Infiltrator
Page 11
"I get to choose where we go?" she asked, and he knew it was going to be expensive. She was going to make him pay for using the date as leverage, but at least a hint of flirtation was back in her voice, suggesting he was out of the doghouse, at least partially. He didn't doubt she was unhappy with him for pushing her into a situation she wasn't going to enjoy.
"Of course," he replied agreeably. "Dinner and a show." He knew that Tammy liked live performance events from some of their discussions at work. He sensed his sticking her with his partner was going to cost him dearly.
"I'll hold you to it," she warned with a long sigh. "You'll tell Abe what you want me to do?"
"I'll leave him a message when we finish here. Then I'm off to bed," he lied again, feeling guilty once again.
"Okay, then. You get your rest. Do you want me to stop by with something? I know I don't feel like cooking when I'm sick."
Pushing down a momentary panic, Mark rallied to the moment.
"You don't want to risk getting this, whatever it is. I can make some chicken soup. That's what my mother always fed us as kids, and while I don't really believe it helps all that much, at least it goes down easy under these circumstances."
He could sense her disappointment, but finally she said, "You're probably right. Okay, I'll deal with your gross partner. You get better fast so it isn't more than a day or so."
"Promise," Mark agreed. "I'll call Weiner and then off to bed."
He wanted to get the call over with as he sensed the effects of the nasal rinse were starting to clear up. "Thanks, Tammy. I knew I could count on you."
They said their goodbyes, and with relief Mark carefully set the handset onto the phone base. It had worked! After a moment he picked the phone up again, called Abe at NSA, and left a message outlining his illness and what he wanted Tammy to do. Then he was ready to prepare for the day with Jessie.
He had less than forty minutes to get ready if he was to make it to the hotel on time. He chose a pair of casual but rugged levis and a long sleeved woolen shirt. A pair of trail-boots and his long leather jacket completed his outfit. He would be comfortable, and equally important warm, since the weather as still cold, even though the storm was long passed.
He didn't forget what Jessie had said about bringing a weapon and what she suggested was the better choice. With the heavy clothing, concealment wasn't going to be an issue, and he retrieved the Kimber .45 and clipped the belt holster in place where the gun would be hard to spot, yet readily accessible. He recalled what someone at work had said about most people not thinking about people being armed, and unless he was dealing with a professional a few odd lumps and bumps in his attire would go unnoticed. For reasons he couldn't explain, he slid the smaller Smith 9mm into one of the heavy leather coat's inner pockets. It would ride there comfortably, and while not as accessible, he felt better about having a spare. He didn't know whether Jessie was concerned about what they might encounter in the facility, or whether the possibility of another run in with the gang member types was what motivated her warning. Either way, he felt better for having the pair of weapons. He'd read that many cops carried a spare, so he felt he wasn't being paranoid by bringing both guns.
Ten minutes later he was out of the apartment and on his way to the Metro station. He called Jessie, not wanting to have contacted her while he was still in his apartment. There was nothing to indicate it was bugged in any way. Jessie had made a superficial check of Jerry and Pam's homes the day before and detected nothing, but given the unusual nature of everything that had been happening, he wasn't inclined to trust anything he didn't have to.
"I'm coming along," he said without preamble or greeting when Jessie answered.
"I thought you might," she replied. "How did you get away from work?"
"Called in sick. Made some arrangements for someone to help my partner there. Not the best solution, but I feel that this is more important, and it's not right to let you have all the fun."
He tried to sound casual, but the truth was he felt he hadn't been proactive enough on this, and was being overshadowed by the woman. True, it was more along the lines of what her job normally entailed, but he had a certain image of himself that was being quietly tarnished.
She laughed.
"Fun? Well, we'll see. How about I meet you in the lobby. How long before you get here?"
"I'll be boarding the Metro in a couple of minutes. Probably just before your eight o'clock target."
"Perfect," she said, and terminated the call. It was a little more abrupt than Mark was accustomed to, but then they had agreed to limit their time on any calls, so he couldn't really complain.
The Metro ride was an interesting experience. First, he had to deal with his paranoid feeling that everyone was aware that he was armed, doubly in fact. He hadn't carried in such a public environment much, and always felt self-conscious. Then he had time to think about what they were doing. He was partnering with Jessie, but he couldn't ignore the fact that this wasn't a normal assignment. What they were planning on doing today was off the books. It wasn't a company-authorized action they were embarking on, and was in fact an illegal breaking and entering. He had some momentary doubts and concerns about what this could lead to if they were discovered and caught. He was risking his career, if not actual jail time. There was always the hope they could explain the situation away, but Mark wasn't naive enough to be able to sell himself on the success of that approach. Well it was too late now.
