for us. The elevators on the thirty-seventh floor will be locked shut at nine, so nobody will be joining us unexpectedly.
“You’ll keep your police uniforms on until we’re in the vans and out of the building. As you get into a van, you’ll be relieved of your plastic bags. When you’re dropped off, leave your uniforms in the vans and take at least two cabs to your destination to be sure you aren’t followed.
“There won’t be a full complement of cops on the show floor until nearly ten, so we shouldn’t have a lot of opposition. Your shotguns are loaded with number nine birdshot—no double ought. We don’t want to kill anybody. If you have to shoot an armed man, aim at his gun shoulder. You’ll knock him down, don’t worry. Any questions?”
“Will any of the jewelry sellers be armed?” Anita asked.
“Good question. Probably not, but maybe. Everybody will be frisked and, if necessary, disarmed. Check for ankle holsters, too. Remember, you’re wearing full-body armor, so you’ll be well protected. The cops and security people will be in plainclothes, and they’ll be wearing lapel buttons for ID. The only SWAT team will be on the roof. They’re expecting a chopper, and they won’t be expecting us to come up the stairs. The door to the staircase to the roof will be locked from the inside. We want to be off the floor in five minutes, so move your asses.”
“Have you considered what traffic will be like?” Murphy asked.
“Just past rush hour, so not as bad as it could be. The vans are equipped with police lighting and whoopers, so that will help us move along.”
“Where will we be dropped?”
“You’ll see when it happens. You won’t be far from a cab. When you leave the vans, take nothing with you but your own luggage, which will be taken from your rooms and placed in the vans.”
“When do we get paid?” Anita asked.
“On Monday,” the big guy replied. “You’ll be contacted, and you’ll meet to get your cash. The next payment will come in a couple of weeks. You’ll be paid in used hundreds, fifties, and twenties. Live your lives as usual. It would be very unwise of you to start making expensive purchases or paying off your bookies or other debts. Wait a few months. With your second payment you’ll get written instructions on how to open an offshore bank account. You’d be very smart to do that. They’ll give you a credit card you can use anywhere in the world, and the purchases deducted from your account.”
He looked around. “No more questions. Everybody back to your rooms, and stay there until we come and get you at eight forty-five tomorrow morning. Be fully dressed and armed, and leave your luggage on your bed. You may already have noticed that you can’t make outside calls on your phones. The only call you can make is to room service. Tell them to leave the food outside your door. Everything will be already paid for, and the waiter tipped. Don’t be seen by anybody.”
He held up a black mask. “There’s one of these with every uniform. Don’t leave your room without it tomorrow morning, and keep it on until your van has left the hotel garage. See you in the morning.”
The big guy walked into the bedroom of his suite and closed the door, and Jerry Kowalski shooed everybody out.
Back in their room, Murphy sank into a chair. “So? What do you think?”
“I think it’s going to work,” she said. “When do we get out?”
“Unless the cops interrupt us, we’re out when we get out of the van.”
“That works for me,” she said.
61
Stone tossed his duffel into Dino’s black SUV, and they were off. “I’m hungry,” he said, “and I want a drink.”
“You haven’t already had one?” Dino asked.
“I wanted your company. I hate drinking alone.”
Ten minutes later they were in the hotel’s garage and waiting for the elevator. Three minutes after that they were in their suite. “Very nice,” Dino said.
“Do we have any of the rooms upstairs wired?” Stone asked.
“Yes, but they only got up and running an hour ago. We may have missed a lot.”
Stone tossed Dino a room service menu. “What would you like?”
“Steak, rare, onion rings, green beans, double Johnnie Walker Black first, then a bottle of your choice.”
Stone ordered the same and a bottle of the Mondavi Napa Cabernet. The drinks came almost immediately. “Long time since I was on a stakeout,” he said.
“Me, too. Not since