Leopold nodded. “Her history with the Yakuza.”
“And using an alias in the past,” Jerome added “I already told her that if the shit hits the fan, she’s on her own. Melendez is our primary client, and our focus. We’re getting paid to protect him, not her.” He paused a moment. “Her frisk was something else. She’s definitely someone I wouldn’t want pissed at me.”
“Why?”
“She’s built solid. And the injuries; I could feel the thick scars on her body under her clothes.”
“That’s something best kept to yourself,” said Leopold. “We know the facts. We know Jack trusts her and we’ve done our due diligence. That’s enough digging.” He yawned. “I want to check on that operations manager. What was his name?”
“Rick Gustafson.”
“There’s something about him that doesn’t add up.” He started pacing, a force of habit. “He’s inexperienced, pulled in too many directions. He might have missed something.”
“Like what?”
“Think of it this way: how many major red flags have you seen here so far?”
Jerome thought for a moment. “Other than the usual high-risk zones, nothing out of the ordinary. Why?”
“Is that usual? For nothing to be out of place, no concerns at all? Especially just before a major national event?”
“I get your point,” Jerome said. “He mentioned he’d let two teams into the basement. I’ll run another check.”
“I can go down tonight,” said Leopold. “You need to stay here.”
“Just try not to break anything.”
***
Leopold’s pass granted him access to the basement. He was glad to avoid finding Gustafson, eager to inspect the ventilation systems alone. A tote bag stuffed with monitoring equipment was slung over his shoulder, a little heavier than it looked. Once inside the basement, he got to his knees and pulled out a flashlight. The room was dark, emergency lighting only. The deep rumble of the generator sets loud enough to block out any other sounds.
There were two large units, filling most of the space. Starting with the system feeding the hotel, he took a chemical sampling of the outside, and tried to get a reading of gasses. Nothing registered. Next, he checked out the much larger ventilation system serving the convention center. Nothing there, either. There were Secret Service seals on access panels and doors, most of which had either secondary locks or were tack-welded secure.
The only area that concerned him was the filtration system, which had no security seals or inspection tags. The screws had unique heads that required special tools, something he didn’t have with him.
Leopold figured the Secret Service must have missed something. He resigned himself to bringing it up with Harper in the morning. He took one last look around in the mechanical room before going back upstairs, a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.
Chapter 26
THE KOREAN BAR just off 8th Avenue was full of people, hot and sweaty. The heating had apparently been cranked up all day against the wet and cold. Seong-min sat in a corner booth watching the evening revelers suck down cold beer and shots of soju. The younger drinkers took their shot glasses in both hands, tipping the clear liquid down in one go. Seong-min drummed his fingers against the table and took another gulp from his club soda.
Jun-yeong found his way back to the booth and took a seat next to him, a large glass of beer in his hand, his fourth of the evening. Seong-min checked his watch. Nearly eleven p.m.
“Take it easy,” Seong-min said. “We move out in less than seven hours. You’re no good to me with a hangover.”
“I can take my drink. More than I can say for you.” He eyed the club soda. “Try living a little. This might be your last chance.”
“We’re not here to get sucked into Western hedonism. Remember why we took this job.”
Jun-yeong grinned. “Money, fame, women?”
“For the good of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and our Great Leader.” Seong-min bowed his head as he spoke. “This is not a ‘Girls Gone Wild’ vacation.”
“Lighten up. No reason we can’t do both.”
“Just make sure you’re ready.”
Jun-yeong took a swig of his beer. “I’ll be ready. Tomorrow, we plant the decoys at the park. We detonate early, to keep the emergency services busy while we take out the real target.”
“At least you were listening at some point.”
“You shouldn’t underestimate me.”
“And you shouldn’t underestimate the American police. If they find those bombs, they’ll call off the President’s visit. We can’t afford to be seen.”