zach. “Make sure all INESCO incoming calls are routed to this cellphone so I don’t miss the call from Moore. More importantly, be listening for my signal to cut the feed from the old jail. That’s when our game begins. The timing has to be perfect. Got it?”
“It’ll take me a minute to forward the calls, but not a problem. I’ll be ready to cut the feed.”
“Wait,” Ryan said, “wait just a second. Are you going to
dash into the basement jail and back out with your daughter? Let’s say by some miracle you beat the two Smiths to the metal door and retrieve your daughter. Moore and Porter won’t be too far behind. What do you plan to do about them? You and your husband are going to face down four armed Rangers with your daughter by your side? With what? One gun, a knife, and a police baton?”
“Something like that. Don’t forget; I have what they want,” Valerie answered. She pulled the memory stick from her pocket.
“But I never said anything about running in and out with my daughter. You said that. I just want Zach to cut the feed from the old jail when I tell him to do it. I want to force the Smith boys to show themselves. Sure, I could assume they’re back inside the PCPD, but why assume when I can be certain? I figured if Moore were worried about the Internet connection, then cutting the feed wouldn’t alarm him. Moore sent the Smith boys over once to check on Leecy. I figure he’ll send them over again. That’s all. I just want all the players on the field so there will be no surprises.”
“Boss?” Ryan pleaded with Wakefield. “We’ve got three experienced operators she’s not using properly. Two of us are on lookout duty, and Franks is babysitting.”
“Look,” Valerie said, and this time her voice was devoid of any semblance of patience, “I appreciate your concerns, but I was doing this stuff before you were out of diapers. I’ve planned and executed missions on five continents. I’ve killed people in more ways than you can imagine. If I thought I needed your help I would ask for it, but I don’t. I want those four bastards. I want them in that old basement jail for two reasons. First, I want to minimize the risk to the local police force. I don’t want Lester or any of his officers involved in this.”
“And the other?”
“Once down in that basement, there is nowhere to hide.”
I was already walking toward the driver’s side door of the Honda Civic, closing the trunk as I walked past, not waiting for a reply from Ryan. I didn’t want to talk anymore; I wanted to act. I sat down behind the wheel of the Honda, only to hear Valerie ask, “Do you mind if I drive?”
I was about to answer her when I saw her finger pressed to her lips. I walked around the car in silence, meeting her gaze over the roof. I opened the passenger side door. She touched her ear with her right index finger and I followed suit, turning off my earpiece.
“You want to keep secrets?” I said, sitting down inside the car.
“I like playing my cards close to my chest, if you know what I mean.”
“I do. That’s one reason I never beat you at cards.”
“I understand Ryan’s concern about being cautious, but I think it’s time to take some calculated risks,” she said, smiling.
“Risks?” I asked, and then added, “I’m starting to think you’re having fun.”
“No, nothing like that. But if I told you I’d figured out a way to rescue our kid, bring the bad guy out in the open, and trick him into telling us everything, what would you say?”
“I would say great, but what about the Smiths? You assume they walked back to the PCPD?”
“I may not know exactly where they are, but I know they aren’t waiting for us down in that old jail. No, Moore and company think we’ll play it safe because of Leecy. That’s why we’re going to do the exact opposite.”
“I like it,” I said, gesturing toward the trunk. “And Julia?”
“We need her to play a part. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t involve her. She’s manic.”
“Abused?”
“If not physically, definitely mentally. We’ll use her, but treat her with kid gloves.”
“I can do that,” I said.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“Just waiting to hear the plan.”
“I’ll fill you in on the details in a minute. First, let’s make sure Ryan and Hodges do what I need them to do. Earpieces back on.”
“Earpieces back on,” I replied, kissing her cheek in the process.
The Honda rolled forward, and Valerie turned left onto State Highway 64, heading south toward town. “Listen up people,” she announced. “This is the road that will take us to the center of town. In about five minutes, we’ll arrive at our first stop sign. Ryan, you and Hodges make a right at the stop sign, drive west one block, and make another right. That’s the alley. Park there, and walk the one block south to the rear of the hardware store. Ron and I will continue driving south on what will become First Street. We will make a left on Second Avenue and another left at Second Street. Do you copy?”
“Copy,” Ryan responded immediately.
“Copy,” was then heard from the rest of the team.
“I think we should consider keeping Hodges on the ground to offer additional support,” Ryan suggested.
