He turned to do just that and almost bumped into the guy.
"You forgot that I could recognize you, too," he told Patrick, flashing him a smile as he pressed him against the wall of the escalator, pinning him in with a heavy, black Pullman.
CHAPTER 77
Maggie leaned against the railing and glanced at her watch. It hadn't been five minutes. He had been out of her sight for only five minutes. She restrained herself from calling him again.
If Nick had seen the Project Manager come through any of the front doors he would have alerted them. Unless he disguised himself.
No, don't do that, she told herself. Don't speculate. She didn't need to second-guess herself.
Was it possible the Project Manager had someone else drop off the bag? Had he already been here and left it somewhere?
She looked out over the floor below now packed with passengers and their luggage, little kids dragging behind parents, senior citizens shuffling through the tight passes. She tried to watch for bags that didn't move along with any passengers in the long, slow checkin lines. Wurth walked past her, keeping to the railing. He was doing the same thing, watching for bags left behind. A.D. Kunze did the same down below.
Maggie glanced back looking for Patrick. She was just about to call him when she saw him come out from behind the barrier. Only now he was dragging a black Pullman behind him. Her stomach fell to her knees even before she saw the glint of the handcuffs.
"He's got Patrick," she whispered into her headset.
"Yes, he does," came a voice she didn't recognize.
CHAPTER 78
Patrick couldn't see Maggie's face from where he stood. He tried not to look directly at her. He knew that's what the Project Manager was waiting for. He could talk to them with Patrick's headset but he didn't know exactly who they were or where they were. He was standing off to the side now, about thirty feet away, watching and waiting for Patrick to give away their locations.
Damn it! He really screwed this up.
It happened so quickly. One minute the guy was in front of him, disappearing around the corner and the next minute he was behind Patrick, slipping the cuffs on him and chaining him to the handle of the Pullman.
The guy looked different enough that Patrick hadn't been sure. Back at the mall he had worn a ball cap but his hair had also been much longer and dark. Now it was bristle-short and almost blond. He'd had facial hair, too, a clipped goatee. Now he was clean-shaven. He wore a golf shirt, navy canvas jacket, khaki trousers and leather loafers. No ball cap. But it was the walk that drew Patrick's attention. By the time he was able to look the guy in the eyes, it was too late.
Off to the side Patrick could see A.D. Kunze. He stopped himself from looking over. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that Kunze wasn't looking at him, either. He was talking to a cleaning woman, standing by her cart.
He glanced up to Maggie. Son of a bitch! The Project Manager caught him and followed his line of vision. But Maggie was gone.
He saw the guy's lips moving. He was talking to them, using Patrick's headset. What the hell was he telling them? He'd moved away from Patrick quickly. So quickly Patrick wasn't sure if anyone had seen him. Would they know which one he was? Could they tell?
Patrick glanced around again while the Project Manager still searched the upper level, scanning the railing where Maggie had been earlier. Then Patrick saw her. She was coming down the escalator, smiling and chatting with a woman next to her. The Project Manager turned his back to Patrick, just for a second or two and Patrick used the opportunity to point him out. He swung his free hand up, jerked his index finger at the man's back then brought his hand to his head and raked his fingers through his hair just as the Project Manager turned around.
Did Maggie see it? Did any of the others? It might have been too late, because now the guy was leaving. After all, he didn't need to be near the bomb to detonate it by remote control.
CHAPTER 79
Maggie tried to keep the panic from showing. It felt like something had her by the throat. She had to concentrate on breathing. She had to remind herself to slow down. Look by moving her eyes, not her head. Stay calm. Move nonchalantly. No nervous twitches. No jerks or twists around.
She tried to figure out who Patrick was looking at. None of the men around him looked like the sketch. The only olive complexion belonged to a guy with short, spiky sun-bleached hair, dressed in khakis and a navy blue jacket.
She eased her way toward the escalator.
"I have a remote," the voice came again over her headset. "You don't have any choice but to let me walk out of here."
No one answered him. There was silence. They could no longer talk to each other now. Their communication system was useless.
She started down the escalator and asked the woman next to her if she'd had a good holiday. The woman started telling her about her trip while Maggie smiled at her and looked over her shoulder. Patrick looked miserable. He glanced in her direction. She wasn't sure if he'd seen her. Then suddenly she saw him raise his hand. He jerked a finger in one direction and ended up pushing back his hair. He had pointed to someone. He was giving them a signal, telling them who the Project Manager was.
Maggie came off the escalator, turning in Patrick's direction. She was close enough now to catch his eyes. He flicked his away, looking over in the same direction he had pointed.
The Project Manager had to be the man in the navy blue jacket and khakis. He was walking away, headed toward an exit but able to keep an eye on Patrick.
"You'll let me leave," he said and this time she could see his lips move. He still hadn't noticed her, and he no longer looked from side to side.
Kunze was closest to Patrick. He and the cleaning woman were edging their way forward. It didn't look like he had identified the Project Manager yet. Maggie examined the railing above, but she couldn't see Wurth. Was she the only one?
She looked back at Patrick and this time their eyes met. He pointed again and mouthed something to her. He was telling her to go after him. Don't let him get away. But how could she leave Patrick chained to a suitcase bomb?
The Project Manager was at the front doors, walking out. What would stop him from detonating the bomb once he was out of impact range? She had to stop him.
Maggie waved at Kunze to help Patrick. He moved in with the cleaning woman and her cart. Maggie took off running, dodging her way around passengers. She dug her right hand under her jacket, gripped the butt of her Smith amp; Wesson but kept it in its shoulder holster.
She slammed out the door onto the sidewalk and stopped. She'd seen him turn to his right but she couldn't see him now through the line of curb-side checkins. She pushed her way through, stumbling over luggage and feet. He was there, up ahead, five car lengths, getting into the passenger side of a black sedan. Maggie shoved herself between startled passengers but the car was already pulling away. She saw the license plate and watched helplessly as it sped away.
Out of breath, she leaned against a concrete bench. And that's when it happened. The explosion sent vibrations under her feet almost knocking her over.
It was too late. She was too late.
CHAPTER 80
Monday, November 26
Federal Bureau of Investigation
111 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Maggie waited though her patience was wearing thin. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Nothing she said would change things. No amount of debriefing could remove the guilt and regret.