“We’ve just arrived in Elko and it’s pouring down,” Samantha reported to Mitch on speaker phone as she drove. “We’ve followed Maria’s hire car the last one hundred and fifty miles, and she’s turned off at Elko.”
“Are you both OK?” Mitch asked.
“Fine, just tired, you know, five hours of hanging around airports, a couple of hours in the car driving …”
J.J. cut in. “It’s a shame they closed the Eureka airport to commercial flights. We’d have six miles to drive instead of a hundred and six!”
“Mitch, we’ll call you back. Maria has just pulled into a fenced compound; looks like the former mining complex we were anticipating.”
Samantha disconnected and drove past, keeping Maria’s car in sight. “The gold rush is well and truly over,” she said looking around. “Let’s drive around the site; see what we can see from the back.”
“I’ll get a few shots,” J.J. reached for the digital camera. “Then, all I want to see is a bar. Notice there is no security on the gates?”
“Would you need security? Let’s face it, besides you and me, who in their right mind would come out here for a drive?”
Samantha pulled over to the side of the road; there was a clear view of the site.
“OK, she’s getting out of the car; looks like she’s here to stay. At least we found the site. Let’s head to Eureka and get a hotel; see what we can find out in the bar. There must be a local or two who will talk after a few rounds.”
“We’ll send these shots through to Mitch as well,” J.J. agreed.
“About a thirty minutes drive to Eureka,” she said yawning and turning the car around. “But I hear it’s a pretty little town.”
“I think we should share a room, we need to look like a tourist couple. It’ll raise suspicion otherwise.”
“Probably best,” she agreed.
Mitch and Ellen did their scientist impersonation as the security guard passed their lab.
“He’s gone,” Ellen announced.
Mitch grabbed the earpiece, offering one to Ellen. He could hear Johan talking.
“OK, let’s visit this timeline,” Johan said.
“Let me get my copy.” Mitch recognized Nick’s voice.
“Right,” Nick continued. “The pick up will be on a Friday – the day with the most collections on the route. This one,” he said pointing to something that Mitch couldn’t see, “will be the biggest load; the smaller ones are still significant because it will be a couple of weeks’ worth. After the last pick up, the cargo goes straight to Vegas. It’s met on the tarmac by a security van, then the vaults, fully intact, are removed and not touched again until the next working day when they’re opened for weighing.”
“What time do they weigh the gold?”
“Usually around nine when the security staff arrive at work.”
“So,” Johan summarized, “if they remove the vaults from the plane, put them straight into the security van, store them, then transfer and open them the next morning, we’ve got a good ten or eleven hours to get our load out, and they won’t find the substitute goods until after nine the next day.”
“Precisely,” Nick confirmed.
“Are you positive they don’t open them beforehand?” Johan continued to prod.
“One hundred per cent sure, I’ve done this run a stack of times. Once the vaults are on board and the release is signed, no inspections are carried out. They are signed off as intact and they don’t get opened until weigh-in the next morning.”
“Excellent,” Mitch heard Johan say.
Nick continued. “When I land, we’ll square off the staff, refuel and then the three of us can head off within the hour.”
“And the flight?”
“We’re going from Elko to Atlanta in around five hours. We’ll refuel there and then from Atlanta to Venezuela in four hours. We’ll be long gone before the vaults are opened the next day.”
“What if it has to be next Friday?”
Mitch heard the hesitation in Nick’s voice.
“OK. It’s do-able. I’m on duty for the next three Wednesdays and Fridays anyway.”
“I’m not saying it will be next Friday. I want to be prepared should Daniel ask me. Are we ready for him?”
“We’re fine” Nick assured him.
Mitch exchanged looks with Ellen as Johan continued.
“I’m meeting him at six tomorrow. You can come in once he leaves, just don’t let him see you.”
“I’ll wait in the parking lot and come in after seven. You should be done by then.”
“Yes, unless he finds a problem.”
“If he’s still here, I’ll walk by and come back later. All going well, he’ll be happy with it,” Nick said.
Mitch swore. “Don’t they ever speak in sentences? Half names, ambiguous locations. I’ve got a good mind to go in and shake it out of them,” he spat out. He heard the lab door open and caught a glimpse of Johan departing.
“Ellie, you head home. I’ll stay until Nick leaves in case he does anything exciting.”
Checking the coast was clear, he walked Ellen to her car, then went back to Lab G and listened in as Nick continued to shuffle around. Mitch flicked between television channels, watching the picture while listening to the lab. He checked the time: an hour had passed.
What’s he doing in there? Mitch wondered. He settled back, watching the football action; the Washington Redskins were whipping the New York Giants. He heard a noise; Nick had opened the door and was heading out. Mitch backed against the wall. Can’t risk being seen now. He peered through the glass and saw Nick departing. He began to pack up.
Mitch and Ellen arrived early at the lab the next evening, keenly anticipating the meeting with Daniel.
“I’ve spent more time in this lab over the last week than I’ve spent in my own home,” he said as he stretched.
“I know how you feel,” Ellen poured them both a coffee from her thermos. “I’m looking forward to this meet with Daniel.”
Mitch pulled a digital camera from his backpack.
“Me too. I don’t think we’ll be doing too many more shifts after tonight. If we’re reading this right, Nick’s got to be in Nevada for work next Wednesday. I think they’ll be on the move ASAP.”
“How are you going to get the shot of Daniel?” she asked.