“Considered and denied,” Valerie answered. “I need you both covering the roof. The Smiths could be hiding somewhere on the grounds of City Hall. I need a bird’s eye view of that location. I also need eyes on the doors of PCPD. I need you both on the roof. Confirmed?”
“Ten-four,” came as reply.
The drive didn’t take long. Val turned left after stopping at the stop sign at the intersection of First Street and Second Avenue. I resisted the urge to look to my right at the PCPD located on the Southwest corner of Second Avenue. I followed the headlights of the Honda instead, and saw the third stop sign come into view. Val stopped, then turned left and slowly drove north on Second Avenue. I eased open my door and stepped out of the moving car. Valerie popped the trunk, and I removed the tightly-wrapped package. I hoisted it over my shoulder and closed the trunk.Valerie continued north for another block, then turned right between the vacant movie house and the row of vacant storefronts and parked the car.
I was running now. I reached the northeast corner of City Hall, and stopped. I turned around in time to see the tail lights of the Honda disappear down the alley. I waited. I watched the grounds of the mostly dark town square, and tried not to think about the girl thrown over my shoulder. I felt for Julia. Any women suffering any kind of abuse needed help and protection, but in this situation, we needed her; I only hoped she would rise to the occasion.
The good news was, it was very dark around the town square because there weren’t any working streetlights in downtown Park City. The town council had ordered the power to lights be disconnected a decade ago. They reasoned there weren’t any stores open after dark or people walking around, so there was no need for lights. There were a few up-lights to illuminate the building, like the one shining on the historical marker.The series of low-wattage up-lights were located in the planted foundation flowerbeds at various intervals around City Hall. I was pressed up against the red brick building in the shadows between two up-lights waiting for my wife to come and join me. I heard Ryan speaking in my ear.
“In position. I have eyes on PCPD. No activity. Thirty minutes till kickoff.”
Hodges followed with one word. “Ready.”
I was wondering if Ryan was going to be a problem, or if that was just his way of defying Valerie’s authority, when I heard movement to my left.
I dropped to a crouch, shifting the bag to the right shoulder from the left, and readied myself, but it was Valerie. She eased up next to me. She turned off her earpiece, and I followed suit.
“Time for radio silence,” she said, and then turning her earpiece on again, announced, “We are in position and holding. Hold your positions. Wait for the call to converge. Radio silence unless status changes.” She turned her earpiece off again, not waiting for a reply.
Val passed in front of me, kissing my cheek as she did so. She was taking point. I followed her lead, staying close to the building. The pine straw beds made little noise under foot, and the small shrubs didn’t slow us down. She stopped as we reached the middle of the building where the rear entrance staircase was located. The up-lights gave way to two small wall sconces mounted on either side of the entrance. The lights mad
e a cave-like shadow of the recessed doorway.
We could see the northwest corner of City Hall now. It was directly in front of us about fifty feet away. The iron railing marking the entrance to the old jail shimmered in the moonlight a few feet before the end of the building.
“Do you think this is too big a risk?” Val asked.
“For both of us? Yes. You stay put and keep watch,” I said kissing her cheek before I left her side.
Dodging in and out of the shadows of the building, I reached the metal railing and paused. I peeked over the railing into the abyss. I clutched the bag and the body inside tightly, and then vaulted quickly over the rail. I held on to the metal pipe to effect a soft landing on the steps below. I was immersed in complete darkness. I blinked my eyes rapidly, and my night vision slowly improved. I could see the steps and the door at their end. I took the remaining steps two at a time, eased the door open, and stepped inside the old jail, closing the door behind me. The glow of the infrared camera’s light caught my attention, and I ran toward it. Finding the metal door, I pushed back the slide and whispered, “It’s me, kiddo.”
Leecy rushed into my one empty arm and said, “I knew it. I knew you two were up to something.”
I deposited my bag in exchange for my daughter. I ripped the plastic away from Julia’s still unconscious body and threw the debris into the corner of the room. It was then that I saw the clothes Julia was wearing, and realized I needed to improvise.
“Leecy, strip off your clothes, and let’s put them on Julia. You wear her stuff. You guys are almost the same size, right?”
Leecy answered while she undressed, “she’s a little taller, but everything else is close enough. My pants might be a little short, but no one will notice in the dark.”
“Get dressed and get out of here. Keep to the right on the stairs and stay in the shadows. Crawl between the railings on your right. Hug the wall of the building. Mom is waiting by the rear entrance of City Hall. Now hurry.”
I undressed Julia and swapped her clothes and shoes for Leecy’s. Leecy was dressing in Julia’s suit.
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