Silent Night (Sam Archer 4) (24 page)

The virus sure as hell worked.

Behind him, the lift dinged and opened. He looked over his shoulder and saw Finn walk out, heading towards him. As he approached, Sway noticed his friend wearing the protective suit minus the helmet and saw the dead body inside the lab.

‘Why didn’t you just shoot him?’

‘I wanted to do a test. ’

Finn looked at the six canisters sitting on the desktop in the lab. He pointed.

‘OK, genius, so how do we get them out now?’

‘Relax. One of the doctors showed me how to filter the air before I shot him. I push a button, it’ll be clean in less than a minute.’

Finn nodded. ‘OK. We’re halfway there.’

‘No, we’re all the way there. The doctor cooked up six canisters for us and Bleeker’s dead.’

‘Yeah, but his contact isn’t.’

‘Wait. You still want to go through with that?’

‘Yeah. I do.’

‘Do you have his number?’

Sway nodded. Rourke turned to him.

‘Think for a moment. We need to be careful. You and Bleeker set this up to con the money out of the Brit. That was before Bleeker screwed us. What he did this morning will have alerted every cop and Federal agent in
New York
.’

‘Relax. It doesn’t affect our plan. It just means we’ll do it with an early two million in our back pockets.’

‘You sure he’ll pay?’

‘Bleeker said the Brit’s in seven figures with a Triad gang. He’s been given one week to front the money or his kid dies. He won’t back out.’

‘Could be a set up.’

‘Look at it this way. Bleeker served his purpose by making introductions at the rally. Now he’s dead, which saves us the trouble. And we get another $2 mil added to the pot.’

‘I still don’t like it.’

‘But I do. There’s two million on the table. I’m not walking away from that.’ He pulled his cell phone. ‘I’ll set this thing up.’

He pointed at the sealed-off lab.

‘Do me a favour and clean that shit out of there.’

Back at the Counter Terrorism Bureau, Archer and Shepherd had re-joined Josh and Jorgensen in the observation room of the interrogation cell. Marquez was upstairs working with Rach. The four men were standing in silence, watching through the glass as Jacobs talked with his lawyer inside the other room.

‘Shit,’ Jorgensen said. ‘He’s not going to be talking any time soon.’

‘We had him, sir,’ Archer said to Shepherd. ‘He had no idea what Bleeker was up to this morning.’

‘Your comment about needing the money rattled him,’ Shepherd said. ‘And the photo of the dead man shook him further. He’s not in this for terrorism.’

‘He’s in it for money,’ Josh finished.

‘He said something strange in there,’ Archer said.

‘What was that?’

‘
Bleeker already had the virus?
’

‘So?’ Jorgensen said. ‘Why’s that strange, genius?’

‘Because he was surprised. I think he and Bleeker were planning to buy it from someone else.’

‘But Bleeker already had the virus.’

‘Only because he stole it.’

‘You think he was double-crossing Jacobs?’ Shepherd asked.

‘I think he was planning to.’

As the men thought about this, Marquez stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Shepherd turned to her.

‘Any updates?’

She nodded. ‘CSU found a pay-as-you-go cell phone in a drawer at Dr Tibbs’ apartment. It has a very interesting call history.’

‘Interesting how?’

‘There’s only one number on there. Paul Bleeker’.

‘Oh shit,’ Jorgensen said. ‘So Tibbs is the missing link?’

‘He has to be,’ Marquez said. ‘Apparently the calls stretch back for the last couple of weeks.’

‘Get the two doctors,’ Shepherd asked.

Marquez ducked out. Moments later, she reappeared with Kruger and Maddy, the pair joining the team in the observation room for the interrogation cell.

‘What’s going on?’ Kruger asked.

‘A cell phone was found at Dr Tibbs’ apartment. He’s been in touch with Paul Bleeker for the past fortnight.’

‘What?’

‘He was the leak in your team,’ Shepherd said. ‘That’s how Bleeker knew about the virus. Tibbs must have told him.’

Kruger and Maddy both looked shocked. Shepherd gave them a moment. In the silence, a cell phone in the room started ringing but the room ignored it. Kruger looked surprised and took a seat while he thought the revelation through. Archer glanced at Maddy and saw her frowning, shaking her head. Marquez had noticed it too.

‘Will was such a quiet, gentle guy,’ Maddy said. ‘I can’t believe he’d do something like this.’

‘Never underestimate the appeal of money,’ Jorgensen replied insensitively.

The phone kept ringing.

‘Jesus Christ, will someone answer that?’ Shepherd said.

They looked at each other; it didn’t belong to any of them. Then they all turned in the direction of the ringing cell.

It was rattling and vibrating across the desk behind them, the screen flashing.

It was Jacobs’ phone.

Jacobs and his lawyer were mid-conversation when the door to the interrogation room burst open. Shepherd’s whole team moved swiftly inside, followed by Rach carrying her laptop. A wire was hooked up to Jacobs’ Blackberry, which was still ringing. Rach placed the laptop on the table quickly whilst Shepherd slid the phone in front of Jacobs. It sat there, purring and shifting on the table as the call continued.

Private Number
was on the display.

The lawyer turned to the group. ‘This is-’

‘Answer it,’ Shepherd told Jacobs, pointing at the phone. The English lawyer was taken aback. He froze, as the phone continued to ring. ‘
Answer it!’
Shepherd shouted at him. ‘On speaker.’

His change in tone jolted Jacobs into action. He lifted a finger and pushed
Answer.

‘Hello?’

Pause.

‘Jacobs?’

The voice was Southern.

‘Yes. How did you get this number?’

‘Bleeker’s dead.’

‘Yes. I know.’

‘We’ll still meet tonight.’

