“I doubt we’ll be re-boarding anytime soon, Angel…but do you really need all that crap with you?” Holloway sharply remarked, trying to cut short what he considered a superfluous discussion. He had no time for her inane prattle. He had been watching the oil futures all morning and his hedges were getting clobbered. He’d taken steps to redirect most of his oil futures earlier in the week, but obviously not soon enough. The move in the market had him down near $26 million, by rough estimate, making him more cantankerous than usual. It was not a pleasant morning to be in his company.
“I told you before…we’ll be on the island for a few days and then will most likely head back to Galveston. I don’t expect to be back on the ship for some time. Now if you’re ready, I’d like to get moving.”
Angelina scowled at Alastair, “Yes, yes, hold your wad, honey… I’m coming. The more I take with me, the less you’ll have to replace later on,” she said, playfully, an impish smile gracing her ruby lips as she continued hastily shoving clothing into her oversized luggage. As she did, Holloway picked up his PDA to take a call from Kilmer.
“Yes, Richard. What now?”
“Here’s the deal,” Kilmer answered. “First, we just grabbed the Coscarelli woman and we’re packin’ her to Hilton Head. Barring a snag, she’ll be at the estate later this mornin’. But ya need to know that Farley also kidnapped Marshall’s son. He’s been staked out at Conrad’s place in Stanford. Seems Marshall showed at Conrad’s, just as ya figured, but was followed there by ‘is son and ex-wife. The bludger screwed the pooch no doubt, but the tides gone out-we’ve bagged two people connected to Conrad.”
“Wait a second…slow down. Did you just say you’ve kidnapped two people? Did I hear you correctly? Because I thought I heard you say that this Farley character unilaterally decided to kidnap someone we know nothing about. Is that what you’re telling me? What the fuck kind of operation are you running, for crissakes?” Holloway bellowed, storming down the gangplank of the yacht.
“I admit Farley’s dumb as a drover’s daag. But it’s ’nother spur-a-the-moment field decision,” Kilmer said, pausing for effect. “As I said b’fore…things happen and ya roll with it. A private dick was tailin’ Marshall’s family right b’fore they entered Conrad’s house. No tellin’ how this prick might’ve buggered the deal. Farley figured that grabbin’ the young man would give us more leverage. I agree,” he added smugly, confident that he’d trumped Holloway’s objection.
“Everythin’ else is aces. We’re ‘bout to give Conrad the what for. With two of ‘is people in hock, he’ll have no choice but to give in. I expect the gravity machine’ll be operatin’ any time now.”
“Are you really that simpleminded, Mr. Kilmer? Don’t you realize that every time one of your simpletons makes an unplanned move it has unforeseen consequences? If the young man Farley abducted is really Ryan Marshall’s son that means we’ve now kidnapped Senator Coscarelli’s daughter and grandson. Brilliant…fucking brilliant,” Holloway fumed, tightening his jaw as he continued his fast pace to the awaiting limousine. Angelina was running close behind, trying to catch up.
“We’re dead cert about the kid’s identity,” Kilmer replied emphatically, trying to contain his anger from another salvo of Holloway’s offensive insults. “Farley’s already given ‘im the once over. He’s under wraps in San Jose. If ya’d rather let ‘im go, just say the word… I’ll drive ‘im back to Conrad’s m’self.”
“Listen, wise-ass, spare me the sarcasm. Of course we can’t let him go. It’s another screw-up we’ll need to contend with. I suppose as long as we’ve abducted one of Coscarelli’s daughters, also taking his grandson doesn’t make matters that much worse,” Holloway snorted disgustedly. He climbed into the back of the limousine, motioning aggressively with his hand for the chauffeur to help get Angelina situated. “Tell me how the machine’s coming along. Does Mills have the thing anywhere near ready?”
“We’re good as gold. The magnetic housing we ordered from Westinghouse was finally delivered; it’s swank. The Quantum equations are dialed and linked to the focusin’ array. Mills did some final tests and loaded the nuclear fuel. Everythin’s a go. Conrad’s the only fly in the ointment. If he balks, we’re up the gumtree. We can’t pull the Knox job ‘til he does his thing. That’s out o’ my hands,” Kilmer said.
“You leave that contingency to me,” Holloway growled. “If he refuses further, we’ll lean on Penburton. That prima donna son-of-a-bitch still thinks he’s gonna skate through this deal unscathed, but he’s got another thing coming. Assuming we get Conrad’s cooperation, how long before you hit Fort Knox?”
“Couple days; no more-only as long as it takes to drive to Kentucky,” Kilmer replied. “It’s a tricky mobilization. Colt’s planned the route and it’s keen as mustard. It’s really yer call when we make tracks for West Point…assuming Conrad cooperates in operatin’ the machine. We’ll know for cert later this mornin’.”
“As soon as possible, Richard…no more than a few days. I want to hit Fort Knox right away. Every hour of delay brings the Secret Service and DOD closer to locating Conrad’s relatives. Three days should allow enough time to test the machine and mobilize. Get your people ready to make history-you’re going to pull off the biggest heist of all time. But no more surprises!” Holloway yelled as the limousine was heading away from the marina on Hilton Head Island. “You hear me, Kilmer?”
“No worries, Mr. Holloway. We’ll give it a whirl,” Kilmer said, shaking his head in disgust. Crikey, I’ll be glad to be done with this arsehole.
THIRTY-NINE
Washington, D.C.
Ben Dare was dreading the start of the new day. He’d taken the call from Sarah a little past 7:00 a.m. and immediately pressed into action. He’d grown accustomed to pressure-packed, deadline-driven days while working on the Hill, but to begin such a day on only three hours sleep didn’t bode well. His boss, Senator Alfonse Coscarelli, was gracious and fair, but also very demanding. He could only imagine the senator’s reaction when he heard the news that his daughter and grandson had been kidnapped. This’ll be a day for the record books, he thought.
When he finally finished talking to Sarah, his first call was to DC Metro to report Sela’s possible kidnapping. The dispatcher promised to immediately send out a unit code three. Then he placed a call to the Secret Service; a secretary took his information, noting the urgency of the matter. Within fifteen minutes, Director Charles Vickers returned his call. He informed the director that there was credible evidence that the senator’s daughter and grandson had been kidnapped, and that the DOD ostensibly had an agent investigating the matter, but there wasn’t a readily available report to review. Director Vickers promised to meet in the senator’s office as soon as it could be arranged.
Ben’s next call was to former CIA Agent Emerson Palmer, the only man he knew who possessed the analytical skills to unravel the intricacies of the case. Palmer had a short-lived, disreputable career with the Central Intelligence Agency having been branded a maverick agent. In fact, his overtly contrarian viewpoints had at times bordered on insubordination, making him ill-suited for a long career in the bureaucracy, where complacency was necessary for survival. Blessed with uncommon intelligence, his keen sense of perception put him at odds with superiors when his insightful prognostications routinely trumped their less prescient predictions. He had been consistently overlooked for promotions throughout his career, typically drawing the most arduous assignments without a compensating rise in rank-the section chiefs didn’t appreciate that he knew more than they did, and refused to acknowledge his extraordinary skills.
Emerson Palmer was erudite, but coarse and brash and his inability to hold his tongue made him his own worst enemy. He agreed to an early retirement when threatened with prosecution and loss of his pension when evidence surfaced (fabricated, though it was) that he was leaking military secrets to the Contras in Nicaragua. Rather than fight the baseless allegations, he resigned to establish a private security firm that quickly gained significant nationwide prominence.