“I think something is brewing, Mr. Vetcher.”
“I’m sure you aren’t talking about coffee. What’s going on, Antonio?” Carden bit into the Red Delicious apple he held between his fingers then dabbed the corners of his mouth with a cloth napkin. He set down the mapped-out armored truck route he had been studying for days.
“I heard chatter over the airwaves about thirty minutes ago. Several people from the sheriff’s department were summoned to the FBI headquarters downtown.”
“Interesting bit of information, and I wonder why.” Carden scratched his chin as if in thought. “The cops are looking for the van, according to earlier news reports. Take the Mercedes and sit outside the FBI parking structure but stay in the shadows. Surveil the situation and follow anyone who leaves the building, just stay far enough back so you aren’t noticed. Call me immediately with an update if there’s movement. Do you understand everything I just said?”
“Yes, Mr. Vetcher.”
“Good, now go quickly before you miss something.”
Antonio disappeared out the side of the building. The heavy steel door slammed with a loud thud at his back. Carden rose from the folding table and crossed the warehouse to the stairs. On the second floor, a large locked cabinet stood against the wall in a room that once served as office space. Carden dug through his front pocket until he felt the padlock key. He twisted the key in the slot, removed the lock, then temporarily set it on the floor. He pulled open the double cabinet doors wide and smiled at the contents.
Inside was an array of weapons including seven handguns, two AK-47 assault rifles, an AR-22, two shotguns, magnetic IED explosives, tear gas canisters, masks, Kevlar vests, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and zip ties. Carden ran his fingertips over the smooth wooden stocks of the rifles. Saturday, the weapons would be put to good use. The armored truck driver and guards wouldn’t know what hit them until it was far too late.