“I told you—”
“I don’t mean your shagpiece, Michael. I mean initially.”
“Informants,” Crouch admitted. “And she’s not my—”
“Yeah, yeah. How long have you been here?”
“Three hours now.”
“And nobody’s approached the museum?”
“Nope. They closed it immediately and kept the public away. They’re taking this with a high priority of seriousness.”
“Good, they should. The repercussions alone could tear a fragile economy apart. It would be nice to catch those thieves in the act though.”
Crouch checked his comms. “Still nobody approaching.”
Caitlyn crouched down beside them, small laptop balanced atop both hands. “I’m hooked into the chatter through this. The FBI have spread a two-block wide net. Everyone coming and going is vetted. Tourists mostly. Luckily, the majority of the city workers have left. Watchers have been positioned on the mall, around the Washington Monument, on nearby roofs and up and down Constitution.”
“Why don’t they close the road?” Russo asked.
“Most of the firepower is here, watching the road,” Caitlyn said. “Alicia was right — they want to catch the thieves in the act.”
“Dangerous,” Russo said.
“It’s two thieves.” Austin shrugged. “Easy peasy.”
Alicia stared at him. “Greenhorn, wise up. Every time you say something stupid I’m gonna put my foot up your ass. Okay?”
Austin winced. Russo looked pained. “My advice, kid? Buy some lube while you can ’cause that’s not an idle threat.”
Austin backed away. Crouch continued to monitor the comms. Alicia saw a couple wandering past the window, hand in hand, and made a quick decision.
“C’mon, Robster, let’s go for a stroll.”
Russo gave her a pained look and didn’t respond to the offered hand. Instead, he started to grumble. Alicia grabbed his arm and manhandled him through the door, out into the street.
“Now, try to look natural. We’re just lovers, out for a romantic breath of air.”
Russo looked decidedly unwell. Alicia linked arms and wandered to the curb, taking her time to look out for traffic. It was by no means clear-cut that the thieves were aware the museum had closed early, nor that it was being watched. The museum staff had done a good job of quietly ushering people away. The night air was cool, propelled by intermittent gusts of wind. Washington DC was never still and never quiet, but out here by the Smithsonian tonight Alicia felt a sense of isolation. Her missions with the SPEAR team had kept her incredibly busy during the last few months, making this reunion feel just a little forlorn. She looked up at Russo as they walked.
“Turn your comms off for a minute.”
The big man complied. “I thought you might have an ulterior motive for this.”
“Yeah, too crowded back there for delicate subjects. Are you okay?”
Russo let out a shuddering sigh as they reached the other side of the road. “It’s been hard,” he said. “Since Healey died. Caitlyn was a mess, a broken wreck, and then she told us all about why she burned out at such a young age and struggled to trust. I guess you already know what happened…”
“The stuff between her mother and father? Yeah, I know.”
“We decided to take a few simple jobs that would keep us occupied. Jobs like this, to be honest. I don’t know who the hell said ‘time heals’, but it doesn’t. And, seriously, I don’t want it to.”
“Yeah, I know.” Alicia remained quiet for a while, remembering the young man that had been such a vibrant part of their team. “I do miss him.”
“He’d be happy to get that from you.”
Alicia coughed and quickly changed the subject before sentimentality overcame them both. “Enough of that. Is this the main entrance here?”
“Yeah.” Russo stopped on the sidewalk, looking up at the building’s façade. “I have no idea where the banner is kept.”
Alicia shook her head and mumbled: “Grunts.”
Russo switched his comms back on. Immediately, his eyes widened. “Hey, something’s going on.”
Alicia jabbed at the button. “… shadows moving… around the back… we got ’em.”
“Wait, wait, are you sure? If it’s not them you’re risking…”
“Hold,” another voice said. “No point risking spooking them.”
Alicia and Russo were already walking at pace, trying to find a way around the back of the building. An agent saw them and beckoned them over, pointing out a path through well-tended trees that led around to the rear. As they moved, quicker now, they listened intently to the chatter.
Crouch’s voice: “Hang back. You have to let them show themselves first.”
“Agreed,” another voice said. “These two have been ghosts for years. Do not screw this up, people.”
Alicia came around the towering, flat-gray side of the building, and saw the terrain clearing ahead as green swathes of grass and gravel pathways led away to the National Mall. There was a narrow road too, but no cars were traveling along it tonight.
“Where are these shadows?” she asked quietly.
“Right to the side of the back doors. Among the trees.”
She paused for a moment, looking away from the Smithsonian and toward the long, wide, grassy pathway of the mall. The tree-lined open space was lit infrequently and appeared empty, yet she couldn’t help but think that every pair of eyes were focused on the museum.
Sometimes, it was the unexpected that got you.
“Shadows are moving again,” a man said. “Definitely two. Dressed in black, whoever they are, these two are up to no good.”
“Yeah,” another added. “And they’re wearing masks.”
“How the hell did they get in?” a deeper voice asked. “Nobody could’ve slipped past us.”
A good question, Alicia thought. She found some shadow of her own, crouched and tried to peer among the trees.
“Take ’em down or follow ’em?” she asked Crouch.
“She’s right to ask the question,” Crouch said across the open line. “Do you want their bosses? The people that ordered the robbery?”
“Who knows?” an FBI bigwig cut in. “Do they even have the banner?”
Alicia wondered if the two black-clad figures were acting as a diversion, and cast her gaze in different directions. Anything was possible. She pressed her comms button: “Are they carrying anything?” she insisted.
“Yeah, this ain’t just a flag we’re talking about,” a voice told them. “The banner measures thirty by thirty four feet flat out so even rolled it’s not gonna fit inside a rucksack. Also, it’ll be heavy as hell. Maybe they only stole part of it.”
“The good part,” somebody else said.
Alicia assumed he meant the part with the stars on it. Did that mean they’d already despoiled it?
“They’re moving slowly,” someone commented. “Flat against the building. Crap, it’s pitch black there, man. They could be carrying something.”
It was then Alicia realized the figures were creeping arrow-straight toward Russo and her. That was okay because, if she ended this now, she’d class it as a good night. She pulled Russo down beside her, ignoring his surprise and light protests.
“What the hell are you up to?”
“Shut it, and open your eyes, Robster.”
Immediately, he saw what she’d already seen. The passage of figures, low to the ground, moving toward them at an incredibly slow pace. Russo held his breath. Alicia again tried to pierce the dark.
“I’ve friggin’ lost them,” someone said.
Alicia reached up a hand to press the comms and confirm she had them in her sights. The figures were still indistinct, moving incredibly slowly, almost as if…
They’re waiting for…