Conspiracy

37

having failed to get in through the front door, Karr resorted to Plan B — the back door.

Or more precisely, the back basement door, which was not only locked but also connected to a burglar alarm system.

Neither problem was insurmountable. The same pick that would have opened the door to the stairs worked equally well on the basement lock. The alarm system employed a magnetic sensor that would set off an alert as soon as the magnet was removed or the circuit broken. There were a number of ways around this; the easiest — in this case — was by using a second magnet and a metal shim.

The difficulty came from the fact that the building’s rear door could be seen from several restaurants and storefronts across the street. So to prepare his way, Karr had to first find a way to become invisible.

A large truck had been parked just up the street. Too bad it hadn’t been parked about ten yards to the south, thought Karr; then it would easily block the view.

Well, that wasn’t really a problem, was it?

Within a few minutes Karr had jumped the truck and moved it behind the building. The view of the door now cut off, Karr went to work. He used his handheld PDA as a gauss-meter, locating the alarm system’s magnet sensor mounted in the threshold. Though it was an unusual spot, it was not difficult to defeat; Karr slid a small neodymium-iron-boron magnet into place as he pushed open the door. A wadded Vietnamese newspaper kept the spring-loaded door ajar, giving him an easier escape route if needed.

The door opened into the bottom floor of the stairwell Karr had been trying to enter earlier. Karr put on his night glasses and started climbing.

“Tommy, Marie thinks you ought to wait until Dean comes over to back you up,” said Rockman. “Shouldn’t be too long now.”

“Great idea,” said Karr, continuing up the steps.

“I thought you were going to wait.”

“I didn’t say I would wait. I said it was a good idea.” Karr moved as quickly and as quietly as he could up the steps. He stopped when he reached the fifth floor, double-checking to make sure there was no alarm on the door.

“Clear or not clear?” he asked Rockman.

“We don’t have video.”

“I’m looking for a bet,” said Karr. He got down to his knees and slid a small video bug beneath the door.

“Clear,” said the runner in a resigned voice.

The door was locked, and once more Karr had to break out the pick.

“Guess they never have fires in Vietnam, huh?” He slipped the pick in, pushed up gently, then stepped into the darkened hallway.

Thao Duong’s office was near the end of the hallway. Surprisingly large, it had a simple metal desk and a comfortable chair, but no other furniture, not even a bookshelf or a place for a visitor to sit. Papers were stacked along the left wall, some as high as Karr’s waist.

“Single computer on the desk,” Karr told the Art Room as he checked the sole drawer. It contained only two pens. “PC.

No network card that I see.”

“Wireless network?” asked Rockman.

“Not sure.” Karr took out his PDA and tapped the screen, bringing up a simple wireless detection program. The dialog button on the screen remained brown — no wireless signal.

“Nada.”

Karr inserted a small electronic dongle into one of the computer’s USB ports at the rear, then booted the computer.

Karr’s dongle, about the size of a lipstick, allowed him to bypass the computer’s normal operating system, making it easier to upload its contents to the Art Room. As the machine came to life, he took a wire from his pocket and inserted one end into a second USB port, then connected it to his sat phone. When that was done, he went over to the papers.

“This is all Vietnamese to me,” he told Rockman, removing his PDA from his pocket. He slipped a camera attachment on it and began beaming images of the stacked pages to the Art Room.

“Agricultural reports,” said Thu De Nghiem.

After a couple of stacks, Karr realized that each pile represented a different province. The stacks contained an assortment of agricultural information dating back six or seven years.

Not exactly what he’d hoped to find.

“How’s that download coming?” he asked Rockman.

“We’re about halfway done.”

Karr sat down in front of the desk, considering where he should plant the audio bug he’d brought. Given the lack of furniture, the most logical place was in the computer, but that also meant it would be the most likely place anyone would look for it.

Under the pile of papers?

Hard to tell when they might be moved.

There was a thermostat on the wall.

Karr decided there was no sense being too cute and decided to simply stick the bug under the desk. Since he was already sitting on the floor, he leaned back and crawled under. But as he started to put the bug in place he saw a large envelope taped to the bottom of the desk in his way.

“What have we here?” he said, pocketing the bug. He undid the tape and took the envelope down.

“Tommy — Thao Duong is walking toward the building.”

“No shit? My building?”

“Get out of there.”

“You finished with the download?”

“No.”

“Then what’s your hurry?”

Karr undid the clasp on the envelope. There were newspaper clippings inside, and a small key, the sort that would be used for a locker.

Karr took out his video bug and scanned the key.

“You got all this?” he asked Rockman.

“Of course we got it,” said Rockman. “Get out of there, Tommy. Out. He’s in the lobby.”

Karr put the key back in the envelope and returned it to its hiding spot.

“Done with the download?” he asked, climbing back to his feet.

“We’re done — go. Go!”

Karr turned off the computer and pulled his gear away, trotting to the door. As he was about to open it, he realized he’d forgotten to plant his bug. Necessity being the mother of invention, he decided the top of the doorjamb was a perfect place not only for an audio bug but for a video one as well.

“Pictures with the words,” he told the Art Room, starting to turn the doorknob.

“The elevator is opening on your floor,” hissed Rockman.

“It’s Thao Duong. Get out of there.”

“Great advice,” said Karr, taking his hand off the knob and stepping back into the room.