Wake Me When It's Over

by Cheryl A Head

  “Let’s do it,” Don said.

  Calhoun and three others stood over a makeshift table in one of the storage rooms near the loading dock. The three men and one woman looked up when Tyson and his companions entered, but quickly returned to their heated conversation. Charlie told Ty not to interrupt, and she used the opportunity to examine the room and its surroundings. In the hall were several mini-loaders, two small tractors, and a half-dozen golf carts. Two walls of the room were covered with industrial-sized metal shelves holding all manner of materials and supplies needed to operate a convention facility. In the center of the space were huge palettes holding shrink-wrapped crates and boxes marked as paper goods, lightbulbs, floor mats, glass cleaner, and floor wax. A gigantic roll of red carpet secured by several chains was on one wall, and a canvas cart was filled with hard hats.

  “Is this space normally locked?” Charlie asked Ty.

  “Yes. There’s also always somebody here to answer the phone.”

  Charlie recognized Calhoun from the first Cobo meeting. Although he wasn’t the department head, he seemed to have the attention of the others and command of the table. The group wore dark work pants and blue shirts— some short-sleeved, some not. A Cobo patch was on the shoulder of the shirts, and each person had a name patch. Charlie moved closer; she wanted to hear what he was saying.

  “No, that’s not going to work. I need you for at least ten hours on Monday. The walk-through with the Secret Service is in the morning, and you have to be there, Rachel. I’ll make it up to you.”

  Charlie led the way out of the room. “I think I’ve seen enough, Ty. Calhoun seems to have things well in hand. I don’t think we need to interrupt him. Invite him to our six o’clock meeting, will you?”

  “So that’s how we’ll use the new security bands,” Tyson completed his report to those assembled around the Mack conference table.

  “It’s a good plan— simple, but effective,” Don said. “A different color-coded band for each day ensures that we know who belongs and who doesn’t.”

  “I have to give credit to your new freelancer for the procedure,” Ty said, pointing to agent Mann. “We distributed the bands last night to the janitors on the search team. We’ll use another color for today. Fortunately, we have enough bands in-house to make it work. Only staff that need to be in the auto show areas will wear them. I’ve typed up the color codes for the rest of the week, and the affected departments will receive the bands this afternoon.”

  “Does Judy have the codes list?” Charlie asked.

  “Yes. I’ve already faxed it over to her at the hotel.”

  “Good. We still need to talk with parking management about how they plan to search their facilities . . .”

  “I’ve done some checking on that, Ms. Mack,” Carter Bernstein said. “Cobo outsources the work to a local company, and their main job is to collect tickets and fees.”

  “That’s true,” Ty said. “But we have an office that negotiates the contract with the company and also coordinates VIP arrivals and special valet services. That office interfaces with Spectrum on parking security.”

  “But Spectrum’s security of the parking areas consists mainly of patrols, which we’re now supplementing, and the cameras, right?” agent Mann asked.

  “That’s right,” Ty agreed.

  “We should probably do a meeting with the parking company,” Don said.

  “I’ll go with you, Don,” Gil said. “Ty, can you come along to make introductions?”

  “Sure,” Tyson said.

  “Where is he now?” Charlie asked, making herself comfortable on Cynthia’s office couch.

  “Not sure. After the staff meeting, he met with IT. He went to Guí Motors to see Mr. Kwong, then came back to the office, got his coat, and said he was going to lunch.”

  “He hasn’t been staying around Cobo very much in the last few days.”

  “Odd, isn’t it, when you’re in charge of security for the auto show.”

  “Has he mentioned Lin?”

  “No. Not a word.”

  “Have your people noticed anything unusual?”

  “No. Everything’s been fairly routine. What about the warehouse where Lin was found?” Cynthia asked. “Who’s checking up on that?”

  “Our Homeland Security liaison, Tony Canterra, is following up on what’s going on there. I’m pretty sure he already knows, but he’s keeping some things to himself.”

  “How is Lin?”

  “Fine. Still resting at my place. I ordered groceries for him yesterday. He’ll be there a couple more days. I don’t want to send him home until he has fewer bruises.”

  “He’s a brave kid.”

  “I agree. But he may not think so. He was kind of embarrassed that he was so scared. How’s Amy doing?”

  Cynthia shifted in her chair, and her eyes darted away from Charlie.

  “What?” Charlie asked.

  “I know I shouldn’t have, but I warned Amy she should stay home.”

  “Did she?”

  “No. She said she couldn’t leave if Mr. Kwong was staying.”

  “It’s hard to know the right thing to do. Have you considered leaving?”

  “No.”

  “Duty and obligation?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Okay. Give me a call if you see or hear from Heinrich, will you?”

  “You think we’ll be able to stop him, Charlie?”

  “We’ll stop him. Know why? Because he’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.”

  Dudiyn heard the front door open, and he stirred. He looked at his watch. He had slept four hours. When he emerged from the van, Heinrich was standing in the garage.

  “Are you ready?” Heinrich asked.

  “Yes. Any trouble at Cobo?”

  “Everything’s under control. You worry too much. I’ll change clothes and be right back.”

