Operation Stealing Christmas

by Vicki Hinze

  Justin pulled a check on the bag. “No scent, film or residue,” he told Maggie. “Disband your men, Will, before Barone notices. I’ll monitor it until HAZMAT arrives.”

  “Yes, sir.” He issued the order.

  Maggie stepped closer, ran her own visual and found surprisingly little.

  “There’s no apparent evidence,” Justin said, still squatting near the bag. “But we’d better treat it as contaminated.”

  “Definitely,” Maggie agreed.

  “Base concurs,” Darcy said. “HAZMAT team is inbound, Dr. Crowe. ETA, two minutes.”

  With an estimated time of arrival at two minutes, the hazardous materials team had to have been prepositioned on the premises outside. Darcy and Colonel Drake had picked up on Maggie’s non-order and arranged it so she wouldn’t have to seek Barone’s permission. Bless ’em.

  Maggie finished her check of the bag and reached the same conclusion as Justin. Judy Meyer, a woman on Will’s staff, quietly steered shoppers around the bag, unobtrusively giving it a lot of space.

  The HAZMAT team of five men arrived, wearing street clothes and clear gloves rather than protective gear. They worked quickly and efficiently. Following cautionary procedure, they enclosed the shopping bag in a transportation safe hatch to remove it from the mall.

  One of the team members peeled off from the group and walked over to Maggie and Justin. “Captain Holt?”

  She nodded.

  “I’m Matt Elden,” he said. Sweat beaded at his brow and tension lined his pudgy face. “There isn’t a field test available for DR-27.”

  “I’m aware of that, Dr. Elden.” Maggie spoke softly. “So what’s your plan?” They could have a mobile lab, but they really needed the full spectrum of lab equipment to get definitive answers quickly. Regardless, this was his decision and he had full authority on it.

  “We alerted the lab at Providence Air Force Base. They’ll work it, and get the results to you as soon as possible.” Colonel Gray’s domain. Great. Colonel Drake wasn’t going to like that. “I appreciate it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Elden walked out the same way his team had departed.

  As he cleared the exit, Darcy again sounded an alarm. “Unauthorized entry. Level One, Door Four. Repeat. Unauthorized entry. Level One, Door Four.”

  Maggie relayed the information to Will, then responded to Darcy. “Same guy?”

  “No, Maggie. Suspect is female. Mid-thirties, five-four, 140 pounds. Very bad and obvious red wig, black slacks, aqua top. She entered the facility carrying a handled Krane’s shopping bag and has just entered the arcade...” Darcy paused, then went on, her words rushed and urgent. “Suspect ditched the bag inside the arcade.”

  Which was full of kids.

  Running in that direction, Maggie told Will, “Secure the bag and keep a visual on the woman. Do not intercept.”

  “Was that an order not to intercept her?” he asked. “Please verify, Maggie.”

  “That’s correct. I want her followed.” It was a long shot but the woman could lead them to Kunz’s base of operations.

  “Suspect is heading east,” Darcy said. “She’s passing the knife shop, heading toward Door Five.”

  Maggie rounded the corner and saw the sign for the knife shop up ahead, but she didn’t see any sign of a woman in an aqua top or one wearing a red wig. “Darcy, is your external tag in place?”

  “Ready and waiting for her to step outside, Maggie.”

  “The bag is secure,” Justin said. “Same as the last one, Maggie. No scent, film or residue. Not even a crinkle. It looks unused.”

  “Recall HAZMAT,” Maggie ordered.

  Short minutes later Justin’s voice rang out. “HAZMAT is back on-site,” he informed them. “Elden’s safe-hatching the bag now. Estimated time of departure, two minutes.”

  “Suspect is in the north parking garage,” Darcy’s voice sounded through Maggie’s earpiece. “She’s just entered a white, 2004 Honda Civic. Rental Tag,” she added, then reeled off the number.

  Maggie spoke into the two-way. “Will, who’s handling that tag on the suspect in the parking garage?”

  “Local police.”

  “Do you have a visual?”

