checkpoint of employees and visitors for the evening court sessions.
It was good, Griffin decided. Just crowded enough so that he and his team wouldn’t get noticedhanging around until their suspect arrived — an excellent environment for a sting operation.
He nodded at Savannah and Logan, who were already in line to pass through security, watching as they took their cell phone cameras from their pockets to run through the X-ray. With those two inside the checkpoint and Melissa and Griffin outside, surely one of the four of them would be able to snap a photograph of the culprit handling the ring. That would be all the evidence Griffin needed.
Now there was nothing to do but wait. It was 5:10 — twenty minutes to zero hour.
“All assets in place here,” he murmured into the walkie-talkie.
“Ow!” came a voice on the other end. Griffin knew from experience what that meant. Ben had dozed off, and Ferret Face had delivered a small nip to wake him up again.
“Everything’s fine,” Pitch confirmed. “You know, Griffin, I can see your house from here.”
“Keep your eyes on the courthouse,” Griffin advised. “It’s almost time.”
“Got it — wait a minute! Red alert!”
“A suspect? Who?”
Pitch sounded disgusted. “Who else? Vader.”
“I knew it!” The crime unfolded in Griffin’s mind: Darren, stumbling on the lost retainer and instantly coming up with a scheme to steal the ring and blame it on his archenemy.
Revenge is going to be sweet!
He gave the signal — three sharp sneezes in a row. The team came to attention, hands on the phones in their pockets.
Griffin’s concentration was broken by Ben’s voice: “Red alert!”
“I know,” whispered Griffin. “Vader’s coming.”
“No!” Ben insisted. “It’s Celia White!”
“Make up your minds, you guys! Who is it? Darren Vader or Celia White?”
“Oh, man, it’s
both
!” Pitch exclaimed. “Vader off the street, Celia White from the parking lot!”
Griffin gave three more sneezes. He wasn’t sure if he was communicating that this was a new alarm, not a repeat of the first one. But he had to do something.
“Gesundheit,” said the security guard at the X-ray machine.
Griffin melted into the crowd as Darren entered the building and got into line at the checkpoint. Within thirty seconds, Celia White was there, too, a couple of places behind Darren.
Griffin caught a bewildered look from Melissa, who was the only team member not wearing sunglasses. It seemed pointless to cover eyes that were always covered by hair anyway. But now those eyes were exposed and double-wide. The plan had not considered the possibility that more than one suspect might show up.
There was no time to think about that now. Darren was going through the checkpoint. The four photographers clutched their phones and edged closer.
Griffin watched breathlessly as Darren emptied his pockets and placed the contents in the tray. A few coins and — what was that? A flash of bright metal! He aimed the cell phone, ready to shoot.
A house key. False alarm.
He watched in dismay as Darren passed through the metal detector. Nothing. Not a peep.
Okay, it’s Celia White, then. And Darren came only because the e-mail mentioned money, and he was hoping some of it might stick to his greasy fingers….
Yet, minutes later, the reporter placed her pocketbook on the conveyor belt and breezed through the checkpoint without incident. Griffin almost broke his neck to get a view of the X-rayreadout. Car keys, a BlackBerry, assorted junk, nothing more.
By now, Melissa’s eyes were wide as saucers, and all sunglasses were trained on Griffin. Two suspects, no ring. What now?
Ben’s voice came over the walkie-talkie. “Well, Griffin, which one was it? Darren or Celia White?”
“Neither!” rasped Griffin.
“Neither?”
“They both made it through security. They’re clean.”
“But how could that be?”
Pitch’s voice provided a possible answer. “Red
It was good, Griffin decided. Just crowded enough so that he and his team wouldn’t get noticedhanging around until their suspect arrived — an excellent environment for a sting operation.
He nodded at Savannah and Logan, who were already in line to pass through security, watching as they took their cell phone cameras from their pockets to run through the X-ray. With those two inside the checkpoint and Melissa and Griffin outside, surely one of the four of them would be able to snap a photograph of the culprit handling the ring. That would be all the evidence Griffin needed.
Now there was nothing to do but wait. It was 5:10 — twenty minutes to zero hour.
“All assets in place here,” he murmured into the walkie-talkie.
“Ow!” came a voice on the other end. Griffin knew from experience what that meant. Ben had dozed off, and Ferret Face had delivered a small nip to wake him up again.
“Everything’s fine,” Pitch confirmed. “You know, Griffin, I can see your house from here.”
“Keep your eyes on the courthouse,” Griffin advised. “It’s almost time.”
“Got it — wait a minute! Red alert!”
“A suspect? Who?”
Pitch sounded disgusted. “Who else? Vader.”
“I knew it!” The crime unfolded in Griffin’s mind: Darren, stumbling on the lost retainer and instantly coming up with a scheme to steal the ring and blame it on his archenemy.
Revenge is going to be sweet!
He gave the signal — three sharp sneezes in a row. The team came to attention, hands on the phones in their pockets.
Griffin’s concentration was broken by Ben’s voice: “Red alert!”
“I know,” whispered Griffin. “Vader’s coming.”
“No!” Ben insisted. “It’s Celia White!”
“Make up your minds, you guys! Who is it? Darren Vader or Celia White?”
“Oh, man, it’s
both
!” Pitch exclaimed. “Vader off the street, Celia White from the parking lot!”
Griffin gave three more sneezes. He wasn’t sure if he was communicating that this was a new alarm, not a repeat of the first one. But he had to do something.
“Gesundheit,” said the security guard at the X-ray machine.
Griffin melted into the crowd as Darren entered the building and got into line at the checkpoint. Within thirty seconds, Celia White was there, too, a couple of places behind Darren.
Griffin caught a bewildered look from Melissa, who was the only team member not wearing sunglasses. It seemed pointless to cover eyes that were always covered by hair anyway. But now those eyes were exposed and double-wide. The plan had not considered the possibility that more than one suspect might show up.
There was no time to think about that now. Darren was going through the checkpoint. The four photographers clutched their phones and edged closer.
Griffin watched breathlessly as Darren emptied his pockets and placed the contents in the tray. A few coins and — what was that? A flash of bright metal! He aimed the cell phone, ready to shoot.
A house key. False alarm.
He watched in dismay as Darren passed through the metal detector. Nothing. Not a peep.
Okay, it’s Celia White, then. And Darren came only because the e-mail mentioned money, and he was hoping some of it might stick to his greasy fingers….
Yet, minutes later, the reporter placed her pocketbook on the conveyor belt and breezed through the checkpoint without incident. Griffin almost broke his neck to get a view of the X-rayreadout. Car keys, a BlackBerry, assorted junk, nothing more.
By now, Melissa’s eyes were wide as saucers, and all sunglasses were trained on Griffin. Two suspects, no ring. What now?
Ben’s voice came over the walkie-talkie. “Well, Griffin, which one was it? Darren or Celia White?”
“Neither!” rasped Griffin.
“Neither?”
“They both made it through security. They’re clean.”
“But how could that be?”
Pitch’s voice provided a possible answer. “Red
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