Ratio(66)
“I’m sure you can make an exception.”
Harper didn’t reply.
“Look,” Leopold said, “I was the one who suggested you recheck the ventilation units. If you hadn’t gone with your gut and taken a look, you never would have seen the tapes. You wouldn’t have identified the suspect. You’ve only got this far thanks to me. So how about a little cooperation?”
The two agents folded their arms. Harper bit her lip, then let out a deep breath.
“Fine,” she said. “I can give you the highlights.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you know who these guys are?” Jack said, stepping through the door.
Harper shook her head. “Fake IDs. We’ve made a guess as to where they’re from, but nothing confirmed. What’s more important is what they’re trying to achieve.”
“Which is?”
“This is where it gets a little hazy. According to the suspect who survived, their target was the President.”
Leopold took the empty seat opposite Harper’s desk. “Someone was playing them.”
“What makes you say that?”
“No doubt they were probably following orders, but nobody goes after the US President by setting off alarm bells all over the city. That means they’re either dumber than we thought, which, based on the all the prep work they completed, is unlikely,” he paused. “Either that, or they were being played from the start. Destined to wind up dead or in custody.”
Jack looked confused. “So, if they weren’t after the President, then who?”
“We don’t know for sure,” said Harper. “The conditioning goes deep. The suspect truly believed he was supposed to take out the President. More than that, he was convinced he was doing the right thing. He broke down pretty quickly once he realized he’d been played.”
“Asian man, from a politically hostile nation, with a hint of brainwashing? We thinking North Korea here?”
Harper folded her arms. “Speculation would be pointless right now.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Jack leaned up against the desk. “Listen, this is all very interesting, but I was under the impression the threat isn’t over.”
“Like I said, the ventilation systems.” Leopold looked Harper in the eyes. “Why else would he be down there?”
Harper nodded. “A poor choice of location for explosives, but we’re thinking potentially some kind of airborne toxin. Deployed through the air conditioning vents. The suspect only told us a few details before the pain got too much. Nurses turned up the drip and he was no good to us.”
“Gets my vote,” said Leopold. “The hotel and convention center share the same HVAC system. Two birds with one stone. I assume you have people looking?”
“They’re down there now.”
“They know what they’re searching for?”
“Going a little by ear. Can’t get any technicians out thanks to the roadblocks. But we’ll know if anything looks unusual.”
“I’d like to join them.”
Harper stood up. “Out of the question.”
“Your agents know anything about airborne toxins?”
“I assume more than you.”
Leopold blinked. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Jack cleared his throat. “Look, I’m sure you’d all love to be left alone in a room together, but how about we wrap this up? I’d like to get out of here so Doctor Kato has a chance of getting out of the hotel before they tear the place apart. If there’s any threat to her, I damn sure want Leopold there.”
“Mr. Melendez…”
“I don’t want to hear it,” said Jack. “Right now, there’s nobody better equipped to deal with this problem.”
The two agents looked at each other and shrugged.
“I didn’t think so.” Jack looked at Harper. “I know, officially, this is your call. But believe me when I tell you, Leopold can help.”
“Fine,” said Harper. “Just don’t get in the way.”
Leopold smiled. “Ditto.”
“Agents Hawkins and West will escort Mr. Melendez out of the building. They will take him to the safe house and await further instructions.”
The two agents nodded and took a step toward the door.
“Mr. Blake and I will go down and join the team in the hotel basement. If we find anything, we can deal with it then. In the meantime, we continue with the evacuation.”
“What about June?” Jack asked. “She was told to stay put. The seventh floor is sealed off.”
“I’ll send an agent,” said Harper.
“Thank you.” Jack headed for the two agents at the door. “Please keep me up to date.”