Palm Sunday

by William R. Vitanyi Jr.

  Chapter Twelve

  Slocum sat quietly in his cell, one foot propped up, his arms around his knee. He was still secured behind two sets of bars, but his wrist was no longer shackled to the wall. It was another concession that Kayoko had pried out of Mason. He perked up when she appeared outside the cell.

  “You decided to come back. I’m flattered,” said Slocum.

  She ignored his banter. “Listen,” she said. “There’s big trouble ahead for you and some others. Right now your only hope is with me–so don’t play games. Time is short.”

  Slocum stood up and grasped the bars in front of him. “What are you talking about? What others?”

  “It’s not important who they are; a boy and his father. The three of you are about to meet an unpleasant fate unless we come up with something.”

  “We?”

  Kayoko hesitated. “Yes. I don’t like what’s going on here, and I’m going to help you. But you have to help me figure out what to do.”

  Slocum was intrigued. It could be a trap, but they already had him where they wanted him, so what would be the point? He nodded his acceptance of her offer, and she moved closer to the bars, lowering her voice.

  “Bobby and his father…”

  “Bobby?”

  “Yes, the Whipples.” She noted the recognition, and the immediate attempt to cover it. “So you do know them.” He said nothing. “It’s okay. They’re here, but unharmed.”

  “How did they get here?” asked Slocum.

  “It’s a long story. Right now we have to worry about how to get you out of here. Any ideas?”

  “Me? You know this place a lot better than I do. My visits here were few and far between. I don’t think I could even find the front door.”

  “The front door isn’t what I had in mind,” said Kayoko.

  Slocum thought about it for a moment. “Computers,” he said.

  “What?”

  “They have to bring new computers in here once in a while, right? Other equipment, too. That means a loading dock, or at least some access point. Maybe someone on the computer staff knows where it is.”

  Kayoko’s face lit up. “Yes, that’s it. Norbert. I’ll need him to enter the code to open this gate as well.” She looked at the electronically operated security bars.

  “Will he help?”

  “I don’t think so–not on purpose. I’ll have to get him to think the order is coming from George Pampas.”

  “Pampas. He’s a brute,” said Slocum. “So how are you going to pull this off?”

  “Norbert gave me increased security clearance to let me conduct some tests. I may be able to use that to dummy up a message from Pampas ordering these gates opened.”

  “What about the inner gate?”

  “Pampas carries the key with him,” said Kayoko. “But I think I know where there’s a second set.” Her tasks were piling up fast, and time was passing quickly. Even if she could free Slocum, there was still the issue of Bobby and his father.

  Slocum was thinking the same thing. “What about the others?”

  “They aren’t being held as securely as you. I think I can get them out without too much trouble. The problem may be time.”

  “Get them out first. If you can get to me, fine. If not, then leave with them.”

  She looked at her watch. “It’s ten thirty. We’ll have to move quickly if this is going to work, so you sit tight while I get things rolling.”

  “Yeah, I was going to go for a walk, but I guess I’ll just wait here.”

  “Sorry.”

  He shook his head as she left for her office.

  ***

  It wasn’t like Norbert to miss something so obvious. He was giving the daily logs a quick once over, as he usually did just before lunch, when an email came in, requesting that the security gate be disabled. The message came from Pampas, but the routing included Kayoko’s email address. That was what he missed–the routing. Then came the telephone call, from Kayoko, which was a pleasant interruption. He even thought he sensed a bit of flirtation as she made small talk about ordering a new computer. Smiling, he hung up the phone, and then entered the instructions into the security subsystem in accordance with the request from Pampas.

  ***

  George Pampas kept various sets of keys in a cabinet in his office. It was common knowledge among those who had been at the agency for any length of time. Kayoko was one of those who knew. She carried a blue folder with her as she approached his secretary, who was preparing to leave for lunch.

  “Hi, Kayoko. Is that for Mr. Pampas?” The secretary indicated the blue folder.

  “Yes, some updates he requested concerning one of our guests.”

  “I’m just on my way out, but I can put it on his desk.”

  “No, that’s okay. I need to make a couple notes on it. I’ll just lay it on his desk when I’m through. Will he be back soon?”

  The secretary looked at her watch. “Should be pretty soon. He’s with Mr. Mason right now.”

  “Thanks.” Kayoko smiled as the secretary took her purse from the desk drawer and left. As soon as she had disappeared around the corner, Kayoko hurried into Pampas’s office.

  The first thing she noticed was how well organized the area was. Nothing seemed out of place. She looked in the corner to her right at the small wooden cabinet that hung on the wall, and hurried over to it, reaching for the handle. She tugged, but it was locked. Looking around the office she could see nothing with which to pry the door open, so she quickly went back to the secretary’s desk.

