Recollection Rick
Chapter 36
Suspicion colors the face that appears at Alexis' dorm room knock. The girl smirks at Alexis's explanation for her inquiry. "So now the school wants to check our hair. What are you looking for? Drugs? I hate to disappoint you, but I don't go to frat parties. I don't even talk to those obnoxious jerks. I'm not pulling out a hair for you, and I'm not letting you screw with my cut, either. You'll have to leave me out of your study."
Alexis pushes against the door as her accuser attempts to slam it. "Listen, I'm not asking you to pull a hair, and I don't need to cut one. I can use what's in your brush. A lot of innocent suspects went to jail because of crappy hair evidence. I'm just trying to straighten some of that out. And I'm not looking for drugs."
The girl's gaze sweeps over Alexis. "You look like you should be in high school. What are you, one of those whiz kids? How old are you?"
Alexis's eyes flash. "Seventeen, and I am in high school. I'm a senior. But I've been working with Professor Gilly for a long time. And my boyfriend goes here," she adds as an afterthought. "We're working on this together."
Hostility fades from the dorm resident as a smile pushes its way to her lips. "So you're doing this for some guy. I should have known. I hope he's worth the hassle. Yeah, you can have what's in my hairbrush. But I'm no rich kid. I use the cheapest shampoo at the dollar store. Who knows what's really in it? Good luck figuring it out."
Alexis returns the smile. "Thanks, your samples may be just what I need."
Fallon's phone screeches an alert. He springs from his seat, still scanning the screen. "Beckett, the Coast Guard got a line on the boat with the PETN. It rendezvoused with the Glenah an hour before U.S. forces boarded, then took a circuitous route to Staten Island. That's why it was so hard to spot. It docked for less than a half-hour, probably just long enough to deliver the PETN. The satellite only caught the transfer of crates."
"How many crates?" Kate queries.
Fallon's fingernails gouge angry crescents in his palms. "Too many. Terrorists can pack enough TNT into a truck, about 12,000 pounds, to take down a building. PETN is almost 25% more powerful than TNT, so say, 9,000 lbs would be more than enough. And if bombs are planted in structurally weak spots, it could take a lot less, a hell of a lot less. A collapse would be more fatal than the blasts. The occupants would be crushed or smothered by dust. I can't let it happen."
"We can't let it happen. Does DHS have agents on the way?"
"We do, but we don't have a lot of personnel stationed in New York, except for Immigration and Customs. And they're no good for this. We need a tactical squad."
Beckett is already moving toward Montgomery's office. "You'll have one."
Rick picks up a fussy Lily, draping her over his shoulder. He nuzzles his cheek against baby hair that is beginning to curl at the ends. "Mama can't make it home right now," he explains.
"Ma-ho," Lily repeats.
"I'm sorry. I miss her too. But she has some very bad people to catch before they do something terrible. And she left plenty of her special blend for you. Alexis is busy with Dana, and Gram has a performance. You and I can have supper together, just the two of us."
Lily squirms in Rick's arms. "Uh!"
"Yeah, I know," he comforts. "Too bad, you're not older. You could overcompensate with junk food. If you're still into dairy in a few years, Alexis can instruct you in building the perfect sundae. I'm good. She's better. But in the meantime, we can explore junk television. How would you feel about Nebula Nine? That's Mama's favorite."
"Eb," Lily echoes.
"OK, dinner, complete with cheesy science fiction, it is."
Dana hands Alexis a long spoon for her end of a shared banana split. "I'm sorry you had a hard time at the dorm."
"It wasn't all bad. I got to tie up with Barton. She said everyone on campus has been on edge since the police rounded up the frat boys and the university closed down their houses. I guess they had all the professors, house parents, and resident assistants make announcements about counseling available for drug users. I think the school is just trying to help, but some of the students are looking at the interventions as a threat."
"Uh-huh, I heard some of that in class. It's a mess. So how many samples were you able to get?"
"Just 20 from the whole dorm, 15 girls, five guys."
Dana shrugs. "It's a start. If we see anything, we can go after more. But you know, that girl you said was suspicious that the analysis was about drugs, wasn't completely off the beam. Hair follicle tests can detect drugs for up to three months. The problem is they won't show up for 7-10 days. So it's possible to flag someone who tried something and said no thanks but not tag a new user. And the tests are expensive."
"You don't think the school will try to use our samples to go after the students, do you?" Alexis wonders.
"Not unless the administration is under a hell of a lot of pressure. But it can't anyway, the way we're just identifying everyone by a code number."
"You designed the experiment that way, just in case, didn't you?" Alexis asserts.
Dana leaves his spoon standing in a scoop of double fudge ice cream. "No, I would have, but that was Gilly. So many of the students are terrified of her, but she's always got our backs."
Alexis spoons up a bit of ice cream. "She scared the hell out of me at first, but she's always had mine."
The small warehouse at the dock was intended to hold fishing gear and the large supplies of ice needed to preserve a catch before sale or storage. It had been empty for some time, and its heavy-duty forklift unused, ever since al-Ruqai's operation took over the building and the nearby docks. It's not empty now. The crates inside weigh take up much of the floor space. Sturdy tables hold casings and detonators. The components have only to be combined and transported to their target.
Hamed's people will deal with the latter after midnight when the area is completely deserted, and a truck can be brought in without being seen. His operative will be ready to receive the finished devices in the gloom of early morning when the delivery is least likely to be observed. Putting them in place to trigger an implosion won't be easy, but he'll have all the help he needs.
Hamed rubs his hands together, more in anticipation than from the chill off the water. By this time tomorrow, New York City will be in chaos, and his people will be beyond the reach of the Great Satan. He can announce his victory from a safe distance before moving on to his next task. The fanatic chieftain envisions his future after the abomination is cleansed. He'll command even more respect than his brother did.
The beating of helicopter blades startles the terrorist leader back to the present. Armored invaders with assault rifles are hanging out the door of the craft. Hamed stares in shock at the heavily armed horde encircling the warehouse and advancing on him. The enemy has breached his gates.
