Mitch placed the laptop flat under the tray and pressed both flat to his body. They retraced their steps, Eva inconspicuously grabbing some clean napkins from the shelves as they passed through. Heading up the stairs, Mitch saw the guard was gone.
“He must be in the room,” he whispered to Eva. As they neared, Mitch saw on the screen that the speeches were over and the stage was clear. Shit.
“I think they’re in the room,” he turned and passed the laptop hidden by the tray to Eva. She turned it sideways and stacked the napkins on top.
“I can’t risk going in just in case Julian Schmid is in there or they ask me something in German. Will you be okay?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Hurry before they realize.”
“If they haven’t already.” Eva raced past him into the room. Mitch moved farther along the hall, nearby but not visible, and waited. He hated not to be in control.
Within a minute she was back out and walking down the hall towards him. He looked at her and she nodded. Mitch took the stairs to the next level and, finding an empty meeting room, pulled her in.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Fine. Just in time. They were taking drinks from the refrigerator; I don’t think they had been back more than a few minutes. I blocked their view of the table, put the laptop and tray down, dumped the napkins in the middle, picked up the tray and got out. That was very risky, Mitchell.”
“Where was the guard? Did he see anything?”
“I don’t think so, he was with them,” Eva answered.
Mitch thought about her answer for a moment. “I’m not sure we should risk going to the Sky Room now. If they have the same guard and if he is at all suspicious, we’re screwed.”
“Are you saying that for my benefit?” Eva asked. “Would you go if I wasn’t here?”
Mitch hesitated.
“Right, we go,” she said.
“Subject to us being able to find a suitable place to lie low,” Mitch said.
“Deal.”
Mitch opened the door of the room they were in and looked up and down the hall.
“Clear,” he said. He could hear chanting and cheering from the convention area. He glanced to a screen at the far end of the hall but could not make out the cause of the cheering. Staying close to the edge, Mitch moved along the hallway until he found a room with a table formally set, ready for its guests. He looked in, no-one was inside. Mitch slid in and Eva followed.
“This must be the Sky Room; it’s the best view in the house.” Mitch noted the rectangular dining table was placed next to the glazed glass and looked down on the convention floor. He could see the thousands of neo-Nazi supporters there but they could not see in from the floor level. Quickly they looked around the room for a suitable spot.
“There’s nothing, the room has no blind spots.” Eva looked around.
“Let’s try the room next door.” Mitch moved to the door. “Two waiters coming.” They glanced around again but were stuck. “We’ll just have to bluff it.”
They moved out of the room, meeting the male and female waiters at the door. The male waiter said something and Eva answered. The waiters moved past Mitch and Eva and entered the room. Mitch went as far as the next room and slipped in. Eva followed. Mitch closed and locked the door.
“What did he say?” Mitch asked.
“He asked if the room was ready,” Eva said. “I said ‘almost’. How do I know?” She shrugged.
“Good answer.”
“Well, keeps you out of trouble. Besides I’m a perfectionist, there’s always something that could be added.”
Mitch moved to the edge of the room where the adjoining wall had been pulled in place to create smaller rooms. There were no gaps and no chance of seeing. Mitch listened. He could barely hear the conversation from the two waiters.
“This is not going to work. We can’t bug the room, I can’t hear their conversation through these walls and I’ll be surprised if they don’t check these rooms again before the group gathers.” Mitch sighed. “We’re going to have to pass on this and hope the laptop reveals something about their next step.”
Eva agreed. “Can we get out of here?”
“Let’s go.” Mitch strode to the door.
He waited until they heard the waiters pass by and unlocked the door, then motioned for Eva to follow him. They hurried down the hall and stairway, removed their aprons and headed out via the kitchen.
They made their way to the parking lot. Thousands of cars were still there as people stayed on inside. Mitch looked around; no one seemed to care if they came or went.
“I really wanted to hear that conversation in the Sky Room.” He sighed.
Eva patted him on the back and he flinched.
She noticed, but uncharacteristically let it slide.