Silent Night - By Tom Barber Page 0,64
Number was on the display.
The lawyer turned to the group. ‘This is-’
‘Answer it,’ Shepherd told Jacobs, pointing at the phone. The English lawyer was taken aback. He froze, as the phone continued to ring. ‘Answer it!’ Shepherd shouted at him. ‘On speaker.’
His change in tone jolted Jacobs into action. He lifted a finger and pushed Answer.
‘Hello?’
Pause.
‘Jacobs?’
The voice was Southern.
‘Yes. How did you get this number?’
‘Bleeker’s dead.’
‘Yes. I know.’
‘We’ll still meet tonight.’
‘Bleeker never told me where the meet would be.’
‘What?’
‘He never told me where the trade would happen.’
Pause.
‘Tonic East. 10pm. Third floor. You got the money?’
‘Yes.’
‘Two million. I want it transferred into an offshore bank account. I’ll give you the details when we meet. Then you get the item. If you’re a minute late, I’m gone.’
‘Yes. How do I know what you look like?’
Pause.
‘I’ll find you.’
And he hung up.
A moment of silence followed. Then as one, the room exhaled. Shepherd grabbed the phone, making sure the call was disconnected.
‘Now we’re talking,’ he said. ‘Did you get a trace, Rach?’
She shook her head. ‘Too quick.’
Shepherd turned to his team.
‘Tonic. You guys know that place?’
‘Yes, sir,’ Jorgensen said. ‘I do. It’s a football bar, corner of East 29 and 3. Turns into a club at night.’
Shepherd checked his watch. ‘It’s 1530. The meet is at 2200. That gives us plenty of time to prepare.’
He looked down at Jacobs.
‘You’re going to make that meeting.’
The lawyer, startled by all this, tried to interject. ‘My client and I-’
‘Everyone, follow me,’ Shepherd said, ignoring the man and moving to the door.
At Kearny Medical, Sway had just ended the call.
He remained where he was, looking down at his phone.
‘What?’ Rourke asked.
Sway didn’t answer.
‘What’s up?’
Sway stared at the phone for a few moments longer, thinking.
Then he turned to Rourke. ‘Nothing. We’re on for tonight.’ He pointed at the canisters inside the secured lab. Rourke had activated the purification system and the air was now cleaned. ‘We need to get them stowed.’
‘No rush,’ Rourke said. ‘I’m not going anywhere until you get back from the meet.’
‘What about this place?’
‘Before we leave I’ll rig it up.’
‘If we blow it tonight, that’ll get attention. Set the timer for tomorrow.’
Rourke grinned. ‘Trust me. I know what I’m doing.’
Sway nodded.
‘I’m going to go prepare,’ he said, walking off towards the lift.
‘Wait. Don’t you need a sample of the virus?’
Sway turned and grinned.
‘Trust me. I know what I’m doing.’
THIRTY
Less than an hour later a whole host of people had gathered inside Briefing Room 5 at the Counter Terrorism Bureau. Rach was at her terminal, same as before. Beside her were the two doctors, Maddy Flood and Kruger. On the left side of the room were Archer, Josh, Jorgensen and Marquez. Sergeant Hendricks and his four-man team were on the other. Archer looked over at Hendricks and felt reassured by his presence. Dark-featured and with a face that rarely broke into a smile, Hendricks was as tough as nails, one of the hardest cops Archer had ever seen. He was a burgeoning legend within the NYPD. Before he came to the Counter Terrorism Bureau, Hendricks had run his own team out of the 75 in Brooklyn which was regarded as the most dangerous precinct in all of New York. The surrounding area was plagued by violence, bombed-out buildings, barbed wire and almost a daily murder count. But the scary thing was that Hendricks had requested a transfer to the precinct.
He’d wanted to go there.
There were all sorts of rumours about stuff he’d done and most of them were true. His team was gathered beside him, standing in silence. Hendricks had handpicked them himself and they were like a damn wolf-pack, all as gritty and stern-faced as he was. They were the perfect team to work with tonight. Faison and Peterson were also on the other side of the table, sitting and talking quietly between themselves. With his shaved head and hate tattoos Peterson looked incongruous amongst everyone else in the room, but he was arguably the most important person there. He was going to be their eyes and ears at the New Jersey camp tonight.
They all suddenly quietened as Shepherd walked in. He closed the door behind him and walked to the front of the room, standing beside the screen.
By the time he got there, the room was silent.
‘Everyone here?’
He looked around, met with a series of nods.
‘Right. Listen up. I’ll summarise so we’re all on the same page. Late last night, five vials of a lethal pneumonic virus were stolen from a lab complex on