went to his desk, pulled out a fresh legal pad, and began to write everything that just occurred. When Agent Nathaniel Brown called, Archer would be ready.
Mullins stepped off the elevator on the ground floor. Instead of returning to the lobby, he exited through the employee entrance. He crossed the rear parking lot and walked two blocks in the opposite direction from where the black Audi had been facing. He’d made Sidney Levine when he left his apartment in Shirlington, but to try and evade the reporter would have made him suspicious. Mullins didn’t have a problem being followed to a public bank, but the next leg of his investigation needed to be solo.
He walked to the corner of the cross street where he could see two blocks to the bank. The Audi was in the customer lot in a space farthest from his Prius. Sidney could watch both the lobby door and his car. Mullins looked around, not seeing what twenty years earlier would have been a common sight. A pay phone. He wondered if Roanoke had eliminated all of them. He turned and retraced his steps to where he’d seen a Fast Break Food Mart. Sure enough, on the outside wall near the corner of the building, was a public phone. It wouldn’t work for Clark Kent to change into Superman, but it more than sufficed for Mullins.
He skirted the door so that a cashier couldn’t see him, took a handkerchief from his pocket to avoid fingerprints, and dialed 911. He repeated the bomb threat twice to make sure the responder got the address.
The sirens wailed as he stepped back into the bank’s employee parking lot. As people streamed out of the building, Mullins walked around the side and cautiously checked the customer lot. He saw a police officer telling Sidney Levine to move his vehicle. Then a firetruck screeched to a halt, blocking his view. Mullins hurried to his Prius, eased it forward on quiet battery power, and circled behind the bank.
He relaxed when he merged onto I-81 with no Audi behind him and nothing but interstate between Roanoke and Miami.
Chapter Eighteen
The rush of cop cars, their blue lights blazing and sirens wailing, caught Sidney Levine off-guard. As people poured out of the office building, Sidney scanned the faces for Mullins but couldn’t see him.
“Are you waiting on someone?” The police officer shouted the question as he bent closer to Sidney’s window.
Sidney rolled down the glass. “I was going into the bank. Has there been a robbery?”
“Possible gas leak. We need you to clear the area now.”
Gas leak my ass, Sidney thought. He looked past the officer to the stream of people flowing out the doors and across the street beyond the perimeter rapidly being established by the police. If Sidney got out and joined them, he’d be away from the car if Mullins drove away.
The cop made the choice for him. “Move the vehicle, sir. We need the working space.”
As an emphasis of his point, a firetruck jumped the curb and stopped facing the building. Mullins’ Prius disappeared behind the wall of red and silver metal.
“Yes, sir,” Sidney said. He backed the Audi up and drove out the entrance. Another police officer refused to let him turn left onto the street going in front of the bank. As Sidney drove through the intersection, he craned his neck out the window to see around the firetruck. Mullins’ Prius was gone.
Sidney had no doubt that Mullins orchestrated the chaotic scene. Somehow he must have phoned in a bomb threat to mask his escape. Sidney assumed Mullins spotted him. Then another possibility crossed his mind. What if Mullins saw someone else following him? Someone whose presence posed a real threat.
Sidney looked in his rearview mirror. No cars trailed him. He took a deep breath, telling himself not to let his imagination overwhelm the rational side of his brain. He needed to focus on what he could learn. Mullins had spoken to someone in that building, and he’d gone into the lobby before the bank opened. A
Mullins stepped off the elevator on the ground floor. Instead of returning to the lobby, he exited through the employee entrance. He crossed the rear parking lot and walked two blocks in the opposite direction from where the black Audi had been facing. He’d made Sidney Levine when he left his apartment in Shirlington, but to try and evade the reporter would have made him suspicious. Mullins didn’t have a problem being followed to a public bank, but the next leg of his investigation needed to be solo.
He walked to the corner of the cross street where he could see two blocks to the bank. The Audi was in the customer lot in a space farthest from his Prius. Sidney could watch both the lobby door and his car. Mullins looked around, not seeing what twenty years earlier would have been a common sight. A pay phone. He wondered if Roanoke had eliminated all of them. He turned and retraced his steps to where he’d seen a Fast Break Food Mart. Sure enough, on the outside wall near the corner of the building, was a public phone. It wouldn’t work for Clark Kent to change into Superman, but it more than sufficed for Mullins.
He skirted the door so that a cashier couldn’t see him, took a handkerchief from his pocket to avoid fingerprints, and dialed 911. He repeated the bomb threat twice to make sure the responder got the address.
The sirens wailed as he stepped back into the bank’s employee parking lot. As people streamed out of the building, Mullins walked around the side and cautiously checked the customer lot. He saw a police officer telling Sidney Levine to move his vehicle. Then a firetruck screeched to a halt, blocking his view. Mullins hurried to his Prius, eased it forward on quiet battery power, and circled behind the bank.
He relaxed when he merged onto I-81 with no Audi behind him and nothing but interstate between Roanoke and Miami.
Chapter Eighteen
The rush of cop cars, their blue lights blazing and sirens wailing, caught Sidney Levine off-guard. As people poured out of the office building, Sidney scanned the faces for Mullins but couldn’t see him.
“Are you waiting on someone?” The police officer shouted the question as he bent closer to Sidney’s window.
Sidney rolled down the glass. “I was going into the bank. Has there been a robbery?”
“Possible gas leak. We need you to clear the area now.”
Gas leak my ass, Sidney thought. He looked past the officer to the stream of people flowing out the doors and across the street beyond the perimeter rapidly being established by the police. If Sidney got out and joined them, he’d be away from the car if Mullins drove away.
The cop made the choice for him. “Move the vehicle, sir. We need the working space.”
As an emphasis of his point, a firetruck jumped the curb and stopped facing the building. Mullins’ Prius disappeared behind the wall of red and silver metal.
“Yes, sir,” Sidney said. He backed the Audi up and drove out the entrance. Another police officer refused to let him turn left onto the street going in front of the bank. As Sidney drove through the intersection, he craned his neck out the window to see around the firetruck. Mullins’ Prius was gone.
Sidney had no doubt that Mullins orchestrated the chaotic scene. Somehow he must have phoned in a bomb threat to mask his escape. Sidney assumed Mullins spotted him. Then another possibility crossed his mind. What if Mullins saw someone else following him? Someone whose presence posed a real threat.
Sidney looked in his rearview mirror. No cars trailed him. He took a deep breath, telling himself not to let his imagination overwhelm the rational side of his brain. He needed to focus on what he could learn. Mullins had spoken to someone in that building, and he’d gone into the lobby before the bank opened. A
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