  Dudiyn took out the van’s comfortable rear seat to make room for the cargo and to give him space for the assembly work he would do later. It took a couple of hours to load the van. Even though the chemicals weren’t yet mixed, they shouldn’t be unnecessarily jostled and required careful packing.

  “I have to change clothes again and get back to the office. Give me at least an hour before you arrive at Cobo.”

  “Okay. I’ll get something to eat before I come over. I should probably park on level four. I need all the ventilation I can get.”

  “No. Park on the ground level; it will give you more options if something goes wrong. There’ll be more vehicles and foot traffic, and you won’t stand out to the Mack patrols. After you pack the components, you’ll need to find a place to change into your uniform.”

  “Okay.”

  Dudiyn wondered if he should kill Heinrich now, or wait until things were underway at Cobo. He should probably wait. It might raise suspicions if no one could find the head of Spectrum the day before the auto show. Dudiyn tucked the pistol in his waistband and put the bagged uniform and his shaving kit on the front seat of the van. He positioned the small briefcase with his passport, cash, and a change of clothes behind the seat before taking a last look around his makeshift workroom. Then he used the remote to open the garage, and pulled out. It was snowing again. As the garage door closed, he threw the remote control into the snowbank next to the driveway.

  “What is it, Mr. Kwong?”

  “My bosses are here. I think they may be suspicious of me.”

  “Why would they be suspicious? Our commerce secretary is coming here on Wednesday to present a commendation to the president of your company. Isn’t that a demonstration of your good work?”

  “Yes, Mr. Canterra, but I thought . . . maybe . . .”

  “What’s bothering you?”

  “Heinrich.”

  “What about him?”

  “He came by to see me today. He had a changed demeanor. Have you heard anything?”

  “Nothing definitive. We did intercept a call, and we know whoever hired hi
m may be trying to get rid of him. But that shouldn’t jeopardize your situation.”

  “Okay.”

  “Anything else?” Canterra stared at his desk phone. He didn’t want Kwong to get cold feet. He would need him to help prosecute Heinrich.

  “You’re sure my family is still safe?”

  “Yes. They’re safe.”

  The six o’clock team meeting was larger than the borrowed conference room could hold, so at Cynthia’s invitation they’d moved the gathering into the Spectrum bull pen. The full contingent of freelancers were joined by Cobo representatives from engineering, food services, administration, and the parking management company. Judy had rejoined Gil, Don, and Charlie for a few hours at Cobo to make sure all the information anyone needed could be gathered and shared. Everyone was surprised when, fifteen minutes into the meeting, Geoff Heinrich joined the group and pulled up a chair next to Cynthia.

  “Did I miss anything?”

  Everyone looked toward Charlie, who had stopped talking in mid-sentence when she saw Heinrich advancing. She gave a glance toward Cynthia and continued.

  “No. Not really; we’re basically at status quo. We’ve got our full contingent here tonight and throughout the day tomorrow to do patrols. We’ve done another scan of the press corps invitees to see if anything has changed in the last couple of days. We’ve had a few dropouts, but we have no new names on the list.”

  Heinrich nodded. He was playing it very cool, didn’t show any sign of nervousness or his usual indifference. He was appraising the DHS agents and assiduously avoiding eye contact with Mandy, who had been wearing a scowl since his arrival.

  “Ms. Mack was just bringing us up to date on a new plan to identify staff who belong on the floors. It’s a technique used by Homeland Security,” Cynthia said.

  “Oh?” Heinrich said, returning his attention to Charlie. “How does that work?”

  “It’s a color-coded wristband. Simple really, and it’s not going to be used by everyone. For instance, your Spectrum staff and our team won’t have them.”

  “Who will?”

  “Maintenance people, engineering, janitors, food services employees, Cobo’s communications and events team. Any staff who will be in the concourse, showrooms, hallways, and exhibit spaces.”

  “What about exhibitors?”

  “That’ll be hit or miss. We’re providing the bracelets to the exhibitors, but we can’t police their compliance. We only came up with the idea yesterday,” Charlie said with a glance toward Ty and agent Mann, who had devised the plan.

  “It’s a good idea,” Heinrich said. “May I have the code sheet?”

  “Judy, please provide a copy to Mr. Heinrich.”

  Charlie and Judy shared a look. Judy pulled the code sheet from her portfolio, rose from her chair, and walked it over to Heinrich.

  “Thank you. Ms. Novak, isn’t it?” Heinrich smiled and gave Judy a hazel-eyed wink.

  For a moment, her knees grew rubbery from his attention until she remembered who she was dealing with. She offered a weak smile and returned to her chair with another glance toward Charlie.

  “What precautions are being taken for the exhibitor previews tonight?” Heinrich asked.

  “We’re leaving those events to the exhibitors. We have a list of the VIP attendees, and we’ll have ID checks at the front entrance. The exhibitors will provide escorts to their displays. Cobo security will be wearing their yellow parkas, but our patrols will be inconspicuous. Is there something more you think we should do?” Charlie asked.

  “No. That seems quite adequate.”

