For Mitch, the weekend was more groundhog than ground work day… it passed in a blur of research; liaising with his team in Cape Hatteras; working with the in-house weekend resources to get photo and face analysis done; trying to keeping Charlotte happy; and, responding to questions fired at John that consequently came down the line for Mitch’s response.
He rang Samantha and Nick at eight a.m. Sunday morning. Nick answered.
“Lucky I was up,” he growled.
“Given up on beauty sleep? Fair call,” Mitch ragged him. “Thanks for the photos from the diving course, the lads are working on them.”
“Yeah, can’t believe we lost them after the dive though. We followed them and waited while they ate, then, they were gone… giving me the shits, it’s not like the place is huge but they’ve just eluded us,” Nick said. “One minute we’re following them at a safe distance, the next… they’re gone.”
“Might be staying at a private residence somewhere,” Mitch suggested. “Well, we know they need to be back for class tomorrow so they are going to be leaving there today at some point and time. Ellie and I will be watching Mrs Ying’s house in case William decides to drop in on his wife.”
Early Sunday morning, William Ying left the VIP house, Danny Huang and Ru followed about an hour later, Hai and Froggy would make the return to D.C. later that afternoon. Around midday, Danny and Ru converged at William’s secured premises on the outskirts of the city. William slid the roller door open and when the men entered, he closed it immediately. The warehouse where William had been living and working since disappearing was small and stark with two rooms. Industrial lighting was the only natural light.
William looked anxiously at Danny. “So are you happy with the work in Cape Hatteras?”
“The site is good and we are on track, my friend,” Danny said.
William nodded and visibly relaxed. “You’ll be equally as pleased with the work done here I believe.” He led the two men to the second room where a desk with three laptops sat opened and operating. Ru shivered; the room was temperature-controlled and chilly.
William continued. “I have all the VIP’s networks—he’s been transferring data to me gradually over time. There is quite a bit of intelligence material there too which I’ve no doubt will please.”
Danny Huang looked at the coded files on the screen. “They look so innocuous, don’t they?” he smirked.
“Considering the impact they could have.” Ru smiled.
William nodded. “If you broke in here, they would mean nothing to you, but to us, they’re invaluable.”
That evening, the men gathered in Danny Huang’s dorm, eating boxed noodles. Froggy was in the corner on the phone, scribbling down notes. He eventually rejoined the group.
“Have you confirmed the site coordinates for the sub?” Danny asked.
“Yes. It will suit us. We can definitely get the VIP out to the sub without being seen from the mainland.”
“Any concerns re access and depth?” Danny asked.
“No, it is deep and accessible. But it is a tough piece of ocean,” Froggy said.
“That’s OK, the captain will know that,” Danny assured him. “I’ll confirm with William, then we’ll meet with the VIP and confirm the time of the lift. Hai, have everyone on alert and standby.”
“Yes sir,” Hai snapped. “It doesn’t help that the VIP is anxious. I think the sooner we lift him the better in case he gives it away … even if it means us keeping him in the VIP house for a few extra days to lie low.”
Danny Huang swore under his breath. “We can’t risk removing him too early, he’s too visible; bring it forward one day at this stage and see how that fits with Beijing. We finish the course on a Wednesday, so we’ll do the lift Friday instead of Saturday. Just update William, get him to call the VIP regularly, let him know it’s moving forward, tell him everything is going perfectly. Don’t let him know otherwise.”
“And if he asks why we are going earlier?” Hai asked.
“Tell him because we are ahead of schedule with our planning. Do whatever you have to do to keep him confident,” Danny ordered. “If you and Froggy are happy with the final pick-up point and have a back-up, send the location bearings to William ASAP. We need one more practice run with the captain.”
“What’s the story with the new teacher?” Hai asked.
Danny Huang shook his head. “Mr. Jones left me a message to say he has a sick mother, and he’s had to fly out over the weekend. So we now have, Ting … Dylan Ting from tomorrow.”
“Know anything about him? With that surname he must be able to speak Chinese,” Ru added.
“You would think,” Danny agreed. “I’m having him checked out now. Remain alert and cautious regardless.” He dialed William Ying’s number. “Can we talk in person, tomorrow night?”
“Yes. 2100 hours, same location as before?” William answered.
“Yes.” Danny hung up.
Mitch picked up his phone.
“Working Sunday evening too?” Charlotte said.
Mitch bristled beside her. “You know what I do, don’t you?”
“I sure do, twenty-four-seven,” she smirked.
Mitch drew a deep breath. “I’ve just got to make a quick call to check on a new agent I’m putting on location tomorrow.” It was as much as he could share, but she was become increasingly difficult. Mitch rose and left her momentarily; he didn’t need the stress of Charlotte’s growing demands on his time, it’s not like she was new to this life with him. He placed a call to Dylan Ting.
“Hey Dylan, just checking you were OK about taking the class and hadn’t changed your mind overnight?” He turned to see Charlotte had come out behind him. Seriously, did she think he was calling a woman?