  “Stand by, Maggie.” A pause, then Will added, “I have a visual now, yes.”

  “Can you verify the identity of the officer?”

  “I can, Maggie. Worked with him many times.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She had to check. Kunz was too good at making substitutions, though never this soon into a mission, to not check. She headed back toward Center Court.

  Justin caught up to her. “HAZMAT’s departed with the second bag.”

  “Good.”

  “Did they get her?”

  Maggie nodded. “Local police are following her now.”

  “Aren’t you going to pick her up and interrogate her?”

  “No, S.A.S.S. doesn’t handle overt aspects on missions.”

  “Ah, the unit secrecy thing.”

  Maggie nodded, amused at watching him assimilate and put the pieces together and into place.

  “Do you think maybe she’ll go back to their operations base, and we can stop this thing before it really starts?” He brushed a strand of hair back from Maggie’s face. “Wouldn’t that be great?”

  Surprised by his touch, she stilled, her throat thick. Something hitched in her chest, left her a little breathless, which was ridiculous. It was an innocent touch. No more than that. “We can hope, but—”

  “You doubt it.”

  “Let’s just say that would be extremely atypical for Thomas Kunz. He never makes anything simple.”

  “The man likes complexity, eh?”

  “Historically, yes,” Maggie said. “His operations are always complex and multilayered—and dangerous and destructive.”

  “Then Stealing Christmas won’t be any different. Unfortunate.” Justin looked deeply into her eyes and his voice went soft. “And you have to deal with him all the time.”

  “We all do. Sometimes the world sucks,” she said, repeating what he’d said about Simon witnessing his grandfather’s murder.

  “Yeah, but then something good happens.” He looked her directly in the eye.

  “Yeah.”

  “Maggie,” Darcy interrupted. “Security just sent us an update on the first bagger.”

  “Go ahead,” Maggie said, reluctantly shifting her attention. “They’ve got his photo circulating and locals have issued an APB on him, but my guess is he’s long gone.”

  “Figures. Keep me posted.”

  Thirty minutes later at Providence, the lab called Maggie and reported its findings.

  “That’s right, Captain Holt. Nothing. Not even finger or palm prints on the handle grips. As best we can tell, totally unused.”

  “Both bags?” Disappointment arrowed through her, but no surprise. Clear gloves. That was the only explanation.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Thanks.” Maggie stuffed her phone back into her purse, and walked down to Center Court. The stores would be closing soon, and the Winter Wonderland crew would be coming in.

  The reprieve from the shoppers and false alarms would be welcome. They’d had twenty-seven tonight alone. The day’s tally was over seventy, which was making Will and his staff totally nuts. Maggie had warned him that false alarms could anesthetize his staff. They needed to guard against it, remain diligent and not relax. She hoped they took what she said to heart.

  All of the surveillance cameras were now in place and operational. The trash receptacles had been removed and put in storage. The rounds had been netted and the aromatherapy had been nixed. So far, so good.

  But it was still early.

  Darcy radioed Maggie on a private frequency. “More chatter from multiple sources has been feeding through Intel into the Threat Integration Center. Nothing any more specific than what we have, but new sources reporting the same thing on the same potential targets.”

  Kunz was definitely going
to hit someone. Somewhere.

  “Thanks.” Maggie rubbed at her neck, let her gaze drift down the steps into the pit.

  “Maggie?” Darcy asked.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Providence Police are reporting that the female shopper, Suspect Number Two, is about to cross the state line into Georgia. Do you want our guys to ask the state police in Georgia to intercept her?”

  “Thank them for the offer, but we need the FBI on her, in case she’s involved in an attack. Felony charges. Have them pick up the tag, and see where she goes.”

  “Truthfully, I doubt she’s going anywhere of interest,” Kate said.

  “So do I, Kate,” Maggie said. “But I don’t know it. Until I know it, we’ve got no choice but to follow her.”

  “She’s made a U-turn, Maggie.” Darcy relayed from the police. “She’s heading back south.”

