“Tariq said to be there at 6:50. He will open the door for us, but we must be on time. He cannot hold the door open. He has to close it quickly.”
“Okay,” Saleem answered. “He will help hide us. I know we must hide for awhile. It will not be easy just waiting.”
“You’re right, Rana,” Khan replied. “We must be patient. It will be a little difficult, but worth it. This is a very big day.”
There was no one else in sight as the two men walked up to the loading dock door and waited. It didn’t take long. Tariq opened the door right on time.
“I’m happy you were here,” said Tariq. “I didn’t want to open the door again. Too many times could cause the Secret Service to be suspicious.”
“Are they here already?” asked Khan.
“No. But they will be soon. Come. Let me show you where you will be.”
Walking to the elevator, Tariq told them, “You’ll be hiding on the floors away from the crowds. There will be less people using the bathroom.”
“Is that where we are hiding?” inquired Saleem.
“That is where you will be ─ in the ceiling. You will be hiding in the overhead air duct. I’ll show you.” They arrived at the first floor elevator. “Kamran, you will be staying in a supplies closet. That is where the cleaning crew keeps their equipment.”
Tariq pushed the elevator button and the doors slid open immediately. Stepping into the elevator, he continued. “The cleaning people worked all night getting the place ready. They finished at six and left. They won’t be back again until tonight, after everyone else has left.”
The elevator stopped at the second floor and they stepped off. “You can see this is a small area. The entire vendor area below is visible from here. There will probably be some FBI or Secret Service staying here to watch over the activity on the floor below. You can see almost the entire area from here.”
As they walked along the left side of the concourse, Khan smiled and motioned at Tariq. “You look good in your uniform, Tariq, all starched and pressed. You look sharp, ready for action.”
“Thank you, Kamran. I wanted to look extra good today.”
“You do that,” Saleem added.
As they continued walking, Tariq pointed out an area set back to one side with a double door and posters tacked to the walls on each side. “That’s the convention center offices. Security has an office back there. We will have two people in there at all times, and the Secret Service will have at least two agents there all day also. They will arrive shortly.”
He stopped and turned to Saleem. “Remember this, Rana. When you come out, you must know they are here in the area, along with at least two agents watching over the vendor area from up here. You must be careful.”
He pulled a piece of plastic from his pocket. “Here, Rana. This is your security badge, your ID for the conference. You are Mr. Leon Rogers from Texas.”
“Texas? Oh boy. I’ve never been there, but that’s great, you all.”
They all laughed softly. Tariq motioned with his head and they continued walking toward the far end of the floor. “There are four sets of restrooms here on this floor. This is the farthest one from the entrances, so it should be used the least.”
He pushed the door open to the men’s bathroom. Fairly large with several sinks, it had a row of urinals and, farther to the back, a row of toilet stalls. Tariq pointed to the ceiling. “See the air vent up here? That is where you will be, Rana. Even though the vent screen is small, the ducting is large, five feet across. There should be lots of room for you.”
“It won’t be comfortable, but you’ll be out of the way,” Khan said.
“And out of sight,” added Saleem. “Okay.” He turned to Khan. “When should I come out, and what time do I call the phone number?”
“The conference is scheduled to resume at two o’clock. The Secretary of Homeland Security will call the conference to order, then the Secretary of State will make a short speech. The President is scheduled to speak at about 2:30. However, these always run late.” He looked frustrated. “Do you have your watch with you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Khan smiled at him. “Mr. Leon Rogers from Texas, why don’t you come down out of your hiding spot at 2:15. They’ll probably be at least five to ten minutes late with the speeches, so plan on making your call at 2:35. If they go later, let the President speak for a couple of minutes, then make the call.”
Khan looked at Tariq who nodded, then back to Saleem. “What time do you show now?”
Saleem checked his watch. “Twelve minutes after seven.”
“Perfect,” replied Khan. “So do I. Tariq, do you agree?”
“Yes. That is the time I have also.”
“Then we’re good.” He turned to Saleem and repeated. “So, you come out of hiding at 2:15, find a place in the dining area on this floor by the elevator, or better yet, by the back stairs over there to the right. Then at 2:35 or after the President has started his speech, you make the call.”