“I’m going to leave you here with the headphones on and I’m going up and over.” He indicated the ceiling. “Hopefully, we’ll see his face clearly. After they all leave, wait ten minutes and then you go. Turn off the light so the lab looks empty. If Nick doesn’t leave with Johan, I’ll stick around up above for a while. I want to photograph what he’s doing in there.”
“OK,” Ellen agreed.
Mitch climbed up on the counter. Pushing aside a ceiling panel, he raised himself up effortlessly. Ellen passed him up the camera. He returned the panel and inched his way along, stopping once he was over the ceiling duct in the main lab.
Mitch hovered above the main lab, waiting. He rolled over and lay on his back staring above, thinking.
Six p.m. In fifteen minutes when Daniel arrives, I hope to crack this case.
His mind drifted to Charlotte. Why can’t she let Lachlan go? Maybe it’s the sex, like Sally said … ugh! Don’t go there.
Mitch glanced at his watch; it was five minutes past the last time he looked.
He heard the lab door below open and rolled over to see Johan Booysen enter. Mitch had him in perfect view through the ceiling grill. Johan spread out a number of documents across the lab benches and then walked around checking everything. Johan stepped back from the bench and consulted his watch. At exactly six-fifteen, a young man in a dark suit entered the room. Daniel!
The accent confirmed Daniel was British. Mitch adjusted his camera for low-light performance and checked the flash was off. He clicked a few photos and listened in.
“The timetable is tight but manageable,” Johan explained.
Daniel looked over the documents moving from one to the next. Finally he looked up and smiled.
“I agree. Well done. I won’t put the kiss of death on you by saying it looks foolproof, but you’ve covered it thoroughly. How will you get around the risk of being identified by the two pilots?”
“One pilot is contracted to do a specific job and has only dealt with Nicholas Everett by phone. On location, he’ll deal with our hired security staff and won’t be able to identify the three in our team. The other pilot is Nick, and he’s one of our team.”
“Excellent,” Daniel said. “And you’ve got your insiders already in place?”
“Yes,” Johan confirmed. “The security guards on the flight are the key players. They’ll be paid handsomely for their roles. They have insider knowledge of the courier company’s regular route and a basic knowledge of what our project is about. The money they will make buys their silence.”
“Greed is a wonderful thing,” Daniel agreed.
Johan continued. “We’ll be finished with this lab late next week. Do you want to cancel it?”
“No, leave it. I’ve booked it for three months; let it run its course. Tell me about this route Nick will cover?” Daniel asked.
“It takes in a number of counties, depending on who books for a pick up. Nick has done it many times; he’s been working with the courier company for a while now and they trust him.
“Excellent. You don’t foresee any trouble getting the cargo out of the state?”
“None. We will be leaving with it within the hour, that day.”
“Excellent, excellent.”
Mitch watched Daniel as he continued to read the documents. He took some close up shots.
Daniel looked up at Johan. “Will you notify the investors of the failure of the project?”
“Yes, we’re drafting a letter now to be sent the day we leave. It will explain how our tests showed the drug had too many side effects and thank them for their courage in investing in something with the potential to change lives, etc., etc.” Johan waved his hands.
Daniel smiled. He read through the paperwork and looked at the maps for another thirty minutes. Mitch waited and watched as Daniel occasionally asked for an explanation.
Finally, Daniel seemed satisfied. “Well done, all seems to be in order. I’ll speak to you on your way to Venezuela. Good luck.”
The two men shook hands and Daniel departed the main lab.
Mitch kept perfectly still as Johan packed up the documents. Nick entered the lab.
“How did it go?” he asked Johan.
“Like clockwork. Go ahead and organize our flights out for Tuesday next week,” Johan said.
Nick moved beside Johan and gathered the maps. Mitch squinted hard to see detail on them. Suddenly, he realized Nick was looking up at the ceiling.
Did I make a noise?
Mitch froze. A few seconds later, Nick looked away.
Ellen heard the main lab door open. She caught a glimpse of Johan Booysen as he went past. She glanced up to the vent, but Mitch wasn’t in sight. Ellen packed up and gave Johan fifteen minutes lead time, then turned off the lights and departed.
Mitch heard Ellen leave. He watched Nick through the vent as he surrounded himself with the maps.
Flight maps! Counties in Nevada, Mitch noted.
He put the zoom on his digital camera, checked it was still on silent and took some shots. He moved the camera to take some close-ups of Nick.
Looking thinner, Nick. Why are you involved in all this?
Mitch jumped as Nick slammed his diary closed. He watched Nick fold and stuff the maps into a bag and log out of his laptop. Nick patted his pockets and pulled out his keys. He headed to the door, switching the lights off.
Mitch waited a few minutes, giving Nick time to be out of range, then shuffled backwards along the chute to Lab G. He lowered himself from the ceiling into the dark room. Placing the grate back in place, he jumped off the counter and reached for the light.
Nick beat him to it.
Mitch blinked as his eyes adjusted to full light.
They stood staring at each other. Neither spoke.
A grin spread across Nick’s face. He saluted.
“Major Mitchell Parker, air conditioning contractor?”
“Captain Nicholas Everett, courier driver?”
“Not likely. What’s on that?” he nodded at the camera in Mitch’s hand.
“Exactly what you think,” Mitch said not taking his eyes of Nick.
“Then, Major, you’ll know exactly what I have to do,” Nick drew his gun and pointed it straight at Mitch’s head.