  There was nothing. The desktop was cluttered with papers, office supplies, and of course, the computer. Kayoko looked quickly around to make sure that no one was watching, and opened the larger of the desk drawers. To her surprise and great joy she saw a medium-sized screwdriver, which she grabbed. Dashing back into the office she wedged the blade into the small opening between the lock and the frame of the cabinet, prying a section of the door loose. It wasn’t enough. She worked the tool deeper, this time putting her weight behind the effort, and was rewarded with a single loud crack, and the door swung free, the screwdriver dropping to the ground.

  Several sets of keys hung neatly in the narrow confines of the cabinet, all conveniently labeled. Kayoko took two sets, and then carefully closed the door, trying to hide any indication of what she had done. As she turned to leave, she stepped on the screwdriver, thought of leaving it, and then quickly changed her mind. She picked it up and hurried from the office.

  ***

  “Dad.” Bobby tapped his father on the shoulder and nodded towards the door, where Kayoko was working the lock. The door swung open, and after quickly checking both ends of the hallway, she walked in.

  “There’s no time to talk,” she said. “We have to get out, now.” She turned towards the door and looked back at them. Neither had moved. “Let’s go!”

  Stanley was confused. “I told you I would give you the palmtop.”

  “Will you listen? They can’t let you go. You’ll never see your son again after today unless you shut up and come with me. Now!”

  Stanley was convinced, and gently pushed Bobby towards the door. The trio cautiously made their way out of the room, and Kayoko led them down the hallway and through a maze of offices and stairwells. She kept looking at her watch, and finally, after about fifteen minutes, led them into a broom closet. Stanley asked her if it was a joke as she pulled the door closed and turned on the light.

  “It’s no joke. Your friend is in a nearby cell, which is on a timer. It’s set to activate in,” she looked at her watch. “Two minutes. When that happens I have one minute to get him out.”

  “You mean Robert Slocum?” asked Stanley.

  “The same. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

  She opened the door a crack, just in time to see someone passing by. She wasn’t detected. Letting a few more seconds pass, she opened the door and checked the hallway. Empty. She left the closet, closed the door, and walked quickly to a s
tairwell that led to the floor below them, Slocum’s floor. When she came to the desk at the end of the hallway, she breathed a sigh of relief. No one was around. Apparently Pampas wasn’t worried about anyone escaping from this place. She hurried to Slocum’s cell. As she paused in front of the electronic keypad, trying to remember the sequence, Slocum stood up.

  “What are you waiting for?” he asked.

  “I’m trying to remember.” She closed her eyes, thinking back to when she had watched Pampas input the numbers. There were five of them–she remembered that much–and she knew the first three. She opened her eyes, reached out with her right hand, and quickly tapped five digits.

  Nothing happened.

  She looked at Slocum in desperation. She knew there would only be one chance, and she had missed it. “I’m sorry, Robert.”

  He looked at the gate. “Try it.”

  “Try what?”

  “Push the gate!”

  She gently leaned on the steel bars, and they swung inward. She quickly took out the keys she had taken from Pampas’s office and opened the inner door. Slocum hurried out, closing both gates behind him.

  “Which way?”

  “Down the hall, up the steps. Follow me.” She led him to the place where she had left Bobby and his father.

  “A closet?” He watched as she opened the door and Bobby and Stanley emerged.

  “Finally coming out of the closet, Stanley?” said Slocum. Stanley managed a wry grin as Kayoko led them down the hall. Slocum asked where they were going.

  “Freight elevator,” she said. “According to Norbert–the computer guy–that’s how they get their equipment in.”

  Slocum was encouraged, but had concerns. “Then what? They’ll have people on the streets before we get half a block away.”

  “We can take my car,” said Kayoko.

  “How far is it?”

  “About four blocks.”

  “No good, they’ll have it covered. We need a pick up.” He looked at Stanley. “What about Katherine?”

  “Yes, that’s it. If we can get to a phone and give her directions, she can be here in ten minutes.”

  “What about it, Kayoko,” said Slocum. “Can you make an outside call?”

  “Yes, but it would be traced immediately. They’ll know who made it, from where, and to whom.” She hesitated only a moment. “We can’t chance it, not from in here. After we get on the street we’ll use a pay phone to call your friend. We’ll just have to avoid agency people until she arrives.”

  Slocum nodded his agreement, as Kayoko led them on the dangerous trek to the freight elevator.

  ***

  When Pampas walked into his office, the first thing that caught his eye was the blue folder lying on his desk, which Kayoko had left behind. He sat down in his chair and picked up the folder, scanning the several pages of nonsense inside. He closed it and threw it to one side, and then noticed the cabinet.

  Something wasn’t quite right. He peered at it from behind his desk, slowly pushed his chair back, and walked up to it. There were wood chips on the ground, and in a moment of uncharacteristic absentmindedness, he thought that perhaps bugs had done it. But then he reached for the handle and the door swung freely open. He realized at once that this was not the work of termites. He raced to his desk and quickly dialed the phone.

  “Security.” The voice answered almost immediately.

  “This is George Pampas. I want a detail on the lower cell, now.”

  “Yes, sir. May I ask what we’re looking for?”

  “I don’t know. Just make sure the cell is secure, and let me know right away.”

