‘The gas cylinder was still filling a big inner tube. There’s a valve taped to it – it must have released when it got to a certain pressure. Like a time-delay system. But there wasn’t anything in the pipe, so the air just blew out through it.’
Baxter was silent, trying to make sense of what had happened. Gray had used the first football to fire a rope across the gap. But why would he need to shoot a second one?
He looked at the flaccid leather ovoid in his hand. It was brand new, but the leather at one end was scuffed and torn, scratches on it looking as if they had been made by knives.
No, not knives – but still something metal and sharp-edged . . .
The vent cover on the roof. Its grille would be made of thin sheet steel, intended only to keep out the weather and birds, not to withstand a projectile weighing close to three pounds fired at it with great force.
Gray had rigged the cannon to hit the vent – and set off the alarm. Why, though? And where was he? If he hadn’t come down the duct, then . . .
The answer hit him like a truck. ‘Shit!’ he cried. ‘This whole thing – it’s a decoy! It’s all some goddamn Mission: Impossible crap! Gray never came in here at all!’
Spence jumped down from the cabinets. ‘Then where is he?’
Baxter already had a horrible suspicion. He took out his phone. ‘What’s your number?’ he asked Reed. ‘Quick, your cell number! I need to reach the Admiral, now!’
47
End Run
Harper turned at a junction, heading back towards Washington. Given favourable traffic, if he took the Suitland Parkway into DC he would reach his home in around twenty-five minutes. Then he could destroy the WORM disk, and the only piece of evidence linking him to the death of Sandra Easton would be gone.
Lights flashed in his mirrors, some impatient idiot in a muscle car wanting to get past. Despite being in a hurry, he allowed the black car to overtake. The last thing he needed was for a highway cop to pull him over for speeding.
The Mustang powered past with a V8 snarl – then cut back in right ahead of him, slowing to the legal limit. ‘I gave you the road, asshole,’ Harper muttered. He was about to give the other driver a piece of his mind with the horn when Reed’s phone rang. He fumbled in his pocket, taking it out—
‘Don’t answer it,’ said a voice right behind him. ‘It’s dangerous to use the phone while you’re driving.’
A shape rose up in the rear-view mirror. ‘Gray!’
‘Yeah.’ Adam pushed the gun he had taken from the Admiral’s house against its owner’s head. ‘Put it down and pull over.’
Harper reluctantly tossed the phone on to the passenger seat beside the disk. He brought the Cadillac to the kerb. The Mustang ahead also stopped, then backed up, its reversing lights turning Adam’s reflection a demonic red. ‘So are you going to kill me?’
‘No. I just want the disk.’
‘What for? Blackmail?’
‘Justice.’
Harper made a sarcastic sound. ‘There’s no such thing in this world.’
‘I know you think that – but I also know that not everybody else does. So maybe there’s hope for us all yet. Get out. Slowly.’
The phone’s trill stopped. Harper glowered over his shoulder at Adam, then opened the door.
‘Thank God,’ said Bianca as she saw Adam emerge from the CTS. He waved, and she got out and ran to him. ‘It’s a good job I saw you get into this thing, otherwise I’d still be sitting there waiting for you.’
‘I made sure you’d see me,’ he replied. He had never even reached the Gorman Building’s roof, dropping from the rope once he was over the fence and sneaking through the parking lot. ‘I just had to make sure the guards didn’t.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were going to hide in his car?’ She nervously regarded Harper, who stared back in menacing silence.
‘Because I didn’t know how I was going to play things until they actually happened. Here, hold the gun. Keep him covered.’
She took the pistol. ‘But you knew he’d get the disk.’
Adam leaned into the car to collect the item in question,