Black Friday

CHAPTER 69

Nick almost didn't recognize David Ceimo. He came into the hotel conference room wearing a leather bomber jacket and aviator sunglasses pushed up on top of his thick mass of hair. And he was smiling.

Patrick had just finished with the police sketch artist, who didn't really sketch but manipulated the bomber's face on a computer screen, using a special computer program. Wurth had been on the phone nonstop, using one of the hotel's landlines instead of his cell phone. Kunze and Maggie pored over more files. Everyone, however, stopped what they were doing when Ceimo walked into the room.

"Just got the call. We have him," he said directly to Maggie. "He's alive and safe."

"Thank God."

Nick glanced around. Seemed Maggie was the only one who knew what Ceimo was talking about.

"Some of the bomber's cohorts kidnapped Henry Lee's grandson earlier today," Ceimo explained.

"Dixon?" Patrick shot up. "Becca was with Dixon."

"She's still with him. She's safe," Ceimo told him. "They had them locked up in the basement of a vacant office building. They must have been using it as a makeshift command center. Had computers, cables, wireless equipment—the works."

"Was there anything left behind that might tell us where the next attack is planned?" Wurth asked.

"Everything was smashed. The kid—Dixon, said they had portable drives on the computers that they bagged up and took with them. The basement reeked with gasoline. They started a small fire in one of the hallways. Probably expected the whole place to blow up. And it would have had the SWAT team gotten there a few minutes later."

Nick watched Maggie. She wasn't surprised by any of what Ceimo was telling them. This must have been the favor she'd asked of him.

"How did you know where they were?" Nick asked.

He noticed the look Ceimo and Maggie exchanged before Ceimo answered, as if he were getting permission.

"Dixon had his grandfather's cell phone. The kidnappers left it on for Mr. Lee to call. We were able to track their location by using the cell phone's internal GPS signal."

"Son of a bitch," Kunze muttered.

"Outsmarted the assholes," Ceimo said with that same smile that he had on his face when he came into the room. "They thought they had Mr. Lee under their thumb, so they got a bit cocky leaving the cell phone on. The boy said they taunted him with its ringing. They had no intention of returning him to his grandfather. Or the girl. Unfortunately, the kidnappers were gone before we got there." He pointed to the police sketch artist. "The kids are giving us descriptions."

"And Mr. Lee?" Maggie wanted to know.

"I've sent someone over to the hospital to let him know. He won't be able to see Dixon until after this is over. They're probably still having him watched."

"Wait a minute. Henry Lee? Is that who we're talking about?" Nick asked Maggie. "The head of HL Enterprises, the owner of United Allied Security, he was your informant?"

She glanced around the room, then nodded.