  “Yes, sir!” The line went dead as the security man hung up.

  ***

  Norbert looked up from his computer screen and glanced at the hallway outside the computer center. It was visible at various points through the glass windows, and he thought he had seen someone walk past. He needed a break, anyway, and slowly stood up and stretched, arching his back as he did so. As he yawned from the exhaustion of too many hours at the console, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure disappearing around a far corner. He was about to go see who it was, when his phone rang. He looked at it, considered ignoring it, then sighed and picked up the receiver.

  “Computer center.”

  “Norbert?”

  “What can I do for you Mr. Pampas?”

  “What are you doing down there?”

  Norbert looked at the handset in bewilderment. “What do you mean?”

  “You activated the electronic lock on the lower holding area. Who authorized that?”

  Norbert quickly checked the security log. “You did.”

  “Don’t play games with me, Norbert. You won’t win.”

  “I have your email requesting that the lock be disabled fifteen minutes ago.”

  “I never sent any such request. What are you trying to pull?”

  “Wait a minute.” Norbert looked more closely at the email in question. It didn’t take long to figure out who had actually sent the message. “I’m going to have to look into this,” said Norbert. He didn’t want to reveal Kayoko’s involvement until he had a chance to talk to her.

  “Let me know what you find out.” Pampas abruptly hung up without explaining what was going on. Had he shared the fact that Slocum and the others had escaped, Norbert would almost certainly have reported Kayoko’s complicity. Instead, Pampas’s refusal to share critical information caused her involvement to remain undiscovered for the time being, buying precious minutes.

  ***

  The escaped prisoners, along with Kayoko, made it to the freight elevator without being detected. On two occasions Kayoko had to use her ID card to access locked doors, so it was a fortunate thing that her authority had not been revoked. The elevator itself was another issue, as an electronic keypad, less sophisticated than that used on the cell that had held Slocum, prevented their escape. They gathered around the device.

  “This isn’t good,” said Slocum.

  Kayoko had a worried look on her face. “I should have realized they wouldn’t leave it wide open.”

  “Maybe we can take it apart.” Stanley had walked up to the keypad, and was investigating the possibilities. He fooled around with the base plate, but was unable to pry it loose. “Find something to work it with,” he said. “Something like a…”

  “Screwdriver?” Kayoko held up the tool she had picked up earlier.

  “Precisely.” Stanley took the screwdriver, and soon had a good view of the keypad’s inner workings. “This is a surprise. For such a high tech organization, this is pretty standard stuff.”

  Kayoko looked at him with curiosity. “How would you know?”

  Stanley glanced up at her from where he was stooped over, manipulating the keypad’s wiring. “I like to fiddle.”

  Slocum looked at Kayoko. “Trust me, he has a knack.”

  Stanley let out a grunt of satisfaction. The keypad beeped once, and the electronic lock switched open. “All aboard.” Stanley made a sweeping gesture with his arm as the elevator door opened.

  The group’s joy quickly turned to desperation, as a shouted command echoed from the opposite end of the hallway.

  “Hold it!”

  They turned as one, and to their horror saw a pair of security guards with drawn weapons. Behind them lurked the massive form of George Pampas. He was so angry that he pushed the guards aside, running towards the elevator and blocking their aim.

  “Quick! Get on!” Kayoko didn’t have to say it twice. In an instant they were inside the elevator, and Stanley was pecking at the buttons, trying to get the doors to close.

  Pampas was almost upon them, his beefy arms already reaching for the closing doors. Just as they were about to slam shut, his thick fingers slid through the narrow opening. He started to gain purchase, the gap between the doors widening slowly.

  “Oh, no!” Kayoko put her hands to her mouth. Stanley just stared. Bobby stepped forward and bit Pampas on the finger. Hard
.

  Pampas let out a scream and quickly withdrew his hands. The doors closed, and the elevator started to move.

  Kayoko breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We’re going down,” said Slocum.

  “I must have pressed the wrong button,” said Stanley. “Sorry.”

  Slocum was very calm. “Let’s just hope we don’t have any company on the way back up.”

  They waited for what seemed an eternity, and then the doors slowly opened. They were in a darkened basement, and no one was around. Slocum pressed the button for ground level, and the doors once again closed. The elevator slowly rose, continued for what felt like two floors, and stopped.

  Once again the doors opened. They were back where they had started, and as the doors quietly parted, they could see the retreating back of George Pampas at the far end of the hallway. They stood quietly as Slocum pressed another button. Sensing rather than hearing the elevator, Pampas turned back and saw the group standing where he had just left them. Like a bear awakened from a peaceful sleep, he charged back down the hallway towards the elevator, but this time he didn’t come close. The doors closed, and the escapees headed for the street above.

  Pampas wasted no time as he quickly assembled a search operation. There could be no letting these people go free–the agency’s survival was at stake. He himself took a vehicle and started to patrol the busy noontime thoroughfares. Soon every available agent was headed for the streets.

  ***