He spotted Jessie coming from the elevators as he walked through the lobby. He was pleased to see her thoughts had somewhat echoed his own. She was wearing more rugged clothing than he'd ever seen her in, yet she didn't look out of place. A North Face down jacket covered her upper body, and easily concealed any weapon, he assumed the Glock, that she was carrying. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was slotted through the back end of a baseball cap. He hadn't considered the headgear, and realized that it would not only be fitting given the weather, it would mask her features from the many video units scattered around the city. She looked different enough that he was a bit surprised he'd recognized her so easily, but then decided it was because she had also spotted him and her eyes were locked on his own. She nodded as she approached, and the headed toward the hotel exit without any words being spoken.
"It feels different coming here today," Mark noted as they walked the entire distance from the Metro station toward the street where their target building was located. Although cold, it was a nice enough day, and it gave them a chance to observe the area together this time. The restaurant where they had all gathered while waiting for taxis was a couple of blocks to the east and one or two ahead of them.
"How so," Jessie asked.
"Before coming here felt like a bit of mysterious company business. Getting out of the taxi a couple blocks away, then making my way to the meeting. I felt I was doing something secretive and work related."
"And now?"
"Well, for one thing, I never noticed how run down and worn out the area is. I can see why we ran into those thugs the other night. We're just a couple blocks away from the main street, yet this looks like an area that has been neglected for decades. It is getting worst as we continue in this direction."
"It's a part of the city that the government is offering businesses large incentives to come in and rebuild," Jessie said. "I researched it. A large part of DC looks like this, and companies don't want to build here because of the risks to their employees. The incentives program is attempting to change all that and revitalize this part of D.C."
Mark nodded. He knew something about that, from an academic point of view. Today was the first time he'd realized he'd been coming to that part of town. It was a wonder they hadn't been accosted before. He used his right elbow to press against the butt of the hidden firearm.
"Then there is the matter that we are preparing to break the law," he added.
Jessie smiled.
"So, that finally dawned on you?"
"You can still back out," Jessie reminded him.
"But you're going on regardless?"
"Absolutely. I planned on doing this alone, and can still approach it that way. There's more risk and less chance of success, but I need to know. Part of me doesn't want to know the truth," she admitted, "but that's even more reason to go on. This thing will loom over us forever unless we find out what is going on."
"I have to admit, a large part of me is dying to find some answers, despite the obvious risks," Mark said.
"We'll be there soon enough," Jessie warned, as they approached the end of the block adjacent to the one where their destination could be seen. The streets here had been cleared, at least the snow pushed off to the side in large dirty piles so traffic could pass. That wasn't the case on the next block. The streets were closed off, another thing Mark had mysteriously not noticed before, and the snow was still banked covering the street much as it had a few nights before.
They worked their way past the barricades, and crossed between the larger, deeper banks finding a path along the sidewalk much as they had the other night. Jessie had been right, the entire block was a cluster of condemned buildings, with plenty of signs to alert anyone to the fact, with warnings to stay clear of the area. The few people they spotted didn't seem particularly concerned that they were violating the warnings, and they spotted a number of footprints, most a couple of days old, in the snowy path. Others made their way in here as well.
They passed the intersection that they had taken the night before. Johnson had died partway down that street. They continued on silently. Then, there it was. The building he'd visited many times before. He wouldn't have described the building he was now looking at, and doubted anyone would have found it from the kind of picture he had in his mind, but there was little doubt this was it. Even this far away he could read the faded sign on the door that announced the building was condemned and scheduled for demolition.
"Not what you recalled, is it?" Jessie said softly.
"I can't understand how we could have missed this," Mark said.
"Yeah, me either," she replied. "I pride myself on my observational skills."
"Are we going in the front?"
Jessie shook her head.
"There's probably no one to notice, but the service access in the back looked to be less obvious as well as a bit more primitive. Not that the security system on the front in this old building is going to present much of a challenge."
Mark simply nodded as Jessie led him past the front door, with the darkened lobby inside. He could see the old footprints from when the group of them had left the other night, but inside it looked dark and foreboding. There was no one inside.
The wide alley in back provided access for trucks and other delivery vehicles, including a sloped ramp that led downward to a metal door. Jessie pointed and they walked down, where she carefully opened a keyed monitoring system and using some electronic gadget, quickly disabled the alarm system. Using a more manual approach, she also picked the lock of the door, pushing it open and indicating this was the route inside. Mark could see his skill set was sadly lacking for this kind of thing.
"Let's hope this place is as empty as I suspect," she whispered as she quietly secured the door behind them.
