Quantum

33

Quickly making their way to the main floor, Nolan and Kelsey rounded the corner into the vestibule and raced out through the front doors. As they reached the top of the steps, Kelsey looked down into the crowd on the Diag. Below, in the mass of people who now stood bewildered as the library burned, she noticed a group of men forcefully working their way through the crowd. In the middle of the group, one of the men quickly glanced back at the burning building.

‘Nolan, over there!’ Kelsey shouted, her voice full of surprise and anger. ‘That’s one of the movers.’

Nolan immediately shifted his gaze to where Kelsey pointed. The taut, muscular men stood out from the crowd like a team of athletes walking among the fans. They carried themselves differently than normal people, their posture and movement the result of skillful training.

‘I got ’em, Kelsey. Looks like a six-man unit in a close formation. You’re right about the tall blond one in the middle. The big guy in front of him was there, too. Come on.’

As they stepped down into the crowd, Nolan keyed through his phone’s memory and selected a number.

‘Major Crimes Unit, Detective Ptashnik.’

‘Nolan Kilkenny here. The Preservation Lab where Johann Wolff’s notebooks are being stored is on fire. Anyone who was inside is probably dead. I’m on the Diag headed toward the intersection of State and North University. About fifty yards in front of me is a group of six men who I believe are responsible for the fire. All are probable ex-Russian Special Forces. Two of them are wanted for murder, theft, and arson in Indiana. You need to get some cops down here ASAP.’

‘Shit. You sure about this, Kilkenny?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘All right, I’ll put the word out and get a car’ — Ptashnik paused — ‘fuck, the streets are blocked off for Art Fair. I’ll get the foot patrols moving to your location. What’s your number?’

Nolan carefully recited his phone number.

‘I’ll call you as soon as I get something moving on this end. Where are the suspects at now?’

‘They’re crossing State, looks like they’re heading into Nickels Arcade.’

‘Keep an eye on ’em. I’ll call back in a minute.’