truck from the tennis is going to have armed guards inside, maybe more than usual. I think they’ll try to take them out head on, duke it out with a gunfight. The body-armour is insurance against getting hit. They wouldn’t need it for the Garden heist.’
Archer bit into his burrito again, tasting the warm meat, rice and cheese. It was good, if a little too spicy. Across the van, Gerrard was thinking hard, and seemed to come to some kind of decision.
‘OK. Today’s Wednesday,’ he said. ‘That gives us three days to prepare. We can take them at the Garden. Don’t worry about the tennis truck. They won’t even make it that far. You said they’re going through the Penn Station entrance?’
Archer nodded.
‘Farrell, Regan and Ortiz will go inside in cop uniforms, headed for the stash room. It sounds like they’ve paid off the necessary people to let them inside. Not the guys in the coal room, but the guys who are protecting them I guess.’
‘What about Tate?’
Archer took a bite of the burrito and nodded.
‘That’s the part you’d like. They send him down to Atlantic City every fortnight, packed up with the stolen cash from their previous jobs. He drives slow, breaking no laws, drawing no attention. He spends the weekend down there, passing the cash through the chips at the casinos, then settles up and comes straight back. He’s headed down there the night of the fight. He’s coming back for the main event on Sunday.’
Gerrard nodded, taking a last bite and finishing his burrito, scrunching up the foil.
‘So they want you in the car?’ he asked.
‘Yes. I’ll be kerb-side in a cop car, on 33, facing east. Plan is to move across town as fast as possible and get to the Midtown Tunnel before anyone can close it off.’
‘OK.’
And with that, Archer stayed silent. He took another bite of burrito and looked at Gerry. He’d told him everything he knew.
‘Wow,’ Gerrard said. ‘I’m speechless. Great job kid. This is beyond anything I could have hoped for. You sure as hell take after your father.’
Archer bit into his food, saying nothing.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘OK.’
‘Has Farrell talked about Jimmy’s murder?’
‘He knows about it. He threatened me. Said if I told anyone what I saw or what he told me I’d end up with Brown and the dead Fed, as he put it.’
‘Did you pursue it?’
‘I can’t. It’ll set off alarm bells instantly. I need him to bring it up again, talk about it himself, unprovoked.’ Archer paused. He looked at the older man on the other side of the van. ‘But I still mean what I said to you. I’ll back off, but if he tells me he did it and I’ve got a chance to take him out, I’m doing it. He put a gun to my head yesterday, Gerry. I’m not going to forget that.’
Gerrard nodded, wiping his hands with a napkin.
‘No argument from me. Get rid of Ortiz too whilst you’re at it.’
And just like that, the conversation had ended. Archer finished his burrito, then rolled up the foil, wiping his hands on a napkin.
‘Thanks for the grub.’
‘Least I can do,’ Gerrard said. ‘You’re certainly a cop, kid. It’s in your DNA.’
Archer nodded.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said. ‘Just start getting your team ready,’
‘Good work, Sam. Your dad would be proud of you.’
Archer thought for a moment, then reached for the door handle. He pulled it open and stepped outside into the humid evening air of Union Square.
Slamming it shut behind him, he checked to make sure no one had followed or was watching the van. Satisfied, he tossed the rolled up ball of foil into a trash can beside him and headed off into the night.
Across the street, a woman was slumped down behind the wheel of a silver Ford. She watched the English guy climb out of the white van, slamming the door and heading off across the Square. She stayed still, keeping her eyes on the van, waiting to see who would appear and move into the driver’s seat.
After a moment, a figure in a suit emerged.
It was Gerrard.
She watched him fire the ignition and move off uptown. As he left, she raised herself upright in her seat. So they were working together. That much was clear.
Her eyes narrowed as she thought of the situation and its ramifications.
Gerrard was clever, using the English guy. Farrell would never have seen this play coming. She watched the Brit walk to the subway entrance, disappearing down