Ratio(20)
Chapter 12
THE AMERICAN AIRLINES transcontinental flight landed without incident, touching down at Sea-Tac a few minutes earlier than scheduled. The first class cabin had been a little cramped, but after a few measures of bourbon Leopold had drifted off to sleep within half an hour of takeoff. He woke up with a start as the plane hit the asphalt, the thrust reversers kicking in with a deafening roar.
After collecting their luggage at baggage claim at the main Seattle airport, Jerome led the way to the automobile rental area in the parking garage. Checking in with the clerk on duty, they waited only moments before two large Cadillac Escalade SUVs were brought around. Both vehicles were styled in metallic black paint, with tinted windows and dark leather seats. Each had been fitted with satellite navigation, wireless connectivity and a GPS tracker.
Leopold climbed in to the nearest vehicle and fired up the engine. A deep roar from the six-liter V8 filled the cabin, over four hundred horses at its disposal. Checking the rear-view mirror, Leopold watched Jerome climb into the other Escalade, signaling he was ready to move out. Leopold activated the satellite navigation and headed out the parking lot, aiming for the airport exit. Once they hit the freeway, Leopold called Jerome on the wireless system.
“I want to inspect the rooms at the hotel before we check in,” he said, as Jerome picked up. “In case anyone’s monitoring the reception desk.”
“Agreed.” The bodyguard’s voice came through loud and clear.
“I’ll check maintenance records while you do the inspection tour of the seventh floor suites. I guess you know what you’re doing.”
“This isn’t exactly my first rodeo.”
“See you there.” Leopold hung up. Drifting into the fast lane, he let the SUVs big engine loose, the tachometer nudging four thousand RPM.
For all his reluctance, a small part of Leopold welcomed the opportunity to get out of New York for a few days. With the Paris mess still hitting headlines and tax season fast approaching, looking after Melendez and his new girlfriend felt like a vacation. Still, with all eyes on Seattle this weekend, and the President dropping in for a chance to impress the media ahead of the primaries, there was plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong.
If that weren’t enough, after Melendez’s experience in Santiago, there was always the chance somebody would try to finish what they started. Leopold didn’t relish the idea of getting caught in someone else’s crossfire. He had more than enough experience dealing with his own.
***
Half an hour later, Leopold eased the heavy Escalade off the main road and into the First Hill Suites Hotel loading bay. The security guard checked his computer, finding their clearance, and waved them on through. Once parked, Jerome led the way into the service entrance, heading straight for the operations manager’s office. They found their man slumped over his desk, massaging his temples. He looked up as they passed the window.
Leopold knocked on the door and stepped through. “Rick Gustafson, I presume?”
The manager stood up, dusting potato chips off his uniform. Blonde, a little overweight, he looked flustered. “Yeah, that’s me.” He held out a hand. “And you are?”
“Security detail for Jack Melendez.” He ignored Rick’s outstretched palm. “We need to go through an inspection right now. I’m guessing you’re not too busy to take us up to his floor.”
“Christ, this is getting ridiculous,” Rick said. “How long is this gonna take?”
Jerome stepped forward. “It’ll go a lot faster if you cooperate.” He paused. “Who else has been through here?”
Rick withdrew his hand and stuffed it into a pocket. “We’ve been getting ready for the conference for days. We’ve had teams come through looking at the ventilation systems, ducts, electric systems.”
“Ducts?”
“Yeah. Checking for security threats, I guess.”
Leopold frowned. “We’ll need to do our own sweep.”
Rick sighed deeply. “Fine. Whatever.” He tossed them a clipboard. “Sign in here. We’ll get your ID badges printed out.” He turned his attention to his computer screen. “I’ll need your names to check our records.”
“One more thing,” said Leopold. “We’ll be needing our equipment.”
***
The housekeeper, a lithe Filipino woman with jet black hair and dark skin, met them outside Rick’s office and handed them a set of key cards to activate the secure elevator. She introduced herself as Mariel and led them up to the seventh floor. They put their bags in one room toward the end, Suite Three.