“Okay. Will do.”
Saleem glanced up at the fresh air vent. “How do I get up there?”
Tariq answered his question. “I have a chair here in the third stall. I’ll get it.” Retrieving the chair, he wore a huge grin. “I thought this would work. We can leave it out over by the hand dryer. No one will expect anything; they’ll just accept that it is here.” He placed the chair under the air vent.
“Okay, Rana.”
Saleem stepped up on the chair, wobbled for a minute, then gained his balance. Reaching up, he was within easy reach of the vent. The restroom had a flat ceiling only about eight feet high. That left the vent grill only a few inches over Saleem’s head when standing on the chair. He pushed on the vent and the grill moved up freely. “Ah.” He pushed it to the side.
He jumped up and caught himself by pressing against the sides of the metal ducting. With only a little difficulty, he pulled himself up enough to get a good hand hold on the grill frame. He pulled his legs up and found there was plenty of room to maneuver. He waved at the two men standing there and pulled the grill back into place.
“Good,” said Khan. “Now move back away from the opening, so no one can see you there.”
Saleem slid back about three feet. He could not see the floor directly beneath him until he raised his head about a foot. He smiled and told the others, “This is good. I will lay right here until it’s time.” He paused a moment, then asked, “Tariq? If you can, please come back and check on me when it is time for me to come out ─ just in case I am asleep or something.”
“Or something?” Tariq asked. “What do you think you are going to do up there? Daydream?”
“Maybe. Really, I do not think I will do anything but lie here waiting. But please check on me if you are able to do so.”
“I will.”
The two men standing there looked at each other and turned toward the door. “Okay, Rana. We are leaving now. Do your job. Good luck.”
They walked out and back to the elevator.
“Kamran, you will be on the top level. The closet there will be more comfortable than the air vent. The closet is only used by the cleaning crew, so you should be left alone the entire time.”
Khan nodded.
“However, the Secret Service and FBI will be all over the place. They could open the door to check, so be ready, just in case.”
“Yes. I will be, just in case. Is there a chair there for me?”
“Yes. I put one in the closet for you this morning.”
Arriving on the fourth floor, Tariq led Khan to the supplies closet. “It is back here, out of the way. No one should bother you.”
As they got to the closet door, Tariq pulled another piece of plastic from his pocket. “Here is your conference badge.”
Khan looked at it, then put the cord around his neck.
“You are Mr. Derek Jones from New Hampshire.”
Khan smiled. “Mr. Jones, huh?”
“Yes. Both your name and Rana’s are people who registered for the conference but will not be attending. So no one should pay extra attention.”
Khan put his hands on Tariq’s shoulders. Looking directly at him, he said, “You have done an excellent job, Tariq. Allah will surely reward you.”
Tariq asked, “Do you have your Glock?”
“Yes. It is the polymer model and should not set off a metal detector.”
“But remember,” Tariq said, “you don’t have polymer bullets. The real bullets will set off the metal detector alarm. Try your best to avoid them.” He smiled at Khan. “I don’t think you will have a problem.”
“I think I will be fine.”
Tariq used his key to unlock the door and open it. “I will leave the door unlocked, so you can come out when you are ready.”
“Good. I will come out just before two o’clock. I will stay back, but start mixing with the other people. Once everyone sits down, I will find an empty chair and take my place.”
“What if someone comes in at the last minute and says that is his seat?”
“I will simply apologize, say I made a mistake and look for another empty chair.”
“And then Mr. Derek Jones will join the audience and wait for the moment of surprise,” Tariq said, smiling.
“Exactly.” Khan walked into the closet and turned around. “Thank you, Rana, for your excellent work.” He stopped talking and just gazed at Tariq. Then he walked up to him, reached out and put one hand on Tariq’s shoulder, and nodded his head. “Tariq, my brother. I may not see you again. If I do, that is good. But if not, remember you have worked hard and done a good job. I know Allah has to be proud.”
He became very sober. “If I do not see you here again, my brother, I will see you in heaven, when we are both with Allah.”