  “Did she cross the line into Georgia?”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  That limited their options. “Does she know she’s being tailed?”

  A moment lapsed while Darcy relayed the question, then she answered. “No evidence of it. They’ve switched off teams three times.”

  “Let’s stick with observation, then,” Maggie decided, hoping she wasn’t making a colossal mistake. There had to be a reason for these abandoned bags. Kunz never did anything without a reason.

  “Dang it,” Darcy said. “Unauthorized entry. Level One, Door One. Male. Twenty-five, 5’10”, 165 pounds. Blond ponytail, navy sweater, gray slacks. Suspect entered the facility with—you guessed it—a handled Krane’s shopping bag and ditched it immediately near the Tot Shop. Repeat. Unauthorized entry. Level One, Door One...”

  Maggie took off in a full run toward the main entrance, wishing already she had those Rollerblades.

  There were no further incidents before the mall closed to shoppers for the night.

  Justin oversaw the prepositioning of the boxes of antidote vials at strategic locations on all three levels of the mall, and ordered the undercover medical personnel manning them to never leave their stations unguarded.

  Will Stanton had all his security forces assembled in the administrator’s auditorium, briefing them on things to watch for, to guard against and procedures to follow in case various abnormalities occurred.

  Daniel Barone walked the premises with Maggie. Now that the mall was empty of shoppers, their footsteps echoed on the tile. She gave him an update on everything done, or about to be done, in the way of extra personnel, cameras and observation stations.

  “What about the woman?” he asked.

  “What woman?” Maggie hadn’t briefed him on the shopper who’d been tracked to just this side of the state line, back to the mall, then to a hotel three blocks away.

  “The female shopper with the Krane’s bag?”

  Will Stanton? Had he told Barone? “Dead end,” she said, more from instinct than because she had reason to withhold specifics. Though it broke her rule to ask a question she couldn’t already answer, she had to do it. “How did you know about her?”

  “I know everything that goes on in my facility, Captain.”

  “Mr. Barone, I don’t wish to be rude, but I don’t have the time or patience for glib responses. How did you know about the shopper?”

  “A security staff member told me, which you should have done yourself, Captain.”

  “Had it been significant, I would have,” she countered.

  “I’ll judge what is significant.”

  “Uh, no. No, you won’t. Because if I briefed you on all I know that’s insignificant, it’ll take roughly three weeks of daily, sixteen-hour briefings.” She looked him over, wordlessly saying he wasn’t up to the work. “Which member of Will’s staff informed you of the shopper?”

  He paused, then grunted. “Unfortunately, I don’t recall.” He shrugged. “I’ve spoken to a number of people who’ve mentioned it and I’m no longer certain who first spoke of it.”

  “Understandable,” she said, knowing he was lying through his teeth to protect his source. “Once the first male bagger disappeared off the monitor, he wasn’t seen again.”

  “And the third male?”

  “Under surveillance by authorities outside the facility.”

  “Maggie?” Justin’s voice came in through her earpiece. “When you have a second, I need you up on Level Three.”

  “On my way.” She smiled at Barone. “Sorry, you’ll have to excuse me. Duty calls.”

  He nodded and silently walked back toward his office in the administration wing.

  That silence bothered her. It didn’t seem to fit Barone’s need to micromanage every detail. If running true to form, wouldn’t he be scouting the facility, offering reassurance, soothing jittery nerves, insinuating himself?

  He would.

  Maggie made a decision. “Darcy, put someone on Barone. Dr. Cabot’s watch signs are evident.”

  “Should I pull Kate or—”

  “No. No, low visibility.” Maggie remembered a woman on Will’s staff that appeared about as threatening as a marshmallow. “Judy Meyer,” Maggie said. Barone would ignore her.

  “I’ll notify Will.”

  “Don’t be specific. Just say I need to borrow her for a bit.”

  “Right.”

  Maggie took the escalator, headed up to Level Three. Between the second and third floors, she followed an internal nudge, unclipped her two-way and paged Will.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Will, did you mention the female shopper we tagged to Barone?”