  “We’ve put together a master schedule, which includes each department’s activity, and the exhibitors’ agendas, as well as the required Secret Service activity. It’s a timeline of what’s happening at Cobo, as we know it, for the next twelve hours. We’re passing it around now. Take a look at it, and then we’ll take questions,” Charlie said to the group.

  6 p.m.

  Planters watered and visitor seating areas cleaned

  Loading dock closed to deliveries

  8 p.m.

  VIP Advanced exhibition receptions:

  Detroit Auto Dealers Association, General Motors, Hyundai, Bavarian Motor Works, Ford Motor Company, Guí Motors, Honda, & Toyota

  Valet parking staff on duty

  Restricted security patrols

  9:30 p.m.

  All visitors cleared from Cobo

  10 p.m.

  Valet parking closed

  Cobo Security patrols resume in all areas

  Non-permanent fixtures placed: smoking area ashcans, waste containers, rope & stanchions

  11 p.m.

  Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Bomb Squad sweep 1

  Midnight

  Washrooms cleaned and stocked

  Red carpet installations completed

  Elevator & escalator cleaning

  Auto Show banners/signage installations

  4 a.m.

  Carpet vacuuming

  6 a.m.

  Metropolitan Police/Secret Service Briefing. Level 3 conference room

  Valet Parking set up & Special Deliveries (Larned Garage)

  Street Sweeping and sidewalk cleaning

  Press Credentials delivered to security area

  A general discussion ensued about the schedule, staffing needs, and assignments. Carter Bernstein would rotate between monitoring security cameras and the loading dock special deliveries. Hoyt and Don had constructed a two-person patrol schedule so they could cover more ground. Spectrum security guards would assist Cobo’s facilities staff in distributing rope, stanchions, and recyclable containers. Judy would stay around until midnight to set up phone charging stations in the office and to help Cobo security with tonight’s VIP IDs. Two members of the Mack team would accompany the ATF bomb squad in their sweeps. Charlie and Cynthia would prepare the documents and reports for the MPD/DHS/Secret Service briefing in the morning.

  Most people in the room still weren’t aware the new freelancers were DHS agents. Heinrich certainly didn’t know as he unabashedly flirted with Agent Mann. When the schedule was being discussed, he moved his chair to sit next to her.

  “Ms. Mack, maybe it would be wise to supplement our camera monitors with some of your team members,” Heinrich offered. “We’ll be keeping eyes on tonight’s VIP receptions. We’re diverting cameras to keep at least two of them in proximity to their display areas. It would help us to have more people watching. As you know, the Chinese automaker is hosting a reception tonight.”

  Heinrich made it clear, by his attention, that his choice for one of the invited team members was the woman sitting next to him. He threw a see-what-you-missed glance at Mandy.

  “We’ll send over two or three people to help. It’s a good idea,” Charlie said, appeasing Heinrich in his attempt to both impress, and throw further suspicion on Guí Motors.

  “Don and I spoke to the parking management company president today,” Gil said. “He was very cooperative. They’ll be using their most experienced employees for the show, and they’re putting an extra supervisor on duty beginning tonight. All their staff are bonded and will wear special auto show insignia on their uniforms.”

  “When will the security bracelets be distributed?” Heinrich asked nonchalantly.

  “Those on duty tonight already have their bracelets. Others will receive their bands for each day as they come on duty. Isn’t that the plan, Don?” Charlie asked.

  “That’s the plan, Mack.”

  “I didn’t expect him to show up,” Cynthia said.

  “Well, you said it before, he’s always up to his own devices. What did he do after the meeting?”

  “He walked around the office talking to staff, made a couple of calls on his private cell phone, then left.”

  “Will you be able to check your videotape while he’s gone?”

  “Not now. He didn’t take his coat, so I assume he’s still in the building.”

  Judy had brewed a pot o
f coffee, and Charlie and Cynthia worked around the conference table preparing the law-enforcement briefing packets. It would be another long, sleepless night and Charlie had opted for comfortable clothes— a turtleneck under a wool sweater, jeans, and sneakers. Cynthia had discarded her Spectrum jacket and shoes.

  “You said something at the meeting that was interesting,” Charlie said. “Why does Spectrum help the facilities staff set up equipment for the auto show?”

  Cynthia shrugged. “It’s something Heinrich agreed to do. He announced it at a staff meeting a few weeks ago, that a few of our guys would help Cobo staff rope off restricted sections of the building, and set up public areas. Why? Is something wrong with that?”

  “I don’t know,” Charlie said, but her sixth sense was tapping her shoulder.

  “I thought Judy was working out of the hotel?”

  “She is. She’s just hanging around long enough to help us package these reports, and then she heads back to the hotel. All we have left is the report on the exhibitor previews. We’ll drive by the exhibitor spaces in a half hour and make sure their events are winding down, then come back here and finish up. ”

  Judy stood at the conference room door, leaning on the jamb with a determined look on her face.

  She was preparing for another round of fighting about staying at Cobo. But Charlie was just as determined that Judy would not be spending the night at Cobo.

  “You’ll come with me and Cynthia to check in on the exhibitors’ receptions. We’ll leave in thirty minutes, and then come back here to finish up the briefing books. After that you’re going back to the hotel.”