“When the alarm was raised and the vault was cleared, two foreign nationals were locked inside.” He referred to his notes. “They were from the Republic of Mauritius. Mauritius was making a deposit at the time.”
“Do you have a description?”
“A young man and a young woman. The young man was tall and lean. The young woman had red hair.”
Hans and Werner turned from the assistant and looked down at the Silver Shadow. Werner blew out a sigh, and Hans tapped a number into his cellphone.
“Thank you,” Werner said to his assistant. “That will be all.”
“Detain the two Mauritius nationals who were involved in the security breach at the Federal Reserve,” Hans said into his phone. “My man will want to speak with them.”
—
The gold was weighed and stored, and everyone solemnly filed out of the vault and walked down the narrow corridor to the elevator. Doors opened onto a second elevator, and several men in gray suits got out. They pulled Varnet aside, whispered to him, and Varnet nodded his consent.
Emerson and Riley were culled from the group, their rifles were confiscated, and they were ushered into the second elevator.
“What is this about?” Riley asked.
“Protocol,” one of the men said. “Standard security debriefing.”
Riley saw him punch in a code and press the down button, and she fought back panic. They were already eighty feet below the surface. How much lower could they go?
After a long descent, the door opened, and they were led through another long, narrow corridor. They reached a spot where the hallway split in two, and Riley was alarmed to see Emerson led down the left while she was led off to the right. She was shown into a room that was empty except for three straight-backed chairs and a small table with a couple disposable plastic cups and a pitcher of water on it.
“Someone will be in shortly,” a suited man said. “Make yourself comfortable.”
The door was closed and Riley was alone, the silence disturbed only by the beating of her heart. As a teenager, when she’d yearned for something more exciting than her north Texas town, this hadn’t been what she’d imagined.
She sat in one of the chairs and waited. She looked at the water. No way was she drinking it. It could be laced with truth serum. Not that it would make a difference. She was going to spill her guts. She was going to tell them whatever the heck they wanted to hear. Whatever it took to get her out of the room, out of the building, out of New York…that’s what she was going to say.
Anyway, she was just doing her job. Following Werner Grunwald’s orders. She was an innocent pawn. What was the worst they could do to her? A long list of hideous possibilities flew through her mind. Good thing she was sitting down, because suddenly she wasn’t feeling all that great. Her stomach was sick, and her heart was thumping in her chest.
She was debating the wisdom of waiting as opposed to trying to find her way out when the door swung open and Rollo walked in.
Riley jumped up. “You!” she said.
“You’re looking pale,” Rollo said, closing the door. “Maybe you should have some water.”
Riley looked at the water but didn’t make a move.
“Not thirsty?” Rollo asked.
Riley shook her head.
Rollo poured himself a glass and drank it. “It’s excellent water,” he said. “Why didn’t you keep me informed as to your whereabouts?”
“I assumed you were following me with the phone. And half the time I didn’t know my whereabouts until I was there. Besides, you’re the NSA spy. The NSA knows everything. They don’t need someone phoning information in. That’s so low-tech.”
Yeah! Riley thought. Score one for Harvard Law. The best defense is always an aggressive offense. Especially when you might not have a very good defense.
The door opened, and Werner Grunwald stepped into the room. William McCabe and Hans Grunwald were standing a step behind Werner. McCabe looked far more imposing in his custom-made suit than he had in his fishing gear at Fletcher’s Cove. Hans Grunwald in his uniform was even more impressive. Riley thought they were the nightmare version of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.
“I don’t think we’ll be needing you just yet,” Werner said to Rollo. “You’re excused too, McCabe.”
Rollo nodded subserviently and left the room. He was followed by an obviously sullen William McCabe.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Werner said to Riley.