‘Bleeker never told me where the meet would be.’

‘What?’

‘He never told me where the trade would happen.’

Pause.

‘Tonic East. 10pm. Third floor. You got the money?’

‘
Yes.’

‘Two million. I want it transferred into an offshore bank account. I’ll give you the details when we meet. Then you get the item.
If you’re a minute late, I’m gone.’

‘Yes. How do I know what you look like?’

Pause.

‘I’ll find you.’

And he hung up.

A moment of silence followed. Then as one, the room exhaled. Shepherd grabbed the phone, making sure the call was disconnected.

‘Now we’re talking,’ he said. ‘Did you get a trace, Rach?’

She shook her head. ‘Too quick.’

Shepherd turned to his team.

‘Tonic. You guys know that place?’

‘Yes, sir,’ Jorgensen said. ‘I do. It’s a football bar, corner of East 29
th
and 3
rd
. Turns into a club at night.’

Shepherd checked his watch. ‘It’s 1530. The meet is at 2200. That gives us plenty of time to prepare.’

He looked down at Jacobs.

‘You’re going to make that meeting.’

The lawyer, startled by all this, tried to interject. ‘My client and I-’

‘Everyone, follow me,’ Shepherd said, ignoring the man and moving to the door.

At
Kearny Medical
, Sway had just ended the call.

He remained where he was, looking down at his phone.

‘What?’ Rourke asked.

Sway didn’t answer.

‘What’s up?’

Sway stared at the phone for a few moments longer, thinking.

Then he turned to Rourke. ‘Nothing. We’re on for tonight.’ He pointed at the canisters inside the secured lab. Rourke had activated the purification system and the air was now cleaned. ‘We need to get them stowed.’

‘No rush,’ Rourke said. ‘I’m not going anywhere until you get back from the meet.’

‘What about this place?’

‘Before we leave I’ll rig it up.’

‘If we blow it tonight, that’ll get attention. Set the timer for tomorrow.’

Rourke grinned. ‘Trust me. I know what I’m doing.’

Sway nodded.

‘I’m going to go prepare,’ he said, walking off towards the lift.

‘Wait. Don’t you need a sample of the virus?’

Sway turned and grinned.

‘Trust me. I know what I’m doing.’

Less than an hour later a whole host of people had gathered inside Briefing Room 5 at the Counter Terrorism Bureau. Rach was at her terminal, same as before. Beside her were the two doctors, Maddy Flood and Kruger. On the left side of the room were Archer, Josh, Jorgensen and Marquez. Sergeant Hendricks and his four-man team were on the other. Archer looked over at Hendricks and felt reassured by his presence. Dark-featured and with a face that rarely broke into a smile, Hendricks was as tough as nails, one of the hardest cops Archer had ever seen. He was a burgeoning legend within the NYPD. Before he came to the Counter Terrorism Bureau, Hendricks had run his own team out of the 75
th
in Brooklyn which was regarded as the most dangerous precinct in all of
New York
. The surrounding area was plagued by violence, bombed-out buildings, barbed wire and almost a daily murder count. But the scary thing was that Hendricks had requested a transfer to the precinct.

He’d wanted to go there.

There were all sorts of rumours about stuff he’d done and most of them were true. His team was gathered beside him, standing in silence. Hendricks had handpicked them himself and they were like a damn wolf-pack, all as gritty and stern-faced as he was. They were the perfect team to work with tonight. Faison and Peterson were also on the other side of the table, sitting and talking quietly between themselves. With his shaved head and hate tattoos Peterson looked incongruous amongst everyone else in the room, but he was arguably the most important person there. He was going to be their eyes and ears at the
New Jersey
camp tonight.

They all suddenly quietened as Shepherd walked in. He closed the door behind him and walked to the front of the room, standing beside the screen.

By the time he got there, the room was silent.

‘Everyone here?’

He looked around, met with a series of nods.

‘Right. Listen up. I’ll summarise so we’re all on the same page. Late last night, five vials of a lethal pneumonic virus were stolen from a lab complex on the
Upper West Side
called
Flood Microbiology
. We’ve accounted for four of these vials and taken down those responsible. Our goal tonight is to secure the fifth and arrest the people in possession of it.’

He pointed at the screen. Rach had pulled up Jacobs’ DMV licence.

‘This man, Alistair Jacobs, was intending to purchase the remaining vial at 2200 tonight. He’s downstairs in one of the interrogation cells. The deal will proceed as planned and we’re going to apprehend the sellers at the trade.’

‘Where, Shep?’ Hendricks asked.

‘A bar stroke nightclub called Tonic East. It’s on the corner of 29
th
and 3
rd
. My team and I will be there. When the sellers show up, we’ll take them in and secure the virus.’

Rach pulled up Sway and Rourke’s prison mug shots.

‘These are the two men we’re looking for. Bobby Rourke and Finn Sway, both twenty nine years old, both born in Roller,
Texas
. They are known leaders of the Texan Chapter of a neo-Nazi group called
The Stuttgart Soldiers
, a group in which Special Agent Peterson is currently embedded.’

Rach then changed the shot to Wicks and Drexler.

‘These two may also be involved or at the scene.’

The room was silent as everyone examined the mug-shots. After a moment, Rach flicked the shots back to Rourke and Sway.

‘How’s the trade proceeding?’ Faison asked.

‘Sway told him the meet happens on the third floor. Jacobs will call his secondary who’ll begin the transaction into Sway’s offshore bank account. When the transfer’s been confirmed, Sway will hand over the vial containing the virus.’ He turned to his detail. ‘But that call is coming through to Rach here. My team will be dispersed in the crowd undercover. Jacobs will be wearing a wire so we’ll hear everything he’s saying.’