Chapter 12
A sudden transformation overtook Mark as he stepped into the darkened cellar, using the flashlight he'd brought along against the possibility the lights would be disabled. It still didn't make sense that would be the case, but Jessie had been insistent that the place looked like it had long been empty when she'd scouted it. The uncertainty and nervousness he had been experiencing since embarking on this adventure suddenly disappeared. He could do this, he realized. He'd done this kind of thing dozens of times before during his time in the military. The location was different, as were the arms and companions, but the basics of what needed to be done were part of a skill set ingrained into his memories.
His Kimber was already in hand, having been drawn almost automatically as he stepped into the darkened area. He was reassured when he saw that Jessie had her Glock drawn and ready as well. This wasn't supposed to be a shooting intrusion, but better to meet any confrontation with force, or at least the capability of applying force.
He shined his light around the semi-dark area. It wasn't the black of most basements without lighting. There were half a dozen shortened windows high up around the edges of the area. These half windows were heavily screened, but provided light from outside, the six or so inches of glass and heavy screen were mounted at the base of the structure just inches above the exterior ground level.
Jessie had found a light switch along one wall, and flipped it to see what might happen.
"Nothing," she whispered. "I didn't expect anything, but it is suggestive of what we will find above. The power wouldn't be off just down here."
"Stairs," Mark noted, his light picking out the narrow set of utility stairs next to the darkened and scratched door of the ancient duty elevator. Even if it were operational, they wouldn't attempt to ride. Not only were the chances of being trapped far too great, but activating the noisy lift could alert anyone in the building to their presence.
Without asking, Jessie moved up the stairs first, moving with the kind of caution and technique that told Mark she was no novice to this kind of thing either. Good. One liked his support people to know what they were doing. Fewer people died that way. At the top of the single flight of stairs, Jessie hesitated, listening at the door for any signs of activity in the lobby area. This single flight would bring them to the level where they normally entered the building.
Mark waited silently. She turned and shook her head, her blond hair dark in the muted light. Then she pushed the door open a crack, peered through, and after a few moments examination, stepped into the ancient lobby, with Mark following quietly behind her.
The light was far better here. The glass doors and large windows, even if partially blocked by the large sheets of paper noting the condemned nature of the facility let in sufficient light that they no longer needed their flashlights. It was cold. The worn marble floor echoed as they walked across it, despite their effort to move silently. Not like outside, but a deep cold that suggested the heat hadn't been on here for a considerable time. The lights were off of course, and the desk where Mark recalled the doorman sitting was empty. There was nothing to indicate anyone had been there in a long time. A slight film of dust covered the countertop and the seat of the chair. Otherwise, except for the missing people and the slight warmth after being outside, it was as he recalled it from a few days ago.
"Feels like the night we left after the meetings," Jessie whispered, echoing his thoughts. "Cold, with no one here to talk with."
Mark walked to the entrance, and peered through the glass to the snowy walkway outside. He could see their footprints in the snow, misshapen as the snow had melted and sublimated over the past couple of days. There were no marks to suggest other visitors, and no effort had been made to clear the walkways. Jessie was right. This place wasn't being used.
The double set of elevators that served the upper floors were located closer to the front of building where visitors would find them more readily, not back where the one-level service elevator door could be seen. The doors to one of the pair of elevators was locked open, and a quick glance inside indicated the power was off as expected. They walked past to a second stairway, this one was open without a door and which headed upwards into more darkness.
Mark led this time. This set of stairs were wider than the ones coming up from the basement,
and were marble, designed to match the floor of the lobby. The handrail was worn wood, the varnish long since worn away. The light cream paint was darkened and peeling in several places as they made their way up to the first floor.
Their interest, of course, was the fourth floor. But that wasn't how you did these things. The fourth would have to wait until they had secured the lower levels. As it turned out, they needn't have bothered. The first three levels were cleaned out. No one had been here in a long time. The offices were emptied of everything other than bits of junk paper that had been left behind. The tired old torn carpets told the story. The floors were dusty, and they could see their footprints as they moved down the long central hallway. Had anyone else walked this way recently they would have left similar marks.
"Ready?" Jessie asked as she stood prepared to open the door to the level they had been hoping for. It was the moment of truth, and Mark felt his heart beating a bit faster, not in fear, but anticipation of what the level would reveal about them.
He nodded, ready to move into the area after her, ready to deflect any threat, although he didn't believe any longer they would find anyone.
The fourth floor was different than the previous three. The layout was different, which they already knew. At some point it had been renovated to a different floor plan. In many ways it looked just as they recalled, the large open waiting area rather than the narrow hallway leading down the length of the building to the various office suites. It had furniture, something the other levels had been entirely lacking, and a far superior carpet. But, the lushness that Mark recalled was gone. It was more like a movie prop, which seen through the camera lens was a rich and expensive room, but in reality was marked with flaws and cheap material. Yet somehow he knew this was where they had waited to be called a few days earlier, somehow their senses recalling the place with a through-the-camera image.