Faithless in Death (In Death, #52)(99)

“The blueprints have more detail. Let’s have a look.”

They went through them, the main house, three floors, five bedroom suites and two home offices on the second floor, what was billed as a media center on the lower level with a kitchenette, full bath, guest room. A bonus room, two bedrooms, two full baths spread out on the third. Dining room, breakfast room, kitchen, living room, study, powder room, large pantry, and laundry facilities on the main.

“Media center, maybe—and I bet a setup to record his bullshit media. But bonus room, my ass. It’s not on here, but I’m betting that’s where he sticks in-house staff. He needs live-in staff. What if he wants a snack at midnight? Some female type has to take care of that.”

She went over the staff housing, exits, egresses, the educational complexes, the medical facility, the warehouse with loading dock. Then held up a hand to pause on the next building.

“No way that’s more storage. No loading dock, and the doors aren’t wide enough. It’s got a full basement—for what? I’ll tell you for what.”

She felt the anger rise in her and had to firmly, deliberately tamp it out. Emotions had to wait.

“That’s where they keep the people they abduct. No windows, not one window on the plans. If I were setting it up, this is how I’d do it. Windowless, limited exits and escape routes. Have your lab and shock therapy, testing in the basement. You could fit plenty of barred rooms in there, and a place for staff to meet or take a break, have some lunch before they go back and jab somebody with a shock stick.

“That’s the prison.”

“I’m going to agree with you on that.”

Knowing her, he not only felt her fury, but shared it. And, knowing her, he kept his tone as cool as hers.

“It’s tucked too far away from everything else to serve efficiently as storage,” he added. “And the schematics on the security system add weight to that prison.”

“Bring them up. I think my eyes are about to bleed.” She closed them, but when she opened them again she still saw a lot of lines, graphics, incomprehensible terms and figures. “I’m going back to coffee.”

“I’ll join you there, and explain this to you. I have more covering the walls, and that prison building, still more on the main house, and so on. It’s a very complex and comprehensive system. In addition to alarms throughout, there are motion sensors in some areas, alerts should anyone attempt to jam or hack the system.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, there’s more.” He said it cheerfully, like someone about to start an entertaining game. “Lights, sirens. The walls are outfitted with a shock system. This, and more still, would be over and above any human or droid patrols.”

She handed him coffee. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You know the system.”

“I do indeed. Or, more accurately, the systems, as there are three systems combined—intertwined, and in layers. It’s very well done.”

“You’re not going to explain it all to me or we’ll be here for a month. What you’re going to do is look at this—the systems—and the main house, to start, like it has a zillion hot white diamonds inside, and you want them. You’re going to figure out how you’d get in, get to every one of these buildings, and steal the shit out of them.”

His lips curved slowly. “Well then, wouldn’t that be fun?”

“It’s just you and me here, ace. Find the weak spots, and be a thief.”

He studied the schematics, and his smile only spread. “I can do that.”

Before he started, his ’link signaled. “Ah, that’s perfect as well. I have the security schematics and the blueprints from the island community.”

“How’d you find time to get those already, and what we’ve got going here?”

“Delegating. Summerset—and don’t snarl—handled this.”

“I want to snarl, but I can’t because we need it. How’d he get it—Don’t tell me.” She quickly waved even the thought of it away. “Just send it to Whitney. He’ll get it to Abernathy, and we’ll hope they don’t ask too many questions.”

“There’s always an answer that will suit if necessary. You’ll feel better knowing that since the block in Tribeca wasn’t actually built by Natural Order, Feeney’s team is getting those blueprints. My system again, so the security’s easy to access. You’ll have that shortly.

“Now.” He rolled his shoulders. “Hot white diamonds, is it?”

“Zillions.”

“I’ve always been fond of them.” He sat down at one of the computers, rolled up his sleeves. Tied his hair back. “If I can build it, I can break it. It starts with the walls.”

She’d spent nearly her entire career as a murder cop. She’d never chased down a master thief unless a murder was involved. And had never considered, exactly, what went into planning a theft of a highly secured building—much less multiple buildings.

Apparently at least some of it involved math. What looked to her like really big math, like calculus or physics.

Before it gave her a headache, she left him to it. She took the other computer and began her own calculations, her bare outline of multiple operations, and timing, and coordination.