  “No, ma’am. But he caught a member of my staff, and he told him.”

  Unfortunate. Why, Maggie wasn’t yet sure. But her instincts had warned her several times to be wary of Barone, and they were honed. Confident the truth would reveal itself eventually, she paid attention. “So Barone knows we’re watching her?”

  “No, ma’am,” Will said. “Actually, he doesn’t. I didn’t share that information with my staff.”

  Good. Good. “I’d rather you not.” Would Will agree without her giving him specific reasons?

  He hesitated a second, then came back. “Let’s keep it simple, Maggie. Barone’s a heck of a manager. No one denies it. But if we let him, he’ll drive us crazy on every detail. I vote we don’t. His intentions might be good, but his tactics could sidetrack us. We can’t afford to get bogged down. We could miss something important. With that in mind, I’m making a little policy adjustment. If you want something passed on, you say so. Otherwise, what I’m told is for my ears only.”

  Strong instincts. “Reasonable policy, Will.” She had to admit that his positive comments about Barone’s skills as a manager helped to ease her mind about the man, yet her wariness on possibly dealing with a double persisted. Will Stanton had proven he had a keen sense about people, and he clearly had the ability to cull the unessential so it didn’t cloud the necessary. She was lucky to have him on her team.

  “Maggie,” he said, again stilted and hesitant. “People entering the mall with these empty bags are really bothering me. I’ve run Security at Santa Bella for over five years, and I can’t say I’ve never seen people come into the mall with empty bags, but seeing three back-to-back and abandoned in one day like we saw today.

  “With the holidays, the stores are busier than usual.” She looked down over the escalator rail. Nothing snagged her attention.

  “True.” He conceded but let out a frustrated sigh that crackled static through the two-way. “Still, it just doesn’t sit right.”

  “I know what you mean.” She had the same feeling. A little whisper, as persistent as an itch, nagged at her. But she couldn’t yet make out the words. Diversionary tactics? Signals? Warnings? Response tests? Target area alerts?

  “I’m not sure if the terrorists are testing us to see what we pick up, or just distracting us.”

  “Could be either or neither, Will. We just have to follow through and narrow the possibilities with what happens. We can’t risk l
etting anything pass, and we’re not distracted. That’s the good news.” They were hyperalert and intensely aware. It was the best they could do.

  “Right,” he agreed. “Every staff member on duty knows that one screw-up and this could be our last night alive—and a lot of others could die with us,” he said.

  Heaviness settled on Maggie’s shoulders, spreading through her chest. “Make sure they keep remembering that, Will. If they attack Santa Bella, they will be seeking high casualties. Factoring that in, everything we do is our best defense weapon.”

  “You got it.”

  On Level Three, Maggie stepped off the escalator. Justin stood halfway down the thoroughfare near a round.

  “No net,” he said as she approached. “All the rounds have been netted, except this one.”

  She brought up Will on the two-way and disclosed the problem.

  “That’s not possible. I checked them all myself not more than an hour ago. That round was netted, Maggie.”

  This wasn’t good news. “Well, it’s not netted now.”

  “Do you want me to send someone from Maintenance up to take care of it?”

  “No.” Maggie absorbed Justin’s surprised look and held his gaze. “Send a security staff member instead. One you can spare awhile to stand watch.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “Maggie, what are you doing?” Justin asked.

  She stepped close, looked up at him. “Trust me. I want to see why the net was removed, and hopefully who removed it.”

  “I see now,” he said in a quiet voice.

  She turned away. Considering it was her job and not personal, he should have known she’d have a valid reason for her actions.

  “It’s hard to give what you don’t receive, Maggie.” Touché. She looked back at him over her shoulder.

  “If trusting was easy, it’d have no value.”

  A thin man about thirty with teen-acne scars pitting his face joined them. “Captain, I’m Donald Freeman. Chief Stanton said I should report to you for further instructions.”

  “The netting has been removed from this flower round by parties unknown, Donald. We need to know who did it, and why.” Maggie looked around for a good observation post. “See that alcove?”