“I agree, of course,” Lance said. “In the meantime, we must do everything in our power to bolster our case, and it seems inevitable that that will require the laying on of eyes on both of these rooftops, even if the means are extra-legal.”
“I agree,” Dame Felicity said.
“The question is,” Lance pointed out, “shall we ask permission, or shall we just do it and preserve deniability for our superiors?”
“I will have to go to the prime minister,” Dame Felicity said.
“Then I will go to the president,” Lance Cabot replied. “Shall we conference again when we have done that?”
“Agreed.” The conference call ended, and the participants returned to their work.
Millie and Quentin returned to the conference room. “I have to use your office to make a call,” she said.
“Go ahead,” Quentin replied.
Millie went into the room, closed the door behind her, and called Holly Barker.
59
Stone looked out the window and saw the single runway of Presque Isle airport. As they turned to final approach, he searched the apron beside the runway for any sign of a Mustang and a King Air and saw neither. “Reeves didn’t beat us here,” he said to Dino.
“Did you see a King Air with NYPD painted on it?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Pat set down the CJ4 lightly on the runway and braked. A moment later she was taxiing toward a waiting lineman near the FBO. She stopped and waited for the man to chock the nosewheel, then she shut down the engines and turned off the master switch. “Everybody stay on the airplane until customs tells us we can get off,” she said, as she made her way out of the cockpit, followed by her client. She opened the cabin door and flipped down the folding stairs, then they both took a seat.
“Good flight,” Stone said. “How much fuel did we have left? On landing?”
“Seven hundred pounds,” she replied.
“Very good. The winds held, huh?”
“They got better on the last third of the flight.”
“You’re a lucky pilot.”
A man stuck his head inside the door. “Who’s the captain?” Holly raised a hand, and he waved her out.
Dino followed her to the door and watched as she went down the stairs to meet them.
“Anything to declare?” The customs man asked.
“Nothing,” she replied, handing him a sheet of paper. “Here’s our general declaration.”
“There are several police officers waiting for you in the FBO,” the man said.
“May we go inside?”
“You’re cleared. Go ahead.”
Dino got down from the airplane, followed by Stone and the client. Dino showed them his ID. “We’re expecting two men in a Mustang,” he said, “and we’re going to arrest them.”
“We were notified of only one man, a Paul Reeves,” the customs man said.
“There will be another man aboard. You may have to look for him, and you should do so armed, because he will be.”
“Whatever you say.”
“If you like, my officers and the Maine State Police can handle that part.”
“You have more experience of that sort of thing than we do.”
“I suggest that you ask Reeves to go inside the FBO with you. After that, we’ll approach the airplane.”
“As you wish.”
They sent their luggage over to the King Air, and Dino beckoned for Stone to follow him inside, where the two NYPD detectives and two Maine State Police officers awaited. Dino told Pat, her client, and Stone to sit down, then he briefed the officers. He looked at his watch. “We expect them in about forty-five minutes, but they could be early. There were tailwinds up there. Let’s get suited up for this.”
The officers all left the building and came back with flak jackets and assault weapons.
Dino came over to Stone. “This guy Keyes has never seen me, has he?”
“Not on this trip,” Stone replied. “But you’re on TV from time to time. Maybe he saw you there. If you’re thinking of approaching him without the body armor, I wouldn’t.”
Pat joined them. “You’re not going to kill him, are you?” she asked Dino.
“That’s not our intention,” Dino replied, “but it’s really up to him. Were you present when he was arrested in the past?”
She nodded. “Twice.”
“Did he go quietly?”
She shook her head. “He went nuts. It took four men to hold him down.”
“I guess we’d better be ready for that, then.” Dino went to pass the news on to the officers.
Stone was dozing off in his chair when the FBO’s radio crackled. “Presque Isle traffic: Citation Mustang turning a five-mile final for one-niner.”
“There he is,” Dino said. “Let’s go, guys.” He led them out the rear door of the building and they took positions behind parked airplanes as the Mustang turned off the runway and began taxiing toward a lineman, who stood with his hands up, indicating where they should park.
Dino looked at the Mustang as it turned to park. “The window shades are all down on this side of the airplane,” he said to his men. “As soon as Reeves is inside the building with the customs officers, we’ll approach the airplane from this side and duck under the nose.”
Stone watched from a window as the customs men approached the airplane. The door opened and Paul Reeves came down the stairs and handed them a sheet of paper. They indicated that he should follow them inside. They started for the building, and he saw Dino leading the four cops toward the airplane from the other side.
Reeves walked into the FBO building and stopped, staring first at Pat, then at Stone. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“We’re the reception committee,” Stone replied.
Dino ducked under the nose of the airplane and approached the door. He stuck his head inside, then quickly withdrew it, then motioned his men to stand behind him. When they were ready, he called out, “Kevin Keyes! This is Bacchetti of the New York Police Department! I have a warrant for your arrest. Put down your weapons and exit the airplane with your hands up!”
Dino was leaning on the airplane, and he felt it move a little. “Come on out!” he yelled. Then he heard the sound of something metallic hitting the pavement, then the sound of feet on the opposite wing, then the sound of a man running.
“Shit!” Dino said. “I forgot the emergency exit in the rear! He’s loose on the other side!” He ran around the airplane just in time to see a man disappear into the woods.
Back in the FBO Stone saw the man, too. “He went out the emergency exit, opposite the toilet,” he called back to Pat. “He’s on the run!” He looked out the window again. “It’s getting dark,” he said. “This is not good.”
60
Holly answered on the first ring. “Talk fast,” she said.
“Holly,” Millie replied, “sit down. This is going to take time to explain. Where are you now?”
“In the car with the president.”
“This is what has happened, or what we think is happening.” She ran through her day as quickly as possible.
“Tell me what you want to do,” Holly said when she had finished.
“We need the president’s authorization for a surreptitious entry into a building owned by a foreign embassy, and, if the surreptitious part fails, to engage and detain foreigners carrying diplomatic passports.”
“Oh, is that all?”
“That’s all so far,” Millie replied.
“Well, I’m going to have to get back to you on that,” Holly said, then hung up.
Millie waited for the better part of an hour for a callback, and when it didn’t come she went into the conference room, where Quentin and his team sat around, looking nervous and occasionally monitoring the monitors.