Chapter 12

Adam watched the three yellow dots on the screen move away from the terrace and into the house. On the 2D image it looked as though they had been right on top of Mac. Adam let out the breath that he was holding. "Oh boy that was close!" Reed looked white. They watched as Mac's heat signature moved around the edge of the house. Adam picked up his second phone labelled "Op Central"and thumbed a speed dial number. It was answered immediately.

"You have company. Coming from the North West corner. We have the package from the airport." He put the phone back down and looked at his watch. "Okay Reed, you ready for this."

Reed shook his head as Mac's phone rang in the place setting next to him but he had no choice so he picked up the microphone. Adam checked the cable that led from Mac's phone to the computer and pushed the answer button. "Taylor." Reed said surprised to hear his voice transformed into that of his stepfather's as he had now come to consider Mac.

"Do you have what we want?" The female voice was muffled as though she had a cloth over the mouthpiece but he was able to make out the words quite clearly.

"Yes. Let me speak to Detective Danville." Reed read the words from the script they had worked out.

"That won't be possible."

"Don't take me for a fool. I want proof of life or the deal is off." Reed read trying to sound as self assured as Mac. There was a few moments hesitation.

"Very well. Wait."

Adam pointed to the screen and they watched a dot move east through the house and join the two fainter heat signatures. There was some rustling and the muffled sound of voices.

"Mac? It's Jo." Adam looked over at Sid who closed his eyes and sighed with relief at hearing her voice.

"Jo, are you all right?" Reed asked.

"Yes! Mac ..." Jo's voice was cut off with a muffled cry.

"You have your proof of life. New construction at the corner of Rockaway and Bayview. Be there in one hour. Alone." The caller rang off. Adam picked up his second phone.

Reed sighed with relief as he put the microphone down. "Wow I can't believe that worked. Oh oh! Mac!"

Adam was about to dial again when he realised that the guard's heat signature was almost at Mac's position. Sid came round and watched over Adam's shoulder as the two dots merged briefly. Then one moved away back round the house the way the guard had come. Adam's phone began to vibrate causing him to jump as he answered it. "You okay?"

Mac's voice sounded tinny through the phones speaker. "Yeah." he whispered. "Do you have confirmation?"

"Yes. Basement room, North East corner. There's one guard with her and a second in a room just to your right. Your taxi will be there shortly. Rendez-vous is one hour at Rockaway and Bayview so they'll be leaving soon. You need to move now."

"Understood." Mac rang off.

"Be careful Mac." whispered Reed to himself.

Adam hit the speed dial again. "Okay you're good to go."

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'CSI:NY - CSI:NY - CSI:NY - CSI:NY – CSI:NY'

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Don Flack crept through the bushes and flattened himself against the wall of the garage. A gleaming new Mercedes with diplomatic plates was parked in the drive outside the house. That must be Youssef Khalim's, he thought to himself. According to Reed's research only the elder brother was formally a member of the trade talks, the younger brother and sister only lived off his reputation. He ducked around the corner and peered through the window of the access door. "Nice" he whispered as he spied a gleaming yellow Corvette next to a row of cars including a Land-Rover LR2 and a huge 4 x4. According to Sid the blue Taurus had followed them to the country club where they were still sitting outside the gates believing Mac to be inside.

Don tried the handle but of course it was locked. He looked at the row of four automatic doors, ducked back around the corner and slid back along the wall until he reached a small panel set into the wall. Pulling a small metal crow bar from his pocket, he inserted it into the gap between the surround and the inset door. It didn't take much to prise it apart. He looked inside at the tangle of wires. Putting his phone to his ear he whispered. "Okay, which ones?"

Sid held out the schematics for the house. Adam tipped his head on one side as he studied it. "It should be the left most bundle."

Don sighed and grabbed the left most bundle of wires in his gloved hand, closed his eyes and pulled. He winced as sparks flew. Opening his eyes and deciding that he hadn't been electrocuted he looked around "Shit. The garden lights went out."

"Er sorry .. they must be on the same circuit." came Adam's worried voice through the phone.

"Oh ya think?"

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Mac jumped as the garden lights suddenly went out. He was right under the window to the guard's room. He heard the scrape of the chair and the door open. He flattened himself against the wall. The guard stepped out to check the rest of the garden. Mac pounced grabbing the guard in a strangle hold, forcing a square of white cloth over his nose and mouth. The guard struggled for a few seconds but began to go limp in Mac's arms. As he began to collapse Mac twisted round and heaved him over his shoulder and carried him away from the door and dumped him under a large bush. He relieved him of his gun, tossed it into another bush and quickly ran back to the door and closed it quietly behind him. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He checked the door to his right. It was a simply furnished room with a table and two chairs, a television on top of a fridge and a row of black and white security monitors on a desk with another office chair that had been pushed hurriedly away. Mac checked the monitors and let out a breath grateful that the security system was pretty basic and hadn't been too difficult for him to get through with Adam's help. He flipped a few switches and left closing the door quietly behind him. He moved silently down the corridor, pulled out his phone and hit the call button.

"Er sorry about that. Think we may have killed the garden lights too when we took out the garage doors. The family are still in the main room but their driver is heading to the garages. You still have one. Take the second door on your left, down the stairs and turn right."

Mac whispered an acknowledgement and followed Adam's instructions. He found the door and cautiously opened it. He found himself at the head of a short flight of steps. The light wasn't on but he could see clearly from the glow downstairs. He slipped quietly down the stairs and peered round to the right. Sure enough there was a guard sitting on a chair next to a door. He was reading a newspaper but Mac couldn't fail to miss the gun at his hip nor the semi-automatic slung over the back of the chair. He grimaced. He hadn't been expecting that. At the end of the corridor, set high in the wall was a wide but shallow window with newspaper taped over it.

Mac flattened himself against the wall and took out another square of chloroform-soaked cloth. He lifted the phone and pressed 2. A voice said "Ready."

"On 5."

Don counted to five in his head and smashed the window with the crow bar. The guard jumped up dropping his paper and going for his gun as Mac pushed away from the wall and sprinted down the corridor. He grabbed the guard in a stranglehold but this one was much more on the ball than the first two and put up more of a fight. He threw himself backwards using his weight against Mac and slamming him against the door he had been guarding. Mac groaned as the door handle caught him in the left kidney. He tightened his grip and tried to keep the chloroform-soaked square over the man's mouth and nose. However that wasn't easy when your opponent wasn't cooperating and was at least six inches taller and twenty pounds heavier. Mac decided heavier tactics were called for so he dropped the cloth, tightened his grip around the man's throat and launched a well-aimed kick at his opponent's Achilles heel. The guard stumbled and dropped to his knees throwing Mac off-balance. Mac lost his hold and tumbled to the floor. However, he recovered quickly and lashed out at the guard who collapsed onto his back. Mac staggered forward and grabbed the cloth from the floor. He knelt on the man's chest and held the cloth over his mouth and nose as he counted in his head. The guard went limp and Mac removed a glove to feel for his pulse. Satisfied that he was alive but out cold, he replaced his glove and looked up at the masked face peering through the now-open window. He raised his hand in an okay sign and received one in return.

Mac turned to the door he was guarding. Now was the moment of truth.